Almond Flour Cupcakes have a rich, chocolate flavor and are surprisingly fluffy. They are naturally sweetened and gluten-free, but you’d never know just by tasting them!
If you’re hoping to serve delicious gluten-free chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party or special event, this is the cupcake recipe for you. They have a tender crumb and will rival your favorite cupcake recipe!
These Paleo chocolate cupcakes don’t bake up quite as tall as a bakery cupcake would, but they have an amazing taste and texture, without using any white flour or sugar.
Top them with your favorite chocolate frosting, and you’ll have an impressive homemade dessert!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This cupcake recipe is made with blanched almond flour, which provides a fluffier texture when compared to using almond meal. (Almond meal is made with whole ground almonds, so there are brown flecks in the flour from the skins.)
Using maple syrup as the sweetener keeps the cupcakes moist and fluffy. When I originally tried making this recipe with coconut sugar, I got a more brownie-like texture. (That’s how my Almond Flour Brownies were born!)
Coconut oil keeps this recipe dairy-free, but you can use melted butter if you prefer.
How to Make Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes
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.
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.
Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan. 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 gluten-free 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 these in the fridge before frosting them, too! This chocolate cupcake recipe can also be frozen, if you store it in a tightly sealed container, for up to 3 months.
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 in plastic wrap if you leave them in the pan) these cupcakes can develop a sticky texture on the top. They still taste good, but it’s something to keep in mind when storing. The fridge is best!
Frequently Asked Questions
The cupcakes in these photos are topped with Vegan Ganache, which is made with melted chocolate chips and coconut cream. If you prefer a frosting with no refined sugar, try my fruit-sweetened healthy chocolate frosting or vegan cream cheese frosting. Or try Sweet Potato Frosting for some beautiful colored options, without using food dye.
The key to using almond flour is to start with a recipe that already calls for almond flour. You can’t swap almond flour for all-purpose flour or coconut flour without making major adjustments, so look for a recipe that already uses the flour you plan on using.
No, my goal in sharing this recipe is to provide a delicious alternative for those who can’t have regular chocolate cupcakes. If you are hoping to make keto chocolate cupcakes, you’d need to replace the maple syrup with a sugar-free alternative that has a similar consistency. (For example, a maple syrup substitute made with erythritol or other zero calorie sweetener.) I’d love to hear if you have any success making modifications for keto cupcakes!
Honey has a stronger flavor than maple syrup, so you might want to use a little less than this recipe calls for. I’m not sure how that will affect the overall texture, so it will be an experiment if you decide to give this a try. I think the maple syrup flavor pairs better with chocolate, if you’re trying to please a crowd.
Looking for more almond flour recipes? Try Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Flour Cake, or Almond Flour Pancakes for more ideas.
Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 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
If you try these Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
Can’t wait to try this! Have you ever worked with granulated monkfruit sweetener? Can this be used in place of the maple syrup to reduce the sugar content? I have used it in other baked goods to replace sugar in 1:1 ratio, but not sure how it will work in place of a liquid sweetener like syrup. Thanks!
Can these be made without eggs?
Just made these, they are so simple and delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Can flax or chia eggs be substituted for the eggs? I can’t eat eggs.
If I could rate this 10 stars, I totally would! This recipe is truly ridiculously easy and tastes amazing! My teen boys couldn’t believe that it was gluten free and that I actually made this!
Thank you so much for all of your fabulous recipes, this one ill be making weekly!
Thank you!
Ah, that makes me so happy!! Thanks for letting me know!
Can you use agave syrup instead of maple syrup?
As with other comments .Replacement for eggs and maple syrup.Thank you
These are so easy and delicious! I paired them with your vegan chocolate frosting and they are so fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth good. Love that they’re not too sweet either. The centers sunk slightly on some of them, as you said they would, but that didn’t impact the overall texture. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Can you recommend how to use this recipe in a cake pan?
Have you ever tried making this as a cake instead of cupcakes?
These are delicious and so easy to make!
Made these for Mother’s Day and they were super simple to make with my 3yo and so delicious! Thank you for amazing and healthy recipes.
My cupcakes collapse in the middle! Why is that?
It’s normal for there to be a small dip in the middle of a cupcake with grain-free baking. I tried this recipe over 13 times, and this was the very best flavor and texture, despite the dip in the middle, so I posted it because this is what I would want to eat and my kids gobbled them up. If you want them to rise up in the center like a cupcake made with white flour, you need to start adding other type of flour to the mix, like coconut flour or arrowroot starch, but then that will start to compromise the flavor.
I added 1/2 tsp. arrowroot starch to the recipe, and they rose in the middle. I also let the batter sit for 30 minutes before adding the coconut oil. Texture was cake-like but wouldn’t say it was extra moist. A very lightweight cupcake. Good flavor. My kids loved them! Will definitely make them again. I love that they are made from better ingredients than normal cupcakes.
Excited to make these for my son’s birthday. How would you modify cooking time to make it as a cake? (in a springform) Thanks
I still have to try that, so I’m not 100% positive, but I’m guess this recipe would fill a 9-inch pan and then I’d probably bake it for 30 to 45 minutes. (Until the center doesn’t jiggle and feels firm to a light touch.)
Megan, your advice here was spot on. I used a 9-inch square pan and the cake was perfectly done in 40 minutes. Delicious, too.
So easy!so good! Gone in less than a day. Thank you♥️
Moist, tasty and satisfies both the sweet and the chocolate craving. Omg, no gluten, no dairy and the maple syrup doesn’t have the same inflammation response as traditional sugar. My husband made these for me & I couldn’t love him more for it!
These came out great ! I used a dark chocolate cocoa powder because that is what I had in the pantry, and a mini-bundt pan (6 tiny bundt cakes instead of 12 muffins) – this recipe makes 4 of the mini-bundt cakes). They taste great and will be made again for my kid’s birthday gathering (one kid if GF), I’ll just use 1.5 times the recipe and make 6 mini-bundts 🙂
5 plus stars! I made the cupcakes today! I had almond meal, flour and they turned out phenomenal!I de for my sister-in-law who doesn’t eat gluten. She didn’t know a person could make cupcakes gluten free. I am not gluten intolerant, but I don’t eat sweets, really. I will eat these, though. Healthy ingredients. Not empty calories. LOVE you for all your recipes. I have been following you for years and years and years. Thank you, so much. Everything I make and share people fall off their chairs and love! Blessing to you!
5 stars. I tweaked this a bit. I used 1/2 as much maple syrup. 1 cup of shredded zucchini – towel dried, 1 T coconut oil, as I feel coconut oil should be part of the recipe – needs some fat for nutritional outcome… My mom is diabetic. I added a pinch of cloves and a pinch of cinnamon. More of an adult cupcake/muffin. I LOVE your recipes!! Thank you so much! You have changed my baking!I can bake. No empty calories. Power house food! Thank you!
Oopsie. I used 1/2 cup maple syrup, rather than 3/4 cup. Tasted just righ to my taste buds. 3/4 made my teeth hurt. 😉 Everyone still loved the 3/4 cup version, but this one was better for us. <3
Oops. And I added one or two T of coconut flour – for the moistness of the zucchini. 😉
Could you cook this at a lower temperature to use the almond flour more safely? I was shooting to use it in cake pans. Missing some ingredients for your other chocolate cake option! Thanks!
Our favorite go to recipe for birthdays! The kids and adults love it.
These are DELICIOUS! I used agave syrup instead of maple syrup. And about 2/4 cup.
I made mini muffins. No frosting needed.
AMAZING.
These were so delish and easy, they will be my go to almond flour cupcakes. Thank you!
Hi! I love all your recipes! How do you make the chocolate frosting though? I like almond flour with chocolate frosting, but not with the cacoa mixed in.
Thanks!
The frosting pictured on these cupcakes is my date-sweetened vegan frosting. I also like to use my Vegan Ganache for desserts, too.
These cupcakes are amazing! I don’t even miss the regular ones I used to make! I did substitute raw honey for the sweetener and they are still perfect!
Amazing
Fantastic, so healthy and delicious!
Take you so much I followed the recipe to the T also I did the vegan ganache and they both came out perfect thank you so much I feel like I can go in compete in a Baker’s competition I love sweet but when you do him from scratch the taste even better
Amazing!! I’m so glad you loved it!
I’ve given up gluten or Lent to see if it will help with my allergies. This recipe is yummy!
Done it with added coconut sugar and they are devine 👌🏼😋thank you so easy so healthy and so yummy 😉i think i add half cup Coco sugar 😉
What to use to replace eggs?
I would use this tested vegan recipe to make an egg-free version: https://detoxinista.com/vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-cake/
FYI for all those asking about replacing the egg – I tried with flax seed and it was unsuccessful.
Thank you for sharing! If you want to try a tested egg-free version, I have a vegan almond flour chocolate cake recipe here: https://detoxinista.com/vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-cake/
These cupcakes are so rich and spongy! So good they don’t even need frosting. They were also very easy to make! 💗
Love so much!! I just wish you included that yummy looking frosting ❤️
I believe the frosting pictured here is my date-sweetened chocolate frosting, but you can also use my 2-ingredient ganache!
Oh wow!! Thank you so much, LOVE no powdered sugar.
These were deeeeeelicious! I just used Hershey’s Special Dark coco powder and my goodness they were scrumptious. Just the right amount of sweetness and great texture. Everything I’ve ever made from you has always been amazing!
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!
I’m so glad the chocolate cupcakes were a hit at the party!!
DELICIOUS recipe!!! I paired it with your chocolate vegan frosting (my favorite and also DELICIOUS).
These were so good! I did add 1teaspoon of cornstarch. They rose completely, no dip in the middle.
Measured the coconut oil cold, when heated it was more like 3 tablespoons, added it all.
Thank you for this recipe, will make them again for sure.
I made a half recipe of this for a birthday celebration. So delicious! I know I will be making this again as I have friends who have celiac disease, and we try to eat treats without refined grains or sugars.
Worked really well using vanilla triple zero Oikos Greek yogurt! Great texture and flavor – husband and teen boys approve!!
I do like this recipe it’s perfect for my gluten intolerant friend, also I substituted the maple syrup for honey and added coconut and almond extrat to make an almond joy cupcake and it tasted great, the batter was a little water and the cupcakes didn’t rise how I expected but it still tasted great, I will definitely be using this recipe again
They were moist but kind of bitter. Maybe it was the cocoa powder I used. Which was Ghirardelli 100% cocoa unsweetened powder.
These were amazing. My daughter and mom and dad😁 loved them! Mine ended up with little holes in top and seemed runny, but we loved the flavor and will be a favorite here! Thanks
Made this for my toddler and she loved it! I will try your frosting soon, but alone this was so light and moist. Winning!
Hi Megan,
I’m confused with the ingredients. Only 3/4 c of flour? to 3/4 c of syrup? 1/2 c cacao?
Something seems off here.
your comments?
thanks,
Bob
Those are the measurements I used in the photos! As you can see, the cupcakes aren’t super tall like a bakery cupcake, but they taste delicious.
Baked this.easy and delicious