Is White Rice Acidic or Alkaline?
White rice (cooked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion. Acid-forming, but only mildly. Cooked white rice has a PRAL of +1.8 per 100 g, and brown rice +1.9. As a side dish with vegetables, rice is not a problem.
Classification
Cooked white rice is only slightly acid-forming at +1.8, because milling removes part of the protein and phosphorus along with the outer layer, and the cooking water dilutes the rest. Raw, it is +4.7. A 200 g serving gives about +3.6, and a good amount of vegetables in a curry offsets that.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, white rice (cooked) ranks #19 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Rye crispbread (+1.7), Crispbread (snack) (+1.7), Wholemeal crispbread (+1.6). More acid-forming are Brown rice (+1.9), Egg noodles (+2.0), Tagliatelle (+2.0).
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.
White rice: cooked, raw
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| cooked | +1.8 |
| raw | +4.7 |
What balances white rice
A side serving of cooked rice (180 g) of white rice adds +3.2 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is white rice 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 rice (cooked) has a PRAL of +1.8 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets a side serving of cooked rice (180 g) of white rice?
A side serving of cooked rice (180 g) of white rice adds +3.2 to your daily balance. Kale (fresh) has −11.7 per 100 g, so about 30 g of kale offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid white rice on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. White rice is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
White rice, cooked or raw: which is more alkaline?
White rice (cooked) is at +1.8, White rice (raw) at +4.7. So the "cooked" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
White Rice 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 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.