Is Red Cabbage Acidic or Alkaline?
Red cabbage (cooked) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Cooked red cabbage comes in at −3.4 and stays clearly alkaline. It loses a little compared with raw (−4.7) because some of the potassium goes into the cooking water. At 24 kcal per 100 g, it's very light. Prepared the classic way with apple and a little lard, it's −3.2, so this side dish next to the roast is more than decoration.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, red cabbage (cooked) ranks #63 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Red bell pepper (−3.5), Cauliflower (−3.6), Daikon radish (−3.6). More acid-forming are Sauerkraut (−3.4), Cucumber (−3.3), Sauerkraut (−3.3).
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.
Red cabbage: cooked, raw, prepared
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is red cabbage 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: Red cabbage (cooked) has a PRAL of −3.4 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much red cabbage do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of red cabbage adds −5.1 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of red cabbage roughly offsets one of them.
Why is red cabbage 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. Red cabbage provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−3.4).
Red cabbage, cooked or raw: which is more alkaline?
Red cabbage (cooked) is at −3.4, Red cabbage (raw) at −4.7. So the "raw" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Red Cabbage 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 Vegetables & Salad: Vegetables & Salad 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.