This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
These easy gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are light and fluffy yet rich and chocolatey at the same time! They’re perfect for birthday parties or bridal showers. This post was originally published May 01, 2021.
Table of Contents
Doesn’t the look of these vegan chocolate cupcakes make you want to hop in the kitchen and bake a batch? Deep chocolate cupcakes with a silky chocolate frosting! And they are gluten-free!
What I love about these cupcakes is that they provide a deep, rich chocolate flavor while being perfectly light and fluffy in texture. Gluten-free bakes can often be flat, dense or dry. So gluten-free baking needs some additions to help get the structure for the rise, and some help for keeping the moisture in Club soda is my secret to light, fluffy, gluten-free and vegan baked goods. You can use other fizzy drinks, like ginger ale, if you prefer, as long as the flavor plays well with chocolate. That fizz adds some rise and leavening before baking which is essential to get the fluffy texture on gluten-free bakes.
I’m topping these with an incredible, rich chocolate ganache frosting, but you can also top these with coconut whipped cream or your favorite vegan frosting. You need a frosting with these as the tops dry out as they sit. The frosting moistens up the tops so the entire cupcake is then moist! If making larger cupcakes. You can also drizzle a mix of sugar and water or some coffee on them to keep them extra moist.
This recipe also makes great double chocolate muffins. Just add some chocolate chips and/or nuts to the batter and the top before baking, and you’ve got muffins.
Why You’ll Love Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- light and fluffy with rich, chocolatey texture – no one will guess that they’re gluten-free!
- easy to make with simple ingredients
- use the frosting I made or your vegan frosting of choice
- naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and soy-free
More Gluten-Free Sweets
- Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread – yeast-free
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – grain-free
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake
- Christmas Cake
- Lemon Donuts – grain-free
- Pumpkin Bars – grain-free
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup super fine almond flour
- 1/3 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup oat flour, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 1.5 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon non dairy milk , or non dairy yogurt
- 1/2 cup club soda, or similar fizzy drink.
- frosting or chocolate chips , to add to the batter
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the chocolate cupcakes
- In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients until well mixed. Press and mix to break any almond flour and/or starch lumps, so that the mixture is homogenous.
- Add the oil, vanilla extract, milk, and club soda, or any other carbonated drink you're using, and mix in. The batter should be a little thicker than pancake batter. Mix it lightly and let it sit for half a minute and then mix lightly. If the batter is thick, fold in 2-3 tsp more club soda.
- Line your regular or mini muffin pan, and preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Drop the batter into the muffin pan, filling up 3/4 of each of the muffin liners.
- Bake 16-19 minutes for regular-sized cupcakes or 11 to 12 minutes for mini cupcakes. Check with a toothpick at the center, then remove from the oven. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for ten minutes, then remove from the pan. Cover with a kitchen towel to cool completely before frosting. For extra moisture, mix 1 tablespoon sugar in 2 -3 tablespoons warm water . drizzle that some coffee on the cupcakes esp for larger cupcakes
Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache frosting.
- Melt the coconut cream in a skillet over medium heat. Mix in the sugar, then add the chocolate chips and switch off the heat. Whisk until the chocolate melts. Then, refrigerate the mixture. Check after 30 mins if it’s stiff enough for piping, or continue to chill until desired consistency of the frosting. Then spread or pipe as needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- almond flour makes these super moist.
- oat flour gives them a great texture. You can omit if you don’t do oats.
- potato starch provides tenderness, structure, and binding power.
- cocoa powder adds that rich chocolate flavor and the deep dark color. I use the unsweetened stuff.
- sugar for sweetness in the cupcakes and the ganache topping. You can use coconut sugar instead if you prefer.
- a blend of baking powder and baking soda makes these rise perfectly.
- I use only a small amount of oil here as the almond flour already adds a lot of moisture to the chocolate cupcake batter.
- club soda is my secret ingredient. It gives baked goods a little lift. The tiny air bubbles expand in the batter while baking and produce an extra-light texture while keeping the batter from drying out!
- coconut cream is the base for the chocolate ganache topping.
- chocolate chips makes the ganache so rich!
💡 Tips
- You can use any other fizzy drink instead of club soda – just steer clear of anything too strongly flavored.
- Fill the cupcake liner 2/3 to 3/4 full. Avoid adding too much batter to your liners, or the muffins will overflow and cause a mess.
- You can also use an ice cream scoop for scooping the batter into the muffin tins.
- Drizzle some espresso or sugar water mix on the cupcakes before frosting to help moisten them.
- Turn these into Mexican chocolate cupcakes by adding 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder to the batter.
How to make Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients until well mixed. Press and mix to break any almond flour and/or starch lumps, so that the mixture is homogenous.
Add the oil, vanilla extract, milk, and club soda, or any other carbonated drink you’re using, and mix in. The batter should be a little thicker than pancake batter. Mix it lightly and let it sit for half a minute and then mix it again. If the batter is thick, fold in 2-3 tsp more club soda.
Line your regular or mini muffin pan, and preheat the oven to 350° F. Drop the batter into the muffin pan, filling up 3/4 of each of the muffin liners.
Bake 16-19 minutes for regular-sized cupcakes or 11 to 12 minutes for mini cupcakes. Check withs for mini cupcakes. Check with a toothpick at the center, then remove from the oven. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for ten minutes, then remove from the pan. Cover with a kitchen towel to them cool completely before frosting.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Melt the coconut cream in a skillet over medium heat.
Mix in the sugar, then add the chocolate chips and switch off the heat.
Whisk until the chocolate melts. Then, refrigerate the mixture. Check after 30 mins if it’s stiff enough for piping, or continue to chill until desired consistency of the frosting.
Then spread or pipe as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
These vegan chocolate chip cupcakes are naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and soy-free.
You can turn these vegan chocolate cupcakes into muffins by adding some chopped nuts or chocolate chips in the batter as well as on top of the batter before baking. This is a delicate batter, so if you add too much topping, it will tend not to rise as much.
What can I use instead of the fizzy drink?
Add 1/2 tsp citric acid to the dry. Use non dairy milk instead of fizzy drink
Forgot to rate the recipe. It’s a winner.
Thank you!
Any idea if this would work in a 9″ cake pan? How long do you think this would take to bake?
Check at 30 mins
Sounds great! I am making this for my birthday this weekend and will report back 🙂
This looks just perfect! Can’t wait to try. Can I replace the potato starch with any other like corn starch or arrowroot? And will the quantity be the same. Thanks
Yes use tapioca starch. Cornstarch might work but not as well as potato starch
Thanks for the quick response, Richa. Sorry for all these questions. So can I finely grind Sago pearls and use?
Nope it’s not the same thing. Try cornstarch
Excellent recipe!! My daughter and husband (who is quite picky) and I all loved it. Thank you for such a delicious GF treat!!
So awesome! Please do add a rating when you make again!
These look delicious! I’d love to make them but I am not gluten free and do not have the flours/starch listed in the recipe. Can these be made with regular AP flour?
I was looking for something for our first family get together since the pandemic, and these are perfect. I made a double batch, they are cooling off right now. I did sneak a taste test, and they are wonderful. They remind me of chocolate cake I used to make pre vegan days. Your recipes never disappoint Richa.
Yay!
I have not made these yet but for sure i will. My cousin cannot eat eggs or gluten and i am always on the hunt for vegan and gluten free treats. Thanks so much!
Looking at the frosting recipe, i was wondering if your vegan cream cheese frosting could also have added to it some cocoa powder to make it chocolate. Have you tried that before? Any ideas about measurements?
Thanks
I will try this recipe it looks very delicious.thanks.
let me know how it turns out for you
Can carbonated water from a SodaStream be used instead of club soda? Any other alternatives you’d recommend? I don’t drink soda.
Yes just make sure it is well carbonated and fresh