This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
These Coconut Flour Cupcakes are light & fluffy, and my kids have declared them to be one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made. They are perfect for those who need a gluten-free or Paleo cupcake recipe!
My Secret Ingredient
What makes these cupcakes extra special is that they have a sneaky healthy ingredient inside— zucchini! I’ve been adding zucchini to this recipe for years, because it replaces the oil without affecting the sweet vanilla flavor. You truly can’t taste it!
I’ve tried making this recipe with applesauce and banana instead of zucchini, and both options work, but they don’t fool my kids. The applesauce flavor is especially noticeable, so if you want a truly vanilla-flavored cupcake, stick with the zucchini.
The Best Way to Sweeten Coconut Flour Baked Goods
I originally posted this recipe in 2013, but recently decided to test it again to see if I could make the cupcakes even more fool-proof. I tested them with coconut oil, instead of using zucchini, and guess what? The zucchini version is WAY better! Coconut oil can make coconut flour baked goods become greasy fast.
I also tested this recipe with both maple syrup and coconut sugar. I’ve noticed that maple syrup tends to sink to the bottom of coconut flour baked goods, and it’s not too noticeable in recipes like my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, but I definitely notice it in these subtle vanilla cupcakes.
That’s why I now recommend making these coconut flour cupcakes with coconut sugar, instead. The coconut sugar makes the cupcakes turn out a little more tan in color, but the sweetness is much more evenly distributed. And the cupcakes turn out perfectly fluffy, without being too moist!
How to Work with Coconut Flour
If you’ve never worked with coconut flour before, there’s a couple things you should know before you get started.
- Always measure correctly. I like to scoop my measuring cup into the bag of coconut flour, getting a heaping cup, and then I use the back of a knife to level it off into a flat measurement. I’ve also included the weight of the measurements I use, in case you prefer to use a kitchen scale.
- Don’t make substitutions. Coconut flour isn’t as forgiving as other flours in baking, so making a small modification could drastically affect the final outcome. Experiment at your own risk. In my experience, egg substitutes don’t work very well with coconut flour baked goods, so if you need to be egg-free, try one of my vegan muffin recipes instead.
What I love about working with coconut flour is that it’s naturally gluten-free, and it requires quite a few eggs, so the resulting baked goods are higher in protein. There is definitely a hint of coconut flavor, too, but it’s not overwhelming in this recipe since it doesn’t call for coconut oil, too.
How to Make Them
For best results, I recommend making these cupcakes in a blender. That way you can pulverize the zucchini, and get a super-smooth batter.
If your blender isn’t high-powered, blend together the zucchini and eggs first, until the zucchini is totally pureed, then add in the rest of the ingredients and blend again.
Pour the batter into 10 cupcake liners, then bake! Coconut flour tends to stick to pans quite a bit, so I definitely recommend using a liner, so you can guarantee that they will release from the pan later.
Cool completely, then top them with your favorite frosting.
I have several healthy frosting recipes available, but my favorites are my Vegan Ganache (pictured here) and my Chocolate Vegan Frosting, which is fruit-sweetened.
For a non-chocolate frosting, try my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting or my Purple Sweet Potato Frosting.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (58 grams)
- 1 cup zucchini , peeled and finely chopped (134 grams)
- 4 large eggs (206 grams)
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (9 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (2 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (12 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners.
- In a blender, combine the coconut flour, zucchini, eggs, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Blend until very smooth. (If you don't have a powerful blender, blend together the zucchini and eggs first, until smooth. Then add in the rest of the ingredients and blend again.)
- Pour the batter into the 10 cupcake liners. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until the center of the cupcakes feels firm to a light touch.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting and serving. If making them in advance, store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for 1 of 10 cupcakes. This is automatically calculated, so it’s just an estimate and not a guarantee.
Original Recipe (posted June 2013)
If you are in love with my original recipe, you can find the measurements for that below.
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup zucchini
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 4 eggs
Just like the directions above, you’ll blend this together and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. If you’ve tried both versions, let me know which one you prefer!
Please leave a comment below if you try the recipe. I’d love to hear what you think! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear how that goes, too. We can all benefit from your experience.
—
Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite flavor of cake or cupcake? Mine is carrot cake, so that’s next on my list!
Okay, I’m a little late to the party, but I just made these tonight and they are SO GREAT!!!!! I doubled the recipe, and added 1/4 tsp of almond extract as well, and WOW. What a GREAT coconut flour recipe! I’ve been experimenting with this particular flour lately, and this is my fave recipe so far!! (And trust me, I’ve made some duds!)
HI Megan,
First of all: congratulations for another great recipe. I have a questions about the substitution with sweeteners to make the recipe sugar free. See, I read that coconut flour needs extra moisture, and I guess that is why your recipes usually have the same amount (or similar, but high anyway) of syrup of honey. Am I correct? So the question is, if we want to make the muffins sugar free with Stevia or xylitol or something like that (not liquid), should we also add some water or milk or something? Wouldn’t they get too dry otherwise? I have already tried your paleo pumpkin muffins (amazing!). I made them twice, using chicory syrup, which is sugar free and low GI and it worked great the first time (the same amount as maple syrup). I was afraid though, it was putting too much (indications in the bottle said no more than 5% of the total dough weight), so the second time I reduced the dose to almost half, and although the taste was still great, the muffins were much more thicker, too much, not so spongy and light anymore. Hard to swallow. So I am afraid if I add Stevia or xylitol in powder, and nothing else, it will be even worse. What do you think? Thank you in advance and keep making so many wonderful and healthy recipes! 🙂
Hi Megan! Thanks for the great recipe. I adapted it and made it to celebrate my one year mark on youtube 🙂 Delicious 🙂
Has anyone added cocoa powder and made chocolate zucchini cupcakes?
Hello! I love all your recipes, I am very nervous about using coconut flour so I thought I’d ask for your advice!
I am going back and forth from this recipe, and your glazed chocolate donut recipe. I want to make chocolate cupcakes for my birthday tomorrow, but I do not have zucchini on hand to add to the batter (nor a good blender!)
So my question, if I want to make 1 dozen chocolate cupcakes, should I follow the donut recipe and double it, and then bake them for 20 minutes?
Thank you so much!!
I haven’t tried the donuts as cupcakes, so I can’t say for sure that they will work perfectly, but it’s worth a shot! Hope you have a happy birthday! 🙂
Do you have any suggestions on a good flavor to substitute the vanilla extract for? I am unfortunately, allergic to vanilla. I will usually just leave it out, but I would love to hear any flavor ideas!
My other favorite flavoring is almond extract, so I’d try that!
Loved these! Such a great vanilla taste and I don’t feel guilty eating one…..ok, more than one
Just made these and they turned out perfect!!! Moist and cakey! I doubles the recipe and used 1/2 cup raw honey and 1/4 cup brown sugar becuz that’s all I had. I also added about 1/2 cup almon milk becuz the batter was too thick and filled the muffin tins 3/4 the way. Fantastic! After frosting them I put slices strawbery hearts for Vday, thanks so much for the incredible recipe!!! Also you cannot taste zucchini AT ALL!
Thanks for the recipe these came out delicious, i topped half with some chocolate cashew icing and the rest with lemon curd . i was a bit worried when i blended all the ingredients as it looked a bit dry(my measurements might have been a bit off), so i added a little bit of almond milk and they came out perfect. Thanks
have you ever tried this recipe for a full-sized cake?
do you think it would hold up?