It happens to the best of us — we think we have the right leavener on hand, and it turns out we have baking soda when we actually need baking powder, or baking powder when a recipe calls for baking soda. But you can usually substitute one for the other and save yourself a trip to the market!

How to Substitute Baking Soda and Baking Powder: What to do when you’re ready to bake but don’t have the right leavener!

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What Is a Leavener?

You may notice that bakers use the words leavener and leavening agent often. Essentially, these are the organic and chemical substances that give baked goods their structure, creating the “porous structure” that turns a dough or batter into delicious breads, cookies, bars, cakes, and muffins (via Brittanica).

Leavening agents are responsible for making baked goods “rise” into fluffy, chewy, utterly perfect creations. Not enough leavening will prevent baked goods from rising as much as they should, and yet too much leavening could cause baked goods to fall. In either case, you won’t get the light results you’re looking for. Always use the exact amount stated in the ingredient list or the appropriate substitute.

Yeast is the most common organic leavener for traditional breads. Baking soda and baking powder are often used quick breads, cookies, and other baked goods that don’t require time to “rise” before baking. Much faster to make than yeast bread, with baking soda or powder recipes, you just mix and bake!

If you want to dive into the geeky world of how this all works, the book Understanding Baking: The Art and Science of Baking by Joseph Amendola and Nicole Rees is essential!

What Is Baking Soda?

The white powdered product we all know as baking soda is actually sodium bicarbonate, a base alkaline, fast-acting leavener used in baking. A base plus an acid produces bubbles. When it comes into contact with moisture and acidic ingredients like chocolate, cocoa, molasses, citrus juice, brown sugar (which has molasses in it), buttermilk, or yogurt, it produces carbon dioxide bubbles, which cause the various baked goods to rise.

This action begins as soon as it hits any wet ingredient. That’s why it is usually mixed with other dry ingredients before being blended with any wet ingredients. (It’s also why you want to work quickly and not let your batter sit around once the dry and wet elements are combined…Get them in the pan and oven ASAP!)

If there is no acidic ingredient in your recipe, baking soda may cause the food to taste metallic. Baking soda is about 3 times stronger than baking powder.

What Is Baking Powder?

Baking powder is actually baking soda with some other ingredients added, like cream of tartar and maybe cornstarch. It isn’t as strong as baking soda; it only has about ⅓ of the leavening power.

If there is no acid at all in your baked good, then you either can add 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or lemon juice to your recipe, or you need to stick with baking powder.

What Does Double-Acting Baking Powder Mean?

It means that the baking powder is first activated when it hits moisture and is then activated a second time when it goes into the heat of the oven. Most baking powder on the market is double-acting and will say so on the label.

FAQs

How to Substitute Baking Soda for Baking Powder

You can substitute baking soda for baking powder. Just use:

• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda for every 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 teaspoon baking soda for 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda for 1 tablespoon baking powder

If you have cream of tartar, that’s even better! Add cream of tartar in double the amount of the baking soda when subbing it for baking powder, so:

• ⅓ teaspoon baking soda plus ⅔ teaspoon cream of tartar for every 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅔ teaspoon baking soda plus 1 ⅓ teaspoon cream of tartar for 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda plus 2 teaspoons cream of tartar for 1 tablespoon baking powder

Recipes With Baking Soda

• Snickerdoodles
• My New Favorite Oatmeal Cookies
• Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
• Mini Banana Bread Loaves

How to Substitute Baking Powder for Baking Soda

Using baking powder instead of baking soda is trickier. That’s because you would need to use 3 times as much baking powder to get the same rising effect; you could end up with a bitter, chemical taste if you add too much leavening.

• If you need 1 teaspoon of baking soda, then go for 1 tablespoon baking powder.
• If the recipe calls for more than 1 teaspoon baking soda, you may want to wait for another time.

Recipes With Baking Powder

• Beer Bread
• Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread
• Dried Cherry Scones
• Apple Coffee Cake
• Bubble Waffles

Also see How to Make Self-Rising Flour!