Are Green Peas Acidic or Alkaline?
Green peas (fresh) are alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Fresh green peas come in at −1.9, slightly alkaline. For a vegetable, they contain a lot of protein, but their potassium outweighs it. Cooked, the value flips to +0.7, because some of the potassium moves into the cooking water while the protein stays in the pea. Snack on them raw from the pod or steam them briefly, and you keep the alkaline advantage.
In the Legumes category, green peas (fresh) rank #6 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Green beans (−2.0), Chickpea flour (−2.8), Edamame (green soybeans) (−3.1). More acid-forming are White beans (−1.2), Peas & carrots (−0.1), Fava beans (broad beans) (+0.2).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Green peas: fresh, boiled
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| fresh | −1.9 |
| boiled | +0.7 |
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Are green peas acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Green peas (fresh) have a PRAL of −1.9 per 100 g, so they count as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much green peas do I need for a noticeable effect?
A cooked serving (150 g) of green peas adds −2.9 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of green peas roughly offsets one of them.
Why are green peas alkaline even though they are not typical alkaline foods?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Green peas provide more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.9).
Green peas, fresh or boiled: which is more alkaline?
Green peas (fresh) is at −1.9, Green peas (boiled) at +0.7. So the "fresh" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Green Peas logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Legumes: Legumes table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.