What does cream of tartar do?

Published on January 18, 2015

Cream of what now?

Cream of tartar is one of those mystery ingredients you might have seen in your grandma's pantry without knowing what it's used for. After all, its name doesn't give you a clue—not like baking powder or baking soda. Yet just a touch of it makes a big difference in your baking and cooking. Here's what it is and how to use it in recipes, and even around the house. #multitasker

What is cream of tartar?

First of all, it's not creamy. It's a dry, powdery, acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. Its sciency name is potassium bitartrate, aka potassium hydrogen tartrate or tartaric acid (hence the commercial name). But you can find it in the spice aisle labeled as plain ol' cream of tartar.

What is cream of tartar used for?

Adding a small amount of cream of tartar when you're beating egg whites—usually 1/8 teaspoon per egg white—speeds up the creation of foam and helps stabilize the structure of those miniscule air bubbles you're whipping up. In baking, this means mile-high meringue pies, melt-in-your-mouth meringue cookies, and angel food cakes that practically float off the plate.

Try this recipe: Meringue II, and learn more about making perfect meringues.

Why is cream of tartar in snickerdoodle cookies?

It's what separates a tangy, chewy snickerdoodle from an ordinary cinnamon-coated sugar cookie. The acid in cream of tartar gives snickerdoodles their distinctive tangy flavor, and the chew happens because cream of tartar prevents sugar in the cookie dough from crystalizing into crunchiness. Science!

Try this recipe: Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles

How else is cream of tartar used in recipes?

• When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent (the stuff that makes baked goods puff up in the oven) by producing carbon dioxide gas. If you ever run out of baking powder, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder.
• Add a pinch of cream of tartar to boiling vegetables to help them retain their bright, fresh color.
• A pinch of cream of tartar also helps stabilize whipped cream to prevent it from deflating.
• Make colorful, edible play dough!

Watch: See the many benefits of cream of tartar

What can I substitute for cream of tartar?

Use 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar to create the acidic effect of 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar in a recipe.

See more ingredient substitutions.

What is cream of tartar's shelf-life?

Cream of tartar keeps its freshness indefinitely, as long as you store it in a cool, dry spot. When in doubt, you can test it by looking at it and smelling it. It should look white and powdery, and it should smell mildly acidic.

How else is it used around the house?

Cream of tartar makes an effective non-toxic household cleaner all by itself or combined with other earth-friendly kitchen ingredients such as lemon juice or vinegar. Try these ideas:

• Metal polish: Add water to make a paste to polish stainless steel and aluminum. This also removes scratches on white bowls and plates caused by knives and forks.
• Copper polish: Add lemon juice in a 1:1 mixture. Rub on, rinse off.
• Poreclain sink, tub, toilet scrub: Add distilled white vinegar in a 1:1 solution.
• All-purpose scrub: Add distilled white vinegar in a 4:1 solution (i.e., 1 cup vinegar to 1/4 cup cream of tartar). This also cleans stainless steel sinks like nobody's business.

Which ingredient to substitute for cream of tartar depends on its role in the recipe, whether a leavening agent, stabilizer, or to make food more acidic.

Cream of tartar is a popular ingredient in many recipes.

Also known as potassium bitartrate, cream of tartar is the powdered form of tartaric acid. This organic acid is found naturally in many plants and is also formed during the winemaking process (1, 2).

Cream of tartar helps stabilize whipped egg whites, prevents sugar from crystallizing, and acts as a leavening agent for baked goods (3, 4).

If you’re halfway through a recipe and find that you don’t have any cream of tartar on hand, there are plenty of suitable replacements. Some of these substitutes include:

• lemon juice
• white vinegar
• baking powder
• buttermilk
• yogurt

This article will discuss these cream of tartar substitutes and how to implement them into your own recipes in place of cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar is often used to stabilize egg whites and helps provide the characteristic high peaks in recipes like meringue.

If you’re out of cream of tartar in a case like this, lemon juice works as a great substitute.

Lemon juice provides the same acidity as cream of tartar, helping to form stiff peaks when you’re whipping egg whites (1, 5).

If you’re making syrups or frostings, lemon juice can also replace cream of tartar to help prevent crystallization.

For best results, substitute an equal amount of lemon juice for the cream of tartar in your recipe.

Summary

In recipes in which cream of tartar is used to stabilize egg whites or prevent crystallization, use an equal amount of lemon juice instead.

Like cream of tartar, white vinegar is acidic. It can be swapped for cream of tartar when you find yourself in a pinch in the kitchen (6).

This substitute works best when you’re stabilizing egg whites for recipes like soufflés and meringues.

Simply use an equal amount of white vinegar in place of cream of tartar when you’re whipping egg whites.

Keep in mind that white vinegar may not be a good alternative for baked goods like cakes, as it may alter the taste and texture.

Summary

White vinegar is acidic and can be used to help stabilize egg whites. You can substitute cream of tartar with an equal amount of white vinegar.

If your recipe contains both baking soda and cream of tartar, you can easily substitute with baking powder instead.

This is because baking powder is made up of sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid, also known as baking soda and cream of tartar, respectively (7).

You can use 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder to replace 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar.

This substitution is ideal because it can be used in any recipe without modifying the taste or texture of the final product.

Summary

Baking powder can be used to replace cream of tartar in recipes that also contain baking soda. Substitute 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder for 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar.

Buttermilk is the liquid that is left behind after churning butter from cream.

Because of its acidity, buttermilk can work as a replacement for cream of tartar in some recipes (7, 8).

It works especially well in baked goods, but some liquid needs to be removed from the recipe to account for the buttermilk.

For each 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of cream of tartar in the recipe, remove 1/2 cup (120 ml) of liquid from the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of buttermilk.

Buttermilk also offers a host of health benefits including protection against pathogens and intestinal infections due to its acidity (8).

Summary

Buttermilk can make a suitable replacement for cream of tartar in recipes, especially baked goods. For each 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of cream of tartar, remove 1/2 cup (120 ml) of liquid from the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of buttermilk.

Like buttermilk, yogurt is acidic and can be used to replace cream of tartar in some recipes. It is produced by lactic acid bacteria (2).

Before you use yogurt as a substitute, thin it out with a bit of milk to match the consistency of buttermilk, then use it to replace cream of tartar in the same way.

Reserve this substitution primarily for baked goods, as it requires you to remove liquids from the recipe.

For every 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of cream of tartar, remove 1/2 cup (120 ml) of liquid from the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of yogurt that has been thinned out with milk.

Summary

Yogurt is acidic and can be used as a replacement for cream of tartar in baked goods. First, thin out the yogurt with milk, then remove 1/2 cup (120 ml) of liquid in the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of yogurt for every 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) of cream of tartar.

In some recipes, it may be easier to omit the cream of tartar than find a substitute for it.

For example, if you’re using cream of tartar to stabilize whipped egg whites, you can leave out the cream of tartar if you don’t have any on hand.

Additionally, if you’re making syrup, frosting, or icing and using the cream of tartar to prevent crystallization, you can omit it from the recipe without dire consequences.

Although syrups may crystallize eventually if stored for a long period of time, you can fix this by simply reheating them on the stove or in the microwave.

On the other hand, it may not be a good idea to leave out cream of tartar or a substitute for baked goods that require a leavening agent.

Summary

In some recipes, cream of tartar can be left out if there is no suitable replacement. You can simply omit cream of tartar from the recipe if you’re making whipped egg whites, syrups, frostings, or icings.

Cream of tartar is a common ingredient that’s found in a variety of recipes.

However, if you’re in a pinch, there are plenty of substitutes available.

Alternatively, you may be able to omit the cream of tartar altogether.

By making a few minor modifications to your recipes, it’s easy to stabilize egg whites, add volume to baked goods and prevent crystallization in syrups without cream of tartar.