The Best Yeast Substitutes for Baked Goods (2024)

updated Jul 22, 2020

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The Best Yeast Substitutes for Baked Goods (1)

While we all stay home and bake our stresses away, grocery stores are struggling to keep up with the increased demand for baking supplies. As more and more people begin to take up bread baking, active dry yeast has slowly disappeared from grocery store shelves. It seems that everybody stocked up on the active dry stuff, leaving behind fresh yeast, pizza yeast, rapid yeast, or nothing at all on the shelves.

If you happened to grab any other variety of yeast, you’re in luck. Other types of yeasts can easily be substituted for active dry. But if you were unable to get anything, that’s where it gets a little tricky. Luckily there are several ways to bake bread without any yeast at all. Note that none of them will produce the same exact results as yeast, but you can still get the satisfaction of that warm, homemade loaf of bread right out of the oven.

Baking Soda

Baking soda, like yeast, is a leavening agent. It helps breads rise and gives them their light and airy texture. Unlike yeast, baking soda needs an acid to activate it. By adding an acid to baking soda (such as lemon juice or cream of tartar) a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide and fills your bread with air — much like yeast does. You can substitute yeast with equal parts lemon juice and baking soda. So if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of yeast, you can use half a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of baking soda. Keep in mind that the bread will not need the typical proofing time and the dough will begin rising right away.

Read more: The First Thing You Should Do with a Box of Baking Soda

Bread recipes using baking soda:
Ultra-Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Farmers Market Breakfast Bread
Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread

Double-Acting Baking Powder

You can also use double-acting baking powder. Double-acting baking powder is the most common variety sold in grocery stores and helps bread rise twice: during the mixing phase and the baking phase. Baking powder already contains an acid in it, so it’s ready to use as-is without any additional ingredients. To replace yeast in a recipe, replace the yeast with the same amount of double-acting baking powder.

Read more: How To Make Baking Powder Out of Baking Soda

Bread recipes using baking powder:
Carrot Quick Bread
Cheddar & Chive Guinness Bread
Zucchini Bread

Sourdough Starter

One of the best ways to get around using commercial yeast is to make your own sourdough starter. Not only does a starter give bread a nice sour flavor, but it actually leavens the bread as well. If you want to replace yeast in a recipe that calls for commercial yeast, you can replace1 envelope of active dry yeast with 1 cup of starter. But because a starter also contains flour and water, you need toreduce the water called for in the recipe by 1/2 cup and the flour by 3/4 cup. And keep in mind that after making your starter, it will take about five to seven days for it to mature enough to be able to use — so this isn’t the best option for people who want to bake bread ASAP.

A Word of Caution

At the end of the day, there is no true substitute for yeast. While baking powder, soda, and sourdough starter can give you somewhat similar results, the texture will not be the same. This is why we suggest sticking to recipes that are specifically developed to be made with these ingredients instead. Yeast is a living, breathing organism and nothing can completely replace it.

What are your best tips for substituting yeast? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Yeast Substitutes for Baked Goods (2024)

FAQs

The Best Yeast Substitutes for Baked Goods? ›

Active Dry Yeast is an ideal yeast to use for artisan breads or no knead breads that require a slower rise time. It's also the preferred type of yeast for those doughs that proof in the refrigerator for extended periods of time.

What is the best yeast substitute? ›

3 Best Substitutes for Yeast to Help You in a Pinch
  1. Baking powder. Baking powder is a staple ingredient in a baker's pantry. ...
  2. Baking soda and acid. You can also use baking soda combined with acid to replace yeast. ...
  3. Sourdough starter. Sourdough starter contains naturally occurring yeast.
Mar 24, 2020

What is the most preferred type of yeast used in baking? ›

Active Dry Yeast is an ideal yeast to use for artisan breads or no knead breads that require a slower rise time. It's also the preferred type of yeast for those doughs that proof in the refrigerator for extended periods of time.

How do you fix dough without enough yeast? ›

You can also try adding more yeast. Open a new packet of yeast and mix 1 teaspoon (3 g) of it with 1 cup (240 mL) of warm water and 1 tablespoon (13 g) of sugar. Let the yeast mixture proof for 10 minutes. Then, add the mixture to your dough along with some more flour so there's a ratio of 60% flour to 40% liquid.

What happens if you don't use yeast in baking? ›

Some differences could be that your bread will not rise as tall as you're used to, the flavor is a little different, or the texture may not be exactly the same. However, if you're out of yeast or don't have the time to wait for your bread to rise, these substitutes will undoubtedly get the job done.

What is the best over the counter for yeast? ›

She recommends Monistat for people who “have had a diagnosed prior yeast infection and know the symptoms for their body.” There are several OTC yeast infection products available from Monistat that our experts recommend: Monistat 1-day ointment and ovule insert, Monistat 3-day and Monistat 7-day.

What makes bread rise without yeast? ›

By adding an acid to baking soda (such as lemon juice or cream of tartar) a chemical reaction occurs that produces carbon dioxide and fills your bread with air — much like yeast does. You can substitute yeast with equal parts lemon juice and baking soda.

What kind of yeast do commercial bakers use? ›

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast commonly used as baker's yeast.

What is the best brand of yeast for baking? ›

SAF Red is your best choice for all-around baking, from sandwich loaves to crusty no-knead bread to freeze-and-bake dinner rolls.

What yeast do French bakers use? ›

Professionally, fresh yeast is always preferred and is exclusively used in France. Here anyone can buy fresh yeast in a supermarket or even in most bakeries. Some bakeries keep small 42g cubes on hand to sell to clients and others will chip some off of the baker's big block and sell it to you by weight.

What can you use instead of yeast to make dough rise? ›

Baking Soda and Lemon

If you are lacking yeast in your pantry or dry goods storage, try combining baking soda and lemon juice. The chemical reaction between these two ingredients will help your recipe rise.

What happens when you put too much yeast in your dough? ›

This can affect the bread by adding a "yeasty" taste if you put too much into the dough. General amounts of yeast are around 1 - 2 % of the flour, by weight. Too much yeast could cause the dough to go flat by releasing gas before the flour is ready to expand.

What is bread without yeast called? ›

Unleavened bread, or bread without yeast, is a typical Jewish food, the name derives from the Greek azymos (without yeast) which in Jewish becomes mazzah, and it is the symbol of the Passover that recalls the Exodus from Egypt: it was the bread of the fugitives because it was quickly prepared by the fleeing Jews.

Which bread has no yeast? ›

Soda Bread

This sturdy breakfast bread comes together and relies on baking soda as a leavener. You can swap out the walnuts and dried currants with any chopped nuts, seeds and dried fruit you have in your pantry.

How do I substitute fresh yeast? ›

These two types of yeast are interchangeable in recipes, but remember that you need to use twice as much fresh yeast (by weight) than dry. Therefore, if a recipe asks for 7g dried yeast you will need to use 14g of fresh or compressed yeast and vice versa.

Which is better yeast or baking powder? ›

While baking powder produces a rapid, short-lived rise through a chemical reaction, yeast creates a slow, sustained rise due to fermentation. Baking powder will not affect the taste of your dough, but yeast introduces a fermented, tangy note to the mix.

What to use instead of yeast for pizza dough? ›

Baking powder: Without yeast, the pizza dough needs baking powder to rise. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavor and strengthens the gluten. Milk: You'll need ½ cup of fat-free milk. Olive oil: Olive oil locks in moisture and keeps the dough from drying out.

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