How to Make Baking Powder at Home (And When You Shouldn’t)

Simple Living ❤️ Country Style — one fewer pantry emergencies at a time.

There’s a very specific moment every baker has experienced: the recipe is mixed, the oven is preheated, and suddenly you realize the baking powder container is empty. Not almost empty. Empty-empty.

At that point, you have three choices: put your shoes back on and go to the store, attempt risky substitutions while muttering under your breath, or calmly figure out how to make baking powder at home like the capable, from-scratch baker you are.

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Good news — making your own baking powder with just a couple of ingredients is easy, reliable, and doesn’t require a chemistry degree. With just two pantry staples, you can make homemade baking powder that works beautifully for everyday baking.

Let’s walk through exactly how it works, how it compares to store-bought, and when homemade is the right choice… and when it isn’t.

Table of Contents

1. What Is Baking Powder, Really?
2. Can You Really Make Baking Powder at Home?
3. Homemade Baking Powder Recipe
4. How to Use Homemade Baking Powder
5. Single-Acting vs. Double-Acting Baking Powder
6. When to Use Homemade Baking Powder vs. Double-Acting Baking Powder
7. Can You Make Double-Acting Baking Powder at Home?
8. When Homemade Baking Powder Works Best
9. When Store-Bought Baking Powder Is Smarter
10. A Quick Note About Freshness
11. Storage Tips
12. From My Country Kitchen
13. Frequently Asked Questions

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What Is Baking Powder, Really?

Baking powder is simply a leavening agent — it creates bubbles that make baked goods rise.

Commercial baking powder contains:

• Baking soda (the base)
• An acid (to activate it)
• A starch (to keep everything dry and shelf-stable)

That’s it. No mystery. No magic. Just controlled reactions.

When liquid hits baking powder, bubbles form. When heat hits it, more bubbles form. Those bubbles give you fluffy biscuits, tender muffins, and pancakes that don’t double as hockey pucks.

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Can You Really Make Baking Powder at Home?

Yes — and it works very well.

Homemade baking powder uses the same core components as traditional baking powder, just without the industrial stabilizers.

The difference?

• The homemade version of baking powder is single-acting
• Most store-bought baking powder is double-acting

We’ll talk about why that matters in just a minute.

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Homemade Baking Powder Recipe

Ingredients

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1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

That’s the entire recipe.

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How to Make It

Add baking soda and cream of tartar to a small bowl.

Whisk or stir until fully combined.

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Use immediately, or store in an airtight container.

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Congratulations — you just made baking powder.

No mixer, no gadgets, and no emergency grocery run.

Optional: Make a Larger Batch

If you want to stock your pantry:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup cream of tartar

Mix well and store in an airtight jar.

👉 Optional but helpful: Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to absorb moisture if storing longer than 30 days.

Optional Tip: If your cream of tartar is clumpy, sift it with the baking soda before mixing. It helps everything blend evenly, especially if you’re making a larger batch to store. Sifting is a nice-to-have, not a must.

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How to Use Homemade Baking Powder

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Use homemade baking powder 1:1 in any recipe that calls for baking powder.

It works beautifully in:

• Biscuits
• Pancakes
• Muffins
• Scones
• Quick breads
• Waffles

⚠️ Important: Because homemade baking powder is single-acting, it starts working as soon as it gets wet. Once the batter is mixed, bake promptly. This is not the time to answer emails or reorganize the spice drawer.

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Single-Acting vs. Double-Acting Baking Powder (This Matters)

Homemade Baking Powder = Single-Acting

• Activates immediately when wet
• Best for quick, no-fuss recipes
• Extremely fresh and reliable
• Requires timely baking

Commercial Baking Powder = Usually Double-Acting

• Activates once when wet
• Activates again when heated
• More forgiving if batter sits
• Designed for consistency at scale

This is why commercial baking powder dominates boxed mixes and bakery production — not because it’s better, but because it’s predictable.

For home baking, freshness often wins.

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When to Use Homemade Baking Powder vs. Double-Acting Baking Powder

Homemade baking powder is single-acting, meaning it activates right away. Commercial baking powder is usually double-acting, meaning it rises once when mixed and again when heated. Both have a place in a home kitchen — they just shine in different situations.

✔ Use Homemade Baking Powder When:

• You’re baking immediately after mixing
• The recipe is quick and simple (biscuits, pancakes, muffins, waffles, scones)
• You want maximum freshness
• You prefer clean, simple ingredients
• You’re avoiding aluminum-based acids
• You just ran out of baking powder and refuse to drive to town

Single-acting leavening delivers a fast, reliable lift — as long as you don’t let the batter sit around.

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✔ Use Double-Acting Baking Powder When:

• You’re making cakes, cupcakes, or tender-crumb bakes
• The batter needs to rest or chill
• You want a bit more insurance and consistency
• You’re prepping ahead (hello, distractions)
• You like high-rise, bakery-style structure

Double-acting powder is built for performance and forgiveness — especially when timing is unpredictable, and you don’t want a dense result.

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The Country-Kitchen Bottom Line

• Homemade = fresh, fast, clean, and perfect for everyday baking.
• Double acting = structured, stable, and ideal for delicate cakes.

Real bakers keep both. There’s no award for pretending one product does every job. Use the tool that makes sense — and keeps your muffins fluffy. 😄

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Can You Make Double-Acting Baking Powder at Home?

Short answer: not reliably.

True double-acting baking powder requires specialized acids that activate only at certain temperatures. These are manufactured ingredients, carefully measured, and not typically recommended for home mixing.

You’ll see claims online saying it’s possible — technically, yes. Practically? It’s expensive, finicky, and one wrong ratio leads to bitter baked goods.

In a home kitchen, single-acting baking powder is the honest, dependable choice.

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When Homemade Baking Powder Works Best

Homemade baking powder shines when:

• You bake from scratch
• You mix and bake right away
• You want the freshest possible rise
• You don’t want extra additives
• You refuse to go back to the store

Most traditional recipes were written long before double-acting baking powder existed — and they worked just fine.

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When Store-Bought Baking Powder Is Smarter

There’s no baking medal for suffering.

Keep store-bought baking powder on hand if:

• You’re baking cakes or cupcakes
• Your batter needs to rest
• Timing is unpredictable
• You want maximum forgiveness

Many experienced bakers keep both. That’s not cheating — that’s being prepared.

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A Quick Note About Freshness (Worth Reading)

Before you store your homemade baking powder, do yourself one small favor: check the dates on your baking soda and cream of tartar. They won’t go bad or turn dangerous, but they do get tired.

Old ingredients make tired biscuits — and that’s just rude. Consider this the baking equivalent of making sure the tractor has gas before you start mowing.

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Storage Tips

• Store in a cool, dry place
• Use within 30 days for best strength
• Discard if it smells off or clumps badly

Luckily, making a fresh batch takes less time than preheating the oven.

From My Country Kitchen

If you bake often, skip buying baking powder altogether. Keep baking soda and cream of tartar stocked and make your own raising agent fresh as needed. You’ll always have reliable leavening — and one less container cluttering the pantry.

Homemade baking doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. Sometimes it’s just knowing how things work.

And sometimes it’s knowing you don’t have to put your shoes back on for a run to the grocery store in the middle of a recipe, because making your own is easy and right there in the pantry.

Since self-rising flour already contains baking powder, you might also find my How to Make Homemade Self-Rising Flour post helpful — it’s another simple kitchen shortcut that saves a trip to town.

If you try making your own baking powder, I’d love to hear how it worked for you — leave a comment 💬 below and tell me what you baked. And if pantry shortcuts like this make your life easier, be sure to subscribe 📬 so you don’t miss the next one.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is homemade baking powder as strong as store-bought?

Yes — when fresh. In many cases, it performs better than an old can from the back of the pantry.

Is homemade baking powder gluten-free?

Yes, as long as your ingredients are gluten-free certified.

Does it taste different?

No. If you can taste baking powder, something else went wrong.

Do I need cream of tartar?

Yes. It’s what turns baking soda into baking powder. Without it, you’ll need liquid acids, which changes recipes.

How can I tell if my baking powder is still good?

You can test baking powder in about 10 seconds. Add ½ teaspoon baking powder to a small bowl and pour ¼ cup warm water over it. If it bubbles up right away, it’s still good. If the reaction is weak or nonexistent, it’s lost its lift and won’t do your baking any favors. Old baking powder won’t hurt you — it just makes sad, flat biscuits, and nobody signed up for that.

Can you use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch in homemade baking powder?

Yes. Arrowroot does the same job cornstarch does in baking powder — it absorbs moisture and keeps the chemical reaction from starting too early.

It does not affect the leavening itself. Use it 1:1.
It’s just there to keep things dry and stable in storage.

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