The 8 Best Cream of Tartar Substitutes
Cream of tartar is a very important ingredient in recipes that call for it. As such, it’s vital to find the right cream of tartar substitute when your container is empty.
But what if I don’t have it and need a substitute for cream of tartar in a pinch? It sounds like a pretty specific ingredient, but are there cream of tartar replacements that get the same results as the original?
The good news is that while this essential baking component does serve a pretty important role in the recipes that call for it, there are plenty of effective cream of tartar alternatives to choose from.
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What Is Cream of Tartar?
If you come across a recipe that calls for cream of tartar, don’t worry: You’re not going to need that white sauce from your Filet-O-Fish sandwich. Cream of tartar is the powdered form of tartaric acid or potassium bitartrate. Among other reasons, this key ingredient has three distinct functions in the kitchen:
- It is the key ingredient used to stabilize egg whites.
- It can act as a leavening agent for baking.
- It can prevent crystals from forming in sugar.
Want to know a couple of interesting facts about cream of tartar? Not only is it part of the residue left behind on aged barrels during the winemaking process, but when it’s mixed with vinegar or lemon juice, it can also be used as a cleaning agent.
Cream of tartar is sold in a powdered form and is easily found in the spice section of your local grocery store. It looks a lot like baking soda, and the two are often used in combination. The good news is that there are plenty of substitutes for cream of tartar if you don’t have any or you simply don’t want to buy a whole jar when you only need ½ teaspoon.
Never experimented with cream of tartar? If you’d like to learn more about how it’s used, baking classes in NYC or baking classes in Toronto present opportunities to learn advanced techniques in the kitchen, and you’ll likely encounter this common but less understood ingredient there. In fact, if you want to get your culinary skills to rise, check out cooking classes near you or online cooking classes that focus on the proper use of leavening ingredients.
Purpose of Cream of Tartar in Baking
The most common use for cream of tartar is to help baked goods rise. When combined with baking soda, it creates the CO₂ that acts just like the yeast you use to bake bread.
Cream of tartar also works magic with egg whites to deliver some of your favorite confections like meringues, pies, angel food cake and snickerdoodles. Luckily, there are several cream of tartar substitutes for baking applications, so don’t panic if you don’t have any on hand.
8 Cream of Tartar Substitutes
1. Lemon Juice
What can replace cream of tartar? Here’s your first solution; lemon juice makes a good cream of tartar replacement for many recipes, mainly due to its acidity. If you need a cream of tartar substitute for meringue, lemon juice is your best choice.
Recommendations vary on the exact ratio to use, but in general, you’ll need one teaspoon of lemon juice for each ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar. This cream of tartar alternative is also perfect in syrups or frosting recipes.
2. White Vinegar
No lemons on hand? No problem! Another great cream of tartar substitute for meringues, soufflés and other foods is white vinegar.
In this case, the replacement ratio is the same as it was for lemon juice: one teaspoon of white vinegar for every ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar. That said, vinegar can impart an unpleasant flavor depending on the recipe, so if possible, rather use lemon juice as a cream of tartar substitute.
3. Baking Powder
Baking powder is a good cream of tartar substitute for cookies because it synergizes with baking soda. You’ll need 1.5x the amount of baking powder for the cream of tartar called for in the recipe. Unlike lemon juice and white vinegar, baking powder is an excellent cream of tartar replacement because it doesn’t impart any flavor.
4. Buttermilk
Buttermilk has a lot of acidity, so in a pinch, it makes a functional cream of tartar replacement. The downside of this substitute for cream of tartar is that you’ll need to reduce the amount of other liquids in the recipe in order to get the expected results.
For each ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar, you’ll need to remove ½ cup of other liquid and replace it with ½ cup of buttermilk. To elaborate further, if your recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar, you’ll need to substitute a full cup of buttermilk as long as you can eliminate one cup of some other liquid in the recipe.
5. Yogurt
Like buttermilk, yogurt also provides a decent amount of acidity and can be used as a cream of tartar substitute in baking. You’ll need to mix the yogurt with some milk so that you can measure it in precise increments.
When using yogurt as a cream of tartar substitute, you'll need to make a liquid replacement, as you would with buttermilk. If the recipe calls for ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar, replace ½ cup of liquid with ½ cup of the thinned yogurt.
6. Corn Syrup
If you need a cream of tartar substitute for sweet foods, corn syrup will do the trick. It works well as an alternative to cream of tartar because it also prevents sugars from crystallizing.
To substitute cream of tartar, you won’t necessarily be replacing it with corn syrup, but rather granulated sugar. So if a recipe requires 2½ cups of granulated sugar, replace it with ½ cup of corn syrup (which acts as an invert sugar). However, you should be warned — if you’re a health fanatic, this isn’t the best cream of tartar substitute as it’s high in calories.
7. Butter
Another alternative for cream of tartar that’s fairly high in calories is butter. This cream of tartar substitute is also similar to corn syrup in that it deters the formation of sugar crystals. What’s the trade-off ratio here?
There isn’t an exact number, but it’s suggested that you use more butter than you would cream of tartar. Experimenting with this cream of tartar substitute may take some trial and error, but isn’t that part of the fun of baking?
8. Use a Copper Bowl
While this may answer the question: “What can I use instead of cream of tartar?”, it does so in a different way. More specifically, this method works well when the purpose of cream of tartar is to stabilize whisked egg whites.
How exactly does this work as a cream of tartar substitute? Well, the protein in egg whites (conalbumin) reacts with the copper ions to form a complex. This resulting complex is believed to be more stable than conalbumin alone. What you’ll have is a cream of tartar substitute that makes foam less likely to overheat.
There is nothing more frustrating than realizing you’re short one ingredient when you find a great new recipe. Cream of tartar is often that one thing missing from your pantry when the inspiration to bake hits.
What is a substitute for cream of tartar? There’s no longer a need to ask that question. Now that you know there are several cream of tartar substitutes available, and that many of them are things you already have on hand, you can head straight to the kitchen instead of popping past the store.
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