Holiday baking can be more of a challenge if you discover all your baking soda got used up for baking soda volcanoes and invisible ink. If you have baking powder, it will save you a trip to the store. If your problem is being out of baking powder, you can make your own using baking soda and cream of tartar. Here's how to make the substitutions:Using Baking Powder Instead of Baking Soda
- You need to use 2-3 times more baking powder than baking soda. The extra ingredients in the baking powder will have an effect on the taste of whatever you are making, but this isn't necessarily bad.
- Ideally, triple the amount of baking soda to equal the amount of baking powder. So, if the recipe called for 1 tsp baking soda, you would use 3 tsp baking powder.
- What I do is compromise... I use twice the amount of baking powder as baking soda (add 2 tsp of baking powder if the recipe calls for 1 tsp baking soda), plus I omit the salt (which adds flavor but also affects rising in some recipes).
- You need baking soda and cream of tartar to make baking powder.
- Mix 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part baking soda. For example, mix 2 tsp cream of tartar with 1 tsp baking soda.
- Use the amount of baking powder called for by the recipe. No matter how much homemade baking powder you made, if the recipe calls for 1-1/2 tsp, add exactly 1-1/2 tsp of your mixture.
- Cream of tartar is used to increase the acidity of a mixture. So, you can't switch baking soda for baking powder. You can switch baking powder for baking soda, just expect the flavor to change a little.
Comments
great i needed help!! thanks chickadee
Hi, I just wanted to thank you on the great explanation you have on balancing Redox Reactions. Nowhere else makes it seem so simple.
Thanks loved it needed help!
This line might be clearer if it read: “Ideally, triple the amount of baking soda to CALCULATE the amount of baking powder YOU’LL NEED.”
Thanks for the info!
First point says: “You need to use 2-3 times more baking powder than baking soda.”
Second point says: “Ideally, triple the amount of baking soda to equal the amount of baking powder. ”
Is the second point backwards??
I was a bit confused at first which is tripled but comment #4 and logic clarified that. I’ve been baking American pancakes here in Bulgaria and my recipe mentioned baking powder/bak pulver (Bulgarian). It’s costing me a fortune as they only sell it in 10 gram sachets. As the recipe includes buttermilk (I use “kiselo” a kind of sour milk) I’ll now switch to sodium bicarbonate/baking soda which I can get in big packages much cheaper. Thanks!
Thank you very much!
Foungd in using baking soda 3 to 1 in small batches like pizza crust, that you must not use any salt at all. Baking soda makes things VERY SALTY!
next time you give advise on baking, dont switch around the amounts of baking powder to baking soda, its very confusing.
Thank you…my banana bread was salvaged after I accidentally put baking powder instead of baking soda in the mix. Great information.
you can also use lemon juice in place of cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp per 1/2 tsp, great for vegan recipes!
meaning 1/2 tsp lemon juice for every 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar.
The juxtaposition of these two options immediately adjacent to each other is confusing. We just added cream of tartar to baking powder. Oh well…
Thanks for the advise. I knew you could go from baking soda to baking powder, but wasn’t sure you could go the other way. I am trying it out in some quick bread tonight as we are out of baking soda and I didn’t want to run to the store.
Thank you! I HATE baking soda taste. I always use baking powder –a TBS of powder for every tsp given for baking soda. But I accidentally used soda in my bran muffins and was able to get a lot of the chunks out before stirring (I add it to the wet ingredients) but it still add that taste. I will add cream of tartar and skip the salt. I thought your instruction were good.
Thanks so much for this! I thought I ruined my cookies because I misread the recipe and accidentally added baking powder instead of baking soda, but per your advice here, just added some extra baking powder and my cookies turned out great!
I need to substitute baking soda for baking powder. OK Ineed to have 1 part baking soda and 2 parts of cream of tartar. my problem is that I am unable to find cream of tartar in the supermarkets in Brazil where I am now living. What is Portuguese for “Cream of Tartar”?
My fruit cakes will not rise with just the baking soda due to the long cooking period (2 hours at 150ºC.).
If you have an easy fruitcake recipe that cooks at a higher temperature or can answer this problem please send ti to catvr@terra.com.br
looks like I’ll have to just start over, I accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder,
This was extremely helpful – THANK YOU!
good info worked perfect
Thank you so much for the helpful information! You saved my cake today~!