Is Honey Acidic or Alkaline?
Honey (raw) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion. Mildly alkaline. Honey has a PRAL of −1.2 per 100 g, but in the amounts you actually eat, the effect is practically zero.
Classification
Honey sits slightly in the alkaline range at −1.2, unlike table sugar. Besides sugar, it contains some potassium from the nectar and hardly any protein. The difference is small, though. A teaspoon in your tea won't change your balance in any measurable way. As a sweetener, at 305 kcal per 100 g, it is mostly sugar, not a source of alkalinity.
In the Sugar & Sweeteners category, honey (raw) ranks #4 of 12, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Brown sugar (−2.1), Maple syrup (−6.2), Molasses (−42.5). More acid-forming are Glucose (dextrose) (−0.1), Table sugar (0.0), Powdered sugar (0.0).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is honey 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: Honey (raw) has a PRAL of −1.2 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much honey do I need for a noticeable effect?
One tablespoon of honey (20 g) of honey adds −0.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of honey roughly offsets one of them.
Why is honey alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Honey provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.2).
Honey 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.
Free for Android · iPhone coming soon
Compare all Sugar & Sweeteners: Sugar & Sweeteners 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.