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DIY Gluten-Free Baking Powder

  • Ready in 5m
  • 0.4 g net carbs
  • 2 kcal
  • Serves 18
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DIY Gluten-Free Baking Powder (low-carb, keto, paleo/ primal)

As you may have noticed, I often use two ingredients in most baked goods: cream of tartar and baking soda. Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate, is produced during the fermentation of grape juice. A combination of these two ingredients acts as leavening agent: the magic happens when you mix alkaline baking soda with acidic cream of tartar.

The mixture is activated once you add liquid ingredients such as water, eggs, ghee or coconut milk. The carbon dioxide produced creates bubbles that cause the dough to expand and it raises when baked. Remember: once you add liquids, you have to put the dough in the oven as soon as you can or it may not rise properly.

Step-by-step

  1. Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar in a glass jar or an airtight container. I bought mine in bulk on Amazon but you can find both ingredients in most grocery stores.

  2. Secure the jar with a lid and shake until well combined. Store in a dry, cool place. Use as needed just like baking powder - that's it!

    DIY Gluten-Free Baking Powder (low-carb, keto, paleo/ primal)
DIY Gluten-Free Baking Powder

Recipe

DIY Gluten-Free Baking Powder

★★★★☆4.0 (80 ratings)

Making gluten-free baking powder at home is easy. You will only need two ingredients!

Hands on
5m
Overall
5m
Servings
18
0.4 g
Net carbs
0 g
Protein
0 g
Fat
2
kcal
PinRate

Ingredients makes about 1/3 cup

Instructions

  1. Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar in a glass jar or an airtight container. I bought mine in bulk on Amazon but you can find both ingredients in most grocery stores.

  2. Secure the jar with a lid and shake until well combined. Store in a dry, cool place. Use as needed just like baking powder - that's it!

Nutrition per ½ tsp

Carbs 100%Protein 0%Fat 0% of calories

Net carbs
0.4 g
Total carbs
0.4 g
Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
0 g
Fat
0 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Calories
2 kcal
Sodium
365 mg · 15.9% RDA
Magnesium
0 mg · 0% RDA
Potassium
110 mg · 5.5% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
Per 1/2 tspNet carbsProteinFatkcal
Baking soda, raising agent (bicarbonate of soda)0 g0 g0 g0
Cream of tartar, raising agent0.4 g0 g0 g2
Total0.4 g0 g0 g2

Serving size 1/2 tsp

  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • Egg free
  • Nut free
  • Nightshade free
  • Pork free
  • Avocado free
  • Coconut free
  • Fish free
  • Shellfish free
  • Beef free
  • Pescatarian
  • Low FODMAP
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan

Comments & ratings (22)

4.080 ratings
  • 5 ★44
  • 4 ★16
  • 3 ★6
  • 2 ★5
  • 1 ★9

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  1. Leslie

    Hi Martina,
    Just a to clarify the above recipe...
    is it really TABLESPOONS used for both ingredients? especially as the grams were so different
    Thanks,
    Leslie

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Leslie, that is correct, it's tablespoons. I did weigh them as I used the ingredients so they should be about correct. If yours don't weigh the same, go by the tablespoons as the ratio is the only thing that matters here. I hope this helps!

  2. Kaylyn Proudfoot

    I am also not grain free so that’s probably why it’s works so well in my recipes.

  3. Kaylyn Proudfoot

    Hi, I have used this baking powder recipe for all of my gluten free, whole grain and corn free baked goods since the end of January 2020 and I have always used as a 1 to 1 replacement and all of my recipes turn out great.

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Thank you Kaylyn, that's great to know!

  4. Pamela

    Hi Martina,
    I have a Keto Bread Recipe that I love, that calls for Almond Flour and Chia Seeds. It also uses Gluten Free Baking Powder.
    The recipe says to make the mixture up and let it sit for 15 minutes before baking to allow the Chia seeds to do their work absorbing the moisture and binding the ingredients.
    Your recipe for Baking Powder suggests once I have added the baking powder to the wet ingredients, I should place it in the oven straight away.
    In reference to timing/placing in oven, these 2 methods are conflicting so am hoping you can advise and explain to me the best option to achieve a risen loaf.
    Thank you.

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Pamela, I think that if the recipe suggests to wait (which I understand as the chia are soaking up the liquids), then it's ok to wait. It will work exactly the same way with this DIY or ready-made baking powder. I may just not be as fluffy as other breads but I suppose the chia seeds need that extra soaking time. Another thing you could do is mix the chia with the liquid ingredients, soak, and then add all of the dry ingredients.

  5. Anne

    Hi! Can I make this to replace 'vital wheat gluten' in recipes for pastas or noodles? The recipe calls for 80gr of Vital What Gluten though... is it safe to eat that much cream of tartar & baking soda? 😜

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Anne, I'm not sure I got this right - are you asking if you can use this instead of gluten? This is a replacement for baking powder so only use as a replacement for that.

  6. Violet

    ok thank you. like you're recipe

  7. Jason

    How would you use this in a recipe that requires 1 tsp of baking powder? It it a 1:1 substitution?

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Jason, for 1 teaspoon of baking powder you will need 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar + 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. That means you should use only 3/4 teaspoon of this mixture to replace 1 teaspoon of baking powder. That lost 1/4 teaspoon is from starches that are added to baking powders (sometimes corn starch, but sometimes other starches containing gluten).

  8. sher

    I have been doing keto for around 4 years. The last 6 months I have become interested in this type of info. The "science" to make some recipes work. I have always been a fan of Alton Brown because he explains the science of why certain things work. Thank You for posting this type of information. In order to stay Keto for life I need variety and need to be able to whip something up quickly off the top of my head. Knowing little tidbits of info like this makes it possible. Thank You.

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Thank you for sharing this Sher!

  9. Ariane

    Since original baking powder has corn starch do you thing adding in Xantham gun would be beneficial to home made? Since their both thickening agents?

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      That's interesting - I'm not sure it it would work the same way because cornstarch is used as an anticaking agent rather than thickener. Xanthan gum may work in some recipes but may have undesirable effects in other recipes (you only need a small amount for thickening).

  10. John-Mark

    How long might this homemade baking powder last? I am used to following the expiration date on store-bought cans, but that won't work here. Any idea? Otherwise, I would just go with the earliest expiration date of either of the two ingredients in the recipe (and maybe that's the answer after all). Thanks for your time.
    John-Mark

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Mine never lasts more than 6-8 months before I use it all but I would follow the earliest expiration date, especially since you may be using ingredients that you already had for a while. I hope this helps!

  11. Anne Bradley

    What is the difference between regular baking power and gluten free baking powder? Can I just use the regular baking power for keto? Thanks😊

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Gluten-free baking powder does not contain flour that is used so it doesn't clump up. Even gluten-free baking powder often contains starches for the same reason. That's why I prefer using a combination of the active ingredients without the fillers (just baking soda and cream of tartar).

  12. Anon

    it makes me sad that you think baking powder is keto friendly...

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      This one is - I'm not sure why you would think otherwise 😊

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