Recipes and Cooking How to Cook Cooking Basics The Baking Powder Substitute Our Test Kitchen Swears By Baking powder is essential for fluffy breads and baked goods. Learn the substitute you can use when you’re caught without the real thing. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Instagram Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on February 28, 2023 Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Fact checked by Marcus Reeves Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Learn about BHG's Fact Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email Whether baking a cake, quick bread, or cookie recipe, your recipes will almost always call for leavening agents: baking powder and/or baking soda. Because there are often such small amounts used in these baking recipes, you may think these ingredients are not essential for success. The fact is, your baked goods will not rise without them. No one wants a dense, non-fluffy chocolate cake! And because the chemical properties of the two ingredients are different, they are not fully interchangeable. So if you run out and need a substitute for baking powder, use our Test Kitchen's easy swap before you run to the store or make the mistake of leaving it out altogether. Kritsada Panichgul How to Make Sure Your Cake Will Always Rise to Perfection Baking Powder Substitute For 1 teaspoon baking powder, substitute ½ teaspoon cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Healthy Baking Powder Substitute Regular baking powder has about 1,500 mg sodium per tablespoon. If you're trying to cut your sodium intake there are low-sodium or sodium-free baking powder substitutes that have about 0 to 15 mg sodium per tablespoon. For 1 teaspoon baking powder, substitute 1 teaspoon sodium-free or low-sodium baking powder. When stocking your pantry with all the necessary baking tools and ingredients, don't forget to regularly check the labels for expiration dates. Once opened, baking powder will start losing its potency, so you'll want to replace them within 6 to 12 months to make sure your recipes always turned out as expected. Get our free emergency substitutions chart Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit