# Quick Question: Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439 "2005-03-27T04:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/1 "2005-03-27T04:50:00Z")
I’m planning to surprise my parents and make breakfast in bed for them. I’m going to make pancakes and I just realized that I don’t have any baking powder left. Will it still be alright if I use baking soda for a substitute? This morning, at my friend’s house, we made pancakes and we didn’t use any baking powder or baking soda. The pancakes turned out to be very flat and weren’t fluffy at all. So, will baking soda still work? ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/2 "2005-03-27T04:52:40Z")
> [@dare\_devil007\_](#): > > I’m planning to surprise my parents and make breakfast in bed for them. I’m going to make pancakes and I just realized that I don’t have any baking powder left. Will it still be alright if I use baking soda for a substitute? This morning, at my friend’s house, we made pancakes and we didn’t use any baking powder or baking soda. The pancakes turned out to be very flat and weren’t fluffy at all. So, will baking soda still work? [Food substitutions page](http://www.foodsubs.com/Leaven.html) . Check and see if you have the ingredients to substitute. Susan ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/3 "2005-03-27T04:58:17Z")
[What’s the difference between baking soda and baking powder?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbakingsoda.html) … a Staff Reports article. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/4 "2005-03-27T04:59:31Z")
…and the part you care about: > [@](#): > > As a rule, baking powder can be used in place of baking soda, but not vice versa. Since baking soda includes no acid, it won’t work in recipes where baking powder is called for without some kind of adjustment. You can make your own baking powder by mixing two parts cream of tartar to one part baking soda. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/5 "2005-03-27T05:00:20Z")
Both items add fluffiness as they contain sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda needs another component of the recipe to counteract it’s taste, or the finished product will be bitter. Powder in place of soda (with some taste difference), but never soda in place of powder. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/6 "2005-03-27T05:02:42Z")
Oh, darn it. Cecil says in the article that baking powder can be used in place of baking soda. The article also states that I could make my own baking powder by adding cream of tartar, but I don’t have any. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/7 "2005-03-27T05:06:13Z")
If you can find a recipe for buttermilk pancakes, those usually require baking soda instead. Of course, if you don’t have buttermilk either you’re back at square one. ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/8 "2005-03-27T05:06:54Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > If you can find a recipe for buttermilk pancakes, those usually require baking soda instead. Of course, if you don’t have buttermilk either you’re back at square one. Yup…don’t have buttermilk, either. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/9 "2005-03-27T05:26:55Z")
You can use baking soda by using regular milk and souring it; add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to each cup of milk in the recipe. It should curdle. Go ahead and use that in place of the buttermilk. Use the amount of baking soda the recipe gives for baking powder, and away you go. ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/10 "2005-03-27T05:38:50Z")
Do you have [lemon juice and milk](http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1930,145165-241193,00.html)? ---
**Author:** ![dare\_devil007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@dare\_devil007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dare_devil007)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/11 "2005-03-27T14:15:39Z")
> [@IGJoe](#): > > Do you have [lemon juice and milk](http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1930,145165-241193,00.html)? I’m trying this out. I think it’ll work. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/12 "2005-03-27T19:27:29Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Both items add fluffiness as they contain sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda needs another component of the recipe to counteract it’s taste, or the finished product will be bitter. Powder in place of soda (with some taste difference), but never soda in place of powder. Baking soda, by itself, will not cause any “fluffiness.” It is a base and needs to react with an acid. Baking powder contains baking soda and the required acid (tartaric acid). The base-acid reaction is necessary to create the carbon dioxide, which causes the batter to rise. If you have yogurt, you can add that, as it contains some acidity. I usually add yogurt to my batter, in addition to the baking soda and baking powder, for the taste and added fluffiness. You can also make yeast pancakes, instead of using baking soda and baking powder. Incidentally, if you sprinkle baking soda on a dirty surface and then add vinegar, watch the reaction. You will get a vigorous bubbling, and this makes for a nice cleaning action. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/13 "2005-03-28T22:26:21Z")
Cream of tartar, buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon juice (or other fruit juices, especially citrus) are all acids, and will react with baking soda. Other common kitchen acids include sour cream, molasses (including brown sugar), tomato products, and anything else with a sour flavor. Any of these will work, though you’ll need different amounts. When in doubt about how much to use, always err on the side of too much acid, not too much base, since unneutralized baking soda tastes terrible. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-baking-powder-vs-baking-soda/296439/14 "2005-03-29T01:47:43Z")
The type of acid used is mainly decided by the taste of the end product. BTW, baking powder does not contain tartrate acid as I said, but contains certain compounds that react with the baking soda gradually. Double acting baking powder reacts with the soda both before heat is applied, but moreso when heat is applied.