How To Make Your Own Self-Rising Flour

Shannon McCook
·2 min read

Flour is probably the most essential pantry staple to have on hand—for baking, making pasta dough or to use as a thickening agent for gravy and sauces—but do you ever wonder about the difference between self-rising flour and all-purpose flour? We break it down here, along with how to make your self-rising flour at home.

What is self-rising flour?

Self-rising flour is actually all-purpose flour but with added leavening agents (usually baking powder and salt). Found in many Southern recipes, it's typically made from a softer, less coarse all-purpose flour.

What's the difference between self-rising flour and all-purpose flour?

While self-rising flour already has the extra raising agents added in, all-purpose plain flour doesn't, which means you need to add them separately to make your bakes rise.

It's convenient to use if you already have some in your pantry, but if you ever find yourself needing it and you've only got all-purpose, save time and money by mixing a batch of your own. Here's exactly how to make self-rising flour.

Related: The Difference Between All-Purpose and Cake Flour

How to make self-rising flour

If your recipe only calls for 1 cup of self-rising flour:

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder to 1 cup all-purpose flour. If the recipe does not call for salt already, add 1/2 teaspoon salt.

If your recipe calls for more than 1 cup of self-rising flour:

For every 3 cups of all-purpose flour, mix in 2 teaspoons of baking powder. If the recipe does not call for salt already, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Try the substitution on these recipes:
Blueberry Muffins
Easy Peach Cobbler
Strawberry Shortcakes
Annies No-Buttermilk (Buttermilk) Biscuits
Orange Sunshine Biscuits

And remember... If your recipe calls for sifting:
"1 cup flour, sifted" means you sift after measuring out 1 cup of flour.
"1 cup sifted flour" means you must sift the flour prior to measuring.

If you don't have a dedicated flour sifter, a pasta strainer should work just fine!

Next up, 13 All-Purpose Flour Baking Substitutes for the Next Time You Run Out