Substitutions / cream of tartar
What to use instead of cream of tartar
Use lemon juice at 2:1. Use twice as much; adds a faint citrus note but works well as an acid in most applications.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon juice | 2:1 | Use twice as much; adds a faint citrus note but works well as an acid in most applications. |
| White vinegar | 2:1 | Neutral flavor substitute for lemon juice; same 2:1 ratio, fine for stabilizing egg whites or activating baking soda. |
| Baking powder | 1.5 tsp / 1 tsp | Only works when cream of tartar is paired with baking soda as a leavener — replace both with baking powder at 1.5x; won't stabilize meringue. |
How much is a cup of cream of tartar?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh cream of tartar in grams →
A word on how to read these
A substitution is a trade, not an equivalence. The ratio gets the quantity right; the third column is the part worth reading, because it tells you what you are giving up. In a stew, most of these are invisible. In a cake — where flour, liquid, fat and leavening are in a fixed relationship — the same swap can change the crumb.
Why baking notices and stew doesn't →
Where these came from
These substitutions were written by Gather's own kitchen model — the same one the app uses when you tap an ingredient and ask what else would work — then checked and saved as a fixed list in July 2026. Nothing on this page is generated while you read it. They are a good starting point and not a substitute for tasting as you go.