Can You Use Baking Powder Instead of Baking Soda?
Yes, you can — and the formula is easy — but there’s some instances when you shouldn’t.
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Baking soda is right up there with flour and sugar as an all-around bakers’ staple. Everything from banana bread to chocolate chip cookies to cakes just wouldn’t be the same without it. So if you run out is good to know when you can and can’t turn to its first cousin, baking powder. Here’s what you need to know to keep your kitchen humming.
What Does Baking Soda Do?
Baking soda is a leavening agent that helps gives baked goods rise for a fluffy, light texture. Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is a base (alkaloid). When combined with an acid, such as buttermilk, yogurt, eggs or lemon juice, and also a liquid, it produces the gas carbon dioxide. Bubbles of carbon dioxide get trapped in the structure of your favorite batters, and when heated these bubbles expand and give baked goods an airy texture we often describe as tender. It also adds a few other helpful things to baked goods, like browning. But baking soda has another superpower in the kitchen: As a base it can act as a natural cleaning agent to neutralize grease and odors.
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Can You Use Baking Powder Instead of Baking Soda?
You can definitely substitute baking powder for baking soda in recipes for baked goods. To do so use 3 times as much baking powder as the amount of baking soda your recipe calls for.
So for each 1 teaspoon of baking soda you want to replace, use 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of baking powder. Why the difference in amounts for these two leaveners? While baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate — its chemical name — baking powder is made up sodium bicarbonate mixed with cream of tartar (an acidic ingredient), cornstarch (an anti-clumping agent) and sometimes salt, so its puffing power is somewhat diluted.
So go ahead and use the 3:1 formula when you need to, but as with any baking substitution your recipe may not be absolutely identical. You could notice small changes in the texture of things like cookies, and since baking powder has an acid (in the form of cream of tartar), it could give your baked goods a slightly different flavor, although most tasters are unlikely to notice. Find out more about the differences between baking powder and baking soda here, and what other common ingredients you can use as substitutes for baking soda.
When shouldn’t you replace baking soda with baking powder? The answer is if you’re using it for cleaning. Below are the details on why.
Can You Substitute Baking Powder for Baking Soda for Cleaning Tasks?
Although it’s remarkably effective when you’re actually baking, subbing baking powder for baking soda when you’re cleaning is not. The reason has to do with the different chemical makeups of the two products. While baking soda is just a base, also known as an alkaloid, baking powder contains both a base and an acid, neutralizing its reactivity — the power that makes it great against grease and odors. Instead, try another natural cleaning product like lemon, vinegar or club soda, or just put your cleaning project off until you can pick some more baking powder up at the store.
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