To make your own baking powder – some say with fewer metallic undertones than the commercial stuff – mix one part baking soda to one part cornstarch and two parts cream of tartar.
For example: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar + 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch = 1 teaspoon homemade baking powder.
[Updated 9/2/10 with this equation for clarity]
A recipe I need to remember the next time I forget to buy some when we’re out.
What is the role of the corn starch here? I’ve always just done one part baking soda to two parts cream of tartar (I never buy baking powder). I might try it with corn starch next time–I hadn’t ever heard this.
The corn starch keeps it from clumping, if you make it ahead and store it…in an airtight container.
Wow, thanks for the tip! So easy. No reason to buy the pre-fab stuff. I just learned about the aluminum in baking powder recently.
@Elizabeth
The addition of starch is to help keep the mixture dry, and therefore prevent the chemical reaction from taking place prematurely (Only really matters if you are making a larger batch to store for later use). It also adds some extra bulk to the mixture making it easier to get the correct quantities.
Oh, now THERE’s a great tip.
Thanks so much, Deb!!
Is there a USE BY recommendation for homemade baking powder? (6 months?) Is there a way to test if the baking powder you have is still functioning?
I’ve heard that it is important to use baking powder without aluminum for making your own crackers…I will have to give this a go, as unfortunately I had just bought a container of the usual baking powder, and alas, it has aluminum in it…
Worse than the presence of aluminum, all the aluminum-free baking powder I have ever purchased has a really off taste. This does not. Thanks for a new substitute!
oh this is wonderful to know! I live in France and get my family to send a jar of baking powder once in a while, but it would be nice to be able to make my own. Now to find some cream of tartar…
Hi There
Great overall site! Can you tell me how to eliminate spam on mine?
[…] Once again, it is not you but your baking powder sabotaging your awesome kitchen prowess. That slightly bitter, kinda “tinny” flavor you often experience when biting into a muffin, biscuit or scone is the result of using a baking powder in high quantities — as is needed for these quick-rise treats — with aluminum in it. Fortunately, aluminum-free brands such as Rumford or Bob’s Red Mill are easy to find, and are no more expensive. Or, you can just go rogue and make your own. […]
[…] Once again, it is not you but your baking powder sabotaging your awesome kitchen prowess. That slightly bitter, kinda “tinny” flavor you often experience when biting into a muffin, biscuit or scone is the result of using a baking powder in high quantities — as is needed for these quick-rise treats — with aluminum in it. Fortunately, aluminum-free brands such as Rumford or Bob’s Red Mill are easy to find, and are no more expensive. Or, you can just go rogue and make your own. […]
I have to make cupcakes and I don’t have any cream of tartar. It didn’t help much. :(
Please use double the amount of a kind of acid, like vinegar or lemon juice. *NOTE*DO NOT USE CHEMICAL ACID U MIGHT DIE
Thank you, Deb, SO much for sharing these “Make Your Own” recipes. Nice to know that commonly purchased ‘I know I need this but I don’t know why’ mixtures are made from proportions of simple kitchen shelf ingredients. Going rogue…like the sound of that!
I’m getting dizzy. I just received a recipe for make your own toothpaste! So now I have to try this, as well. Then, some people may be brushing their teeth with baking power as suggested by the Arm & Hammer box, “many other uses for baking soda” note. OK. I am done.
Also note: kidney patients particularly dialysis patients need to reduce phosphorus in their diet so this substitute is a great way to do that in your baking!!
1) Cream of tartar is available at most grocers. McCormicks makes it!
2) Testing baking powder: Mix a little with water. If it foams, it’s good. You need to keep it as dry as possible.
Here’s how to make it if u dont have tartar cream: replace tartar cream with double the amount of lemon juice or white vinegar.
Thank you! I was looking everywhere for a chemical free recipe. Even from a book called “Foods and Homemaking” by Carlotta C. Greer, with no copywrite date, just a note from a teacher dated 1940. You had the ratio of ingredients, so now I can toss those phosphates and sulphates in the TRASH! God bless you!
“Metallic undertones”? I’ve had baked goods turn out so bitter they were inedible. Which is why I came looking for this formula. (Thanks for that.)
Of course, it’s easier just to buy aluminum-free baking powder. But my neighborhood market doesn’t carry it.
[…] but it's not recommended since you need such a large amount for my recipe. You could also make your own baking powder if you have baking soda on hand, but keep in mind this will be single-acting baking powder, not the […]
[…] call it a substitute in this instance as you’ve really just used the cornstarch to make your own homemade baking […]
[…] Make your own baking powder by combining two parts cream of tartar, one part baking soda, and one part cornstarch. This ratio enables you to make your own baking powder, which is extremely effective. Baking powder is easy to make and less tangy than store-bought. […]
[…] you can make your own baking powder. There are a few reasons for making your […]