13 Best Baking Powder Substitutes For Last Minute Baking

Baking is one thing that is very fun to do when it comes to cooking. That explains why many people around the world are investing a lot of their time in learning how it works. Baking powder is among the major things that you need to ensure proper and successful baking. However, sometimes, you do not have the baking powder at hand, and there is no enough time to rush to the supermarket to buy some. So, what do you do?

Here is the list of the 13 Best Baking Powder Substitutes:

1. Buttermilk
2. Plain Yogurt
3. Cream of Tartar
4. Lemon Juice
5. Sour Milk
6. Molasses
7. Vinegar
8. Whipped Egg Whites
9. Self-rising Flour
10. Club Soda
11. Potassium Bicarbonate
12. Dry Active Yeast
13. Baker’s Ammonia

As you can see from the list, there are a lot of substitutes that you can use. In this article, we look in depth at some of the best baking powder substitutes that you can use. So, keep reading to find out.

Our 13 Best Substitutes for Baking Powder

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is among the most significant things that you can use a baking powder substitute. This product is typically some cultured milk that has gone through pasteurization with quality lactic acid bacteria.

The pasteurization is what gives buttermilk the high acidity that makes it a great substitute. Traditionally, buttermilk is supposed to contain no fat. However, the buttermilk that you will find in stores these days has some fat which will not affect your baking anyway, so do not worry.

You can also make buttermilk at home but buying some from the store is more recommendable. Why? The already made buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic, which allows it to provide the same results as using baking powder. Also, the great thing about buttermilk is that you can even use it after about two days if you store it well. So, if you bought a lot of buttermilk and it remained after baking, then you can use it to do other things since it is very multi-purpose.

Using buttermilk as a baking powder substitute is very easy. All you need to do is mix the dry ingredients with about ½ cup buttermilk. However, reduce the wet ingredients a little bit to compensate for your buttermilk. When you start combining all ingredients, you will notice the same results as what baking powder would have given you.

Plain Yogurt

Plain yoghurt is another primary alternative that you can use. However, to use yogurt as your substitute, you have to make sure that it does not contain any flavors. Flavored yogurts contain less PH compared to the plain type hence making them less effective when it comes to baking.

You can replace using 5 grams of baking powder in your recipe with about 122 grams of plain yogurt. Doing that gives just the leavening you wanted and thus excellent results after the baking. However, as when using buttermilk, try and reduce the amount of liquid you use in the recipe, depending on how much yogurt you have used.

After baking, storing your yogurt is very simple. However, eat it within three days to prevent it from going bad. Also, if you keep your yogurt in a container, remember to seal it tightly in case you plan on using it for baking the following day. Sealing it allows you to prevent the yogurt from getting some food odors that might make the taste of your baked goods less pleasant. Although you should refrigerate your yogurt, deep freezing is not good as it can tamper with its texture and flavor, which are very vital in baking.

Cream of Tartar

Cream of Tartar is one of the best and most common baking powder substitutes that you can find in the market nowadays. If you do not know what cream of tartar is, it is a product of wine fermentation from grapes. However, do not let the name confuse you because this product is not a cream but is in powder form.

You can mostly find this powder in the spices section in a grocery. Using the cream of tartar helps produce excellent foams hence making your baking more exciting and successful. Also, these foams are usually produced because this product stabilizes the bubbles that eggs form, thus allowing your baked goods to have a soft texture. Using this powder also enables you to avoid any sugar crystals which might be formed when combining ingredients, thus helping you get better results.

If you want to store your cream of tartar after baking, make sure you test its freshness. Doing so enables you to determine whether it will last until your next baking session. So, how can you prove its freshness? You can do that by checking its smell and appearance. These two should be somehow powdery, have some white color, and produce an acidic smell. If your cream of tartar shows all these signs, then there are high chances that it will last until your next baking session.

You can also test the potency of this product by stirring about a ½ cup of some warm water then add a little baking soda. If this mixture forms an excellent foam, then that shows that it is still good to use as a baking powder substitute.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is another superb baking powder substitute because it is easy to find and use compared to other alternatives. Also, there are high chances that you have some lemons in the house. Therefore, that allows you to have a quick option as you can just quickly blend them to make the juice you need to complete your baking effectively.

What makes lemon juice an excellent baking powder alternative, is its rich citric acid content. This acidic quality allows you to create the reaction you need to bake great cakes easily hence making it vital. However, lemons have a stronger taste, which might not be very pleasant to some people. Therefore, it is recommendable that you only use lemon juice in those baking recipes that do not need you to use a lot of lemon juice. Doing that will allow you to bake products that contain a small taste of lemon juice that many people can take positively or will not even detect that it’s there.

To get the best results, mix approximately ½ teaspoon of the lemon juice with some baking soda (about ¼ teaspoon). Doing that will be like using one teaspoon of baking powder, which is enough to give the results you want.

Sour Milk

Since sour milk is usually fermented, many people do not believe that you can use it to make fresh baked goods. What you might not know is that sour milk is an excellent baking powder substitute, and it provides remarkable results.

Sour milk contains excellent amino acids, which are essential for providing a lot of health benefits. Also, this milk contains some lactic acid, which can help reduce the possibility of getting any allergic reactions.

The significant acidity level that sour milk contains enables it to substitute baking powder effectively. When you use sour milk for baking, you get the tremendous rising effect that makes your goods look remarkable.

Also, sour milk is readily available compared to baking powder because there are times that you always have some spoilt milk in the house, and you end up getting rid of it. The good news is that next time you have spoilt milk, use it for baking, and you will not regret the outcome. However, make sure that you follow the steps for buttermilk or yogurt, so you do not use too much of it.

Molasses

Molasses is another perfect baking powder substitute, and it’s the thick syrup that is left after boiling sugar cane juice and removing the crystals. Many people are using this product in baking and sweetening cakes, cookies, and even bread. Molasses contains vitamins and vital minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese, copper, and potassium. Therefore, molasses is a very healthy and beneficial baking powder substitute compared to other alternatives. However, it does not have a lot of acid content, but it still provides the needed results for your baked goods.

If you want to make a substitute of 1 teaspoon baking powder, then combine about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, and the same amount for molasses. Also, because molasses is usually in liquid form, do not use a lot of liquid ingredients so you can have an excellent balance. Besides, molasses contains a lot of sugar. So, that will save you some of your sweeteners since you won’t have to use a lot.

[Related Article: 10 Best Molasses Substitutes List You Need for Baking]

Vinegar

Vinegar is one of the things that most people have in their kitchens often, which makes it a perfect baking powder substitute since it is readily available. There are many types of this ingredient, which can be confusing when it comes to choosing, which is the best one to use as a substitute. So, ensure you only use white vinegar. There are also other kinds like Balsamic vinegar that you can use, but it is not recommendable since it has a strong flavor. However, if your recipe insists a lot on using it, then you can.

Vinegar is quite similar to lemon juice since they both have a high acidity level, which allows them to react excellently with baking soda. This perfect reaction makes cookies or cakes to rise inside the oven. Also, you can use vinegar to make meringues fluffier if you would like that.

To use it as a baking powder substitute, mix about ½ teaspoon vinegar with a ¼ teaspoon of your baking soda. Doing that provides the results of using about one teaspoon of baking powder hence making that combination effective.

Whipped Egg Whites

If you do not have baking powder at hand, then using this alternative will give your baked goods just the perfection you need. Using baking powder might provide you with air pockets that most people love, but you do not need that in all your recipes.

Whipping some egg whites forms tiny air bubbles that give your food the lightness and volume that it requires. You can use beaten egg whites when making pancakes, souffles, meringues, and even other cakes.

The best thing about using whipped egg whites is that they are easy to make. The only thing that you have to do is beat the eggs gently until they become foamy. Increase the speed when beating them until you see some soft peaks forming. After you are done, fold your ingredients in the egg whites, and you are good to start baking.

Self-rising Flour

Self-rising flour is another excellent baking powder substitute that you can use. This alternative is excellent since you have it most of the time in the kitchen. Self-rising flour is a combination of baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour.

Just like using baking powder, this substitute also gives baked cakes or cookies an excellent form. You can buy it in boxes in the nearest supermarket, and it is usually packaged with cakes, quick bread, and biscuit mixes.

Self-rising flour is very simple to use compared to other alternatives that we have talked about here hence making it an excellent choice for beginners. You only have to replace the flour and baking powder in your recipe and use this product instead. So, using self-rising flour reduces the number of things you need to use hence making it a great baking powder substitute.

[Related Article: All-Purpose or Self Rising Flour for Pizza Dough]

Club Soda

You can also refer to it as carbonated water. Most manufacturers add high-quality club soda in their carbonated drinks to ensure they have a tremendous fizzy effect. Most people doubt if you can drink this product due to its industrious use, but you can actually drink it. Why? Club soda is an excellent drink as it contains a lot of high-quality minerals and does not have unhealthy sugars. Therefore, drinking or using club soda in your baking is very good for your health.

This carbonated product also contains a significant percentage of baking soda, which makes it a great fit for use as a cooking ingredient. So, using club soda can be a great choice, especially when you do not have any baking powder and soda as it contains both. However, this product does not contain a lot of sodium bicarbonate, which is the product that gives baked goods some volume. However, if you do not require lots of volumes, then you can use it, and it will still deliver excellent results.

Another outstanding thing about club soda is that you can use it to replace some things like water or milk. How? Using this ingredient gives cakes or cookies some extra volume hence allowing you to avoid using too much or even any liquid when baking.

However, the amount that you should use can be quite confusing since using club soda replaces a lot of ingredients. Therefore, it is recommendable that you research before using it as a baking powder substitute. Doing so will allow you to determine the right amount depending on your recipe hence enabling you to get great results after baking and also be an expert at using it.

Potassium Bicarbonate

Potassium Bicarbonate is among the things that you probably did not think that you could ever use when baking, but it’s a great baking powder substitute. It might not be in the kitchen, but you probably have a lot of it just lying in the medicine cabinet when it can help in baking the best cookies. Also, you can use this product to replace baking soda as they share almost the same qualities, thus allowing you to reduce the number of ingredients you need when baking.

The only significant difference between potassium bicarbonate and baking soda and powder is that it has minimal salt. However, that property might be very suitable for some people since not everyone likes more salt in their food leave alone baked goods.

However, if you are baking cookies and you intend to use this product, then make sure you use a little bit more salt so you can get the best taste. If you are not sure about how much salt to add when using potassium bicarbonate, start by using a small amount then gradually increase as you bake until you get the taste you want the cookies to have.

The best thing about using potassium bicarbonate is that it provides some great health benefits. Some of these benefits include:

• Using it can help you to improve your heart health
• Enables you to reduce potassium deficiency
• Gives you great bone density and strength hence allowing you to avoid frequent fractures
• Very efficient in dissolving kidney stones
• Lowers the risk of getting a stroke

Dry Active Yeast

Dry active yeast is most people’s favorite baking powder substitute since it is very effective and easy to use. Also. It is very natural, which means that it contains no chemical compounds that could lead to any health side effects.

This product is rich in vitamin C iron and calcium. Therefore, using it can give several health benefits that are associated with these vitamins. Using active dry yeast will enable you to give cookies a perfect rising that is similar to that of baking powder, thus making it an excellent substitute.

Another great thing about using this product is that it does not add bitter flavors to your baked goods. That way, your baked goods remain sweet and of high quality, especially if you intend on selling them or if you are hosting a party. Besides, active dry yeast does not contain gluten, which makes it a perfect choice for health-oriented people.

The only drawback of using this product is that dry yeast might not be effective for all recipes, especially when it comes to baking cookies. However, doing some research will enable you to determine the exact methods that you can use this product with.

Baker’s Ammonia

Baker’s ammonia is a practical substitute that has been used for many years now. Around the 13th century, many people used this product as their go-to leavening agent. As time went by, people replaced it with baking powder. However, you can still use it for your baking and get remarkable baked goods.

This substitute can be a great choice, especially when you want to give baked goods, some crispiness that will make them outstanding. Some of the best-baked products that you can use baker’s ammonia for are some cakes and cookies since there are people who like eating them with that crispiness feel.

Using this product when baking can also give you some health benefits like enabling you to relieve bronchitis symptoms and stimulate your respiratory system. Also, if you have a blocked nose or need to administer pharmaceutical aid, then using this product can be an excellent idea as it is effective.

Choosing The Baking Powder Alternatives

Choosing your best-baking alternative might be a little bit confusing, especially considering that there all these options that you can use. Using vinegar, for instance, might add a sharp sour taste hence making it great for recipes that do not demand a lot of baking powder. Therefore, using such a product in baking recipes that require a lot of baking powder might not be a great idea since you might not like the results.

The same thing applies to all other substitutes since you might need to adjust all your ingredients significantly to accommodate your new alternative. It is only by doing so that you will get the same results as you would have if you’d have used baking powder.

Baking powder is a very significant ingredient when it comes to baking. However, there are times that you want to bake, but you do not have any baking powder in the house. So, what do you do in such a circumstance? Above are some of the best substitutes that you can use.

Therefore, ensure you use them in moderation, depending on what you are baking to get the best results. Also, you must conduct some research before using these substitutes to ensure that they are the best for the exact recipe that you plan on using. Doing that will allow you to be sure of the right amount to use depending on the baking powder substitute you choose and receive the best results.