Can You Substitute Cornstarch for Baking Powder?

Can you substitute cornstarch for baking powder: in a nutshell, no, you cannot substitute cornstarch for baking powder. Whilst cornstarch is a common ingredient found in baking powder, it’s not the active ingredient that gives the leavening agent its rising power.

Now, let’s take a look at what baking poser can be substituted for, how you can make it at home in a pinch, and what you could potentially do with your cornstarch (since it’s not on our substitutions list).

What is Corn Starch & What Can it be Used For

Cornstarch is a fine white powder that comes from the endosperm of corn kernels. There’s just about no fiber in it, and it’s a very popular thickening agent. Honestly, if you ask me, its thickening power it its main selling point. However, corn starch is also popular in deep frying. The starch can give your fried foods an extra crisp, like what you’d get at a restaurant.

A lot of well established chef many know and love like Martha Stewart and Ina Garten commonly use cornstarch as a thickener in their pie fillings. Interestingly, in the commercial world of food and medicine, cornstarch is a popular ingredient there as well. Corn starch is often used to dust frozen fruits so they don’t stick together, and loads of both OTC and rX medications contain corn starch.

Have a Corn Allergy? You’re in Luck!

For those with a corn allergy, a great cornstarch substitute is arrowroot powder/arrowroot starch. It makes an amazing slurry and has a very similar effect as corn starch when thickening soups, sauces, pie fillings, and more. I talk more about how to use an arrowroot slurry here in this article.

If you’d like to learn more about the hundreds of names and uses for corn in food, medicine, and agriculture, start with this article: The Hidden Sources of Corn.

What is Baking Powder & What Does Baking Powder Do

Baking powder, a fine white powder, is a chemical leavening agent and adds volume to baked goods and other delicious creations such as pancakes, cookies, and waffles. Baking powder also lightens the texture of your baked goods. In case you’re wondering, other types of leavening agents include biological and vaporous which come from ingredients such as yeast and steam respectively.

It’s a mixture of bicarbonate of soda (aka baking soda), a dry acid salt, and a neural starch. To do its job, baking powder only needs to be combined with a liquid to create the chemical reaction. You can use non-acidic liquids such as water or dairy free milk; or you can use an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice. Each recipe will be a bit different.

Without baking powder, items such as biscuits, cookies, and some breads would be more dense and flatter than you want. For those of you who can have eggs though, if you were to bake without baking powder, this would be less noticeable since the eggs are a form of leavening as well.

Single Acting vs Double Acting Baking Powder

Double-acting baking powder is a special chemical leavener because it provides rise twice to your , and baked goods. With double acting baking powder, the key bonus ingredient is usually sodium aluminum sulfate, and it’s unique because it doesn’t release all of its gas during the first reaction (when your wet and dry ingredients are combined).

The SAS releases its first round of gas that helps your batter initially rise (you’ll see air bubbles forming). Then, once heated, a second round of gas is released, and your goods get a second lift boost. This is especially helpful in gluten free and/or egg free baking.

Also know that double-acting baking powder is a bit more forgiving than single acting baking powder where over-mixing and stand time are concerned. Stand time is the time between completing your mixture and cooking/baking the batter. With single acting, the longer the stand time, the less effective the rise will be.

When you over-mix a batter that uses a single acting baking powder, over-mixing can destroy all of your precious air bubbles that have formed, and that’s the rising agent that you need to have as intact as possible when it’s time to cook/bake. This is even more obvious and apparent in gluten and egg free baking since there’s no gluten network to rely on or eggs to lift you out of a bad situation.

Recipes That Call for Baking Powder

The following list, whilst not an exhaustive list, is an example of the types of recipes that will call for baking powder. With some of these recipes, baking soda is called for, and some actually use the combined power of baking powder and baking soda.

• Biscuits
• Cake
• Cookies
• Egg Free and/or Gluten Free Baked Goods
• Irish Soda Bread
• Pancakes
• Quick Breads (banana bread, zucchini bread, etc.)
• Scones
• Waffles

What is Baking Soda

Sodium Bicarbonate, aka baking soda, is commonly used in baking, cooking, cleaning, and toothpaste. It’s a soluble white powder with a chemical formula of NaHCO3. Baking soda is a key ingredient that allows baking powder to create carbon dioxide gas once it’s been combined with wet ingredients.

Unlike baking powder, baking soda needs to be combined with an acidic ingredient such as vinegar or lemon juice to create rise (the air bubbles). With baking powder, you could use water only and your mix would still produce the carbon dioxide gas.

It’s critical to know that you can’t swap baking powder for baking soda in a recipe. If your recipe calls for 3 tsp of baking powder and you use 3 tsp of baking soda instead, your final baked goods will have an awful taste to them. Remember, both baking powder and baking soda are small but mighty.

Homemade Baking Powder

The great news is that if you’ve run out of baking powder, or are allergic to most commercial options, you can make your own baking powder at home. I’ll give you a super basic recipe here, and you can read a lot more about the process and why it works in this article here.

• 2 TBSP Cream of Tartar
• 1 TBSP Baking Soda
• 1 TBSP Arrowroot Powder/Arrowroot Starch

The arrowroot can be replaced by a Tablespoon of cornstarch, a Tablespoon of potato starch or a Tablespoon of tapioca starch.

How to Store Homemade Baking Powder

Your homemade version of baking powder should be stored just like the commercial brands: in an airtight container at room temperature. Be sure to store your baking powder in a dry area. I like to store mine in a baking cabinet that’s also not too close to the oven. The high heat from your oven can impact your dry ingredients over time (the heat can transfer from the shared cabinet wall).

Alternative Substitutes for Baking Powder

If for some reason you find yourself out of baking powder or need to get creative with your baking soda, these are the most straightforward baking powder substitutes I can suggest. However, you also need to manage your expectations, especially if you’re baking gluten + egg free. Once you start messing with a tested and proven recipe, you may not get the results you were expecting.

• Buttermilk
• Baking Soda + Lemon Juice
• Baking Soda + Vinegar (apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, and rice vinegar are the best choices)
• Whipped Egg Whites
• Self-Rising Flour (you would use this in place of the flour that was called for since there’s baking powder/leavening agent added into the flour)
• Baking Soda + Molasses
• Club Soda (it has added carbon dioxide, which is why it works)

When Your Baked Goods Have a Bitter Taste or Off Taste

If your baked item comes out with a bitter taste, metallic taste, or off taste, the main thing to check is how much baking powder (or baking soda) you used. This is especially true if you’ve baked this recipe before without any issues.

The usual culprit for producing the off taste in baking powder is sodium aluminum sulfate (commonly found in double acting baking powder). When you use too much of said baking powder, there’s simply too much SAS in the mix and people can taste it. Remember, baking powder is small but mighty, and it only takes a small amount to get the job done.

Now you’re probably wondering if baked goods with an off taste can be saved. If you’ve already baked/cooked all of your batter, there’s nothing you can really do. You can try covering it with loads of frosting (or maple syrup in the case of pancakes), or using it to make something else (like a layer in a multi-layered dessert).

If you have leftover batter, a great way to save your batter is to add more of everything else, but this only works well if you know how much extra baking powder you added. If your recipe called for 1 teaspoon of baking powder and you used 2, you’d need to double everything else in your recipe to balance it out. Alternatively, you can ditch your batter and start over.

Awesome Recipes I Think You’ll Love (If You’re Free-From)

If you’re reading this and you don’t have food allergies and dietary restrictions, you don’t need these recipes. There are millions for you to choose from online, plus, you’d have to purchase a lot of gluten-free alternatives to make these and I’d rather see you spend your money on a big LEGO set.

For the rest of you that need gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and more, I’ve got you covered. These are some VERY good recipes that my taste testers have given thumbs up and raving reviews for.

You can also use the Advanced Recipe Search on RAISE to tailor the results to your specific needs (there are more than 125 filters to mix and match). RAISE even has recipes for those with a severe corn allergy (no corn or corn derivatives).

• Maple Brown Sugar Cookies Recipe
• Gluten Free Tiger Nut Cake Recipe (Vegan, Top 9 Free, tiger nuts are not tree nuts)
• Gluten Free Oreo Cousins Cookie Recipe (better than the original, top 9 free)
• Gluten Free Thin Mints Copycat Recipe (Top 9 Allergy Free, Vegan)

Answering Your Baking Powder Questions

I have a corn allergy. Is there a baking powder I can purchase, or do I need to make my own?

It’s nice to meet someone else with a corn allergy 🙂 Yes, you can purchase baking powder. Hain Featherweight and Otto’s Naturals both offer truly corn free baking powder. The Hain Featherweight is a pantry staple for me. Otto’s, at the time of me writing this, has recently switched over to 100% free corn free equipment for all of their products, and I couldn’t be more excited for them (and everyone with a corn allergy). It means their cassava flour, and baking powder are both viable options for you.

I’m allergic to eggs. Could I make an angel food cake with extra baking powder instead?

No, you wouldn’t be able to make angel food cake with extra baking powder to achieve the same lift and fluffy texture. However, the good news is that if you search “vegan angel food cake recipe” online, there are several options available. For best results, I’d follow one of those recipes instead. Happy baking!

When I’m purchasing gluten free flours for baking, do they need to have guar gum and xanthan gum in the mix?

For at-home baking, no, it’s not necessary. In fact, if you’re following an easy recipe, there’s a good chance they won’t call for xanthan gum or guar gum. Usually, these gums are used in commercial settings. Gums and other select ingredients are used in gluten free baking and sometimes vegan baking as a way to create a better texture in the final baked goods. These ingredients can also affect the freezing and thawing of gluten free baked goods.

I’ve developed hundreds of recipes without either gum and people rave about the final baked goods. Just know that if you start with a highly rated recipe that doesn’t call for guar gum or xanthan gum, things should turn out fine. If you’re following a recipe that calls for one of these gums and you decide to leave it out, there’s a good chance you’ll have different results when compared to what the recipe developer had.

If you’d like to purchase an all purpose flour without the gums, Better Batter sells gluten free, vegan, and allergy friendly GF flour, and last I checked, their Artisan Blend is gum free. Also! If you have a corn allergy, you shouldn’t purchase flours that have xanthan gum. Whilst guar gum is legume derived, xanthan gum is corn derived 99.9% of the time. There are a few other sources, but most manufacturers are using the corn derived variety.

What’s the best baking powder for someone with Celiac Disease who is also vegan?

This is a great question, because as a vegan following a gluten-free diet, there’s a good chance you’ll be doing a lot of baking at home. Honestly, you can use any of the top six commercial baking powders sold nationwide (Rumford, Bob’s Red Mill, Otto’s Naturals, Hain Featherweight, Whole Foods 365 and Clabber Girl).

My personal preference is Hain Featherweight and Otto’s Naturals given my severe corn allergy. I’ve never used any of the other brands, however, each of these six is also gluten free and suitable for vegans. There’s no wheat starch or animal based ingredients.

I’ll also add: in your case, you’ll really want to make sure you’re following SOLID recipes that are built from the ground up for GF + V baking. If you try to adapt a standard recipe, you won’t be happy with the end results. You can get some of my top tips for GF + V baking in this article.

What would be a good substitute for baking powder in cookie recipes?

Assuming the purpose of the baking powder in your cookies is to provide puff, I’d suggest either whipped egg whites folded into the batter (a little tough to do with some cookie recipes) or a combination of baking soda + an acidic ingredient (lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are my go-tos).

You’ll want to add these ingredients towards the end of mixing and then don’t delay in getting your cookies into the oven. Baking soda + an acidic component as one quick rise and you want to take full advantage of its power.

Is cake flour the same thing as self rising flour?

No, these are two different products. With whole wheat flour and all of its derivatives (cake flour, bread flour, etc.) one of the key differences is the protein content of these flours. The protein content isn’t a huge concern for most home cooks and home bakers, it’s a big deal in commercial baking and traditional pastry.

In the case of cake flour vs self rising flour, the latter is usually a form of all purpose flour with baking powder or some kind of leavening agent already mixed in.

Could I use whole wheat flour in place of cornstarch in a homemade baking powder?

I wouldn’t suggest it. Wheat starch will be the best option for you. If you don’t have any, use potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot.

What are good cornstarch substitutes for homemade baking powder?

The best substitutes will be arrowroot powder/arrowroot starch, potato starch, tapioca starch, wheat starch, and cassava starch. The arrowroot and potato will be the easiest ones to find in most grocery stores. Check the gluten free baking area, that’s where I normally see them. You’ll probably see Bob’s Red Mill as the main option, and they make great products. In some stores, all of the gluten free baking items are in the regular baking aisle, but they have their own little column.

Fun fact, whilst some call it cassava starch, others call it tapioca starch, and they both come from the cassava root.

Is corn starch the same thing as corn flour?

This is a great question, and no, they aren’t the same thing. Whilst they’re both derived from corn, they come from different parts of corn. Pure cornstarch is extracted from the endosperm of the corn kernel. It’s a very fine white powder, white in colour, and pretty tasteless (from what I understand, with my corn allergy I don’t consume it). Unlike cornstarch, corn flour still has fiber. To make corn flour, dried corn kernels are ground into a fine powder. Both yellow corn flour and white corn flour can be used interchangeably in recipes.

Now, here’s what’s very interesting, in the UK, these products are named differently. So if you’re following a recipe from a blogger in the US and they say corn starch, it means corn starch like the kind you buy in the little 8 ounce containers. However, if the recipe is from the UK and they say corn flour, they’re sometimes referring to what we call cornstarch in the US. I know, this can get confusing. When in doubt, reach out to the recipe developer and ask for clarification because these two products are absolutely not the same thing.

Is tapioca flour the same thing as tapioca starch?

Yes, the names are interchangeable. If you purchase tapioca flour, you’re purchasing tapioca starch.

Would rice flour work in place of cornstarch in a homemade baking powder?

I wouldn’t suggest it. Rice flour isn’t the same thing as a rice starch, which isn’t commonly sold. You’ll want to use potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch/powder in your recipe. All of three of these are sold in many grocery stores, especially natural/organic/co-op style grocery stores.

Does the expiration date on my baking powder really matter?

Yes, the expiration date does matter, as the power of the reaction has a legit shelf life. The good news is, if your baking powder is past the expiration date, it may still be good. Now, if you’re selling your baked goods, you absolutely should not be using ingredients past the expiration date. If it’s for home use, you can test to see if it’s still good.

A great way to test if your baking powder is still good, mix a teaspoon into a cup of liquid such as warm water. If there’s little to no chemical reaction, your baking powder isn’t good and your final results will turn out a lot more flat than you intended. If there’s a good chemical reaction and lots of air bubbles form,, go forth and bake! But also, don’t forget to pick up some more baking powder the next time you’re at the store.

I’ll also add, there’s a difference between “use by” and “best by” when you see an expiration date. Use by implies a definitive expiration. Best by is more of a suggestion and you have wiggle room. When in doubt, you can ask the manufacturer of the baking powder you purchased.

Could I use plain yogurt with baking soda as a baking powder substitute?

You can use plain yogurt along with baking soda to replace baking powder. However, as a dairy free baker, I can’t tell you all the ins and outs of this method. You’ll need to search for this more online because plain yogurt in this scenario can sometimes create a bitter flavor in your baked goods.

Can you substitute sour milk and baking soda for baking powder?

In theory, baking powder can be substituted with this combination since the sour milk would serve as your acidic ingredient. However, don’t reach for that milk too quickly. Whilst I am a dairy free baker (exclusively due to allergies), I know that it won’t work in every scenario. When you start subbing with dairy ingredients such as yogurt or sour milk, it doesn’t always work out and can create a bitter flavor in your baked goods.

I’d strongly encourage you to read up more on how sour milk and baking soda would impact specific types of goods (chocolate vs vanilla, cookies vs cake, and so on).