Hold onto your sprinkles, folks! This recipe takes the cake, literally. We’ve taken our crowd-favorite funfetti cupcakes and made them undetectably gluten-free! Your friends and family will be begging for the recipe for these soft, fluffy, perfectly moist, incredibly delicious gems!
The catch? There is no catch. They’re made in 1 bowl with just 10 ingredients! What are you waiting for? Let’s bake some cupcakes!
The inspiration for these cupcakes came from our favorite source, YOU! After receiving many questions about how to make a gluten-free version of our funfetti cupcakes, we decided to get in the kitchen and figure it out!
We did many tests, using our BEST Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake and Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake for inspiration. Countless cupcakes were eaten. Tough job, I tell ya! 😉
We were initially drawn to the ease of a store-bought gluten-free flour blend, but the results fell short. We wouldn’t settle for anything less than undetectably gluten-free!
The winning combination to ensure light, fluffy cupcakes? Almond flour for a cake-y texture, potato starch for lightness, and brown rice flour for structure.
Cane sugar keeps the flavor (and color) neutral and vanilla-forward, while baking powder provides the leavening, dairy-free milk makes it a batter, and egg adds extra fluffiness and binding!
We tested vegan variations, but they just didn’t cut it for a cupcake that could fool even our gluten-loving friends.
The final ingredients? Vanilla extract and sea salt for classic funfetti cupcake flavor. And of course they wouldn’t be funfetti cupcakes without the sprinkles! Any rainbow sprinkles will do, but we love Supernatural for an option without any artificial colors or flavorings.
We’re so excited for you to try these funfetti cupcakes! They’re:
Fluffy
Moist
Tender
Vanilla-infused
Incredibly delicious
Highly shareable
& SO FUN!
Bring them along to birthday parties, summer celebrations, or make a batch just because you want to! Your gluten-free friends will be especially grateful, but we have a feeling even eaters who can enjoy it all will be asking for a second cupcake.
More Gluten-Free Cupcake Recipes
- The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)
- Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes (Vegan + GF)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. We love hearing from you! Enjoy, friends!
Gluten-Free Funfetti Cupcakes (1 Bowl!)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup almond flour
- 1/3 heaping cup potato starch (1/3 heaping cup = 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp)
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour
- 2/3 cup cane sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2/3 cup dairy-free milk (plain, unsweetened // we used almond // we don’t recommend canned coconut milk // if not dairy-free, dairy milk should also work)
- 1 large egg* (organic, pasture-raised when possible)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup multi-color sprinkles (ensure gluten-free friendly // we like Supernatural Rainbow Softies)
FOR DECORATING optional
- Frosting recipes (we especially like vanilla buttercream for these cupcakes)
- Coconut whipped cream
- Additional sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a muffin / cupcake tin with 9 paper liners (adjust amount if altering the default number of servings).
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the almond flour, potato starch, brown rice flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Whisk well until fully incorporated. Next add the dairy-free milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk again until just combined. Add the sprinkles and stir gently to combine.
- Divide the batter between the cupcake liners (filling them not quite full, but almost) and bake for 23-28 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched or a toothpick can be removed with only a few crumbs left behind.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to let cool completely (~1 hour). Option to frost with buttercream frosting or coconut whipped cream, decorate with more sprinkles, and serve!
- Best enjoyed within 2 days. To keep leftover cupcakes moist, place in a sealed plastic bag or cover with a cake cover or a wide bowl flipped upside down. If using a frosting that melts at room temperature, wait to frost until just before serving (recommended), or refrigerate the frosted cupcakes then set them out at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without frosting or extra sprinkles.
MNK says
Wow. I’m impressed. The texture was perfect. A bit crumbly and soft. I didn’t put any sprinkles. Just buttercream icing and sliced strawberries. Made 10 cupcakes, baked in 25 minutes.
We’re so glad you enjoy the cupcakes! Buttercream and sliced strawberries sound amazing with it :) Thank you for sharing! xo
Becky says
Curious if I could sub coconut sugar for the cane sugar?
Hi Becky, we haven’t tested with coconut sugar and don’t think it will be as good, but it might be okay in a pinch! The cupcakes will likely be darker, less sweet, and a little dense.
Elena says
I have a potato allergy, do you think I could sub something else for it?
Hi Elena, we find potato starch is really key for a light and fluffy texture. The next best option is cornstarch, but it tends to turn out a bit more dry and crumbly. Hope that helps!
Ashley says
Can they be made egg free?
Hi Ashley, We tried to make an egg-free/vegan version initially but just couldn’t get the classic taste and fluffy texture we were looking for! Your best bet if looking for a vegan (or egg-free) + gluten-free version would be to add rainbow sprinkles to our 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake recipe and bake at 350 F for ~25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If not gluten-free, we have a vegan/egg-free funfetti cupcake recipe here. Hope that helps!
Lex says
Hi 👋 very nice flavour with these!
My batter was quite runny, is this how it should be? They were quite flat (which is fine!) shall I just add more batter to the cupcake mould?
Hi Lex, the batter shouldn’t be super runny, but a little drippy (see the fifth photo on the page). If it was too runny, it might have needed more flour or less milk! The cupcakes being flat also makes us think the amount of liquid was a bit much. Did you make any modifications?
Lex says
I tried them again and added more flour and they’re good 😊 they’re so yummy. The modifications I made is used aarowroot flour instead of potato starch and oat flour instead of brown rice flour. Is that okay.?
Hi Lex, We’re glad they worked better this time! Those flour swaps will definitely impact the result – creating a more dense and heavy cupcake with a little gumminess. For light and fluffy cupcakes, we highly recommend using the potato starch and brown rice flour!
Brook Ford says
How would you adjust the bake time for mini-muffin size cupcakes? Would you adjust any of the ingredients for the smaller size? Thanks for your help!! Love your recipes!
Aw, thank you for your kind words, Brook! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! There’s no need to adjust the ingredients. You’ll just want to bake for less time, using a toothpick to check when they’re done. We’re guessing they will take about 15-20 minutes. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Rachel says
Can’t wait to make this with the little one. Any thoughts on substituting for another gluten free flour that’s also nut free? My niece is allergic to almonds
Yay! We’re excited for you and your little one to try it, Rachel! Unfortunately almond flour is pretty key in this recipe for the right texture. The next best option is cashew flour. For a nut-free option, you could try adding a neutral-flavored oil + a lesser amount of a gluten-free flour blend, but it would require some experimenting and we can’t guarantee success!
Karyn Seglin says
Any thoughts about substituting flax eggs?
Hi Karyn, the cupcakes will be a little dense and crumbly, unfortunately! We tried to make a vegan version initially but just couldn’t get the classic taste and fluffy texture we were looking for! Your best bet if looking for a vegan (or egg-free) + gluten-free version would be to add rainbow sprinkles to our 1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake recipe and bake at 350 F for ~25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If not gluten-free, we have a vegan/egg-free funfetti cupcake recipe here. Hope that helps!