Baking Powder substitutes
The best substitute for baking powder is baking soda + cream of tartar: Per 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, mixed and used immediately. Chemically the same pairing that is in the tin, but single acting, so it starts fizzing the moment it gets wet. Get the batter into the oven straight away.
Why it matters. A complete leavener: bicarbonate of soda plus a built-in dry acid, so it produces carbon dioxide on its own once wet and again in the oven. Omit it and cakes, scones and pancakes bake dense and flat.
BestBaking soda + cream of tartar
●●●●●Per 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, mixed and used immediately
Keeps the leavening role.
Chemically the same pairing that is in the tin, but single acting, so it starts fizzing the moment it gets wet. Get the batter into the oven straight away.
Baking soda + buttermilk
●●●●○Per 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda, and swap 1/2 cup of the recipe's liquid for buttermilk
Keeps the leavening role.
Only workable if the recipe has enough liquid to swap. It also adds tang and softens the crumb, which may or may not be what you want.
Baking soda + lemon juice
●●●●○Per 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar, stirred in last
Keeps the leavening role.
Reacts instantly and completely, so there is no second lift in the oven. Best in thin batters like pancakes that cook immediately.
Baking soda + yogurt
●●●●○Per 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 1/2 cup plain yogurt replacing the same amount of the recipe's liquid
Keeps the leavening role.
Thick, so you may need to loosen the batter. As with all the acid pairings, mix and bake without delay.
Self-rising flour
●●●●○Swap the recipe's plain flour for self-rising flour and leave out both the baking powder and the salt
Keeps the leavening role.
Only lands correctly if the recipe wants roughly 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder per cup of flour. Never add a full dose of powder on top.
Whipped egg whites
●●○○○Beat the recipe's egg whites to soft peaks separately and fold them in last
Keeps the leavening role.
Mechanical air rather than chemical gas, and it deflates if the batter sits. Works in sponges and pancakes, useless in biscuits or scones.
Club soda
●●○○○Replace the liquid in a thin batter with an equal volume of ice-cold sparkling water
Keeps the leavening role.
A brief, weak lift that vanishes if the batter stands. Only for pancakes, waffles and tempura that hit the heat straight away.
Other leavening substitutes
Measuring by weight instead? Use the kitchen converter.