Are Spaghetti Acidic or Alkaline?
Spaghetti (cooked) are acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Cooked spaghetti comes in at +5.8, making it clearly acid-forming. Durum wheat semolina brings a lot of protein and phosphorus, even though the pasta absorbs water as it cooks. Raw, it's +10.9. A 200 g serving adds just under +12. A tomato sauce made from 150 g of peeled tomatoes at about −6 offsets roughly half of that.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, spaghetti (cooked) rank #78 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Pretzel stick (+5.7), Pretzel (lye) (+5.7), Focaccia (+5.7). More acid-forming are Amaranth (+5.9), Couscous (durum) (+5.9), Puffed rice cereal (+6.0).
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.
Spaghetti: cooked, raw
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| cooked | +5.8 |
| raw | +10.9 |
What balances spaghetti
A small side (100 g) of spaghetti adds +5.8 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are spaghetti 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: Spaghetti (cooked) have a PRAL of +5.8 per 100 g, so they count as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a small side (100 g) of spaghetti?
A small side (100 g) of spaghetti adds +5.8 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 70 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid spaghetti on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Spaghetti are acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Spaghetti, cooked or raw: which is more alkaline?
Spaghetti (cooked) is at +5.8, Spaghetti (raw) at +10.9. So the "cooked" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Spaghetti 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 Grains, Bread & Pasta: Grains, Bread & Pasta 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.