Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: What’s the Real Difference?

If you’ve ever scaled up a recipe and ended up with flat cookies or dense cakes, there’s a good chance the issue was with the leavening. Baking soda and baking powder might look similar and often sit side by side in the pantry, but they perform very differently in recipes. Understanding their roles, strengths, and limitations is essential for any commercial kitchen or bakery that needs consistency in texture, rise, and flavor.

Let’s break down what sets them apart, when to use each one, and what to avoid when working in bulk.

Both baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents. That means they help doughs and batters rise by producing carbon dioxide gas. This gas creates pockets of air, which expand in the oven, giving baked goods that light, fluffy structure. But the way these two ingredients produce that gas is where things start to differ.

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. It needs an acidic ingredient and moisture to activate. Without both, it won’t create gas, and your baked goods won’t rise. Baking powder, on the other hand, is a combination of sodium bicarbonate and a dry acid like cream of tartar, plus a starch to keep everything stable. Since it contains both the base and the acid, baking powder only needs liquid to get started. Most baking powders used in food service are double-acting, meaning they activate once when wet and again when heated.

This difference in activation explains why baking soda and baking powder aren’t interchangeable. While both cause rising, the timing and intensity of that reaction matter—a lot—especially when producing at scale.

Use baking soda when the recipe already includes a naturally acidic ingredient. This includes common ingredients like buttermilk, yogurt, molasses, brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and natural (not Dutch-processed) cocoa powder. In these cases, baking soda works fast to neutralize the acid and produce gas. That speed is great for quick breads, muffins, or cookies that go into the oven immediately.

Baking soda is also excellent at helping baked goods brown. This makes it a solid choice for cookies and dark cakes where a deeper color and richer flavor are part of the desired result. Its strength means you don’t need much—just a quarter teaspoon per cup of flour is often enough. However, if you use too much or don’t have enough acid to activate it, the result can be a soapy or metallic aftertaste.

Avoid baking soda in recipes that lack an acidic component. Without the acid, baking soda won’t work properly. You’ll end up with dense, oddly flavored items that fail to rise.

Baking powder is the better option when your recipe doesn’t contain an acidic ingredient. That’s because it’s already balanced. The baking soda and acid inside it activate on their own with just moisture and heat. That makes baking powder a great fit for more neutral batters—like classic vanilla cake, scones, or shortcakes—where you want lift without introducing sour or tangy flavors.

Double-acting baking powder is especially useful for large batches. Since some gas is produced during mixing and more is released during baking, there’s a bit more flexibility in timing. That makes it a reliable tool for commercial operations, where prep and bake times may be staggered across multiple ovens or teams.

That said, baking powder is not as strong as baking soda. You’ll often need about three times more to achieve the same lift. And if a recipe includes something acidic, like lemon juice or molasses, using only baking powder can dull the flavor and produce a less lively result.

Some recipes call for both baking soda and baking powder. That’s usually because the acid in the recipe isn’t strong enough to fully activate the baking soda, so baking powder is added to provide extra lift. At the same time, the baking soda might be included to help neutralize the acid for better browning or to prevent a sour taste.

A good example is buttermilk pancakes. If you use only baking soda, the buttermilk's acidity might be completely neutralized, and you’ll lose the tangy flavor. By adding a bit of baking powder, you get the structure and rise you need while preserving the taste. Cookies, banana bread, and chocolate cupcakes are also common cases where both leaveners are used in harmony.

Swapping one for the other isn’t ideal, but sometimes you're out of one and have to make do—especially in high-volume kitchens. Here’s how to approach substitutions carefully:

To replace baking powder with baking soda , use one-quarter the amount of baking soda, plus an acid. For example:

• 1 teaspoon baking powder = ¼ teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  
  

• If cream of tartar isn’t available, use 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice instead.

To replace baking soda with baking powder , use three times as much baking powder. So:

1 teaspoon baking soda = 3 teaspoons baking powder

Be aware, though, that large amounts of baking powder may affect taste. Slight adjustments to sugar or salt might help balance the flavor if you're substituting at scale.

Both baking soda and baking powder lose strength over time, especially once opened. Old or improperly stored leavening agents can sabotage batches, leading to flat or tough products. In commercial kitchens, it's wise to mark containers with their open date and replace them every six months.

To test baking powder, stir a teaspoon into a cup of hot water. If it bubbles, it's still active. For baking soda, mix a teaspoon with vinegar. A strong fizz means it’s good to go.

Buying these in bulk? Keep baking powder in an airtight container to prevent moisture from triggering the acid prematurely. For baking soda, a cool, dry shelf is perfect. Just don’t use the same box that’s been absorbing odors in the fridge—once it’s absorbed smells, it shouldn’t be used in food.

In food production or bakery settings, the choice between baking soda and baking powder affects more than texture—it can influence production timing, holding patterns, and even taste.

If your batter needs to hold for a few minutes before baking, double-acting baking powder provides some cushion. Baking soda-based batters, on the other hand, need to be baked promptly before the chemical reaction finishes and the air bubbles dissipate.

Volume also matters. Since baking soda is stronger, it requires less storage space. But it demands more precision and recipe-specific acids. Baking powder is more forgiving but takes up more shelf space and can require recipe adjustments to prevent bitter flavors if overused.

Baking soda and baking powder are small ingredients with a big job. Choosing the right one—or using both when needed—can make all the difference in whether your baked goods rise to the occasion or fall flat. For food businesses and bakeries working at scale, understanding how they behave, when to use them, and when not to, is key to maintaining quality and consistency across every tray.

At Baker’s Authority, we stock both leaveners in bulk sizes for professional kitchens, food manufacturers, and bakeries of every size. Our fast shipping and large-volume options help you stay stocked and on schedule—because when it comes to baking, timing and ingredients matter.

Ready to bake smarter? Browse our catalog or get in touch to find the ingredients your team needs to keep production running smoothly.