Here’s how to make your own baking powder substitute at home! With this quick and easy solution, you now have one less thing to worry about running out of.
If you find yourself needing to make baking powder right now because you’re in the middle of a recipe for your favorite baked goods, you’ve come to the right place! This little trick makes the best baking powder substitute that works perfectly every time. I try to keep a well-stocked baking pantry as best as I can. You really never know when the sudden urge to whip something up will strike. When you want to make cookies, you just want to make cookies, and waiting won’t do. If you really like baking, you understand. I once made the unfortunate, although well-intentioned, mistake of decluttering my baking pantry, and I guess I just didn’t get it as fully re-stocked with everything needed for my favorite baking recipes as I had thought.
Baking powder is one of those things that they say you should try to keep fairly fresh and not keep around for years and years because it loses its effectiveness over time. Well, I had some baking powder in there that had definitely been around for a bit too long, so I went ahead and discarded it. And I guess I just never picked up another jar. So, of course, I was assuming that I had everything I needed when the baking itch struck next, and then, right in the middle of preparing the batter, NO BAKING POWDER! Luckily, this is a problem with an easy solution if you have an otherwise well-stocked pantry.
Another handy substitution: Egg Substitutes for Baking with Chia Seeds
How to Test if Your Baking Powder Needs to be Replaced
Baking soda and baking powder both act as a powdered leavening agent in baking recipes and are definitely essential powders in any baking pantry, just like cinnamon, cornstarch, different sugars, and all-purpose flour, although they aren’t completely interchangeable.
Both bicarbonate of soda and baking powder go bad after a while, and if you’ve had them opened in your kitchen cabinet for longer than six months, they should be checked for freshness.
You may find that you purchase your sodium-bicarbonate a little more often because there are so many great uses for baking soda around the house for home remedies, to freshen and deodorize your home, and to neutralize odors when cleaning. Because of this, you can use baking soda to help when substituting baking powder when baking treats, fluffy muffins, and pastry creations quite effectively because it’s often the fresher of the two in your cupboard.
To check for freshness, take 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda or baking powder and pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. If it reacts and creates air bubbles, it’s still good. If not, it’s time to rinse it down the drain.
Another handy baking trick to use as a substitute for store-bought: How to Make Your Own Self Rising Flour
Ingredients Needed for the Baking Powder Substitute
So here’s how to make your own baking powder if you ever run out! If it happened to me, it can happen to you, but luckily now you’ll be prepared. This really is one of the easiest and most effective baking substitutions.
You’ll need:
- Baking Soda
- Cream of Tartar
Read next: Easy 3 Ingredient Banana Quick-Bread Recipe
How to Make Baking Powder
To make the equivalent of one teaspoon of baking powder, mix together ¼ teaspoon baking soda with ½ teaspoon of the cream of tartar. I know it’s a bit confusing because that only amounts to ¾ of a teaspoon, but in the science of baking, it does the same as 1 full teaspoon of baking powder.
That means if a recipe calls for one tablespoon of baking powder, you would need 3/4 tsp baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar.
You can mix this up as needed, or you can make a larger batch and store it in a jar to have it ready to go when needed.
As soon as I realized how well this worked, I knew I needed to make sure to share it here on the blog for anyone else who might find this handy in the future. My baking turned out perfectly, and I thought of a new tip to share with you. Honestly, that’s pretty much my favorite thing in the world. So I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t restock my baking pantry after all. 🙂
So that’s how you can make baking powder if you ever need to! Hopefully, this will be helpful to you in all your baking adventures.
Make your own cake mix using whole wheat flour or any flour you like: Homemade Cake Mix Recipe
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.