Baking Soda vs Baking Powder in Cookies - What’s the Star Ingredient?

Though baking is an art, there’s also science to it.

Questions like Which ingredient to use? What’s the right swap? How would it react with the batter? makes us artistic little scientists. After all, we bakers want the perfect proportions for our delicious cookies.

One such scientific mystery is the baking soda vs. baking powder debate. Almost every baker has, at some point, swapped one for the other. And honestly, most never know which one is the right choice.

Today, we’re settling the debate of baking soda vs. baking powder in cookies once and for all. Sometimes they can work interchangeably. Other times, the swap turns into a complete baking disaster. Luckily, you won’t have to learn that the hard way.

Leavening agents are compounds that release gas into batters and doughs and make our baked goods rise. Both baking powder and baking soda do this exact job. Air and yeast also act as leaveners in some recipes.

We often ignore these ingredients as they’re used in such small amounts. But without baking powder or soda, your cakes won’t be fluffy, and your cookies will be dense. Apparently, they both do the same work, but their unique formulas affect your baked goods in their own way. Let’s define them simply.

Baking Soda

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a base that needs an acidic compound like lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk to work. The reaction produces CO2, creating bubbles that give the batter a lovely rise. Baking soda is strong, quick-acting, and a browning agent.

Baking Powder

Baking powder is a man-made complete leavening system. It’s a mixture of baking soda + acid + a stabilizer like cornstarch. As it already has an acid, it only needs heat and moisture to activate. Most baking powders today are double-acting, meaning they create gas twice — once when mixed into the batter and again in the oven.

How to Store Leavening Agents

Leavening agents go bad within months. That’s why it’s so important to store them correctly.

The general rule of thumb is to protect them from heat and moisture. Don’t store baking powder or baking soda near the oven, microwave, sink, or dishwasher. Refrigerating them won’t do any good either.

Simply store yours in an airtight container, somewhere away from humidity or sunlight. I recommend buying small packs and replacing them every 3-6 months. Old leaveners can make even perfect recipes turn out dull.

Steps to Check if Your Leavener is Still Good

• To test your baking powder, submerge it in a cup of hot water. If it's fresh, it will create bubbles. Otherwise, it’s nothing good.

• To check your baking soda, pour a little vinegar over it. Bubbling indicates freshness.

Can You Swap Baking Soda for Baking Powder in Cookies? (Or Vice Versa)

Now, the question you have been wondering, ‘Can I use one for the other?’

The answer is Yes!

But it’s not a simple 1:1 yes. You can’t use 1 tsp of baking soda for 1 tsp of baking powder, and vice versa. Otherwise, your cookies may be too flat, too puffy, or have an aftertaste. 

You need to substitute them in the right quantities. Here’s a simple, practical conversion guide:

Baking soda → Baking powder:

Use 3 tsp baking powder for every 1 tsp baking soda. Also, reduce any acidic ingredients in the recipe (like lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk) by 2 tsp. Otherwise, your cookie will turn out more acidic.

Baking powder → Baking soda:

Use 1 tsp baking soda for every 3 tsp baking powder. You must also add an acid source (like 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, or use buttermilk instead of regular milk) to activate it.

Baking Cookies with Both Leaveners

Personally, I prefer the best of both worlds. Using both baking powder and soda in cookies combines their individual benefits and pours them into one batter.

This combo is best for recipes that already have, but not enough, an acidic ingredient to activate baking soda. For instance, I use baking powder for the perfect texture in my keto chocolate chip cookies and add baking soda to make them dreamy and golden.

A cookie with both leaveners will look something like this:

• Shape: Baking soda spreads the batter while baking powder lifts it up. Together, they will create perfectly wide and fluffy cookies.
• Texture: Your cookie will turn out both chewy and fluffy, with just enough golden. Give it a try with this oatmeal creme pie recipe of your dreams. 
• Flavor: Your cookies will have a balanced flavor profile with neither acidic nor soapy taste. The acidic and basic pH of both leaveners cancel each other out, making cookies ideally neutral.

Our best darn recipe at Detox Desserts is the home ground for the baking soda vs baking powder in chocolate chip cookies debate. Maybe the reason that the recipe is so well-loved by everyone is that it uses both of the leaveners!

It’s not just the perfect-tasting choco cookies you will ever eat, but also the healthiest. They are far lower in calories, bulkier in protein and fiber, and require the simplest ingredients:

• 1 ⅓ cups Flour Swap

• 1 cup Granular Sugar Swap

• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt

• ½ teaspoon baking powder 

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda 

• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup Butter Swap

• 1 Egg Swap

• 1 cup sugar-free, dairy-free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and blend until a thick, smooth, no-lumps cookie dough is achieved. 

3. Let the dough rest for about 5 minutes

4. Stir the dough for 1 minute and fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts (optional).

5. Create equal-sized dough balls. Roll and press each cookie down on your parchment-lined baking tray.

6. Bake for about 10-13 minutes or until tops start to crack and bottoms start to turn golden.

7. Your cookies are ready! Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.

Can you Make Cookies Without Baking Powder or Soda?

Although you CAN make cookies without baking powder or soda, they’ll turn out flat and dense. Who wants that?

Most cookies without either of these two leaveners will spread and rise very little. They will look small, bulky, and compact. The bite will be a lot denser, as if the batter is undercooked. The signature airy texture and lightness of baking goods will also be missing. Still, some recipes work out just fine without baking soda or powder.

Cookies Recipes that Don’t Require Baking Powder or Soda

• Shortbread cookies

• Brownie-style cookies 

• Dense chocolate or fudge cookies

• Snowball cookies

– Also read: flour alternatives for baking 

Till now, you know you can substitute baking powder for soda and vice versa. But what happens if you run out of both? You can’t just eat flat cookies?!! 

Give these baking powder substitutes a try:

Egg Whites

When you whip egg whites, they hold air. Fold a tbsp of the whipped whites into your batter as the last step. Just make sure you fold it gently and don't lose the bubbles.

Self-Rising Flour

This flour type already contains baking powder. In fact, it’s a combination of flour, baking powder, and salt. Substituting it for regular flour in equal parts gets the job done for 3 ingredients.

Club Soda

Club soda already contains carbon dioxide that leavening agents create. Simply replace the liquid in your recipe (water or milk) with an equal quantity of club soda for similar lifting properties. You can also mix it with our butter swap to keep the batter moist.

Baking Soda and Buttermilk

If you already have baking soda but also need the effects of baking powder, grab buttermilk. Mix ½ cup buttermilk with ¼ tsp bicarb soda to replace 1tsp of baking powder. Don’t forget to balance out the moisture in the recipe by removing ½ cup of wet ingredients.