In a long-term emergency, comfort food can be a powerful morale booster. Baking something sweet in a Dutch oven over an open fire could mean more to your family than another serving of rice and beans. However, without baking soda, many baked goods won’t turn out right, unless you know what to use instead. Fortunately, you can easily find a good baking soda substitute in baking, or at least in most recipes.
Stockpiling substitutes and learning how to use them gives you one more edge in a world where every advantage counts. It’s not just about flavor, it’s about resilience, adaptability, and providing a sense of normalcy when everything else feels uncertain.
Best Baking Soda Substitutes (And How to Use Them)
Here are some of the best baking soda substitutes you can use in a pinch, and how to make them work in your recipes:
1. Baking Powder (Triple the Amount)
Baking powder actually contains baking soda, plus an acidifying agent and a drying agent. If your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, you can use 3 teaspoons of baking powder.
✅ Best for: Pancakes, biscuits, quick breads.
⚠️ Watch out for: Slightly more saltiness due to added components.
2. Potassium Bicarbonate (1:1 Ratio)
This is the closest chemical match to baking soda and works almost the same. The bonus? It’s sodium-free, so if you’re watching salt intake, it’s a good choice.
✅ Best for: Any recipe where you’d normally use baking soda.
⚠️ Watch out for: Slightly different taste and texture, though barely noticeable.
3. Self-Rising Flour
If you’re out of both baking soda and baking powder, using self-rising flour (which already contains a leavening agent) can help. Replace regular flour and baking soda with self-rising flour, but adjust any salt in the recipe, as self-rising flour already contains some.
✅ Best for: Biscuits, muffins, pancakes.
⚠️ Watch out for: May require recipe adjustments.
4. Egg Whites (Whipped)
Whipped egg whites can act as a natural leavening agent when folded gently into batter. This method works well in sponge cakes or angel food cake where you want light, airy texture.
✅ Best for: Sponge cakes, waffles.
⚠️ Watch out for: Requires some technique and practice.
5. Club Soda
In recipes where liquid can be substituted, club soda’s carbonation can add a bit of lift. Use it to replace part of the liquid in your recipe.
✅ Best for: Pancakes, waffles, quick breads.
⚠️ Watch out for: Works best with other acidic ingredients already present.
6. Buttermilk and Vinegar (Acidic Reactions)
These don’t replace baking soda directly, but when used in combination with other substitutes (like baking powder), they can help trigger a proper rise.
✅ Best for: Cakes and quick breads.
⚠️ Watch out for: May require altering other ingredients.
Can You Make Baking Soda Yourself?
In theory, yes, but it’s a complicated process that involves converting baking powder or using mined sodium bicarbonate. That’s not feasible for most preppers unless you’ve got access to the right minerals and tools. So it’s smarter to focus on learning substitutions and stocking up on shelf-stable alternatives.
What to Stockpile Instead of Baking Soda or As A Substitute
If you’re serious about preparedness, you should consider adding the following to your stockpile:
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Baking powder (check for aluminum-free versions)
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Potassium bicarbonate (available online or in health stores)
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Self-rising flour
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White vinegar and apple cider vinegar
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Shelf-stable buttermilk powder
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Club soda in cans (has a long shelf life)
Why This Matters in a Collapse
Imagine your family hasn’t had anything sweet in weeks. You’ve been rotating rice, beans, and canned meat. You finally have a chance to bake something, something warm, comforting, familiar. But without baking soda, your recipe flops.
Related: 25 Powerless Appliances for Your Homestead Kitchen
Little moments like this can make a big difference in a long-term crisis. Having the knowledge and supplies to pull off even a small luxury like a fluffy biscuit or warm slice of banana bread can make you a hero in your own home, and a valuable member of your survival group.
Being able to bake successfully without modern conveniences gives you the power to maintain morale, offer hospitality, and hold onto your humanity when everything else is falling apart.
Want to Bake Like It’s 1865 – Even When the Grid Goes Down?
If you’re ready to take your skills to the next level, you need more than just baking soda substitutes—you need old-school knowledge.
“The Lost Ways” is the ultimate guide to pioneer living and survival. Inside, you’ll find authentic recipes, long-lost cooking techniques, and food preservation secrets that don’t require electricity or modern tools. From frontier breads to life-sustaining stews, this book walks you through how our ancestors fed themselves when times were hard, and how you can do the same.
This isn’t just a recipe book. It’s a blueprint for feeding your family off the grid, for the long haul. With detailed instructions, illustrations, and no-nonsense advice, “The Lost Ways” gives you the kind of wisdom that modern society has forgotten, but you can still reclaim.
Grab your copy now and learn how to prepare food that’s delicious, long-lasting, and morale-boosting, even when your local grocery store is a distant memory. Survival isn’t just about calories. It’s about comfort, confidence, and self-reliance. And that starts in the kitchen.
Final Thoughts
Baking may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about prepping—but maybe it should be. It’s a way to provide warmth, comfort, and community in hard times. And when supplies run low, knowing how to make do without baking soda could be the secret ingredient to lifting your group’s spirits.
Do you have a favorite baking soda substitute or old-school baking tip? Share it in the comments below, we’d love to hear how you’re prepping for baking success when the SHTF.
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