Is Hollandaise Sauce Acidic or Alkaline?
Hollandaise sauce (prepared) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Hollandaise sauce sits in the acid-forming range at +6.1 per 100 ml. Egg yolk adds protein and a lot of phosphorus, and butter, being pure fat, does nothing to counter it. The asparagus underneath brings some potassium but only partly offsets the sauce. Ham adds more acid, potatoes offset more, and the 518 kcal per 100 ml stay either way.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, hollandaise sauce (prepared) ranks #70 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Ranch dressing (+5.7), White pepper (+5.1), Caesar dressing (+4.2). More acid-forming are Mustard seeds (+14.4), Mustard powder (+14.4), Nutritional yeast (yeast flakes) (+21.2).
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.
What balances hollandaise sauce
A teaspoon (5 g) of hollandaise sauce adds +0.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hollandaise sauce 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: Hollandaise sauce (prepared) has a PRAL of +6.1 per 100 ml, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
Do I have to avoid hollandaise sauce on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Hollandaise sauce is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Hollandaise Sauce logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces 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.