Is Vanilla Ice Cream Acidic or Alkaline?
Ice cream, vanilla (prepared) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Vanilla ice cream comes in at −0.6, just barely alkaline. Milk and cream bring calcium and potassium that narrowly outweigh the milk protein and its phosphorus, while the egg yolk in some recipes pulls the other way. Chocolate ice cream is much lower thanks to the cocoa. By the numbers, two scoops are almost neutral, but at 194 kcal per 100 g and plenty of sugar, they're no substitute for fruit.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, vanilla ice cream (prepared) ranks #31 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Sorbet (−0.7), Apricot cake (−0.7), Milky Way (−0.8). More acid-forming are Chocolate marshmallow kiss (−0.5), Caramel candy (−0.5), Chocolate mousse (−0.5).
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 vanilla ice cream 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: Ice cream, vanilla (prepared) has a PRAL of −0.6 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much vanilla ice cream do I need for a noticeable effect?
A small serving (40 g) of vanilla ice cream 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 vanilla ice cream roughly offsets one of them.
Why is vanilla ice cream 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. Ice cream, vanilla provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−0.6).
Ice Cream, Vanilla 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 Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks 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.