If you’re like me, you had no idea homemade baking powder was a thing. For years I’ve searched out aluminum-free baking powder from the stores, but even these have unnecessary filler ingredients I’d rather avoid.

When my cousin visited who couldn’t have corn (including corn starch), I had a terrible time trying to find a suitable baking powder. This drove me to do some internet research on what baking powder really is. And, is possible to make it myself? Turns out, not only is it possible but incredibly easy! I get even better results by using my homemade baking powder than I do with the store-bought kinds.

What is Baking Powder?

Baking powder helps baked goods rise, similar to baking soda. It does this by combining an acid (low pH) with a base (high pH). Acids and bases, when combined, make a lot of fizz and bubbles (some science experiments use this concept).

Baking powder simply combines and acid with a base. When used in a recipe, they mix together and create “lift” by producing fizz/bubbles. (Baking soda, however, is only the base. It relies on an additional acid in your recipe – vinegar, lemon juice, etc. – to react with.)

This recipe has only those two ingredients, the acid (cream of tartar), and the base (baking soda). No corn starch, no aluminum, no monocalcium phosphate, etc.

Here’s the catch. Those extra ingredients do two things.
1. Make it last longer (It keeps the chemical reaction from happening while the powder is still in your jar. This makes it not perform well in your recipe because it’s already ‘spent’).
2 Prevent it from caking in the jar. My solutions to these are to simply make a small-ish batch which I don’t expect to last a couple years on the shelf, and break up the clumps that form (and they do) when I use it.

Another easy option is to not use “baking powder” at all. Simply use both cream of tarter and baking soda each time baking powder is called for. Just use half of the specified amount for both ingredients. (If the recipe states 1 tsp baking powder, do 1/2 cream of tartar and 1/2 baking soda.)

Homemade Baking Powder:
1/2 c. Cream of tartar
1/2 c. Baking soda

I use equal portions of cream of tartar and baking soda. When I originally did my research that’s what the recipes said to do. Now it seems most call for more tartar than soda, but as I’ve had such good luck with mine I just keep it as-is.

Put the powders in a bowl, mix and break up any clumps with a whisk or a fork, and store it in a container. It will tend to clump in storage, so just loosen up however much you need as you use it. I saved my last few baking powder jars from the store and refill those with my homemade stuff.

Make as much as you’ll go through in a few months, as you don’t want that chemical reaction to happen before you have a chance to use it.

Total Time:3

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cream of tartar
1/2 cup Baking soda

Instructions

Put the powders in a bowl, mix and break up any clumps with a whisk or a fork, and store it in a container.
Make as much as you'll go through in a few months, as it will clump in storage and you don't want that chemical reaction to happen before you have a chance to use it.
It will tend to clump in storage, so just loosen up however much you need as you use it.

Homemade Baking Powder

What is Baking Powder?