Aluminum-free Baking Powder–grain free, corn free, AIP
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Looking for a great baking powder substitute or baking powder without aluminum? I’ve got you covered with this super simple aluminum-free baking powder recipe.
It also happens to be a corn-free baking powder so if you’re on a corn-free diet, it will work great for you as well!
If you’re concerned about aluminum in baking powder, you’re not alone.
While there has not been a definitive connection between aluminum in foods like baking powder and Alzheimer’s, many people are still looking to avoid aluminum in their foods, personal care products, and more.
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Why Make Your Own Baking Powder?
- Corn Allergies – almost all baking powder is made with cornstarch
- Avoiding GMOs – most baking powders are made with GMO corn
- Avoiding Additives – many baking powders contain sodium aluminum sulfate, which some people wish to avoid
- You Ran Out of Baking Powder – having a DIY option for making staples such as baking powder is a huge help for those moments when you run out of an ingredient unexpectedly
- You’re On a Special Diet – This Homemade Baking Powder is whole30, paleo, AIP (autoimmune paleo), gluten-free, THM, and more
Why Is There Aluminum in Baking Powder?
Some baking powders are made with an aluminum-based salt–sodium aluminum sulfate or sodium aluminum phosphate. These substances become acidic when heated.
Baking soda is basic and it reacts with an acid to make baked goods rise. So these aluminum salts are part of what makes your baking powder containing baked goods rise.
As I mentioned, it’s been debated whether or not this form of aluminum contributes to such diseases as Alzheimer’s, etc., but regardless, many people wish to avoid this ingredient.
Interestingly, some people claim that baking powder that contains sodium aluminum sulfate can result in baked goods having a metallic taste, however from my research, that doesn’t seem to be the case–they appear to be either tasting some kind of residue from their baking pan or what they are tasting is the result of too much baking soda.
So this aluminum-free baking powder is simply a baking powder that doesn’t contain sodium aluminum sulfate or any other aluminum-containing ingredient.
Does Baking Soda Contain Aluminum?
Contrary to some sources, baking soda does not contain aluminum, so if you see a product labeled “aluminum-free baking soda”, that is either a marketing ploy, or an uninformed company.
Why Corn-free Baking Powder?
Not only is this homemade baking powder an aluminum-free baking powder, but it’s also a corn-free baking powder. Most baking powder is made with cornstarch, but this one is not.
So it’s perfect for those avoiding corn due to allergies or intolerances, as well as those on a grain-free diet.
As it turns out, this recipe works for many special diets. It’s not only corn-free, but it also works for the paleo, AIP, and grain-free diets.
Why Is There Arrowroot in This Baking Powder Recipe?
Arrowroot helps absorb moisture and as such will extend the shelf life of the product. So you can make a larger batch and keep your baking powder longer.
If you plan on making smaller batches and using this homemade paleo baking powder up quickly, then you can eliminate the arrowroot or other starches.
Another option, if you’d like to make a larger batch but still address the moisture problem, is to add silica packs to the baking powder after putting it in a container.
Keto Baking Powder Option
To make this baking powder starch-free and completely keto, just omit the starch. The recipe will likely not keep as long but it will work in recipes.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Alternative Starches: If need be, you can use organic tapioca flour / starch instead of arrowroot, or, if you are not avoiding corn, organic cornstarch is another option.
- Starch-free Recipe: If you can’t have any starches, you can use this recipe without it. As mentioned above, the starch primarily helps to keep the other ingredients from reacting and so it prolongs the life of the baking powder.
More Homemade Pantry Staples
- Best Healthier Cinnamon Sugar (3 Ways) – get 3 great recipes for the all time favorite sugary blend, and see which one we liked best! (all sugar-free)
- Vegetable Broth Mix | All Purpose Seasoning – sure to be a huge favorite in your home–tastes great on EVERYTHING!
- Homemade Vanilla Liquid Stevia – save loads of money by making this yourself.
- Homemade Rice Milk – you won’t believe how easy it is to make your own dairy-free milk.
- Powdered Egg Replacer (like Ener-G) – whether you’re avoiding eggs or happened to just run out, this is a great substitute for all your egg-free baking!
- Easiest Coconut Milk – we make this several times each and every week. It’s a super frugal and convenient dairy-free beverage option that works for almost any application.
- Vanilla Extract Substitutes – not a pantry basic you can make, but these 23 substitutes are at-the-ready pantry alternatives you can use anytime!
Aluminum-free Baking Powder (grain free, paleo)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Blend with a whisk to mix well.
- Store in a tightly-closed container to prevent moisture from entering and causing the ingredients to begin to react.
- Use as you would regular baking powder.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be doubled or made in whatever quantity you like.
- Alternative Starches: If desired, you can use organic tapioca flour / starch instead of arrowroot, or, if you are not avoiding corn, organic cornstarch may also be substituted.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Don’t Feel Like DIYing?
Sometimes, you just don’t want to make something. If that’s your situation, this baking powder is a great aluminum-free option, but it does contain non-GMO corn.
I’d love to hear how this works for you!
(Note: This recipe was originally published in 2011. It was republished with new images and new helpful information. For reference, following is an image from an earlier edition of the post.)
I’m actually allergic to cream of tartar … it’s made from fermented grapes, so atleast 2 types of sulfites .. if it’s bleached then that’s 3 types of sulfites in it 🙁
Oh no. Try using baking soda and an acid instead. Not as easy to measure but it will work.
If just using one time ¼ tsp baking soda to ½ tsp cream of tartar= 1 tsp baking powder. Only need arrowroot or corn starch/potato starch when making larger quantity.
This is a great idea. I do use Rumford’s GMO- and Aluminum-Free Baking Powder. But I’m confused as this recipe calls for baking soda, and I’ve heard that baking soda contains aluminum, too. Do you know of a soda that doesn’t contain aluminum? I’d be very interested to find out!
From what I’ve read, the aluminum in soda is minimal. Bob’s Red Mill used to have one that was Al free, but they recently changed their label as it’s not true any longer (or wasn’t in the first place). Sorry.
Thank you for this post! I wasn’t aware that baking powder could be contain GMOs until this morning, and I needed a quick work-around because we are 100% GMO free (or try REALLY hard to be!).
Thanks for the recipe! Doesn’t most baking soda contain aluminum? It was a challenge to find aluminum free – I found red mill.
Red Mill’s isn’t aluminum free anymore – they are redoing their labels. It is, from my understanding, a miniscule amount compared to that in regular baking powder.
I’m so glad I found your blog! I’ve already switched to non-aluminum deodorant. I had no idea there was an alternative to baking powder. Thank you so much for sharing on Sundae Scoop!
Katie
You’re welcome – welcome here!!!
Great recipe for a much healthier version of this traditional leavening!
Great idea to avoid any extra GMO’s. I do find, though, that now that we’re consuming way less grains, we do less baking, and use much less baking powder! Just curious, my homemade baking powder is always really lumpy. Is this pretty lumpy too?
I don’t think it’s lumpy at all. :-).
I used to make this and then forgot all about it! Thanks for sharing!
Adrienne, thank you so much for sharing this. You are absolutely correct…trying to avoid corn is crazy difficult! People don’t realize that corn is in about everything that they eat…and if it isn’t corn, it’s soy 🙁 At any rate, if you noted that using gluten free Baking soda and Cream of Tarter, this would also be a gluten free Baking Powder, which making your own is so much more cost-effective when you consider a bag of Gluten Free Baking Powder runs about $6.00 at health food stores!
I would like to invite you to share your recipe in our ‘Made From Scratch’ Monday linky. I know my readers would appreciate this post tremendously!
WOW – I had never read the back of the baking powder container. I knew about the aluminum, so switched to a different brand, but hadn’t thought about GMO corn. How do you find out if a company uses GMO products?
Thank you for sharing what you have learned.
Hi Cindy. You have to ask. Almost all corn is GMO.
I am twelve years old. how do you make baking soda wihtout using cream of tartar or baking soda? if u cant do that can u use vinegar instead of theses two things to make cupcakes?
Bryanna – I’ve never seen another way to make baking powder. The vinegar needs to react with something. Vinegar is the acid. You need a basic ingredient to make this work. I can’t figure out anything else that would work. I think you need one or the other to make this works.
I subscribe to ‘Moms Need To Know’ on FB and just found this amazing website. Is it possible to make yeast? How did the first yeast get started?
You can try sourdough. That picks up the natural yeast from the air. Thanks for your kind words! I hope to see you around again!!!
Hello,
I just want to say thank you as well for this information. I have been on a hunt to make EVERYTHING from scratch for me and my household. I am so thankful that I came across your blog for making baking powder, this really does help.
I also wanted to share something that I have learned as well, since I am also working on becoming corn free as well as gluten free I have been on a hunt for recipes from scratch for EVERYTHING. I found that powdered sugar has corn in it so to make your own powder sugar you can just take some organic pure white sugar and put it into a blender until it becomes powder. There you have it powder sugar for recipes that calls for it. Since I am stationed over seas right now I am limited on certain food items, so I also had to figure out how to make brown sugar. I found that all you need is some regular organic white sugar and molasses and mix them togather and their you have brown sugar. I just wanted to share I hope this help. Thanks again!! (all smiles)
You’re welcome! You are right about the powdered sugar. I have a post on Homemade Powdered Sugar / Powdered Sugar Substitute, so great minds….you know how it goes :-). You can also use other starches if you wish to avoid corn. I think the ratio for brown sugar from white is 1 Tbsp molasses to 1 cup white sugar. But since I’m off sugar I don’t use that much. But I could add some molasses to my “safe” sugar subs. It won’t add that much sugar to the recipe so it should be fine.
Thanks for your helpful comment!
Adrienne,
Your blog is so helpful! I just wanted to thank you for sharing with all of us. I can imagine how busy you with your family. Your blog really does make a difference and I’m grateful you somehow manage to find the time to keep it current and alive. 🙂
Also, to those wanting soda replacements. Why not try kombucha or water kefir? Just tonight I opened up a liter bottle of pomegranate, peach and ginger kombucha that I had allowed to 2nd ferment for 3 days. It took me almost a full 20mins to let all the air slowly fizz out without losing all my tea! The pomegranate had such a crisp wonderful flavor. I found myself saying “excuse me” like four times because of all the carbonation this batch produced!
Hi Meagan – Thank you for your truly encouraging comments. It is hard balancing everything and I must say that I do not do a good job with it. I have never been good at keeping a neat house and it is a bit worse now than before. I love your soda idea – I have had troubles w/ fermented foods, but would like to give it a try again. I have another substitute coming — just gotta get around to it. Some days I feel like I have nothing to share and others I feel I could write all day long and still not be done :-).
Very interesting info. Glad you shared it. It is info I had never heard.
Hi again, Susan – did you mean that you hadn’t known that baking powder has aluminum in it? There’s just too much bad food and medicine info out there to keep track of, isn’t there?
Do you know how long this would last well sealed in the container? That was my only concern.
I have not seen any definitive answer to this question. Some say that you should only make up small amounts and others say that they have made up large batches and have never had a problem with its performance. So I guess you should think about how often you bake, then make enough for say, 1 month, see how it goes and increase it the next time to a 2 month portion and go from there. Hope that helps!
I have found that the mix has lasted 8 months so far. With using it several times a month and keeping in a sealed container, I haven’t seen any degrading of product life. I use mason jars with screw on lids for a secure tight seal.
May I share a link to this on my site? Someone just came to me needing a combination of wheat-free, gluten-free, corn-free, and several other allergies, plus needs to be Kosher. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Davette,
You are more than welcome to share a link. It would help me & my blog out if you would link something like “homemade baking powder” to my site rather than just a generic “link to this HERE.” I really appreciate it. Hope to see you again soon!
Although not dairy free, I often use baking soda and yogurt. The yogurt replaces part or all of the liquid ingredient. We first tried this because we were out of baking powder and we really wanted corn bread, so I found the suggestion online we did it and it was the best cornbread we’ve had.
Damn. I didn’t realize that baking powder was made from corn…..corn is truly very hard to avoid. Thanks for the recipe!
It works very well actually… if you get lucky and the proportions right – I tend to get lucky quite often. I’m to the point now with a lot of baking, where I don’t scale ingredients and just bring recipes together so they ‘look right’ or ‘becomes the proper consistency’
I can recall the first time I did the brown sugar trick – I was much less experienced and I did measure. I was at work making chocolate chip muffins and I discovered the night staff had used all the baking powder for some other purpose the day before.
The original recipe called for 1 tbsp of baking powder and 1 cup of white sugar, and I substituted 1.5 tsp baking soda and 1 cup of brown sugar. It had about the same leavening action as the original recipe, with the added benefit of delicious brown sugar flavor.
I’m sure I have a professional baking book with a chapter dedicated to leavening agents that give better details than I have here… I’ll try to find it and do a post on my own blog about the substitution later this evening. 🙂
Thanks for the welcome!