Is Pear Acidic or Alkaline?
Pear (fresh) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Like apples, pears are mostly water and fructose with a small portion of potassium. That results in −2.3, moderately alkaline and a bit more than an apple. Drying is where it gets interesting: without the water, the same potassium is spread over far less mass, and the pear lands at −9.2. Fresh, at 58 kcal, it's the lighter snack.
In the Fruit category, pear (fresh) ranks #67 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Mandarin (−2.3), Blackberry (−2.4), Sea buckthorn berry (−2.5). More acid-forming are Apple (−1.9), Apple sauce, unsweetened (−1.9), Sour cherry (−1.8).
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.
Pear: fresh, dried
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| dried | −9.2 |
| fresh | −2.3 |
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pear 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: Pear (fresh) has a PRAL of −2.3 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much pear do I need for a noticeable effect?
One piece or a handful (120 g) of pear adds −2.8 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of pear roughly offsets one of them.
Why is pear alkaline even though it tastes sour?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Pear provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−2.3).
Pear, fresh or dried: which is more alkaline?
Pear (fresh) is at −2.3, Pear (dried) at −9.2. So the "dried" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Pear 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 Fruit: Fruit 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.