What to Eat When You're Hungover: The Best (and Worst) Hangover Foods

The best food for a hangover is whatever your stomach can handle: bland carbohydrates like toast, crackers, rice or oatmeal, plus eggs, bananas or salty broth. None of them cures a hangover, but bland foods are easy to keep down.1 A greasy fry-up has no evidence behind it and can sit heavily on a stomach that alcohol has already irritated.2,3

Key takeaways

  • No food has been shown to cure a hangover; NIAAA says nothing but time does.2
  • Eating before or while drinking slows alcohol absorption, and meals high in fat, carbohydrate or protein work about equally well.3
  • A medium banana has 422 mg of potassium, about 12% to 16% of an adult's daily adequate intake.4
  • A cup of ready-to-serve chicken broth has about 920 mg of sodium; US guidelines advise less than 2,300 mg a day.5,6
  • Research has not found a link between how disrupted your electrolytes are and how bad your hangover feels.2

Can food cure a hangover?

No. NIAAA says there is no cure for a hangover other than time, and a 2022 review of 21 placebo-controlled trials rated all the evidence for hangover remedies as very low quality.2,7 The handful of foods that have been tested, such as Korean pear juice, were studied as something to have before drinking, in tiny trials.8

What food can do is settle your stomach, give you some energy and make the hours more bearable while your body recovers. That's worth something. Just don't expect a plate of anything to undo the night. Our how to cure a hangover guide covers what else does and doesn't help.

What's the best food for a hangover when your stomach is upset?

Start small and bland. Cleveland Clinic suggests bland foods with complex carbohydrates, like toast or crackers, plus plenty of fluids, broth included.1 Good options:

  • Dry toast, crackers or a plain bagel
  • Plain rice or oatmeal
  • A banana or applesauce
  • A mug of broth

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining and increases acid release.2 Drinks stronger than about 15% alcohol also tend to slow stomach emptying, which can leave you feeling full and uncomfortable.9 So a few bites and a pause beats a big plate. If you can't keep water down, see our hangover nausea guide, and get medical help if vomiting won't stop.

What should you eat when you're tired and foggy?

A normal meal with some carbohydrate and protein, once your stomach allows. Food won't fix the fog, which owes a lot to broken sleep: alcohol fragments the second half of the night and reduces REM sleep.10

Low blood sugar was once proposed as a hangover cause, but later human studies found glucose levels didn't correlate with hangover severity.11,12 Eat because it helps you function, not to correct a sugar crash. One small study of 23 drinkers found that people with more zinc and niacin in their usual diet had milder hangovers, but it was correlational and too small to act on.13

Eggs, bananas and broth: what do the nutrients actually do?

They supply protein, potassium and sodium, which are useful and comforting, but none has been tested as a hangover treatment.

What popular hangover foods contain, and what the hangover evidence says
Food Serving Notable nutrient Hangover evidence
Banana 1 medium 422 mg potassium4 None tested
Baked potato 1 medium 610 mg potassium4 None tested
Orange juice 1 cup 496 mg potassium4 None tested
Chicken broth, ready-to-serve 1 cup About 920 mg sodium5 None tested
Egg 1 large About 6 g protein, including the amino acid cysteine14 Eggs untested; an L-cysteine supplement trial was disputed
Toast, crackers, rice, oatmeal Small portion Easy carbohydrates None tested; bland and easy to tolerate

Bananas and potatoes are good potassium sources; the adult adequate intake is 3,400 mg a day for men and 2,600 mg for women.4 Broth brings salt and warm fluid. But NIAAA notes that research hasn't found a link between electrolyte disruption and hangover severity, and most people restore electrolyte balance quickly once alcohol wears off.2 More in electrolytes for a hangover.

Eggs are often credited with "mopping up" acetaldehyde because they contain cysteine. That idea borrows from supplement research: one trial of an L-cysteine supplement in 19 men reported benefits based on correlational analysis, and hangover researchers published a critical commentary on it.15,16 Nobody has tested eggs. They're still a fine, easy protein if you're hungry.

Is a greasy breakfast good for a hangover?

There's no evidence that it helps. The "soak it up" idea gets the timing backward: food slows alcohol absorption only when it's in your stomach before or while you drink, and fat, carbohydrate and protein meals do that about equally well.3 By the next morning, the alcohol has long since been absorbed.

If a breakfast sandwich sounds good and your stomach is settled, nothing shows it does harm either. Just don't expect it to fix anything, and go easy if you're queasy.

Hangover foods around the world: pho, menudo, haejangguk and more

Many cuisines have a morning-after dish, and most are soups. In South Korea, haejangguk refers to any soup eaten to relieve a hangover; regional versions use bean sprouts, ox blood or dried pollack.17 In Mexico and Texas, menudo, a spicy beef tripe and hominy stew, "has long been touted" as a hangover cure, though Texas Monthly's columnist found no solid scientific evidence for it.18 The same logic gets applied to Vietnamese pho.

No trial has tested any of these soups. What they share is warm, salty broth, soft carbohydrates and some protein, which is a sensible description of food that's easy to eat when you feel rough. If your stomach is touchy, a plainer broth may sit better than a chile-heavy one.

What to eat before drinking

A real meal. Eating before or while drinking slows the stomach's emptying and therefore how fast alcohol reaches your blood.3 Blood alcohol also falls faster after food: about 15–20 mg/100 mL per hour versus 10–15 when fasting.19

A meal changes the curve, not the total. It doesn't make heavy drinking safe or the drive home safer; hangovers impair attention and coordination even at zero blood alcohol.2 The most reliable way to avoid a hangover is to drink less. Current US guidance says to "consume less alcohol for better overall health"; pregnant women, people in recovery or unable to control their drinking, and people on interacting medicines shouldn't drink at all.6 See how to prevent a hangover.

Which foods and drinks should you avoid?

  • More alcohol. "Hair of the dog" can prolong the malaise.2
  • A big, heavy plate while you're nauseated. Start small.
  • Relying on supplements or "hangover foods" to make up for drinking. None has good evidence.7

For drinks, see what to drink for a hangover. Long-term heavy drinking is a different story nutritionally: up to 80% of people with chronic alcoholism develop thiamin deficiency.20 That's covered in nutrients alcohol depletes, and it isn't something a single breakfast fixes.

What we don't know yet

No trial has tested ordinary breakfast foods on hangover symptoms. The diet study was correlational with 23 people, and the pear juice trial had 14 men.13,8 Whether eating during a hangover shortens it is unknown.

Frequently asked questions

Is greasy food good for a hangover?

There's no evidence it helps. Food slows alcohol absorption only when you eat before or while drinking; by the next morning the alcohol is already absorbed.3 If greasy food sounds good and your stomach is calm, it's comfort, not treatment.

Are bananas good for a hangover?

They're a good, gentle choice. A medium banana has 422 mg of potassium and is easy on the stomach.4 But electrolyte disruption doesn't track hangover severity, so think of a banana as easy food, not a fix.2

Does pho help a hangover?

No study has tested it. Pho offers warm, salty broth, soft rice noodles and some protein, which makes it easy to eat when you feel rough. That's comfort, and it's a perfectly reasonable choice, but it isn't a cure.

What should I eat before drinking?

A normal meal. Fat, carbohydrate and protein all slow alcohol absorption about equally, and alcohol is cleared somewhat faster after food.3,19 A meal doesn't make heavier drinking safe, so pace yourself too.

Is it better to eat or skip food when hungover?

If you can keep it down, eat something small and bland; nothing suggests fasting helps.1 If you can't keep even fluids down for 12 hours or more, seek medical care.24

Sources

  1. Cleveland Clinic. Hangover. Last updated April 6, 2026. Cleveland Clinic
  2. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Hangovers. Updated December 2025. NIAAA
  3. Cederbaum AI. Alcohol metabolism. Clin Liver Dis. 2012;16(4):667-685. PubMed
  4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated June 2, 2022. NIH ODS
  5. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Soup, chicken broth, ready-to-serve (FDC ID 174536). USDA
  6. USDA and HHS. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. January 2026. PDF
  7. Roberts E, et al. The efficacy and tolerability of pharmacologically active interventions for alcohol-induced hangover symptomatology: a systematic review of the evidence from randomised placebo-controlled trials. Addiction. 2022;117(8):2157-2167. PubMed
  8. Lee HS, et al. Effect of Korean pear (Pyrus pyrifolia cv. Shingo) juice on hangover severity following alcohol consumption. Food Chem Toxicol. 2013;58:101-106. PubMed
  9. Bode C, Bode JC. Alcohol's role in gastrointestinal tract disorders. Alcohol Health Res World. 1997;21(1):76-83. PubMed
  10. Ebrahim IO, et al. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(4):539-549. PubMed
  11. Swift R, Davidson D. Alcohol hangover: mechanisms and mediators. Alcohol Health Res World. 1998;22(1):54-60. PubMed
  12. Penning R, et al. The pathology of alcohol hangover. Curr Drug Abuse Rev. 2010;3(2):68-75. PubMed
  13. Verster JC, et al. Dietary nutrient intake, alcohol metabolism, and hangover severity. J Clin Med. 2019;8(9):1316. PubMed
  14. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC ID 171287). USDA
  15. Eriksson CJP, et al. L-cysteine containing vitamin supplement which prevents or alleviates alcohol-related hangover symptoms: nausea, headache, stress and anxiety. Alcohol Alcohol. 2020;55(6):660-666. PubMed
  16. Benson S, et al. L-cysteine and the treatment of alcohol hangover: a commentary on Eriksson et al. (2020). Alcohol Alcohol. 2021;56(5):628-629. PubMed
  17. Lee S. Healthy, hearty hangover soup. Korea JoongAng Daily. December 18, 2009. Korea JoongAng Daily
  18. Courtney D. Is it true that menudo will cure a hangover? Texas Monthly (The Texanist). October 7, 2017. Texas Monthly
  19. Jones AW. Evidence-based survey of the elimination rates of ethanol from blood with applications in forensic casework. Forensic Sci Int. 2010;200(1-3):1-20. PubMed
  20. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Thiamin: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated February 9, 2023. NIH ODS
  21. NIAAA. Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol Overdose. Updated December 2025. NIAAA
  22. SAMHSA. National Helpline. SAMHSA
  23. MedlinePlus (NIH). Alcohol withdrawal. Reviewed January 1, 2025. MedlinePlus
  24. MedlinePlus (NIH). Nausea and vomiting - adults. Reviewed July 22, 2025. MedlinePlus

Published by Fuller Health, which makes After Party. This article is general information, not medical advice: talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health, medicines and drinking. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research and write.

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