Out of Cream of tartar, one case

Cream of tartar substitute for meringue

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Lemon juice

½ tsp for every 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar

In meringue, use ½ tsp lemon juice or distilled white vinegar for each 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, which is the usual amount for one egg white. Add it once the whites are foamy. You can also leave it out: the meringue still whips in a clean, dry metal or glass bowl, with softer peaks that weep sooner. Baking powder is not a swap here.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Use ½ tsp per egg white, added once the whites are foamy and opaque, before the sugar.
Best for —: meringue pie topping
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full cream of tartar card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Cream of tartar substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1/8 tsp cream of tartar	Verdict
1	Lemon juicemeringue pie topping	½ tspTweak it	Tweak it
2	Distilled white vinegarmeringue cookies	½ tspTweak it	Tweak it
3	Citric acidmeringue cookies	1 small pinchTweak it	Tweak it
4	Tartaric acidany meringue	½ tsp per 1 tspTweak it	Tweak it
5	Leave it outmeringue you will bake straight away	See notesYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Baking powder	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Lemon juice

a faint citrus note at most

Fresh or bottled. The acid does what cream of tartar does: it lets the egg-white proteins form a foam that holds its shape and is harder to overbeat.

Best for: meringue pie topping, pavlova, angel food cake
Prep: Use ½ tsp per egg white, added once the whites are foamy and opaque, before the sugar.
Where it fails: More than ½ tsp per white does not make the foam stiffer and starts to taste of lemon. It can add a slight tint to a pure white meringue.

Distilled white vinegar

undetectable at this amount

The same job as lemon juice with no color and no fruit sugar, so the meringue stays the whitest.

Best for: meringue cookies, pavlova, white royal icing
Prep: Use ½ tsp per egg white, added once the whites are foamy.
Where it fails: Above about 1 tsp per white the smell survives baking. Cider, wine and malt vinegars carry color and a fermented smell.

Citric acid

clean and sour; sharp if you use too much

A dry acid about three times as strong as cream of tartar, so a small pinch, a scant 1/16 tsp, covers one egg white.

Best for: meringue cookies, large batches of meringue
Prep: Dissolve it in 1 tsp water first, then add it to the foamy whites.
Where it fails: Undissolved grains over-acidify spots of the foam and make it grainy. Do not scale it up because a pinch looks small.

Tartaric acid

the same clean sour note

The acid cream of tartar is made from, at about twice the strength. Use half the amount the recipe gives for cream of tartar.

Best for: any meringue, angel food cake
Prep: Use half as much: 1/8 tsp for a recipe that calls for ¼ tsp cream of tartar. Measure with a 1/8 tsp spoon, not by eye.
Where it fails: Used 1:1 it tastes harsh and metallic.

Leave it out

no change

Cream of tartar is insurance, not structure. Egg whites and sugar make a meringue on their own if the bowl is clean and the sugar goes in slowly.

Best for: meringue you will bake straight away, Swiss and Italian meringue, which are cooked and more stable
Prep: Wipe a metal or glass bowl and the beaters with vinegar or lemon juice on a paper towel and dry them. Add the sugar gradually once the whites hold a soft peak.
Where it fails: The foam is easier to overbeat and weeps sooner, so use it immediately. It is a poor choice for a pie topping that has to sit.

Baking powder

a chemical, slightly salty note

Often suggested because it contains an acid, but that acid is paired with baking soda and is spent making gas.

Best for: leavening only, not meringue
Where it fails: It does not acidify the whites, and the gas it gives off puts coarse bubbles through the foam. Baking soda alone is worse: it weakens the foam.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeCream of tartar

In meringue, cream of tartar is a stabilizer. A small amount of acid keeps the egg-white proteins from bonding too tightly, so the foam whips higher, holds its peaks and is harder to overbeat. Any clean acid in the right dose does the same thing.

Tips for substituting cream of tartar

5 tips

Count the egg whites: ½ tsp lemon juice or white vinegar per white. A 4-white meringue takes 2 tsp.
Add the acid when the whites are foamy and opaque, not at the very start. Acid added to clear raw whites slows the foam down.
Use a metal or glass bowl. Plastic holds a film of fat, and any fat or a speck of yolk stops whites whipping, whatever acid you add.
Add the sugar a spoonful at a time once the whites hold a soft peak. Sugar added slowly stabilizes the foam as much as the acid does.
Without any acid, stop beating the moment the peaks stand up. The window before the foam turns grainy is shorter.

Questions

5 questions

Can I make meringue without cream of tartar?

Yes. Use ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar per egg white, or use nothing and rely on a clean, dry metal or glass bowl and sugar added gradually. Without any acid the peaks are a little softer and the meringue weeps sooner, so bake or use it straight away.

How much lemon juice replaces ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar?

1 teaspoon. The conversion is ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for each 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar, so ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar becomes 2 teaspoons.

What is the substitute for cream of tartar in meringue cookies?

Distilled white vinegar, ½ teaspoon per egg white. It keeps the cookies pure white and leaves no taste at that amount. Lemon juice works in the same quantity.

Why is my meringue grainy and leaking liquid?

It was overbeaten, which happens faster without cream of tartar. Whisk in one fresh, unbeaten egg white by hand, slowly, and stop as soon as it holds a peak. That often brings the foam back.

Does an acid make raw meringue safe to eat?

No. Cream of tartar and its substitutes do not make raw egg white safe. For a meringue that will not be cooked through, use pasteurized carton egg whites or meringue powder.