Baking Powder Calculator
Calculate the correct amount of baking powder for any recipe. Convert between baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Free baking powder calculator.
For most cakes, loaves, and quick breads.
Baking Powder Required
9.6g
≈ 2.4 level teaspoons
for 200g flour
No Baking Powder? Substitutions
Baking Powder Reference Table
| Flour | Light (g / tsp) | Standard (g / tsp) | Strong (g / tsp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100g | 3.2g / 0.8tsp | 4.8g / 1.2tsp | 6.4g / 1.6tsp |
| 125g | 4g / 1tsp | 6g / 1.5tsp | 8g / 2tsp |
| 150g | 4.8g / 1.2tsp | 7.2g / 1.8tsp | 9.6g / 2.4tsp |
| 175g | 5.6g / 1.4tsp | 8.4g / 2.1tsp | 11.2g / 2.8tsp |
| 200g | 6.4g / 1.6tsp | 9.6g / 2.4tsp | 12.8g / 3.2tsp |
| 250g | 8g / 2tsp | 12g / 3tsp | 16g / 4tsp |
| 300g | 9.6g / 2.4tsp | 14.4g / 3.6tsp | 19.2g / 4.8tsp |
| 350g | 11.2g / 2.8tsp | 16.8g / 4.2tsp | 22.4g / 5.6tsp |
| 400g | 12.8g / 3.2tsp | 19.2g / 4.8tsp | 25.6g / 6.4tsp |
| 500g | 16g / 4tsp | 24g / 6tsp | 32g / 8tsp |
1 level teaspoon baking powder ≈ 4g. Always use level, not heaped, teaspoons.
How to use this tool
Enter your flour quantity
Type the weight of plain flour in grams. The standard leavening amount updates instantly.
Adjust the lift level if needed
Select Light (for dense bakes like banana bread), Standard (cakes, muffins), or Heavy (scones, quick breads that need maximum rise). The baking powder amount adjusts accordingly.
Check the substitution guide
If you have run out of baking powder, the substitution section shows exactly how much bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar to use instead.
Tips
Measure baking powder level — not heaped. A heaped teaspoon can be up to 50% more than a level one, which significantly affects the result.
Always mix baking powder thoroughly into the flour before adding wet ingredients — clumps cause uneven rising.
If your cake always sinks in the middle, you likely have too much baking powder or the oven temperature is too high. Try reducing each by a small amount.
Baking powder vs baking soda: baking powder is self-contained (contains its own acid). Baking soda needs an acid in the recipe. Never swap them directly without adjustment.
About this baking powder calculator tool
Baking powder is the primary leavening agent in most cakes, muffins, scones, and quick breads. It works through a double-acting chemical reaction: the first rise happens when it contacts moisture (batter stage), the second when it is exposed to oven heat. This double action gives you time to get the batter into the tin without losing all the leavening power.
The standard ratio for most UK cakes is 5g per 100g of flour (1.5 level teaspoons per 100g). This is the ratio used in commercial self-raising flour. Scones and quick breads that need a more pronounced rise often use more — up to 8g per 100g. Heavy, moist bakes like banana bread or carrot cake typically use less, as their dense texture benefits from modest rather than aggressive leavening.
Baking powder is a combination of bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar (or another acid), and cornflour (to absorb moisture during storage). When you make a substitution with bicarbonate of soda, you are recreating this reaction manually — hence the need for both an alkali (bicarbonate of soda) and an acid (cream of tartar, or an acid ingredient already in the recipe).
The most common baking error with baking powder is over-measurement, not under-measurement. Too much is more damaging than too little — it causes rapid rise followed by collapse, and leaves a bitter flavour. When scaling recipes up, resist the urge to increase baking powder proportionally beyond the standard ratio. More batter needs more tin, not more leavening power per gram of flour.