Best Baking Soda Substitutes (With Ratios)
The best baking soda substitute is baking powder: use 3 tsp (1 Tbsp) baking powder for every 1 tsp baking soda. Your bake will rise, but expect it to be a little paler and puffier and possibly slightly tangy.
Baking soda substitutes and ratios
| Substitute | Amount per 1 tsp baking soda | Best for | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking powder | 3 tsp (1 Tbsp) | Muffins, pancakes, quick breads | Contains baking soda plus its own acid |
| Potassium bicarbonate | 1 tsp, plus a pinch of extra salt | Low-sodium baking, most recipes | Same chemistry with potassium instead of sodium |
| Baker's ammonia (ammonium carbonate) | 1 tsp | Thin, crisp cookies and crackers | Breaks down into gas with heat; smell bakes off in thin goods |
| Self-raising flour | Replace the flour; skip soda and salt | Simple cakes, biscuits | Leavening is already blended in |
| Whipped egg whites | 2–3 whites, folded in | Pancakes, waffles, sponges | Mechanical lift from trapped air |
How baking soda works
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, a base. On its own it does very little until it meets an acid such as buttermilk, yogurt, brown sugar, honey, natural cocoa or lemon juice. Then it releases carbon dioxide immediately, inflating the batter.
It does two other jobs that baking powder does less well:
- Neutralizing acid. About 1/2 tsp soda balances 1 cup of buttermilk. Without enough soda, the bake tastes sour.
- Boosting browning. A slightly alkaline batter browns faster through the Maillard reaction and spreads more. That's why chocolate chip cookies with soda turn golden and crisp-edged.
Baking powder already carries its own acid. Add it to a recipe that also has an acidic ingredient, and nothing neutralizes that extra acid, so the result is a bit tangier, paler and more cake-like.
Chef Fizz says: If your recipe has buttermilk or yogurt, swap some of it for regular milk when using baking powder instead of soda. Less acid in, less sour taste out.
When not to swap
- Cookies where spread and colour matter. Chewy chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles lose their texture with baking powder.
- Recipes with natural cocoa and lots of acid, like devil's food cake. Without soda to neutralize the cocoa, the cake can taste sharp and look reddish-brown instead of deep brown.
- Pretzels and lye-style dips. Baked baking soda (spread on a tray at 120 °C / 250 °F for an hour) is the standard swap for lye; baking powder won't work.
- Recipes needing more than 2 tsp soda. Tripling that gives 2 Tbsp baking powder, which tastes bitter and salty. Find another recipe.
- Baker's ammonia in thick cakes or cookies. The ammonia can't escape and leaves a smell.
Questions
Why do you need three times more baking powder than baking soda?
Baking powder is only about a quarter to a third baking soda; the rest is acid and cornstarch. Tripling the amount gives roughly the same quantity of soda.
Will my cookies taste different with baking powder?
A little. They'll be puffier, paler and less crisp, and may taste slightly bitter or tangy, because the extra acid in baking powder limits browning and spread.
Can I leave baking soda out completely?
In cookies, sometimes; they'll be denser and paler but edible. In cakes or quick breads that rely on it for lift, leaving it out gives a heavy, gummy result.
Is bicarbonate of soda the same as baking soda?
Yes. Bicarbonate of soda, bicarb and baking soda are all names for sodium bicarbonate.