Is baking powder low calorie?

Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps baked goods rise. It’s commonly used in baking recipes like cakes, muffins, quick breads, and cookies. Many people wonder if baking powder is a low calorie ingredient that can be used in low calorie baking recipes. Here’s a quick look at the calories in baking powder.

What is Baking Powder?

Baking powder is a dry ingredient that is typically made up of a base, an acid, and a buffering material. The base is usually sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). The acid can be cream of tartar, sodium aluminum sulfate, calcium acid phosphate, etc. The buffering material is added to prevent a premature acid-base reaction between the base and acid. When baking powder is mixed with liquid in a batter or dough, the acid and base react together to produce carbon dioxide bubbles. These bubbles cause the baked good to rise. Common brands of baking powder include Rumford, Clabber Girl, Calumet, and Davis.

Calories in Baking Powder

Baking powder itself contains minimal calories and can be considered a low calorie ingredient:

  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder = 5 calories
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder = 14 calories

Since you use baking powder in small quantities when cooking and baking, it contributes minimal calories to recipes. For example, if a cookie recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking powder and makes 24 cookies, that’s only 0.2 calories per cookie coming from the baking powder.

So baking powder is very low in calories. But when thinking about the calories of baked goods leavened with baking powder, it’s important to look at the other ingredients too. Baked goods like cakes, cookies, scones, and biscuits often contain sugar, flour, butter, and other higher calorie ingredients. Those ingredients make a greater contribution to the calorie counts of the baked goods rather than the small amount of calories from the baking powder.

Low Calorie Baking with Baking Powder

Here are some tips for reducing calories in baked goods made with baking powder:

  • Use low calorie sugar substitutes like erythritol or stevia instead of regular granulated sugar
  • Replace some or all of the butter with unsweetened applesauce
  • Substitute lower calorie flours like almond flour, oat flour, or protein powder for some of the regular flour
  • Use fat free yogurt or skim milk instead of higher fat dairy products
  • Reduce the amount of oil in the recipe
  • Add in vegetables like zucchini, carrots, and pumpkin for moisture and fiber

Baking powder on its own is low calorie. But combining it with lower calorie ingredients can further reduce the calories in baked goods. This allows you to enjoy lighter cakes, muffins, scones and more while sticking to a calorie controlled diet.

Checking Labels for Calorie Information

When purchasing baking powder, check the nutrition labels for product-specific calorie information. Calories can vary slightly between brands based on their unique ingredients.

For example:

Brand Serving Calories
Clabber Girl 1 tsp 5
Rumford 1 tsp 4
Bob’s Red Mill 1 tsp 3

As you can see, calories range from 3-5 per teaspoon between brands. But no matter the brand, baking powder itself is low in calories. Reading nutrition labels can help you find the one that best fits your diet if you are closely tracking calories.

Health Concerns with Baking Powder

For most people, baking powder is safe to consume in normal food amounts. Some brands contain aluminum from the aluminum sulfate used in the powder. Consuming large amounts of aluminum from supplements or antacids has raised concerns over Alzheimer’s and bone health. But the small amount of aluminum from using baking powder in recipes is not a health concern for the general population.

Those with kidney disease are sometimes advised to avoid aluminium-containing baking powders since impaired kidney function can lead to aluminum accumulation. Always check with your doctor if you have concerns about consuming baking powder with kidney issues.

Overall, baking powder can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet. Focusing on low calorie baking by reducing sugar, butter, and oils is a great way to lighten up your favorite baked goods.

Conclusion

Baking powder contains minimal calories – only about 5 calories per teaspoon. While it contributes to the overall calorie content of baked recipes, the small amount used means it provides relatively few calories compared to other baking ingredients like flour, sugar, and fat. To reduce the calories of baked goods made with baking powder, use low calorie sugar substitutes, swap fats for unsweetened applesauce, experiment with lower calorie flours, and reduce oils. Check labels for product-specific nutrition information and any health concerns. But for most people, baking powder can be used freely even in low calorie baking recipes.

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