Baking powder substitute

For 1 teaspoon of baking powder, mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch. Use it right away or store it dry.

4 options, scored for what you are making · Checked

Out of baking powder mid-recipe?

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What are you making?

  1. Baking soda + cream of tartar + cornstarch

    Great fit

    ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp cream of tartar and ¼ tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch

    For this dish: Same chemistry as baking powder, so the rise is the same.

    How: Whisk the three together well and use in place of 1 teaspoon baking powder. Make only what you need, because homemade mixes lose strength.

    What changes: Behaves like store-bought baking powder. The starch is optional if you use it right away.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  2. Baking soda + lemon juice

    Works

    ¼ tsp baking soda and 1½ tsp lemon juice

    For this dish: Works, but mix fast and bake right away, and a lemon note may show in plain cakes.

    How: Stir the baking soda into the dry ingredients and the lemon juice into the recipe's milk or other liquid. Combine, mix quickly and bake right away.

    What changes: The liquid acid starts the reaction as soon as it meets the soda. A slight lemon flavor can show. King Arthur lists 1/2 teaspoon of acid; extension charts use 1 1/2 teaspoons, which leaves less unreacted soda to taste soapy.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  3. Baking soda + white vinegar

    Works

    ¼ tsp baking soda and 1½ tsp white vinegar

    For this dish: Works, but the rise starts as soon as it is mixed, so bake immediately.

    How: Stir the baking soda into the dry ingredients and the white vinegar into the recipe's milk or other liquid. Combine, mix quickly and bake right away.

    What changes: Reacts at once, like the lemon version. The vinegar flavor usually fades in baking. Extension charts use 1 1/2 teaspoons; King Arthur lists 1/2 teaspoon.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  4. Baking soda + buttermilk

    Works

    ¼ tsp baking soda and ½ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

    For this dish: Works in cakes made with milk, but adds tang and the batter must have enough liquid to swap.

    How: Add the baking soda with the dry ingredients. Use the buttermilk in place of 1/2 cup of the recipe's liquid, so the total liquid stays the same.

    What changes: Adds tang and a tender crumb. It only works when the recipe has at least 1/2 cup of liquid for each teaspoon of baking powder you are replacing.

    Contains milk.

Scores are our editorial judgement from the sources below, not lab tests.

What baking powder does in a recipe

Baking powder is baking soda mixed with one or more dry acids, such as cream of tartar, plus a starch that keeps them from reacting in the jar. Add liquid and it releases carbon dioxide, so batters rise without needing an acidic ingredient. A substitute must supply both the soda and the acid.

Swap it in your recipe with Sous Chef

A substitution is more than one ingredient line. The steps that use it change too. Sous Chef edits both on a working copy of your recipe, so the original is always one tap away.

You ask Sous Chef

"I don't have baking powder."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp cream of tartar and ¼ tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
Added to the steps: Whisk the three together well and use in place of 1 teaspoon baking powder. Make only what you need, because homemade mixes lose strength.
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When not to substitute

Do not swap baking soda alone for baking powder, since without an acid it will not rise. Be careful in delicate cakes where a quick, uneven reaction or a lemon note would show.

Common questions

How do you make baking powder at home?

Whisk 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch for each 1 teaspoon of baking powder you need. Bob's Red Mill uses the same 2 to 1 cream of tartar to baking soda ratio.

Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?

Not alone. It needs an acid. For each teaspoon of baking powder, use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, or 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in the recipe's liquid.

How do I tell baking powder from baking soda?

Stir 1 teaspoon into 1 tablespoon of water. Baking powder fizzes. Baking soda does not.

Related

Sources

Cook with what you have.

Import any recipe into Sous Chef and ask for the swap. It rewrites the ingredient list and the steps, and never loses the original. Free on iPhone.

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