Can we just take a moment and revel in the deliciousness that is this chocolate cupcake?
*reflective silence*
OK, let’s proceed.
These cupcakes are my golden unicorn.
I have been trying to make a vegan gluten free cupcake for quite some time now but couldn’t quite get it right. Finally, I prevailed.
Maybe the vegan gluten-free baking heavens parted and granted me favor.
Maybe it was the dancing I did while they were in the oven.
Or maybe I finally crafted the perfect mix of carefully measured ingredients.
(Likely the latter.)
Either way, I finally cracked the code and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this recipe with you guys!
The recipe may include more than my usual 10 ingredients by just a handful, but it only requires one bowl!
And in case you haven’t noticed, no fancy equipment is required as I do all my baking with basic equipment, including a hand held mixer! We keep things old school around here. Plus, have you seen the counter space I’m working with? Where would I put a stand mixer?! Oy.
I think the magic is in the beet puree and blend of gluten-free flours.
Beet puree not only adds an amazing magenta color to the batter (that disappears while baking), but extra moist texture and a ton of amazing nutrition benefits like vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, fiber and folate, just to name a few.
As for the gluten free flours, I’ve found that gluten-free baking requires a mix of dry ingredients. In this recipe, that included a blend of cocoa powder, almond meal, gluten-free oat flour, and a gluten-free flour blend. I tested the recipe with two blends, so see the notes for details! In my experience, the blend makes all the difference.
I was so pleased when I pulled these out of the oven and saw how fluffy and perfect they were, just like regular cupcakes. The only thing left to do was frost them with a thick, fudgy, chocolate ganache frosting! Whoa mama.
This frosting (made in the same bowl!) requires just 4 ingredients and 30 minutes, and it’s insanely delicious. Super thick, fudgy, and fluffy atop these insanely moist, delicious cupcakes. I plan on frosting everything with this ganache from here on out.
Let’s talk cupcakes. These gems are:
Fluffy
Moist
Cakey
Super chocolaty
Perfectly sweet
Undetectably vegan and gluten-free
& Simply AMAZING
After sampling these myself I couldn’t believe my taste buds! I’d struck gold. So I tested them on some friends who all agreed they were incredible.
I had a hard time naming them so I’ve decided to call them what they are: The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes! But seriously, more like the best cupcake I’ve ever had. Yep, I said it.
If you try this recipe, you must let us know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, share it on social media, or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We LOVE seeing what you guys bake up. Cheers and happy cupcake eating!
The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1/2 scant cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
- 3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax eggs)
- 5 Tbsp water (to make flax eggs)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup cane or granulated sugar
- 1/3 scant cup maple syrup or agave nectar (sub honey if not vegan)
- 1 cup beet puree (or sub butternut squash, applesauce, or another hearty fruit puree with varied results)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if clumpy, sift)
- 1/2 cup almond meal (finely ground)
- 1/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend*
FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
- 1 1/4 cup dairy free dark or semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (softened and cut into Tablespoon-sized slices)
- 1 1/4 – 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- FOR BEETS: To roast beets, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C), drizzle 2 large beets (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) with oil of choice, and wrap in foil. Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour or until a knife slides through easily. Peel away skins by rubbing foil around and it should shed off easily. Add beets to a food processor or blender and add 1/4 cup liquid of choice (I like a mix of water and orange juice // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Blend until creamy, smooth and pourable, scraping down sides as needed. Otherwise, sub another fruit puree, such as applesauce, with varied results.
- FOR CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line 11 muffins (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) with paper liners, or lightly grease. Also measure out almond milk and add vinegar. Stir and let curdle while moving onto the next step.
- Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl by mixing flaxseed meal and water and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Add baking soda to the almond milk vinegar mixture and stir. It should fizz.
- Add the sugar, maple syrup, and almond milk mixture to the flax egg and beat to combine. Then add beet puree, melted coconut oil, salt, and vanilla (optional) and mix.
- Add cocoa powder, almond meal, oat flour, and gluten-free flour blend and beat to combine. If the batter appears too thick, add a touch more almond milk, but it should be perfect. If too thin, add a little more gluten-free flour blend + cocoa powder. It should resemble a thin batter that’s pourable.
- Divide batter evenly between muffin tins, filling 3/4 full.
- Bake for 29-34 minutes or until puffy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let rest in the tin for 10-15 minutes. Then remove and let cool COMPLETELY on a cooling rack. Don’t try to sample early because they need to fully cool or they tend to stick to the wrappers.
- FOR FROSTING: Add almond milk to your rinsed out mixing bowl from earlier and microwave for 1 minute. (Alternatively, heat in a saucepan until just simmering and then transfer back to mixing bowl.)
- Immediately add chocolate to warm milk but don’t touch for 2 minutes so it can melt.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate, then add softened butter and cover. Let rest untouched for another 10 minutes to meddle.
- Use your mixer to beat the mixture together. Then add 1 cup powdered sugar (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), mix again, and place in fridge to set for 20-30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you tip it and it’s slow to move.
- Remove from fridge and beat again. If it’s still too thin, add another 1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and beat until light and fluffy. I found that chilling for a total of 20 minutes and adding 1 3/4 cups total powdered sugar was perfect (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
- Frost cupcakes generously. You’ll likely have leftover frosting (unless you’re like me). Sprinkles, mint leaves, or fresh raspberries would make the perfect garnish.
- Will keep well-covered at room temperature for several days, though best when fresh.
Notes
*Adapted from / inspired by my Vegan Double Chocolate Beet Muffins.
*Frosting inspiration from Eats Well with Others
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with a generous amount of frosting per cupcake.
Nutrition (1 of 11 servings)
jessicarabica says
I made these tonight, and they are so good! I used eggs instead of flax eggs, (because I could!), and I didn’t roast the beets first (because I didn’t read the directions very carefully!). These cupcakes were spectacular and a huge hit with my gluten-eating family. The chocolate ganache frosting is unreal. This recipe is a total keeper. Thanks!
Laura says
I made these for a gathering. My sister is gluten free and my friend’s kid can’t have dairy or eggs. They were amazing! Even my niece, who hates beets, helped me make these and was exclaiming how she couldn’t taste the beets at all. She usually prefers vanilla cupcakes, but ate two of these!
Jan says
Hi,
could coconut butter take the place of coconut oil or earth balance?
I haven’t tried that yet! But if you do, let me know!
Lisa says
I made these and despite being an experienced baker and following the recipe exact, except I used whole wheat and coconut flour, my batter was extremely thick. I continued to add more almond milk but the batter seemed to absorb it as quickly as I put it in.
Erin says
Hi Lisa,
Coconut flour is super, super absorbent. Maybe next time only use wheat flour, or the flours recommended in the original recipe.
:)
Savana says
Just made these and they were perfect. I didn’t make them gluten free nor vegan (sorry!). Used two eggs to sub the flax and regular flour. I also used pre-cooked beets that come in a package. Also, I haven’t made the icing yet simply because I dont have any vegan butter and not sure what to use instead. Could I use coconut oil in the icing instead of the vegan butter? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Vanessa says
What could i substitute for beetroot puree
You can try applesauce!
Kim says
Now that I’ve submitted a comment, I can get all 5 starts to show up. Is there any way to edit my first comment to fix the stars?
Kim says
I made this a couple of times last year, and am back to make them again! They are my favorite GF/Vegan chocolate cupcakes & frosting. The friends I serve these to have no idea they’re GF/Vegan and really don’t care, they only care about raving how delicious they are. My ingredient options selections are: maple syrup, beet puree (from store-bought roasted beets), powdered egg replacer (instead of flax eggs), vegan butter and cacao powder (instead of cocoa). The cupcakes freeze well. I have some frosting frozen from last time; I haven’t defrosted it yet to try it out. Thank you so much for the recipes!
Alicia says
Holy Frosting Batman!! If you are not a frosting lover, or even an average run of the mill frosting person; cut the frosting recipe in half. The cupcakes themselves are amazing. I didn’t have time to go through the effort of making beet puree, so I used organic pumpkin instead. Followed everything else to a T. Served them at my daughters 6th Birthday party, and no one would’ve guessed they were Gluten free/ Vegan. (And the frosting comment is coming from a kid’s birthday party; with the freedom to use as much frosting as one wanted. But I have left over frosting, but no left over cupcakes)
Zia says
Would coconut oil work in the frosting in lieu of the vegan butter?
It does yes!
Zia says
Thank you! And thanks for the quick reply, Dana!
Linda says
Can I use monk fruit powder instead of all sugars in the cupcake recipe? I have cancer but would love something other than greens.
Hi Linda! We haven’t tried using monk fruit powder and can’t say for sure, but if you experiment with it, we’d love to hear how it turns out!
Allie says
Do you think this can be made in a 9×13 pan (as a sheet cake)?
Kristen says
Hi! These are absolutely AMAZING! So moist and delicious. They won’t last long. I was wondering if you might be able to provide some insight into what I might be doing wrong though if they are still sticking quite a bit to the wrappers?… I waited until they were COMPLETELY cool, which was very difficult trust me!! Any tips would be helpful (do you have better success with certain liners, does elevation make a difference, etc?) LOVE your recipes!! Thank you :)
Perhaps it’s the type of liner you’re using? Feel free to spray them down with a non-stick spray or oil next time!
Kristen says
Thanks! I found a link in your chocolate peppermint cupcake recipe that has the kind of liners you use, so I’ll try those out, as well as spraying them down with non-stick spray! Thanks for responding, I really appreciate it! :)
Maureen Cioni says
I made these for a birthday party for one of the guests. She LOVED them. I did use a different frosting because she asked for vanilla, but otherwise – perfect. Making them again this week for my aunt who has many allergies. May need to substitute the almond milk but everything else should be fine. Thank you!
Crysta says
Oh my goodness these were soooo good!! Just made them for my kids birthday party and they were a hit- everyone raved about them!! Thank you!! ??????
Wren says
These are truly fantastic cupcakes! Mind blowing that they are both gluten free and vegan. So happy to have discovered the recipe for my daughter who is on a gluten, egg and dairy free diet right now. They were easy and absolutely delicious, and really elevated her spirit.
I put just over 3/4 cups of beet puree and topped the rest up with strong decaf coffee.
I used rice milk instead of almond, and while there was no big curdling action, it still resulted in a very moist, dense but light cake. We didn’t detect any negative flavours from the beets. I love that there was no weird baking powder taste so common in regular cupcakes.
I used pecan meal instead of almonds.
My daughter misread the recipe and used only 1 tbl of the maple syrup instead of 1/4 cup + 1 tbl and they didn’t suffer for it. A very forgiving recipe.
Samantha says
Hi Dana! I was just wondering if there was any way I could make these without the almond meal (and what an adequate replacement replacement for almond meal in baking in general might be). Perhaps just more of one of the other flour-type things? My roommate is allergic to nuts, so trying to make things vegan and also nut-free often presents a challenge since so many vegan recipes contain almond meal. Thank you!
Samantha says
My bad, I sinfully did not check the FAQ first! I’ll try ground seed meal ;)
Hi Samantha, how about substituting a seed meal, like finely ground sunflower seeds? Check out our Recipe FAQ for more information on substitutions!
Crystal says
This recipe is so good. I didn’t have applesauce or beetroot so I substituted 1 mashed banana and half an avocado. Finished product was rich, fudgy, moist and decadent. No need for icing, actually Cheers.
This will be my host special from now on.
Silvia says
Hi, can I sub more oat flour or almond flour (or a mix) for the gluten-free flour blend?
Marianela says
Every chocolate lover’s dream: delicious and healthy =) Thanks for sharing!!!
Gina says
For white cupcakes, could I just omit the cocoa or do I need to replace it with something? Thank you.
Maureen Cioni says
Hi, the taste was good but they were not as moist, which is weird because the toothpick test failed and i took them out anyway. The definitely did not fluff up that much at all. I’d like to use these for a birthday party but I can’t figure out what I did wrong. I subbed wild raw honey for the maple syrup, but everything else was the same.
Isabella says
I’ve just made it and WOW this is heaven in a bite! I was thinking “I’m not gonna like it, cause I hate beet’s flavour”, but it really surprised me in a very good way. There isn’t any beet flavour, it tastes amazing and the texture is perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m so gonna do it to my relatives. Your recipe will be famous here in Brazil!
Tishari says
My family loved these!! Super simple to make and so moist and delicious!! I used applesauce as I didn’t have beets. I also only used Oat Flour because I didn’t have almonds to grind down nor GF flour. They came out better than I expected. I’ve used other recipes to make vegan vanilla cupcakes and used oat flour; while they came out good, they were kinda heavy. For some reason these weren’t. I can’t get over the moistness :) Going to make some tonight and bring them to work!!
Sha says
I made this recipe last night using apple sauce instead of the beet puree (1:1) and it worked perfectly. They are incredibly moist and delicious. The only thing is that next time i will likely add an extra couple tablespoons of sugar.
Mike says
I’ll just say it right here: yes, you should make these. You may be worried that the finished cakes will retain that earthy beet flavor, or that the frosting won’t have the right consistency, or that these are going to be some disappointing health-food rendition of the real deal. Wrong, wrong, wrong. These are an indulgent, rich, heaven-sent treat, and if you make them your only regret will be not making a double-batch once they’ve all disappeared after a few hours.
SO kind! Thanks Mike!
Beth says
HI! I’m not gluten free just love your recipes!! :) What is the almond meal for? Can I sub all purpose flour for all 3 of these-almond meal, gluten free oat flour, and gluten free flour blend? So 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour? Or perhaps do 1 1/2 cups of the Bob’s Red Mill baking blend (I can find that at my grocery store)? Thanks for your help!
You can try that!
Meredith says
Can you sub the potato starch for something? I really wanna give this golden unicorn a try!?
Hmm, maybe a mix of the other flours?
Theresa says
Hi Dana!
I made a batch last weekend and, as you are aware, they were amazing! I want to make them for my sister-in-law’s wedding and am wondering if I could get away with making a quadruple batch or if i t would be safer to do two double batches. I know things can get tricky when multiplying recipes.
Many thanks, Dana!
Alysha Ahrens says
Hey there! I’m allergic to gluten and I tend to have a really bad reaction to oats even if it’s gluten free. I was wondering if you know if a good substitute for your recipes that call for oat flour?
check out our Recipe FAQ!
Juliana says
Theses cupcakes are amazing! So delicious! Love them! Thanks for the recipe!
Kelly says
Would these be okay to make 2 nights before eating them for a bday party? How should I store them?
Mary says
Does the recipe work with buckwheat flour?
Hannah says
Hey, I really want to try this recipe for my birthday next week and wanted to ask if all-purpose flour would work too?
Dottie says
Hey there!! I am new to gf, so I was THRILLED when I found your chocolate cupcake recipe–Yay I love sweets! I made them and they were D-LISH, my son (the person who will only eat 5 things, three of which are pizza….and is suspicious of ANYTHING I make in the kitchen–I am known to hide veggies in just about anything I make. lol) ate one, gave me a thumbs up and then asked for another in his lunch for school!! WHAT?! That NEVER happens! So I am experimenting with them today. (why experiment with an good thing you may ask) Because they were so amazing and moist through the whole cupcake that they reminded me of somewhere between a Hostess cupcake and a hoho….So I am making them again today, but adding a marshmellow-y center (I am going to try adding before baking and then after to see which works out the best)!
Thanks for all these amazing recipes!!! Your pizza one is next on my list…..after the cupcakes though. ;)
Brooke says
Hey Dana,
Just writing to say I made these 2 days ago from my best friend who is a coeliac Vegan!…
she’s loved them! gluten-free products I find are usually dry and crumbly as a majority but these little cakes were so fudgy, chocolatey and moorish I couldn’t believe it!
she ate 4 of them during the night! :) we found that the beet puree was very prominent but lucky we like beets :) next time I may try apple puree. Also replaced the oat flour with buckwheat flour as she is coeliac and can not have oats and they worked a charm. We are going to try them with peanut butter frosting next time as per her request.
Thankyou thankyou! X
Nicole says
I’m new to the gluten free thing but I was told not to eat oats because they have a similar makup to the gluten in barley, wheat and rye. So I’m just posting this for people making gluten free snacks for friends so they know this isn’t really gluten free for a very intolerant stomach.
Brooke says
Nicole,
Dana did state in the recipe that she uses GF oat flour.
they process the oats to remove the gluten to my understanding. :)
Jo Groves says
OMG! I am not a full 100% vegan, maybe vegan-lite, but I have friends with kids that have very strict dietary needs and I’m always scouring the internet with treats/snacks/foods that are yummy for everyone regardless of whether they have allergies or intolerances. I HAD to test these out for an upcoming birthday and WOW. So yummy. As someone who doesn’t really cook the vegan way the prep was a little different but that was ok. These were delicious and kid approved. Super moist melt in your mouth goodness. Kiddo wanted pink frosting so we used a generic buttercream recipe (vegan of course) and used some of the left over beet puree to color it. No red dye 40 here! They turned out super cute. Thanks for sharing! It’s a keeper!
Desi says
Oh dear! I must say, these cupcakes truly live up to their name! They are by far THE BEST vegan GF cupcakes I have ever eaten! AMAZING!!! I have many food allergies and have long been yearning for a cupcake that actually tastes good, and these by far exceeded my expectations. I nearly cried when I bit into one. Even my husband, who has no food allergies, could not stop eating them. I actually had to hide them from him, so I would have some for myself. :-) Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU!
Elizabeth says
These look really good! But my Mom is allergic to beets and flax… Any advice on possible substitutes?
Kristen says
Hi! First time visitor and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for the delicious recipe! My sister is gluten intolerant and is in town visiting, and when I had a chocolate cupcake craving I did some research and decided to give this one a try. We’ve tried tons of cupcake recipes over the years and I’ve never wanted to go back for more until these! Usually the flax seed smell is too strong or the cake is too hard and brittle. These were exactly as described – moist and delicious! The beet purée is genius! Thanks for the great recipe (I followed it exactly)!!
Denise says
Made them. WICKED AWESOME!!!
Used applesauce, will try beets when I have more time. Loved every bite! Best cupcakes ever!
Did I mention how wonderful they were? :D
* * * * * !
Amanda says
Hi Dana! I really like to use this recipe for a 9×13 cake for my daughters birthday! Would you suggest doubling the recipe?
Maybe multiplying by 1.5. Good luck!
Tamara says
Amanda, how did your 9×13 turn out? I need to make this as a cake and not cupcakes!
Jade says
Would you expect the same results using regular ol’ unbleached all purpose flour?
I haven’t tried that, but it should work!
Jade says
Used regular flour and they turned out amazing. Huge hit! Everyone loved them! That frosting is darn delicious ?
Danielle says
These are incredible! I doubled the recipe for my son’s birthday yesterday – 72 mini cupcakes + 12 normal sized cupcakes (because I didn’t have any more mini pans!) We are not vegan, so I used regular eggs, honey, powdered xylitol because we’re sugar-free, & real Kerrygold butter – Sooo good. After I made the batter & tasted it, I was pretty nervous because it didn’t taste good. They didn’t even taste good when I tested one right out of the oven, but when they were cool & iced — delicious! Next time I’ll try them with applesauce to save time prepping the beet puree… Although it was pretty cool saying the cupcakes had beets in them! I have leftover icing & I’m enjoying dipping in it for a sweet treat :)
Thanks for the great recipe! I’ll be trying more of your creations!
Giulia says
I tried this and it did not rise or cook. is there something I did wrong
Al says
These are great! Super fluffy and moist!!!
I used the gf flour mix, but instead of white rice flour, I used garbanzo been flour and instead of potato starch flour, I used arrow root starch flour.
I used Apple sauce, honey, coconut oil and coconut sugar.
Instead of cupcakes, I used an 8×8 cake tin.
Instead of this icing, I wanted to avoid processed sugar so I opted for a date icing instead and it turned out unbelievable… My kids could not stop asking for more and they said they wanted this cake for their birthday cake.
amanda says
is this considered raw?
Anissa says
No amanda, raw means NOT COOKED, if these are BAKED, then they are COOKED :) I think it’s really nice that you want to make something for your brother, even if his birthday passed, for future reference, try googling “raw vegan desserts”
amanda says
might be a silly question but… is this considered raw diet material? my brother is a vegan. and does a raw diet. it’s his brother next week, and the rest of my family doesn’t bother to participate in his food choices. i do though. i want to make him these cupcakes for his birthday, however i am not sure if baked goods, such as above, is considered raw still.
AF says
I know its too late but no this isnt raw. If it is cooked it is not considered raw. Sorry!
Meera says
I made these last night for valentines day! I finished 9:30pm and I could not wait to taste it, I tried it as soon as I woke up. These are so good a wholesome. Thank you so much for a vegan cupcake recipe I can make!
Shayla says
These are yummy :) the best gluten free vegan recipe I have tried. Thank You.
Brittany says
Goid evening, I would like to makes these for my son’s bday party. Would it be OK to sub the oat flour for rolled oats? Thank you.
Danielle says
I’m sure it’s too late, but for my son’s birthday party I put rolled oats in a food processor & ground them into flour :)
Sarah Jane says
Just wanted to say thanks to this amazing recipe! did this twice already, it was my 1st time to make cupcakes too and they turned out to be so yummy!!! tastes so chocolatey and not overly sweet. Thinking about how the beetroots is nourishing makes me happy too! By the way, I used canned beets and they were perfect! I’ll need to improve on my frosting though =)
Amy says
I used all purpose flour instead of the other flours. They came out more dense rather than fluffy like a traditional cupcake. Could that be because of the all purpose flour?
I would guess so. I haven’t tried these with all purpose. Sorry about that!
Jessica says
Is there any way I could use non gluten free flours?
Saroja says
Dana, am a big fan of your blog, recipes and everything :)
Am not a big fan of flour and always finding options to substitutes. Is there anything that can be substituted for flour/GF blend?
Nadia says
I made them yesterday for my work farewell and they are just genius!!! I had to add more almond milk as the batter was quite dry (my gluten free four blend), but that is not an issue at all!!
Amazing recipe!!!
Rae says
These are the best cupcakes I have ever eaten, EVER. I used soy milk and substituted garbanzo flour for almond. Also I don’t eat powdered sugar, so I used a two ingredient frosting made with coconut cream and dark chocolate chips instead of this frosting. Superb. I added a few dark chocolate chips to the cupcake recipe also. So good.
Thank you for sharing
Kate says
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Do you think I could substitute the all purpose flour with Bobs Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour instead?
Andrea says
Made these tonight for my birthday – they turned out well! Didn’t have beets so used apple sauce instead. The apple sauce added some extra sweetness, so I think in the future I would use a little less syrup if using apple sauce again. I do want to try these with beet puree though!
Rihanna says
Hi Dana,
First time I have used your recipes, and just wanted to say how amazing this turned out!
I have a severe dairy allergy/gluten intolerance, and this also works perfectly for orthodox fasting requirements!
I did alter the ingredients to use coconut milk instead of almond, and coconut flour instead of oat flour, and as aptly named by yourself they turned out to be the best cupcakes ever.
Thank you so much!
Devon says
I made these today and wow! So good! I actually made your cream cheese frosting instead of the ganache because I wanted to add a bit of the beet purée to make it pink and they turned out perfect. You can’t taste the beets at all and they’re so cute. Thanks!
Ghanan says
These are horrible. Don’t attempt, or else you’ll regret it, but the icing is good.
Beth says
Could you be more specific? Lol
Ghanan says
These are horrible. Don’t attempt
Claire says
Thanks, Dana. Really love your site and how willing you are to help those of us with super-allergic kiddos.
Claire says
I need to make this recipe both NUT free and tree nut free. As in, NO COCONUT. Can someone please post the EXACT proportions of how to SUBSTITUTE gluten-free oat flour and oats for the almond meal?
Thanks!
Hmm, if I were you I’d sub the entire amount of almond meal and oat flour with gf flour blend!
Samantha says
Hi! Is there anyway to make this recipe just gluten free? Maybe by using eggs? Regular milk? Can you help?!!
Sam says
Hi I’ve made a few recipes by you so far and loved them! I have a cousin who is gluten free and these will be used for Christmas his year owever would I be able to use 2 regular eggs in replace of flax eggs and whole milk instead of almond?
SB says
Any thoughts on using aquafaba instead of flaxseed eggs?
Tom Smith says
These look great! I’m gathering ingredients to make these for Christmas.
I was wondering what I should look for in the way of unsweetened coco powder ? In my area there only seems to be Fry’s coco or possibly Hershey’s.
Also I have flax seeds, can these be used in some way for the flax eggs or should I track down some flax meal ?
Thank you :)
Jan says
Amazing cakes really pleased with us will never use any other , can change to make different flavours
One thing far to much topping left over , did anyone else have the same ? would prob just half next time
Kimberly Ann says
Fantastic recipe. I’ve had people try these and not even know they were gluten free or vegan, which is pretty impressive. I use unsweetened applesauce instead of the beet puree – it’s easier in a pinch. :) Thanks for the great recipe – it’s the best I have found! I bake for a living, but I am new to the gluten free world – a lot of things that need to be re-learned.
Chris says
OMG, these are INSANELY good! I couldn’t wait to make them and didn’t have any beets so used pumpkin puree instead … ground up oats and almonds to make my own almond meal/oat flour … it worked brilliantly!! These are my family’s new must-have cupcakes for any celebrations, thank you!!
Rebecca says
Hi Dana, I have two questions:
Is there a reason you use almond milk instead of coconut milk? I’d assume coconut milk is richer and this would lead to a richer cupcake?
Can you use avocado to substitute the beets? I saw someone use it in another vegan cupcake recipe and have amazing results. Have you tried using avocado to substitute for eggs?
I would actually not sub avocado – maybe applesauce? Beet is still best. Also, light coconut milk should be fine!
Karlene says
I made these for a trivia night event but since I didn’t have beets, I swapped for avocado and they look amazing! I also added cream cheese to the frosting cause I couldn’t get it to thicken enough with just sugar. I suspect it’s because I used regular butter. I also swapped the flax egg for chia egg. I hope they taste as good as they look!! Mine obviously are not vegan but that’s ok ? Thanks for the recipe!!
Tania says
you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour and cocoa powder for chocolate cake mix ? Thank you =)
Mishara says
Thank you Dana, for these amazing, oh so delicious cupcakes.
I have been gluten free, dairy free and egg free for several years now and have tried countless recipes. So many of them have been really disappointing. These are hands down the best I have ever made. They are rich, moist and decadent. I took them to a family gathering where I received rave reviews from all.
Thanks Mishara! I agree, they’re the best!
Laura says
Thanks Dana:)
Laura says
Hi Dana!
How many eggs do I sub for the flax eggs?
2 large?
1 small chicken egg per 1 flax egg!
Wei says
Dana,
These cupcakes are so amazing that I have to leave a comment here. We recently found out our baby girl is allergic to wheat and eggs which makes baking very challenging. Luckily, I found your site and made these cupcakes for my daughter’s first year birthday party. They turned out to be moist, perfectly sweet and taste just like, well, delicious chocolate cupcakes! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I also started making a few more of your recipes including tonight’s samosa potato cakes. My vegetarian husband was really happy. :) Thanks again for that!
Looking forward to trying out more recipes!
Regards,
Wei
Thanks so much, Wei! This warms my heart. So glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes! xoxo
Johanna says
I’m also gluten and egg-free due to allergies! I know the struggle. thesensitivepantry.com also has some nice recipes. But I must say, the minimalistbaker.com has the most affordable ingredients in her recipes of awesomeness. Also, try forkandbeans.com ;)
Michelle says
Can I sub pumpkin puree in place of beet puree for fall?
Michelle says
I just answered my own question!
Michelle says
Made there tonight and they were amazing! Thank you!
I made them last night too! Glad you enjoyed them, Michelle!
Michelle says
Made these tonight and they were amazing! Thank you!
That should work!
Nancy says
This tasted good. The apples were too powerful. and mine looked nothing like yours
Brooke says
hey Nancy, so did you use Apple sauce as a sub to beets?
and they didn’t go very well?
i was thinking of trying with apple sauce also x
thanks!
Istanbul says
Hi Dana,
I live in turkey, Istanbul, and there is no vegan butter or margarin in this country!
How can i replace it? I would love to make cupcake frosting.
I am already doing the chocolate because there is no vegan chocolate too.
We do have coconut milk and oil and coconut cream, almond milk and soy cream, but one brand that can not be whipped.
Thank you.
Try replacing it with coconut oil, like in this recipe!
Leila says
I can’t have almonds. What should I use instead of almond meal
Anastasia says
These cupcakes are DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing all of your amazing recipes!! <3 I love Minimalist Baker and my husband does too :)
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Anastasia! xoxo
Sophie says
Hi Dana! Recipe looks lush! Just wondering, can you just sub your gf flour mixes with plain wheat flour? I’m not gf and don’t have an extensive budget so I just stick to wheat flour. Is subbing plain flour all good? :)
Aarti says
Sounds like a wonderful recipe. Would it work if I use 100% white rice flour and that’s all I have?
Enjyluh says
Hi, thank you for this wonderful recipe. My daughter’ s bday is coming up, will this come out as good if I bake into 2 cake rounds? And how long to bake for? Thanks for any help.
Yes! Use this recipe as a guide. It’s very similar.
Aneesha says
Hi
I am not intolerent to gluten. What can I use instead of the gluten free flour? I prefer using whole meal flours instead of just white flour, Can you please sugguest?
Thx
Aneesha
Beth says
I wanted to ask the same thing. I do not eat gluten free either and dont have the Ingredients to make it, just ww pastry flour. I’m not sure how to do the substitutions. Please advise. Thank you!!
Mila says
Dear Dana,
I can’t have almond meal, so what should I use instead. And could I use soy instead of the almond milk?
Thanks
becki says
Wow! Yum! I used fresh smashed figs from the tree in the garden :) DELICIOUS!! I also paired it with raspberries and put whole pecans on top for decoration.
Best ever graduation cake. Thank you!!!
Gypsy says
My son is allergic to everything! I really want to make these for his bday, but he is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts as well as dairy, eggs, soy, and wheat. Is I use hemp milk for liquid but is there something I can substitute for the almond meal?
Gypsy says
LOL never mind I see the person above me tweaked it already. I should have read every comment!
Amber says
These cupcakes are the PERFECT sweet treat for my daughters’ birthday party. They have friends and grandparents that are vegan, gluten-free and allergic to nuts and soy. I used coconut milk instead of almond milk and I used 1/4c more oat flour and 1/4c flax seed meal to replace the almond meal. They were scrumptious and my husband couldn’t even tell that they were vegan or gluten-free. Thanks again for a GREAT recipe! *I used all Trader Joe’s ingredients (including their gf flour blend) and it all worked out great.
janka says
Have you ever made a batter the night before and cooked it the next morning? My dad (a baker) used to do this all the time, but never with vegan recipes. I only ask as I’m not sure how the flax with react sitting for 12+ hours (I don’t want my batter to become like “chia pudding” by letting it sit overnight). Oh well, I will attempt prepping tonight and baking off tomorrow!
AF says
How did prepping the night before go? I’m curious because I want to do this recipe for my daughters birthday and that would help a ton!
:)
Janka Lovering says
Honestly I can’t recall but I didn’t really like the taste/texture of this recipe anyway :( I enjoy more of her non-celebratory-dessert recipes (banana bread, cinnamon rolls)
Andrea says
Hi! I am making these today for my husband’s birthday (our son is gluten-free & casein free so I am super excited about this recipe!) but I just realized I only have 1/2 cup of GF all purpose flour left and I don’t have any starch component to make a little more of my own. Any idea what I could use for that extra 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour? I’ve got brown rice flour, white rice flour, oat flour, coconut flour & almond meal. Thank you! I’m so excited to try so more of your recipes – your pizza crust is our favorite!!
Suzan says
Could I use canned beets instead of fresh? Beets are expensive:(
Yes!
Morgan says
Ok, these were hands down the best cupcakes I (we) have ever had.
I made these with 2 real eggs instead of flax, and they came out perfect.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Katie says
Oh my goodness! These are amazing! As a new vegan I have been experimenting with baking without eggs. It has proved quite hard to get a nice fluffy consistency and a good rise but these have both and are utterly delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe Dana! Katie :)
Alice says
I just made these last night, and they are delicious!! I love to cook, but I am pretty clueless when it comes to baking. I was kind of intimidated by all of these ingredients, but it was completely worth it. It really is the best cupcake I’ve ever had! It’s super moist, and not too sweet. I had a few friends test them, and they also gave raving reviews!
The only issue I had was with the frosting. I followed the instructions but on the light side of the sugar (1 cup). I left it in the refrigerator all day and the frosting still wouldn’t fully harden. I think next time I’ll use more sugar and less almond milk?
Overall, I’m really happy with my experience and am excited to make these again!
Wendy says
I tried this recipe and it was fantastic! I am so very impressed with the egg substitute. I am going to try it with banana bread. Thank you for the healthy version of chocolate cake that doesn’t make me feel sick after eating a slice! The only problem with the recipe is that I want more than one slice! (Oh, I did substituted the sugar with honey and it was still great! )
Dani says
Hi! My son and I cannot have rice, so unfortunately both listed flours are out of the running for us! Have you tried Bob’s all-purpose gluten free flour with this recipe by chance? (Or am I misunderstanding which you are specifying? There is now a 1:1 baking flour and the traditional all purpose gf flour in the red bag; we use the red bag!) My assumption is that it will be okay, but I need to make a large batch to freeze for use during the school year and don’t want to make yucky ones, haha! Thanks so much :)