Is Walnut Oil Acidic or Alkaline?
Walnut oil (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Walnut oil sits at 0.0 and is neutral because only fat remains in the cold-pressed oil. The protein, phosphorus and magnesium of the nut, which comes in at +5.6, stay behind in the press cake. So the oil doesn't matter for your acid-base balance; only its 899 kcal per 100 ml count. In a dressing, the vinegar, the mustard and above all the salad underneath make the difference.
In the Oils & Fats category, walnut oil (raw) ranks #10 of 22, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Sunflower oil (0.0), Sesame oil (−0.2), Margarine (−0.4). More acid-forming are Safflower oil (0.0), Coconut oil (0.0), Flaxseed 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 walnut oil 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: Walnut oil (raw) has a PRAL of 0.0 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does walnut oil count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At 0.0 per 100 ml, walnut oil is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Walnut Oil 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.