• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Delightful Adventures
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • E-Book
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Newsletter
    • E-Book
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Resources » Baking Guides

    How to Tell If Your Baking Powder Is Still Good

    Published by Gwen Leron on June 9, 2015 (Updated March 16, 2022)

    How to Tell If Your Baking Powder Is Still Good

    Save This Recipe!

    In a hurry? Drop your email below, and this recipe will be sent straight to your inbox for later. You'll also get fresh recipes every week! You can unsubscribe anytime.

    Save Recipe

    Not sure if that baking powder in your cupboard is still effective and if it will work in your recipe? Here's how to tell if your baking powder is still good and that it has not expired.

    When you aren't baking with eggs or wheat flour, recipes can sometimes be tricky. Eggs and wheat give your baked goods a certain texture and lift that you don't always get when you make gluten-free and vegan recipes.

    There are tips and tricks you can follow to get the best possible results, many of them I have learned over the years (the hard way in a few cases!).

    I've perfected most of them and I'm going to share one of the simplest tips with you that can be the deciding factor on whether your recipe is a hit or miss: how to tell if your baking powder has expired.

    how-to-test-if-baking-powder-has-expired

    Baking powder is always called for in small amounts, but it's such an important ingredient because it's one of the components that makes your muffins, pancakes, cakes etc. rise (here's a detailed explanation of how baking powder works in your recipes).

    Making sure your baking powder has not expired doesn't only apply to vegan and gluten-free baking, it applies to all baking.

    When testing my Banana Oat Pancakes recipe, it kept failing.

    I changed ingredients...fail.

    I changed ingredient ratios...fail.

    None of the changes I was making made the recipe work. Then a thought came to mind...is the baking powder still good?

    Despite the expiry date on the container saying it still had another 6 months to go, (baking powder expiry dates aren't always accurate, as in my case...especially if you've had the baking powder around for a while). I did a quick test and that was it. Expired baking powder was the culprit.

    Here's how to tell if your baking powder is still good:

    1. Fill a bowl with hot water and add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to it.

    A measuring spoon holding baking powder over a bowl of water.

    2. If the baking powder bubbles immediately, your baking powder is still good. If there are only a few bubbles, if it takes a while to bubble, or if it does not bubble at all, your baking powder has expired. Get rid of it and buy a new container.

    Baking powder bubbling in a bowl of water.

    Then bake some of these recipes with your new baking powder 🙂

    • Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes
    • Coconut Raisin Banana Bread
    • Old Fashioned Cake Doughnut Mini Muffins
    • Pumpkin Spice Muffins
    • Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
    • ...or any of these!
    Baking GuidesHow ToKitchen Tips

    More How To

    • A pie crust that has been blind-baked in a glass pie dish.
      How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
    • Image shows a small mason jar filled with vegan buttermilk, half of a fresh lemon sits beside the jar.
      10 Minute Vegan Buttermilk (2 Ingredients!)
    • A metal measuring cup filled with flour.
      How to Measure Flour Correctly
    • Two mason jars of aquafaba on a white table, a white bowl of dried chickpeas sits to the left of the jars.
      How to Make Aquafaba

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did You Make This Recipe or Have a Question About It? Cancel reply

      If you’ve made this recipe and loved it, I’d be so grateful if you left a comment and star rating. Your ratings help others discover my recipes so they can enjoy them, too. If you haven’t tried the recipe yet but have a question, feel free to ask, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you so much for your support!

      Sincerely,
      Gwen

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating





    1. Jeanne says

      April 22, 2021 at 5:12 pm

      5 stars
      This is such helpful information. I have had fails before, checked the date, and still was puzzled. I'm going to check my baking powder right now! Thank you Gwen!

      Reply
      • Gwen Leron says

        April 23, 2021 at 10:48 am

        Hi, Jeanne! Having fresh baking powder is very important in baking, so I'm glad you came across this post and found it helpful.

        Reply
    2. Sparkie says

      March 27, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      I never knew that it could be expired before the date. Thank you so much for sharing how to test. Very appreciated

      Reply
      • Gwen Leron says

        March 28, 2021 at 4:27 pm

        You're welcome! Glad to help! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Vinnie says

      July 14, 2020 at 11:11 am

      Thanks for Sharing !

      Reply
      • Gwen Leron says

        July 14, 2020 at 11:16 am

        My pleasure, I hope you found this tip helpful, Vinnie!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Image of person wearing a red shirt with a black apron over it.

    Hi, I'm Gwen! if you’re looking for easy-to-make, delicious vegan desserts & baking recipes you’ll want to make over and over again, you’ve landed in the right place!

    More about me →

    READER FAVOURITES

    • A jar of fresh strawberry sauce sitting on a wood surface, fresh strawberries sit to the left of the jar.
      Easy Strawberry Sauce
    • Lentil Sweet Potato Chili in a white bowl on a dark wooden table.
      Slow Cooker Lentil Sweet Potato Chili
    • Gluten Free Vegan Apple Muffins on a plate on a brown wooden table.
      Mini Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins
    • A stack of four gluten-free sugar cookies on a small white plate, more cookies and a glass of milk sits behind it.
      Vegan Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

    Banana Favourites

    • A stack of five vegan banana chocolate chip cookies, fresh bananas and more cookies sit in the background.
      Vegan Banana Cookies
    • A piece of banana cake with cream cheese frosting sitting on a small white plate with a fork to the side.
      Easy Vegan Banana Cake
    • A piece of baked banana oatmeal on a white plate, a fork, a glass of orange juice, and bananas sit to the left of the plate.
      Vegan Banana Baked Oatmeal
    • Close up shot of a chocolate banana muffin on a white plate.
      Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Muffins

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    QUICK LINKS

    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • WEB STORIES

    NEWSLETTER

    • SIGN UP FOR EMAILS AND UPDATES!

    INFO

    • ACCESSIBILITY
    • CCPA POLICY
    • DISCLOSURE & POLICIES
    • EDITORIAL POLICIES
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2014–2025 Delightful Adventures