Baking soda substitute

Use baking powder at 3 times the amount: 3 teaspoons of baking powder for each 1 teaspoon of baking soda. It can taste slightly bitter, and baking soda cannot replace baking powder on its own.

2 options, scored for what you are making · Checked October 10, 2026

Out of baking soda mid-recipe?

Tell Sous Chef what you are missing. It swaps the ingredient and rewrites the steps that use it, and keeps your original recipe.

What are you making?

Your recipe uses

Potassium bicarbonate + salt
Great fit

1 tsp potassium bicarbonate and ⅓ tsp salt

For this dish: Reacts with the same acids as baking soda, so cookies behave the same.

How: Swap 1 for 1, then add about 1/3 teaspoon salt per teaspoon, because it lacks the salty taste of baking soda. Bob's Red Mill gives the salt amount as 1 teaspoon per 2 to 3 teaspoons of potassium bicarbonate.

What changes: Acts like baking soda for lift. It is harder to find and often sold in the supplement aisle. It is the option for people avoiding sodium.

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

1 tbsp baking powder

For this dish: Cookies rise and bake fine, but come out puffier and less chewy.

How: Use 3 teaspoons of baking powder for every 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Double-acting baking powder gives the best rise.

What changes: The texture is lighter and finer than the coarse, chewy texture baking soda gives. Too much baking powder can taste slightly bitter, and the bake may brown less.

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

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

What baking soda does in a recipe

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It reacts with acidic ingredients like buttermilk, yogurt, brown sugar or lemon juice to release carbon dioxide, which makes batters rise. It also helps browning and gives cookies a coarser, chewier texture. A substitute has to supply lift without relying on the recipe's 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 soda."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

~~1 tsp baking soda~~
1 tbsp baking powder
Added to the steps: Use 3 teaspoons of baking powder for every 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Double-acting baking powder gives the best rise.

When not to substitute

Do not use baking powder when the recipe has lots of acidic ingredients and no other leavener, since the acid will go unused and the flavor and rise can suffer. Never use baking soda in place of baking powder without adding acid.

Common questions

Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?

Yes. Use 3 teaspoons of baking powder for every 1 teaspoon of baking soda. The result will be lighter and finer, and may taste a little bitter.

Is baking soda stronger than baking powder?

Yes. Baking soda is much stronger, which is why it takes about 3 times as much baking powder to match it. Baking powder is baking soda plus a dry acid and a starch.

Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?

Only with an acid added. For 1 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 white vinegar stirred into the recipe's liquid.

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.