Banana Bread Without Baking Soda (Substitutes and Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for baking soda in banana bread? ›

In addition to baking powder, some other commonly used substitutes for baking soda in banana bread and other quick breads are club soda, baker's ammonia, potassium bicarbonate, whipped egg whites, and self-rising flour.

Believe it or not, you can actually bake delicious banana bread without baking soda or another leavening agent to help it rise. Generally, it won't rise quite as much, but it will still taste absolutely delicious.

If you don't have baking soda, you can use baking powder, at three times what the recipe calls for. So if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of baking soda, you can use three teaspoons of baking powder. Baking powder also contains a little bit of salt, so it's also a good idea to halve the salt the recipe calls for.

You could leave baking soda out of your recipe, but remember, the end product won't be the same. Your cookies will probably be flat and your pancakes won't be light and fluffy. They'll still taste good, but you'll notice textural changes.

There are several pantry-friendly ingredients that you can use as baking soda substitutes, including egg whites, self-rising flour and even club soda. Or, you can use baking powder - and even a couple of extremely scientific sounding items that perhaps you just happen to have lying around - baker's ammonia anyone?

Unless you have no other option, you really should use a leavening substitute. Other baked goods that rely more on rising — like cakes, muffins, and breads — cannot be made without baking soda or an acceptable alternative.

If you find yourself without baking powder or baking soda (and you're not making a super complex recipe), try using egg whites. "The proteins in egg whites lend physical structure to the baked product," explains Gan, who recommends starting with two egg whites per teaspoon of baking soda.

Leaving baking soda out of the cake prevents it from rising, but you can use baking powder as a substitute. Baking soda is a salt that makes food light and fluffy. If you don't have this ingredient at hand, use a baking soda substitute. Without it, your cake won't rise and can turn out flat.

If baking powder is unavailable, the following substitutes may be appropriate for your recipe: buttermilk, plain yogurt, molasses, cream of tartar, sour milk, vinegar, lemon juice, club soda, self-rising flour, or whipped egg whites.

Baking soda, a/k/a sodium bicarbonate, was produced industrially for many years by the historically-important Solvay process. You can duplicate this by adding dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) to a saturated salt solution (sodium chloride) and concentrated ammonia (ammonium hydroxide).

Can I use cornstarch instead of baking soda? ›

Baking soda is a leavening agent whereas cornstarch is a thickener. These two ingredients may look similar, but they have very different purposes in cooking and cannot be used interchangeably.

To replace 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder, use 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) lemon juice. Summary: Replace 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of baking powder with 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) baking soda.

For every 1 teaspoon of baking powder you need, combine 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch. For a larger, storable batch of homemade baking powder, combine one part baking soda with one part cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) and 2 parts cream of tartar.

Baking soda works best in conjunction with an acidic ingredient. In the case of banana bread, this may be buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses or the bananas themselves. Recipes generally include just enough baking soda to balance the acidity in the batter.

Using Cornstarch and Baking Powder Interchangeably

Let's cut to the chase. Cornstarch is not baking powder, and you shouldn't use cornstarch instead of baking powder or vice versa because they react differently and serve distinct roles.

If you don't have either baking powder or baking soda, consider switching gears and relying on another type of leavener altogether: whipped egg whites. Instead of sparking a chemical reaction to produce carbon dioxide, whipped egg whites introduce air to the batter, bringing natural height to your baked goods.

Baking soda becomes activated when it's combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid. Upon activation, carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked goods to rise and become light and fluffy (1).

Bread soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda and baking soda. A good substitute for buttermilk, if you need sour milk in a recipe, add 1/2 teaspoon of Shamrock Bread Soda to 150ml fresh milk. For Cleaning, use a solution fo 1 teaspoon Shamrock Bread Soda to a pint of water.

It can be inconvenient to wait for yeast products to rise but there are two very important benefits: 1) Yeast will keep producing CO2 as long as there are sugars to eat- this means that you can raise tougher doughs- like bread dough- where baking powder just wouldn't have enough lift. 2) Flavor. This is the big one.