is there a difference between baking powder and baking soda?

Question

on the cookie recipe i have, it says use baking soda, i mistakenly bought baking powder instead. is there a difference?

Answer 1

Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are used under different conditions.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch).


Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

Answer 2

They're both leavening agents, but there is a difference between baking soda and baking powder. Baking powder actually *contains* baking soda, though, along with cream of tartar and usually some drying agent like starch. So you can substitute if you don't have a chance to go out to the store, but I'd say use a little bit more of the baking powder if you do. On the other hand, substituting soda for powder would not work.

Answer 3

yes. huge difference.

make sure you use the correct one mentioned in whatever recipes you use, or you will screw up what you are baking...

otherwise, who cares what they do, besides the fact that baking soda is good for smells in your fridge and science experiments.