Ingredient substitution guide

Best substitutes for Baking Soda

Best swap for Baking Soda: Baking Powder, 3 teaspoons for each 1 teaspoon of baking soda, never 1:1, and keep any baking powder the recipe already has; the powder brings its own acid, so the taste can turn tangy or faintly bitter; most contain cornstarch (corn).

Other alternatives

  1. Potassium Bicarbonate

    1:1, plus 1/3 teaspoon salt for each 1 teaspoon, because it has no sodium; a good match in baked goods, but sold online and in drugstore supplement aisles, not in most grocery stores

  2. Self-Rising Flour

    use it cup for cup in place of the flour, then count the baking powder it adds (about 1 1/2 teaspoons per cup); you need about 3 times the soda you are replacing, so it works out for 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of soda; only for recipes that call for flour; contains wheat (gluten)

  3. Baker's Ammonia

    1:1, but only in thin, crisp, low-moisture bakes such as thin cookies, biscotti and crackers; it smells strongly of ammonia and the smell only bakes off in dry foods, so never use it in cakes, muffins or anything moist

Source and limits

These swaps come from the substitution list Well Stockd uses to match recipes to your kitchen, last updated October 6, 2026. We remove swaps known to be unsafe, but not every swap has been tested in a kitchen, and a swap is cooking guidance, not an allergen or nutrition equivalent. Check labels and what the recipe needs before substituting.

The ratios and usage notes follow ordinary kitchen practice rather than a single published chart. For exact baking ratios, these two extension tables go further:

Browse every ingredient and read how these swaps are sourced.