Is Margarine Acidic or Alkaline?
Margarine (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Margarine is neutral at −0.4 because it consists almost entirely of fat and water, and neither counts in the mineral balance. So whether you spread butter or margarine on your bread hardly matters for the PRAL. At 718 kcal per 100 g, it's a question for your energy balance, not your acid-base math.
In the Oils & Fats category, margarine (raw) ranks #2 of 22, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Margarine, half-fat (−1.3). More acid-forming are Sesame oil (−0.2), Sunflower oil (0.0), Cottonseed oil (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 margarine 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: Margarine (raw) has a PRAL of −0.4 per 100 g, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does margarine count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At −0.4 per 100 g, margarine is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Margarine 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 Oils & Fats: Oils & Fats 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.