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What can you use as a substitution for baking powder?

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Baking powder is a staple when you are baking cakes, cookies, pancakes, quick breads and more. But what happens when you reach in the cabinet and it’s not there? Here are some substitutions for baking powder in a pinch.

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Baking powder is used as a leavening agent and can easily be replaced in your favorite baking recipes without sacrificing the texture of your baking. These substitutes will help keep your cakes, cookies, and pancakes from falling flat without having to run out to the store to get some baking powder.

Baking powder is a mix of baking soda and cream of tartar. It works when the acid in the cream of tartar reacts with the sodium bicarbonate of baking soda to create bubble of gas that give your baked goods rise.

You can use any of these alternatives with baking soda to create that same reaction for your home baked goods.

Cream of Tartar

The most basic way of replacing baking powder is simply to make your own baking powder by mining baking soda and cream of tartar. For the best results mix 2 parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda to make your own baking powder.

Once mixed you can use this in a 1 to 1 ratio in your favorite recipes.

Baking powder is a staple when you are baking cakes, cookies, pancakes, quick breads and more. But what happens when you reach in the cabinet and it's not there? Here are some substitutions for baking powder in a pinch.

Buttermilk

You can combine baking soda and buttermilk combined can give the same effect as baking powder and is the most common option in recipes for things like pancakes and biscuits. Buttermilk gives a flavor boost to your favorite recipes and can make amazing fluffy cakes and pastries.

The trick with buttermilk is that you will need to reduce other liquids in your recipe by how much buttermilk you use. You can add 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to replace the leveling power of 1 teaspoon baking powder in your recipe.

The good news is that buttermilk also makes a great substitute for oil, water, or milk in your baking recipes, helping to make it easy to reduce the liquids in your recipe.

Yogurt

Like buttermilk yogurt has a higher acidity level then milk does making it a great substitute for the acid in baking powder. To use yogurt as a substitute for baking powder you can mix 1/2 cup of yogurt with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to replace each 1 teaspoon of baking powder in your recipe.

Reduce other liquids when using this method. You will find yogurt makes for a really nice texture in baked goods.

Vinegar

The acid in vinegar is perfect for creating the vital chemical reaction to replace baking powder. Because it takes relatively little vinegar to do this you can avoid having to reduce the other liquids in your recipe without any issues.

Use 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon vinegar for every teaspoon of baking soda you wish to replace. While any vinegar will work white vinegar is the least likely to alter your flavor.

Lemon juice

Like vinegar you can use lemon juice and baking soda to replace baking powder. Lemon juice may add a bit of tang to your recipe but can be a great addition for most sweet treats.

Use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice in place of each teaspoon of baking powder. If your recipe calls for lemon juice at all you can reduce the amount of lemon juice in the recipe or add to it for a stronger flavor.

Baking powder is a staple when you are baking cakes, cookies, pancakes, quick breads and more. But what happens when you reach in the cabinet and it's not there? Here are some substitutions for baking powder in a pinch.

Please share