Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes

If you’re hoping to serve delicious gluten-free chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party or special event, this almond flour cupcake recipe is for you. These cupcakes have a tender crumb and a flavor that rivals your favorite cupcake recipe!

These Paleo chocolate cupcakes are made with blanched almond flour, so they don’t bake up quite as tall as a bakery cupcake, but they have an amazing taste and texture without using any white flour or sugar. Instead, they are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and require minimal oil, since almonds already contain healthy fats.

Top them with your favorite chocolate frosting, and you’ll have a seriously impressive homemade dessert.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review

“I loooove these chocolate cupcakes and love how decadent they taste with such clean ingredients! A party of 10 year olds also loved them so they are perfect in my book, definitely serving these up at every party!” – Katie

Almond Flour Cupcake Ingredients

• Blanched Almond Flour. This recipe calls for blanched almond flour, which means the almonds’ skins are removed before they are finely ground. This creates fluffier baked goods than almond meal, which includes almond skins. (You’ll see brown specks in almond meal, so it’s easy to see the difference.)
• Cacao Powder. I always keep raw cacao powder in my pantry, because it’s less processed. However, regular cocoa powder should work in this recipe, too!
• Eggs. These add protein and structure to the cupcakes. Don’t use an egg substitute here! A flax egg or another egg substitute will make sunken, gooey cupcakes.
• Coconut Oil. Only 2 tablespoons of oil are required for this recipe, and you can use any other oil you prefer, such as olive or avocado oil.
• Maple Syrup. Not to be confused with processed pancake syrup, your package should list only one ingredient: pure maple syrup. This natural sweetener pairs perfectly with chocolate-flavored recipes!
• Pantry Staples. Baking powder provides lift (don’t confuse this with baking soda!), and vanilla and salt complete the flavor.

Note: Some comments have recommended adding 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to help the cupcakes rise even more. If you keep that on hand, try it!

How to Make cupcakes with Almond Flour

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. You can whisk these dry ingredients together first, if you’d like to break up any clumps in the flour, but it’s not necessary since there’s no risk of over-mixing gluten-free cupcake batter. 

Next, add in the maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. It’s best if you can let the eggs and maple syrup come to room temperature before mixing the batter, but this will still work even if they are cold from the fridge. If you’re using cold ingredients, stir in the coconut oil last, so the eggs and maple syrup can lose some of their chill as you stir.

Step 2:

Stir the wet ingredients into the batter until it looks smooth, then add the coconut oil and mix again. Use a 1/4 cup to scoop the batter and pour it into the prepared muffin pan. 

Once the batter has been divided evenly among the muffin cups, bake the cupcakes at 350ºF for 25 minutes. You’ll know the cupcakes are done when the centers feel firm to a light touch, or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with minimal crumbs. 

Step 3:

Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan, at least 30 minutes.

Once they are cool, you can top them with your favorite frosting and sprinkles. (Buttercream frosting will melt if you add it to cupcakes that are still warm, so be patient!)

Storage Tips

Leftover cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to make these ahead of time, you can store them in the fridge before frosting them, too! This chocolate cupcake recipe can also be frozen for up to 3 months if stored in a tightly sealed container. 

Note: If you store these cupcakes at room temperature without covering them, they may dry out overnight. When stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or tightly covered with plastic wrap if you leave them in the pan), almond flour cupcakes can develop a sticky top. They still taste good, but it’s something to keep in mind when storing. The fridge is the best for their texture.

Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes

4.92 from 36 votes

I've spent weeks perfecting these almond flour cupcakes because everyone deserves a delicious, fluffy cupcake, even if you can't eat gluten or grains. The ingredient ratio might surprise you, because almond flour doesn't bake the same way white flour does (it needs more eggs for structure!). So follow the recipe closely, and you'll wind up with delicious chocolate cupcakes that are naturally sweetened and dairy-free.

prep10 mins cook25 mins total35 mins

Servings:12

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ¾ cups blanched almond flour
• ½ cup raw cacao powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
• ¾ cup maple syrup , at room temperature
• 4 large eggs , at room temperature (see notes)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cacao powder, baking powder, salt, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Stir well, and be sure to break up any clumps that form until the batter is smooth. Stir in the coconut oil last, so that it will be less likely to clump from touching any cold ingredients.
• Once the batter is smooth, use a ¼ cup measure to pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners. They should all be relatively full from this amount of batter. Bake at 350ºF until the center of the cupcakes feel firm to a light touch, about 25 minutes.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan; it's okay if they have a slight dip in the center. When they are cool, you can frost them or decorate as you like.
• These cupcakes should last for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 12 cupcakes. This information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Note: If your eggs and maple syrup are cold from the fridge, they could cause the coconut oil to harden and form clumps in the batter. It’s best if you can bring them to room temperature first, but if you’re in a hurry, this batter will still work as long as you stir in the coconut oil last. (That way it the other ingredients can lose their chill a bit.)

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg

Author: Megan Gilmore

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: gluten-free

Keyword: almond flour cupcakes

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If you try these Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.