Are White Beans Acidic or Alkaline?
White beans (canned) are neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Canned white beans sit in the neutral range at +0.4, slightly above home-cooked ones (−1.2). Some potassium and magnesium are lost to the liquid, while the protein stays. In exchange, you skip the overnight soaking. Rinsed and dressed with olive oil, tomato and onion, they make a high-protein salad that comes out alkaline overall.
In the Legumes category, white beans (canned) rank #10 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Fava beans (broad beans) (+0.2), Peas & carrots (−0.1), Green peas (−1.9). More acid-forming are Mung beans (+0.5), Kidney beans (+0.7), Green peas (+0.7).
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.
White beans: canned, boiled
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| boiled | −1.2 |
| canned | +0.4 |
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Are white beans 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: White beans (canned) have a PRAL of +0.4 per 100 g, so they count as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does white beans count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At +0.4 per 100 g, white beans are in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat them without shifting your balance.
White beans, canned or boiled: which is more alkaline?
White beans (canned) is at +0.4, White beans (boiled) at −1.2. So the "boiled" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
White Beans 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 Legumes: Legumes 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.