Substitute for Baking Powder

If you're out of baking powder, you can make your own because it's simply a blend of an acid and a base. For every 1 teaspoon of baking powder, combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. This mix provides the same lift, since the baking soda reacts with the acidic cream of tartar to create the bubbles that make baked goods rise.

Mix your substitute right before baking and get the batter into the oven promptly, as the reaction starts as soon as it's combined and moistened. If you don't have cream of tartar, an acidic ingredient already in the recipe, like buttermilk, yogurt, or lemon juice, paired with a pinch of baking soda can do a similar job, though it may slightly change the liquid balance. Enter how much baking powder your recipe needs above for the exact amounts.

Baking soda vs baking powder

They’re not interchangeable one-for-one. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate and needs an acid (buttermilk, yogurt, lemon, brown sugar) to create lift. Baking powder already contains both the base and a powdered acid, so it works on its own. That’s why substituting takes a little math, which the calculator above handles.

Substitutes for baking soda

• Baking powder: use about 3× as much (1 tsp soda → 3 tsp powder). Best when the recipe has little added acid.
• Self-rising flour: already contains leavening, swap it for the plain flour and reduce or skip the soda.
• Potassium bicarbonate: 1:1 for soda (add a pinch of salt; it’s sodium-free).

Substitutes for baking powder

• Baking soda + cream of tartar: for each 1 tsp baking powder, use ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar.
• Baking soda + acid: ¼ tsp soda plus ½ cup buttermilk or yogurt (reduce other liquid by ½ cup).
• Self-rising flour: swap it in for the plain flour and omit the baking powder.

Self-rising flour substitute

Make your own self-rising flour: 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt. Whisk together and use cup-for-cup.