All-purpose flour vs Self-rising flour
Self-rising flour is all-purpose with baking powder and salt already mixed in, about 1½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt per cup. To make your own, whisk those into 1 cup of all-purpose. If you use self-rising in a recipe that already calls for leavening and salt, cut those from the recipe or it will over-rise and taste salty. It belongs in biscuits and quick breads built around it.
At a glance
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Type | Key trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | Flours & Starches | Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off — scooping straight from the bag packs it down and can add up to 20% more flour than a recipe intends. |
| Self-rising flour | 120 g | Flours & Starches | Self-rising flour already contains baking powder and salt, so don't add your own leavening. |
How to swap all-purpose flour and self-rising flour
- 1 cup AP = 1 cup self-rising flour, minus 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt from the recipe (King Arthur Baking)Self-rising flour already contains leavening and salt; remove them from the recipe to avoid a bitter, over-leavened result.
- 1 cup self-rising flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt (King Arthur Baking)Whisk together before adding to the recipe. Use within six months — the baking powder loses potency over time.
Full conversions: All-purpose flour converter · Self-rising flour converter. More swaps: All-purpose flour substitutes · Self-rising flour substitutes.
More comparisons
* Conversion figures are typical average weights for one US customary cup (236.6 ml), based on the King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart and cross-referenced with the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central database. Actual weight varies with packing, brand and humidity — see our methodology.