The Best Ever Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes are seriously so moist, decadent, rich and incredible! Nobody would ever guess, ever, that they are gluten-free, vegan or oil-free! They are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten!
VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Have you ever seen a more beautiful texture on a cupcake, that was gluten-free??! I’m ecstatic to be sharing these! I won’t lie, I lost count on the trials I did for these Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes. This is because I wanted them to be just as unbelievably amazing as any cupcake made with white flour, white sugar and oil or butter. I swear, it was not an easy task. One of the hardest I’ve done to date. This is because when you are trying to create gluten-free and vegan, and then oil-free and then keep it at 8 ingredients, multiple trials are required. If you are also trying to bake or cook without using oils, check out my tips here How to Cook and Bake Without Oil!
These are truly the best vegan gluten-free chocolate cupcakes you’ll ever taste! They are so rich in chocolate flavor, moist, fluffy, soft and the perfect sponge cake texture.
After posting the original Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, you all messaged me begging for a gluten-free version. If you prefer vanilla, make sure to make my Best Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes or these Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cupcakes!
Thrilled to say they are absolutely perfect in every way.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE CUPCAKES
Gluten-free baked goods usually end up 1 or 2 ways….either extremely dry and crumbly with a nasty texture. OR, they are insanely dense, mushy and nothing like a texture you’d want in a cake or cupcake. I tried different flours, different combos, plant milks and sweeteners and even in various amounts.
They are so moist, but not mushy or dense. They are cakey, tender, fluffy, but not dry. And, they hold their texture so beautifully. They have the perfect spongy cake texture! They are also nut-free, yay! No almond flour!
So, when I say these are perfect as written, I can’t say that statement enough. I wanted to eat the whole batch, haha!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
First, you need to gather these 8 ingredients (+salt):
- brown rice flour (I tried white rice flour and they were so chewy, so you must use brown. It yielded the PERFECT cake texture.
- tapioca starch (this starch acts as eggs here to offset the dry, crumbly-ness that brown rice flour can give. But the 2 combined are a perfect combo.)
- coconut sugar (I tried maple syrup, too dense. Granulated sugar bakes up differently giving a different scientific structure than liquid.)
- natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 70% dark chocolate chips (these give a rich, deep chocolate taste, as well as the natural cocoa butter in them gives moisture)
- baking powder
- baking soda
- canned lite coconut milk (this milk is crucial to the moisture level and fluffy texture, it is NOT the same as other milks)
To a medium bowl, add the brown rice flour, starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk very well.
To a large bowl, (you need a large since you’ll be adding the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet, not the other way around) add the coconut milk and chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Whisk the mixture well until 100% melted and smooth.
Whisk the cocoa powder into the chocolate milk mixture until completed dissolved and smooth. This process creates a richer, more moist cupcake.
To the bowl of liquids, slowly add the dry ingredients a small amount at a time, whisking each amount in. Once the batter is very smooth and completely mixed, divide it into 15 cupcakes. This amount will yield perfect size cupcakes every time. Do not be tempted to overfill to only use 12, as these cupcakes rise A LOT while baking.
Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick is clean. Mine were perfect at 19 minutes, but ovens can vary. Don’t be tempted to eat one while warm, as they will taste under-baked since they will still finish cooking as they cool for the next 30 minutes. So, use patience. Remember, these are gluten-free and cooling them is super important.
Once fully cooled, decorate and ice them as you wish. These cupcakes have a rich, dark chocolate flavor, perfectly sweetened and not overly sweet at all. This makes the icing on top to be the perfect balance. I topped these with my Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. If you don’t want to use a standard buttercream, you can make my Chocolate Truffle Frosting instead or an icing of your choice.
You can see just how perfectly these vegan gluten-free chocolate cupcakes hold together in this bite. The structure is as if there are eggs! No crumbly gluten-free mess here.
MORE VEGAN CUPCAKES RECIPES
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes EVER!
Ingredients
- 150 grams (3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons) brown rice flour (do not use white!)
- 6 tablespoons (48g) tapioca starch
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (216g) coconut sugar
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups + 3 tablespoons (405g) canned "lite" coconut milk, cans shaken first (SEE NOTES at the bottom!)
- 88 grams (5 full rounded tablespoons) 69 OR 70% dairy-free dark chocolate chips (do not use regular semi-sweet)
- 6 tablespoons (36g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
NOTE
- Of course, as always, I recommend highly to use a scale to prevent room for error. Especially with gluten-free baking. This recipe has a couple of odd measurements to get the perfect result, so it's much easier to just weigh each ingredient before adding to the bowl. Make sure to zero out before adding each ingredient. You don't compare the weights to cups, just simply follow the weights listed, as this is exactly how the recipes are tested and made.
- I use this scale.
VEGAN FROSTING OPTIONS
- I used this Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- This Espresso Chocolate Frosting is a great option
- Use this if you prefer Vanilla Frosting
Instructions
- Please note that a huge part of this recipe is the coconut milk, so it's crucial to use a quality brand so that the cupcakes turn out light and fluffy and rise beautifully. Watery milks will yield dense/gooey results that deflate. I highly recommend the Thai Kitchen brand (linked above) if possible, it is consistently creamy and always performs well. DO NOT use the Polar brand, it does not bake well, as it is mostly fillers and very little actual coconut. I also like the Sprouts "lite" coconut milk.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 2 muffin pans with 15 muffin liners. This recipe yields 15 perfect size cupcakes, so don't be tempted to only do 12. They rise A LOT while baking.
- To a medium bowl, add the brown rice flour, starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk very well.
- To a large bowl, (you need a large since you’ll be adding the dry ingredients to this bowl of wet, not the other way around) add the coconut milk and chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Whisk the mixture well until 100% melted and smooth.
- Whisk the cocoa powder into the chocolate milk mixture until completed dissolved and smooth. This may take a minute.
- To the bowl of liquids, slowly add the dry ingredients a small amount at a time, whisking each amount in. Using a large whisk helps. Do not worry about over-mixing here, you want it smooth. Gluten-free batter is ok to mix longer. Once the batter is very smooth and completely mixed, divide it into 15 cupcakes. I used about a 1/4 measuring cup of batter for each. This amount will yield perfect size cupcakes every time. Do not overfill or do less than 15. They will rise almost double.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick is clean. Mine were perfect at 19 minutes, but ovens can vary. So, make sure you go by the toothpick, not the time. A few DRY crumbs are ok, but not wet sticky batter.
- Don’t be tempted to eat one while warm, as they will taste under-baked since they will still finish cooking as they cool for the next 30-45 minutes. So, use patience. Remember, these are gluten-free and cooling them is super important. I found a good hour to be the perfect result.
- Once fully cooled, decorate and ice them as you wish. These cupcakes have a rich, dark chocolate flavor, perfectly sweetened and not overly sweet at all. This makes the icing on top to be the perfect balance. I topped these with my Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. If you don’t want to use a standard buttercream, you can make my Chocolate Truffle Frosting instead or an icing of your choice.
Notes
- MILK: Since these are gluten-free, the milk is crucial to the texture and rise of the cupcakes. Subbing with a lower-fat or lite milk will result in flat, deflated cupcakes. This is why I use lite coconut milk. It leaves no coconut taste (like full-fat coconut milk) and is creamier than other milks with a different mouthfeel. The brand is important too, as many can be quite watery. The best brands that deliver the same results are the Thai Kitchen Lite, Sprouts Lite and the Whole Foods 365 Light. All work well.
- COCONUT-FREE OPTION: If you can't do coconut milk, my only other suggestion would be to try a high fat quality almond milk, which the only brand that doesn't fill with all fillers and is truly just almonds and water, is the Elmhurst brand. It's very creamy and delicious, it is sold at Sprouts and Kroger and possibly other stores. Do not use a standard other almond milk brand. Also, the full-fat Oatly oat milk may work. I've only tested this with the coconut milk, fyi, but these are suggestions I think that may work.
- Nutrition does not include frosting.
- Many have asked about turning this into a cake. I have tested this and it does not work as a cake as well as cupcakes. This is because cupcakes are made in much smaller sizes obviously and much less space. This means cupcake recipes don't always transfer well into large sizes as cakes. The texture does not turn out as perfect as the cupcakes, therefore I do not suggest. I am perfecting a gluten-free cake and will post that soon.
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I can’t wait to make these!
Awesome Kristen, I hope you love them!
I love your recipes in general, especially since you don’t use oil, but recipes like this once leave me confused about your stance on “no oil.” I don’t use oil in my cooking either, and I also don’t use things like cocoa butter (an ingredient in chocolate chips) because as far as I can tell, the only difference is that it happens to be solid at room temperature. But warm it even just to body temperature, never mind cupcake baking temperature, and it becomes a liquid. Even its scientific name, “theobroma oil,” gives it away. Just wondering if you’re seeing a difference or a benefit that I’m missing? Thanks! (I won’t ask about substitutions… it sounds like you’ve already gone above and beyond to come up with this recipe! 🙂 )
Thank you so much Brenna! Yes, chocolate chips do contain cocoa butter and unfortunately, there is no such thing as oil-free chocolate chips. If there was, they wouldn’t be real chocolate and would probably taste like chalk, haha. Even cacao nibs that are actually considered very healthy with many nutritional benefits and antioxidants, but are high in fat too, but of course not as a fully pressed fat from the cacao bean like cocoa butter. But, the fat is still there period, unless you are going straight for just cocoa powder. While I don’t use individual separated oils like canola, olive, vegetable etc. in my desserts or cooking (with the exception of special occasion buttercream), chocolate chips aren’t something I’ll ever do without! I use them for lots of recipes. I eat way, way better than I used to years ago, but I’m not super duper strict on things or a perfect eater. I’ve even seen some oil-free plant-based doctors use chocolate chips in recipes (while calling them oil-free/fat-free). I just think it’s one of those exceptions for special desserts/occasions. For me, personally, going the rest of my life without chocolate because it contains cocoa butter, is not something I want to do. 🙂
This recipe sounds amazing!
I just discovered that Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips don’t have cocoa butter. They contain only “unsweetened chocolate and cane sugar” according to the package.
What I need for this recipe is a substitute for the coconut products. So many great sounding recipes call for coconut milk, coconut oil or coconut sugar and I can’t use any of those.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your great recipes.
Hi Lana! Unsweetened chocolate is made from cocoa butter, so it’s the same thing. Hmm, that’s a tough one, because as I mention, the coconut milk is what gives an extra depth of moisture and lightness to these cupcakes. You can try subbing with cashew milk instead, but not sure how rich they will taste and the texture may change a bit. I would only recommend cashew, not almond or soy or anything like that. Needs to be a creamy milk and I think cashew would be the best to try. For the coconut sugar, try using regular white sugar instead.
Yes you nailed it again! When I follow your instructions in their entirety, it’s pure perfection.
I am not adverse to gluten but since I had all then ingredients I decided to give them a try
They taste better than your version w all purpose flour, and those are delicious too!
I topped w/ fresh made hazelnut cocoa butter.
Yay, you are the best Luci!! So happy you already made and loved them! I think I have to agree too, they are even better than the regular which I didn’t think was possible, lol! Thank you so much for making them and hazelnut butter sounds AMAZING!
So so so so good!! The moment I saw this post I knew I had to make them. I wish I could describe the texture; so airy yet decadent and luscious! I topped them with your chocolate truffle frosting sprinkled with a few mini Enjoy Life chips and OH MY Brandi, they are chocolatey perfection! Thank you for working so tirelessly to get these cupcakes to a French Bakery level! I can guarantee these are going to be a new favorite for many of your readers, including me!!!
I’m so excited to read this Colleen!! I was thinking about you today because I saw your comment on Instagram! I’m beyond thrilled that you loved them so much and your description of them couldn’t be more perfect. Thank you so much for making them so quickly, it means so much!
Thank YOU for being such a caring generous person, Brandi! It was actually was a Brandi Day; I made your scrumptious Healthy Apple Pie Breakfast cookies, another batch of your divine Bakery Style Blueberry muffins, and my hubby’s all time fav Cocoa Chili. I had shut down the kitchen for the night when suddenly your email about these cupcakes came through. I jumped up, turned back on the oven and now here I am at 9:30 pm devouring pure chocolate bliss! ?
Oh goodness, I love those cookies soooo much!! You are the best, thank you so much for making my recipes, it’s a true blessing!
Can this recipe be used for diabetics.
Hi Carolyn, I’m not a doctor, but I wouldn’t think so since they contain a good amount of sugar and fat.
This looks great! What does 88 grams translate to for the chocolate chips? And can I use regular coconut milk instead of the lite? Thank you. Keep up the great work
Hi Mary! 88 grams equals to 5 full rounded tablespoons! ?
Oh and I wouldn’t use regular. It has 3 times the amount of fat and is much thicker and would be too much moisture and make them mushy dense I’m afraid.
Does anyone know if I could just make RBI’s into a cake? What would the cook time and temp be? Thanks!
Hi Meghan, no this does not transfer to a cake very well. I’ve tried it and the texture is not as good as the cupcakes. I’ll be posting a gluten-free cake soon though!
Don’t worry, couldn’t if I wanted to. Highly allergic to milk (all dairy), egg, soy, etc. That’s why I love this recipe. I can actually make it. Yah! Thank you for your dedication!
So kind, thank you Mary!
So much effort went into this. Thank you! I can’t wait to try. 🙂
Yes, it did, thank you so much Deborah!
Brandi, I cannot wait to make these next week! As a family with Celiac disease, how do I say thank you enough?! I have bo doubt they will be incredible. You’re amazing and so gracious to share this with everyone. I already have your cookbook and LOVE IT! THANK YOU :)!!!
Tanya, thank you!! So very happy to hear how much you love my book, that is wonderful! Thank you for the kind words and amazing support, it means the world to me!
I’m so glad you created a GF version of this cupcake! 🙂 Thank you!!! What brand of dairy-free dark chocolate chips did you use and could you please share where you purchased them? Also, I unfortunately do not have a scale, which I know is recommended. I went to a conversion website and the 88 grams of chocolate chips translates to 0.436 cups, does that seem about right to you? Thank you!
Hi Terri! You are so welcome! 88 grams equals to 5 full rounded tablespoons! 🙂 I actually used the dark chocolate chips by the HEB brand at my local HEB but Enjoy Life also makes some dark chocolate chips too now I believe. Any dark will work as long as it states 69-70%
Hi Brandi! A much belated thank you for answering my questions, I appreciate it! ? Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Do you ever compute the nutritional info for your recipes?
Hi Sue, yes, I have in the past and when I get a chance. Honestly, I just don’t have the time. Especially during the summer. It’s a stretch just to get recipes posted with being a full-time mom and my daughter home all day with me and having 3 weekly activities she’s involved in! I need a clone, haha! You can input the ingredients (by grams for accuracy) in this nutrition calculator if you want to know the nutrition. It’s what I use when I have the time. https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I don’t bake much but this sounds like it would be worth trying. Any conversions needed for high altitude? I’m at 6500 feet.
Hi Valerie! I’m so sorry, I don’t have any experience baking at a high altitude. Especially gluten-free may be even trickier. Maybe this article can help? Of course this article is referring to standard recipes with white flour, eggs, etc. so not sure how it would all compare to a vegan gluten-free recipe. You could always try baking it as written, maybe half a batch first and then adjust if needed. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
My husband is allergic to chocolate so i use Carob powder and carob chips.. Do you think this will work for this recipe?
Kathy
Hi Kathy, no, sadly I do not think that would work well here. Carob chips are a completely different makeup than dark chocolate, so they wouldn’t melt the same and the cupcakes would also end up excessively sweet. They would work better in a recipe that doesn’t rely on melted chocolate as part of the base of the cupcake. You could try that in this recipe instead. These are incredible and use cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. Carob is much sweeter though of course than chocolate, so the flavor would change. https://staging.thevegan8.com/vegan-whole-wheat-chocolate-muffins/
These are exceptionally good!
Yay Phoebe! So glad you loved them!!
This was absolutely AMAZING!!! I mean, who’d ever want to eat a regular cupcake again?? This is top-notch gourmet quality!
The first words out of my daughter’s boyfriend’s (stuffed and barely audible) mouth was, ‘oh my gosh… These are VEGAN?’ ?
So good!! I sent some with her and my husband to take to their workplace today. Waiting for reviews. ?
I used the truffle icing…. And had to thin it down and add some sugar after chilling. Also chose to use recommended amount of vanilla extract and just a dab of peppermint. So so sooo good!!
This was the best review ever Kim, I’m so thrilled these were such a hit and they looked absolutely beautiful and perfect on social media!
I’m gonna be that annoying person that asks about subs and I’m sorry!! How do you think normal cane sugar (brown, white, or a combo of both) would work in this recipe?
I have been trying FOR YEARS to make the perfect gluten free vegan chocolate cake that actually tastes like chocolate and I am very hopeful about this recipe, I’m just very intolerant to coconut sugar 🙁
Hi Selena! Oh, you are fine, I’m always here to answer questions! I haven’t tried it with white sugar, but I’m sure it would work totally fine. White sugar is a tad sweeter, but the chocolate taste is so rich, it should be fine. And I promise you these are amazing and super chocolatey. Weigh the ingredients and they should turn out perfect!
Brandi, your pictures and muffins were so tempting I just could not resist making them yesterday…and they did not disappoint…they are light, tender chocolate heaven! I have been mostly grain free for a long time so I normally use almond or cashew flour for desserts. While I love those flours, I sometimes miss the light texture of regular flour. I am not sure how you got the light texture, but you nailed it!
The only change I made was in the amount of coconut sugar I used. My scale might not be accurate, but 216g turned out to be 1 3/4 cups and that just seemed like too much sugar. I reduced it to 138g which was a little over a cup and they were delicious. Also, they freeze well.
Thank you for sharing all your hard work!
That’s wonderful June! Yay! So happy you loved these! The 216g is actually correct, as I ONLY make my recipes according to the weights. (I don’t even get out the cups, haha) 1 tbsp coconut sugar is 12g and there’s 18 tablespoons sugar in the recipe. That’s why I list to not compare weights to cups, since it ends up just confusing people ?. I’m glad to hear they still tasted delicious though! The sweet frosting on top helps!
Thanks for the amazing recipe! New vegan here and I appreciated how easy it was to make these. They were so moist and delicious! I used 175g of sugar and I only had a dark chocolate bar of 72% so I used that and wow! My teens didn’t even know they were eating vegan! Thanks!
That is so wonderful to hear Esperanza, so thrilled these were such a hit and nobody knew they were vegan!!
Give me a moment to pick my jaw up off the floor ?? WHOA!!! These look incredible!!!! I’m almost at a loss for words…almost ? I was dying when I read the previous trial contained nine ingredients so you got it down to eight – I’m truly impressed with your dedication, my dear! I would have forgiven you for the extra ingredient, but I understand! Look at that beautiful texture and crumb ? and that ingredient list is blowing my mind. My mom’s birthday is next week so I think I have a perfect reason to make these beauties!! Can’t wait to try!! ❤️
AWw thank you so much my friend!! Girl, this recipe wore me out, hahaha. At a certain point, I wondered if I was going to get them down, but I’m determined and I can honestly say they are the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever had. I cannot wait to hear if you make them!! Yay! By the way, I emailed you a couple of months back, not sure you got itz (??), didn’t want you to think I never emailed back, haha. Hope you are doing well!! xoxo
These were phenomenal!!! Literally chocolate HEAVEN! So moist and fluffy and so wonderfully cake-y! My whole family was thoroughly impressed and could not believe they were gluten-free! You are a dessert wizard! ❤️ I think what really impressed me was how light the texture was…most gluten-free cakes/cupcakes are so heavy and dense. Definitely a keeper recipe!! Thanks for working so hard to create this!
P.S. – I’m sorry! I didn’t get an email from you…so I hope you didn’t think I was being rude! We will have to catch up soon 🙂
Yay!! So very happy you loved these my friend!! Yes, exactly, LOL, that is why I was so excited with this breakthrough of a gluten-free recipe, as they taste and texture-wise as good as the version with all-purpose, I swear I like them even better! I never thought I’d say I liked a brown rice flour baked good more than an almond flour one, haha, but these are so much lighter and not dense like you said! I can’t wait to continue to use it in other recipes! So sorry the email didn’t go through, I will resend it! Thanks my friend for making these, it means to much!!
Hi Brandi, I have been following your recipes for a while. Thanks for doing such an awesome job!
You make cooking for my two vegan boys so easy. They love the alfredo sauce. In this recipe
Can cocoa powder be subbed with cacao powder?
Hi Mona, so happy to hear that! Thank you for the kind words! Yes, I think that should be fine!
Do you think this would work in a bundt pan?
Hi Cici! I’m not sure, as I’ve never tested it personally. Bundt pans are trickier since they are so deep and require longer baking times. You can always try it and see.
My grandson says these are a “win, win” He has a birthday coming up and can’t have dairy or gluten. These will be perfect.
Yay, wonderful to hear Connie!
WOW i can not wait to make these?
just one question can we use chocolate bar instead of nibs?
Many thanks
Penny
Hi Penny! Do you mean instead of chocolate chips? Nibs are very different.
Yes sorry instead of chocolate chips? Looks amazing I can’t wait to try them
Yes, as long as it’s 69 or 70% dark chocolate, you should be fine! Just chop it up finely before melting 🙂
YAY. thank you so much. xo
Hi Brandi!
I’m planning on making these for a wedding party event this week and am wondering if they will dry out too much if I make them 2 days in advance? I’m also planning on making some of the wedding cupcakes from the recipe you have on another post, but noticed that you recommend making them the day of because they will start to dry out after the first day (which I’m planning to do for those). Will these chocolate cupcakes be okay for two days in a fridge inside some cupcake storage/travel trays? …. I’m really looking forward making and sharing these!!
Hi Zeb! These cupcakes stay really moist and delicious by the next day still! 2 days may be pushing it a bit, but they are still delicious. Just make sure to store them at room temperature and NOT in the fridge (which will dry them out quicker). Keep them covered tightly in a cake dome or something so air doesn’t get to them. Yes, definitely do the vanilla wedding cupcakes the day of. They are absolutely DIVINE and buttery and significantly start to dry out the next day because of the heavy starch content, but are magical butteriness the first 24 hours. Just make sure to follow the steps on the coconut butter and weigh everything and you should be good to go! 🙂
Good Day,
I am trying to purchase your The Vegan 8 cookbook via Amazon but it shows a price over $75! Surely that cannot be correct, right? Where might I purchase your book at a more rational price?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Cliff! No, don’t pay that! That is from 3rd Party sellers, not Amazon. The reason is as of last week through Amazon in the US, my book completely SOLD OUT! There are I’m sure some still in inventory at certain areas at local bookstores, so you could try calling certain Barnes & Noble locations to see if some are in stock or use their search location tool online. I talked to my publisher last week and they are in the process of ordering another large printing of books, but said it could take weeks.
So, the best option currently is to buy the kindle version, or find it locally still in inventory at a book store. I’m just waiting until they tell me more will be available through Amazon. I sold so many, they didn’t anticipate running out. Here is the search tool to “check availability at stores” on the Barnes & Noble site. Some locations still have them in stock. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vegan-8-brandi-doming/1128378555?ean=9780848757076#/
Hello Brandi,
Would it be ok to sub the coconut sugar with monk fruit sugar instead?
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi! I’ve never tried monk fruit, so I don’t know what the flavor is like at all, but if it tastes like sugar, you can always try it!
Would almond milk work instead of coconut milk?
Thanks
Hi Miriam, no unfortunately it will not yield the same results. I actually address this in the post and the reason why I use it. “This milk is crucial to the moisture level and fluffy texture, it is NOT the same as other milks.” The cupcakes would be more dry and not nearly as fluffy with almond milk since the fat in it is much less and it has additives.
Can I use this recipe for making a whole cake?
Hi Larissa, I have not tested it but it might work. The cupcakes are perfect and hold together well, so I not sure transferring the recipe into a full size cake, as that doesn’t always work out. I have been planning to test it as a cake as well.
Love love this recipe! I was wondering if you’ve ever made this recipe as a full size cake? If so what size pan and does the time differ at all? Want to make this recipe for a Halloween cake! Thanks in advance!
Hi Brandi!! These look amazing! I’m going to make them for my dad’s birthday tomorrow and have been reading the comments. I couldn’t find lite coconut milk but I do have regular…could I do half regular coconut milk half water?
Hi Sarah, yes, that should work close enough! Separately mix the milk/water first, then add the gram amount to it!
Hi Brandi, I can’t wait to make these!! Can you tell me the nutrition facts?
Hi Risa! I haven’t done it yet. I will do it this week!
It’s updated now under NOTES on the recipe card!
Sorry, I meant the 365 Whole Foods brand can of coconut milk .
Yes, if it’s the lite version, not the full fat, it should work fine!
Can’t wait to try these tomorrow for my kid’s birthday!
Can I please ask if you’ve tried using this recipe to make a cake (6’) – how long should it be in the oven for and how long should it be kept in the tin to cool? Thanks much!
Hi Rhonda! This will make way too much batter for a 6 inch cake. I’ve never tried that, but it makes 15 cupcakes so you would need to divide it between two 8 inch round pans I believe for it to work right. As far as baking time, 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean as noted in the directions.
Thanks! I will test it out tomorrow 🙂
20-25mins is for cupcake size right? I’d assume for a 6’ cake a longer baking time would be required…
Cake in my tummy! It does indeed have a more cakey texture than other gf vegan cakes I’ve tried but I found it abit chewy especially the sides and bottom of cake. Not sure why? The things I did differently was to use coconut cream diluted in water (around 60 water:40 coconut cream) as well as use 70% dark chocolate block instead of chips (Alter Eco brand from Australia). Do you think that caused the chewier texture? I didn’t mind it though and my kids didn’t either – they loved it!
Ps I baked my 6’ cake for 42mins at your recommended temp and it was fine
Yes Rhonda, it was chewy at the sides and bottom because you put all that batter in a 6 inch pan. 42 minutes is a really long time for such a small cake. As I noted above, that’s way too small of a pan to cook all that batter in, which will cause the sides and bottom to overcook and become chewy since it will take longer for the middle to cook in such a tall cake. That’s why I recommended doing two 8 inch cakes so the texture turns out perfect then! If you try that, the sides will match the center texture.
Oh my goodness!!! THESE WERE DELICIOUS! My non-vegan family even loved them! Last Saturday was my 40th birthday. I needed something vegan, oil free, and gluten free for my husband and I, and needed cashew free for my brother. These were perfect. I frosted them with your vegan strawberry buttercream, and made your white chocolate vanilla bean ice cream. Your recipes will definitely be my go to! I even had a vegan GF cupcake at a restaurant a few days later to compare, and your cupcake was much more moist, and had a better flavor! Thank you for all your hard work! Now I need to go buy your cookbook!!! ?❤️
Oh wow, Kimberly! This was such a wonderful review for me to read! Happy birthday, first of all, and so exciting to hear you made the cupcakes, strawberry buttercream and the vanilla bean ice cream, and loved all, YAY! Thank you so much for making them all! 🙂
Hello, I was wondering if I could use this to make a cake. Would it work in an 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 pan?
You can try it, but I’ve never tested it. I am not sure it would be enough for a square baking dish as it’s not a lot of flour and typically my 8×8 square cakes are more like 1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups flour, so it would be a really short cake. I think it would work better in a 9 inch round cake pan, but you can always experiment.
The best vegan cupcakes I have ever made. A total winner. Thank you Brandi I will
Be making more!! Thanks for your support and post on Instagram.
They were SO beautiful Carolyn! I’m so happy loved both these cupcakes and my vanilla buttercream frosting!!
I was excited to make these and pretty confident they would taste good. But OMG! I never imagined them tasting this good! It is definitely necessary to wait for them to cool completely. I only waited 30 minutes because I was so anxious to try them and they were very good. However, the next day after having been refrigerated…DELICIOUS!! I didn’t make an icing because I don’t typically love icing, they don’t need an a icing anyway. SO YUMMY. I will definitely be making these forever!
Yay Stephanie! I’m really glad to hear you loved these so much, thank you for making and reviewing them!
Cannot wait to make these!! And I am buying your book 100%!!!
Can you please do a red velvet version too. Would be great for Valentine’s.
So kind, thank you so much! Yes, it’s in the list, thank you! Let me know after you make these!
Wowie!!! This recipe is amaaaaazing! Thank you so much! I am horrible at following instructions hahaha but I did it and they look and taste nothing like I thought they would. They’re moist, spongey and not too sweet. Stoked!
Yay!! So glad to hear they turned out so perfect!!
These cupcakes are perfection in baked good form. I’ve made the cupcakes three times now and they’re incredible every single time. Every person, non vegan and non gluten free people, have LOVED them! Seriously, this recipe is a masterpiece!
Sorry I missed this comment Alee! That is so amazing to hear how much everybody loved these and that you’ve made them multiple times! Thanks so much for the review!
Could I use arrowroot instead of tapioca?
Could I use full fat coconut milk instead of lite?
Hi Kristen! To be honest, I’m not a fan of arrowroot. Everytime I’ve tried to bake with it, I’ve found the texture to turn out dense/gummy and unpleasant. So, I don’t recommend it in place of tapioca. Tapioca does a great job of binding, giving moisture and fluff.. The next best sub for tapioca is cornstarch (same weight), it gives very similar results, just slightly drier. But the cupcakes are so moist I think it should be fine. I haven’t tested it with cornstarch, but that would be my suggestion. No, full fat coconut milk has 3 times the amount of fat as lite coconut milk so that would make these way too dense and rich. You can try making lite by adding the coconut milk to a blender and adding 2 cans of water and blending and then measuring the 405 grams. Again, haven’t tested that, but it is what I would suggest if you don’t want to buy lite. There is a lot of milk in this recipe, which contributes hugely to the end result, so hopefully it works if you go that route.
Uh the measurements for the coconut sugar you have posted do not add up! The grams are waaaay more the the standard measures! I followed your advise and measured with a scale precisely and they where a gooey mess!! Thank goodness I didn’t pour out the second batch into the liners yet that I made before the first batch was baked. I just doubled my 2nd batch minus the sugar and combined them then did a testing with a single cupcake. Thank goodness that worked. Might want to update the ingredients list!!
Actually, no, it is accurate. I wrote the recipe with those weights and every one of my recipes is tested using the exact gram weights listed. I don’t even use the cups. I can’t state to why yours didn’t turn out right without being there, but 1 tbsp coconut sugar is 12grams. The recipe calls for 18 tablespoons (1 cup + 2 tbsp) which is exactly 216 grams. Even a bag of coconut sugar gives that exact gram weight on my bag. Perhaps your measurements were off on the other ingredients, under baking or environment/location you are in, different brands milk used, etc. could be contributing factors. But I’ve made these cupcakes as have many other readers above using the weights as well and it works perfectly every time. I only ever post a recipe that 100% works after multiple trials. This is why I say to not compare cups to grams, we all scoop or measure differently. I post what has been extensively tested in my kitchen. Unfortunately, not all kitchens or environments, altitudes or ovens perform the same, so I have no way of knowing what happened on others’ ends. Especially if somebody changes ingredients or subs them.
I have been living with Celiac disease for 10 years, so I have done my fair share of gluten-free baking, and it is refreshing to find a cupcake recipe that isn’t simply “use your favorite GF flour blend in this otherwise regular cupcake recipe”. My boyfriend is also allergic to a number of things, including gluten, dairy, eggs, and nuts, which is what caused me to come across this recipe! It was his birthday a couple of days ago and I thought I had to make these for him. I used weight for everything except the sugar, because I did not have coconut sugar and knew the weight would not translate. They are as delicious as everyone says, except I had one issue. I do not have regular cupcake pans with 12 portions, I have 2 pans that have 6, so I couldn’t portion is out equally between 15 cupcakes. Because of your note that cautions the baker not to overfill, I used a 1/4 cup measure, and even used a bit less than a 1/4 cup on several, and they still ended up falling 🙁 I also was able to get much more than 15 out of the batter using that measure. I ended up with about 20!
Other than that, these are great and my boyfriend was very pleased.
So glad they were delicious Emma! Perhaps your pan was the kind where the muffin tins were smaller, because that is so odd to get that many cupcakes and them to fall. Mine are always so high and very rounded and fluffy! What brand of coconut milk did you use? Since the coconut milk is a huge amount and part of the success of the cupcakes rising, that is why I ask. There are some brands that are not that great and will result in a denser/less fluffy result. But glad they were so delicious!
I too had the issue of the weight of coconut sugar not matching the weight on my scale. When I measured 1 cup + 2 tbsp I got 160 g. But you are right about measurements on the bag, it should be 216 g.
Hi! Yes, this is why I note to not even compare measurements of cups to the weight, it’s not needed, because the gram weights I’ve already provided. ALL my recipes are tested specifically using weight and cups vary by brand, so they will never be accurate, which is why measuring by cups is so unreliable. It’s so much easier just to follow the recipe using just the scale and then, hit zero, add each ingredient straight from the container, hitting zero each time. I’ve taken out that step for everyone not needing to bother with several measuring cups. ?
Yes I read all your instructions and know all of that, but just thought it was worth mentioning for anyone who doesn’t have a food scale. I went with the lesser quantity of sugar because I tend to reduce sugar in everything and at 75% sweetness it came out perfect, the rise was not affected. Just thought you’d like the feedback! Thanks for a great recipes. It’s my moms 70th birthday tomorrow and she will be delighted.
That’s wonderful to hear April! Happy birthday to your mom! Yes, I totally hear you. I just mention that because so often people will get mad (I’ve had people yell at me in the comments for it believe it or not haha) or worried that their cups don’t match the weight when using their scale, so to avoid confusion, I mention to save the time and stress of that step anyways since the weight is how they are tested. Thank you so much for making them!
Thank for this amazing recipe Brandi! I love that is made with brown rice flour for a healthier alternative. I made a cake (split batter into 2 8inch rounds baked for 24 min) and it turned out nice!
Yay! So glad you loved the recipe Mea!
Is there any flour that would be a good sub for the brown rice flour?
Hi Teresa! I really don’t think so because through all my trials, it was this exact flour combo that gave such amazing texture that tastes just like a traditional regular flour cupcake. If you don’t need it to be gluten-free, you can make my regular ones that use all-purpose flour. The only other flour I can think that closest resembles to brown rice flour, is raw buckwheat flour. It is gluten-free (it’s not wheat). Raw is important for the taste and texture. Don’t buy the really gray colored one, it’s not good for baking, it should be the light beige-colored one. I actually make my own by buying raw buckwheat groats (make sure not to buy the toasted buckwheat groats!). These are the kind to buy: https://amzn.to/2LDyBFW
I grind it into a fine flour in my vitamix. If you don’t have a vitamix though, I’d suggest buying the flour instead. It needs to be fine.