Rich and decadent, gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes have the best chocolatey flavor and moist texture. They’re easy to make and are the perfect dessert for birthdays and other celebrations!
Quick Look at the Recipe
- 🍽️ Flavor: Sweet, rich chocolate
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 25 minutes
- 🕒 Ready In: 45 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 12 cupcakes
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Oat flour, cocoa powder, apple sauce, coconut sugar, dairy-free milk
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, refined sugar-free
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly: Yes, without the frosting.
- 👩🍳 Tip: Apple sauce replaces eggs in this recipe, giving the cupcakes added moisture and binding the ingredients together. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste it!
I Didn’t Think This Was Possible
For years, I said I didn’t like cupcakes, but that wasn’t entirely true. What I really didn’t like were cupcakes that were dry, overly sweet, or tasted artificial (which, honestly, is most of them).
So I stuck to baking muffins apple oat muffins or banana blackberry muffins, and never bothered with cupcakes. But when my daughter’s birthday came around, I wanted something that felt a little more classic. Inspired by this vegan chocolate cake, I created my own cupcakes, and they exceeded my expectations.
Now, they’ve become our go-to birthday treat even my gluten and dairy-free husband can enjoy! They’re exactly what a cupcake should be: rich in flavor, perfectly balanced in sweetness, and irresistibly moist.
What Makes these Gluten-Free Cupcakes Special?
- Simple, allergy-friendly recipe -without any unusual ingredients or complicated techniques.
- Rich chocolate flavor with the perfect balance of sweetness! Pair with my 3 ingredient frosting for even more chocolatey goodness!
- Healthier cupcake made with oat flour and no refined sugar.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Frosting
For more details on making this frosting, see Vegan Chocolate Frosting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Frosting
The frosting should chill overnight in the fridge, so make it a day in advance.
Step 1: First, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the chocolate chips, coconut cream, and vanilla. Make sure to stir the mixture constantly to avoid burning.
Step 2: Once it’s melted, let it cool, cover, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight to set.
Step 3: Once the chocolate mixture has fully set, it’s time to whip it! You can use either a stand mixer or a handheld mixer with a whisk attachment.
Beat it on medium speed until it’s fluffy and has a good consistency for piping.
Step 4: It’s easy to over whip this frosting! Make sure to stop whipping it as soon as it begins to develop a firm, whipped texture.
When it’s done, place in the fridge until you’re ready to frost the cupcakes.
Cupcakes
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin or line in with cupcake liners.
In a small bowl, stir together the milk and apple cider vinegar to make dairy-free buttermilk and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, and baking soda.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, coconut sugar, “buttermilk”, and vanilla.
Step 4: Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the oat flour to soak up some of the liquid.
Step 5: Give the batter another quick stir and pour it into the muffin tin. Bake for 25-28 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes feel firm to the touch.
Step 6: Let the cupcakes cool for 15 minutes in the pan before placing them on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Step 7: Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, scoop the frosting into a piping bag with the tip of your choice and frost.
Step 8: Enjoy your delicious chocolate cupcakes!
If you’re looking for more gluten-free desserts, check out my lime curd bars and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
Tips for Success
Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature – Cold ingredients won’t blend together as well and can lead to a gummier texture.
Don’t skip letting the batter sit – This is super important when baking with oat flour! While it’s sitting, the oat flour will absorb some of the liquid which helps to create the cupcakes’ moist texture.
Grease your pan well – Or use cupcake liners. Either option will help your cupcakes pop out of the pan perfectly.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan – Don’t remove them from the pan until they’ve cooled for 10-15 minutes. The cupcakes will continue to cook slightly preventing gooey centers, and they will pop out of the pan better as well.
Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting – If there’s even a little bit of warmth to them, this can cause the frosting to soften or melt.
Violet’s Tips for Serving
Make sure to remove these cupcakes from the fridge half an hour before serving! While they keep best in the fridge, they taste better at room temperature.
FAQs
The vinegar in the “buttermilk” reacts with the baking soda to help the cupcakes rise. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste it.
No, this recipe is specifically for oat flour. Other flours such as almond, coconut, or regular flour will produce a different result.
The applesauce is the egg substitute in these cupcakes. If you prefer you can substitute mashed bananas, but that will add a slight banana flavor.
You can store chocolate cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Yes, you can freeze the cupcakes and frosting separately in airtight containers for 2-3 months. Before serving, let them both thaw in the fridge overnight and then frost the cupcakes.
Yes, to make cupcakes in advance, bake the cupcakes the day before serving and store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. You can either frost them as soon as they are fully cooled or wait until the day you want to serve them.
If you try this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @violet_rightathome
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cupcakes
- 2 1/4 cups oat flour certified gluten-free
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple sauce
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Frosting
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the chocolate chips, coconut cream, and vanilla. Stir constantly to avoid burning.1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, 3/4 cup coconut cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight to set.
- Once the chocolate mixture has fully set, use an electric beater or stand mixer to whip it on medium speed until it’s fluffy and has a good consistency for piping.
- Place in the fridge until you're ready to frost the cupcakes
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.
- In a small bowl, stir the milk and apple cider vinegar together to make dairy-free buttermilk and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.1 cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, and baking soda.2 1/4 cups oat flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch, 1 tablespoon baking soda
- In a large bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, coconut sugar, "buttermilk", and vanilla.1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple sauce, 2/3 cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk together until combined.
- Let the batter rest for 30 minutes to allow the oat flour to soak up some of the liquid.
- Give the batter another quick stir and pour it into the muffin tin. Bake for 25-28 minutes until the tops of the cupcakes feel firm to the touch.
- Let the cupcakes cool for 15 minutes in the pan before placing them on a cooling rack to completely finish cooling.
- Scoop the frosting into a piping bag with the tip of your choice and frost the cupcakes.
Notes
Substitutions
- Substitute any non-dairy milk for almond milk
- Substitute arrowroot powder or cornstarch for the tapioca starch
- Substitute white sugar or sucanat for the coconut sugar
Nutrition
If you tried these chocolate cupcakes, I’d love to hear how they turned out for you! Please make sure to come back and leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.
Everyone loved these cupcakes at my daughter’s 2nd birthday celebration, and I know you’ll love this recipe too!