Baking powder is a crucial ingredient for achieving the desired light and airy texture in baked goods. This holds true for both conventional baking and low-carb or ketogenic baking. It acts as a leavening agent, providing the lift and porous structure essential for cookies, quick breads, and even mug cakes. Without it, baked goods can turn out flat and dense.
Why Baking Powder Matters
Baking powder is essential because it acts as a leavening agent. It gives baked goods a fluffy, light, and porous structure. If you want your baked goods to have an airy texture, it’s essential not to skip the baking powder in your recipe and to make sure it is fresh. Inactive or expired baking powder won’t work correctly in your recipes, and baked goods simply won’t rise.
Identifying Expired Baking Powder
If you're unsure about the freshness of your baking powder, test it by stirring it into a cup of hot water. If it fizzes, it's still active and good to use. This simple hack can save you from a baking disaster.
What to Do When You're Out of Baking Powder
What if you can’t run out to the store? Or, you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and realize you’re out of baking powder or yours has gone bad? Here are a handful of substitutes to consider - many of which you might already have in your pantry or refrigerator. One note: most of these alternatives require baking soda, so make sure you have a fresh box on hand. You definitely don’t want to try to make a baking powder alternative with expired baking soda.
Baking Powder Substitutes
When you run out of baking powder, several substitutes can save your recipe. Most of these involve combining an acidic ingredient with baking soda to create the necessary leavening action.
Read also: The Truth About Baking Soda and Coffee for Weight Loss
Buttermilk and Baking Soda
Buttermilk's acidity makes it an excellent partner for baking soda. To replace one teaspoon of baking powder, use one-half cup of buttermilk and one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda.
Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda
Cream of tartar is the acid typically found in baking powder. Combine one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda with five-eighths of a teaspoon of cream of tartar to substitute for one teaspoon of baking powder. Ensure your cream of tartar is fresh for the best results. You can test this by adding a small amount of cream of tartar and baking soda to warm water.
Yogurt and Baking Soda
Yogurt's slight acidity makes it a suitable substitute. Use one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda combined with one-half cup of yogurt to replace one teaspoon of baking powder. Reduce the wet ingredients in your recipe by about one-half cup to maintain the correct ratios.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Though it might seem unusual, vinegar and baking soda can work as a substitute. Use white vinegar to avoid altering the flavor of your recipe. Replace one teaspoon of baking powder with a mix of one teaspoon of vinegar and one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda.
Sour Milk and Baking Soda
Milk that's starting to ferment contains lactic acid, which can activate baking soda. To replace one teaspoon of baking powder, use one-half cup of sour milk combined with one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda. Be aware that using milk in any form will add some carbs to your recipe.
Read also: Does Baking Soda Help You Lose Weight?
Lemon Juice and Baking Soda
Lemon juice will alter the flavor of your dish, so only use this if you don’t mind some lemon flavor or have no other options.
Whipped Egg Whites
Whipping egg whites creates air bubbles that help increase the volume and lightness of baked goods. This method doesn’t add significant height, making it ideal for pancakes or waffles that don’t require much elevation. One egg white can replace one teaspoon of baking powder.
Club Soda
Club soda adds bubbles, which is what baking powder creates. It doesn’t have much sodium bicarbonate, so it works best in baked goods that don’t need much added volume like pancakes or waffles. For best results, replace all of the liquid in your recipe with club soda - unless you have other liquids in the recipe to add flavor, such as vanilla extract. Don’t replace them.
Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda
When following a ketogenic diet, it's important to understand the differences and similarities between baking powder and baking soda. Some foods may seem high in carbohydrates per 100 grams, but you only need to use a small amount in recipes. Food quality is just as important as the number of carbohydrates in your diet, so read labels carefully.
The Problem with Store-Bought Baking Powder
Most store-bought baking powders contain cornstarch and aluminum. Cornstarch is not keto-friendly, and some people prefer to avoid aluminum in their food.
Read also: Best Keto Flour Options
Homemade Low-Carb Baking Powder
Making your own baking powder at home allows you to avoid unwanted ingredients like cornstarch and aluminum. A simple recipe consists of baking soda and cream of tartar.
Why Starch is Used in Commercial Baking Powder
Usually homemade baking powder is made of three ingredients: baking soda, cream of tartar (a dry acid available at any grocery store), and a starch. Baking soda is a base and when combined with the acid, cream of tartar in a wet environment (like your favorite cookie dough), goes through and acid-base reaction giving off little bubbles of carbon dioxide. In short, it fizzes. The carbon dioxide created with this fizzing action gets caught in the batter to create bubbles, causing the baked goods to rise. This rising action gives lightness to cakes, loft to cookies, and lift to biscuits. So if the baking soda and the cream of tartar create the leavening effect, why do we need the starch? Well, the simple answer to that is that the starch is a filler. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t provide and important purpose, though. It bulks up the baking powder so it can be measured accurately. Another function of the starch is that it helps soak up humidity. Water makes the baking soda and cream of tartar react together and the water in the air is no different than the water in your batter. As this reaction occurs in the container, there will be less reaction left to happen in your cookies and cakes. In short, humidity will weaken your baking powder.
Addressing the Starch Issue in Keto Baking Powder
Some recipes for low-carb baking powder simply omit the starch, while others use extra cream of tartar. Both solutions have drawbacks. Omitting starch makes measuring difficult, while adding extra cream of tartar introduces excess acid.
A Fiber Alternative: Inulin
To avoid these issues, substitute a fiber for the starch. Using a fiber creates the bulk so the homemade low-carb baking powder measures teaspoon for teaspoon like commercial baking powder and doesn’t add excess acid. The fiber I use is inulin. Unlike a starch, the body does not break inulin down into sugars. Instead, it passes through the small intestine undigested (1). When it gets into the large intestine, good bacteria feast on it helping them thrive (2). They break down the inulin into short chain fatty acids (SCFA) (3). Short chain fatty acids go on to nourish and heal the cells of the large intestine. They even provide anti-inflammatory benefits(4). Of course, with my baking powder recipe, there will be only a tiny amount in each serving, so these benefits will be negligible. I just wanted to note that the net effect of inulin on the body is positive, rather than negative. While inulin has a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor, I find that the small amount in the baking powder does not affect the taste of the final baked good. It is even undetectable in savory baked goods, like my low-carb biscuit recipe. I am getting excited about using inulin in more recipes. I like the taste of it, recipe potential and its health benefits. If you don’t have inulin on hand, other powdered fibers would probably work fine in this recipe. In a pinch, a grain-free starch, like arrowroot would work fine. Arrowroot would add some carbs (maybe too much for my keto followers), but a tiny bit per serving.
Low-Carb Baking Powder Recipe
This Low-Carb Baking Powder Recipe can be used in your favorite recipes. It’s free of starches, grains, and aluminum and will work for low-carb, keto, Atkins, diabetic, or Banting diets.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (fresh)
- 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon inulin (a starch of choice may be substituted)
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together well.
- Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar in a glass jar or an airtight container.
- Secure the jar with a lid and shake until well combined.
- Store in a dry, cool place.
- Use as needed just like baking powder - that's it!
DIY Baking Powder Step by Step:
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp baking soda (24 g/ 1.7 oz)
- 4 tbsp cream of tartar (12 g/ 0.4 oz)
Instructions:
- Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar in a glass jar or an airtight container.
- Secure the jar with a lid and shake until well combined.
- Store in a dry, cool place.
- Use as needed just like baking powder - that's it!
Tips for Using Homemade Low-Carb Baking Powder
For best results with this Low-Carb Baking Powder Recipe, get the batter into the oven as soon as possible after mixing it up. This baking powder is a single acting baking powder and does not contain ingredients that will get a boost in leavening in the oven like a double acting powder will. Use fresh ingredients in this baking powder as baking soda will lose its potency after a period of time. Also, don’t make a huge batch of this baking powder with the intention of keeping it for a long period of time as it will lose its potency as well.