Is White Rice Acidic or Alkaline?
White rice (raw) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Raw white rice comes in at +4.7. That value describes the dry grain, with its concentrated protein and phosphorus. Cooking triples its weight through the water it absorbs, so cooked white rice lands at +1.8. A surprise: raw brown rice comes in slightly lower at +4.2, because its outer layer brings potassium and magnesium along with phosphorus.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, white rice (raw) ranks #62 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Wheat-rye bread (+4.7), Potato bread (+4.7), Rye, whole kernel (+4.4). More acid-forming are Wholemeal wheat bread (+4.9), Breadcrumbs (+5.0), Sprouted wheat (+5.0).
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: raw, cooked
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| cooked | +1.8 |
| raw | +4.7 |
What balances white rice
A dry serving (50 g) of white rice adds +2.4 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 (raw) has a PRAL of +4.7 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets a dry serving (50 g) of white rice?
A dry serving (50 g) of white rice adds +2.4 to your daily balance. Kale (fresh) has −11.7 per 100 g, so about 20 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, raw or cooked: which is more alkaline?
White rice (raw) is at +4.7, White rice (cooked) at +1.8. 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.