These homemade cupcakes are light, fluffy, and bursting with vanilla flavor. These gluten-free vanilla cupcakes taste just like they came from a bakery! These moist gluten-free cupcakes have a delicate crumb, a rich vanilla flavor, and a perfectly fluffy texture. Plus, I’ve included a dairy-free option so everyone can enjoy eating them!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
Cupcakes have been one of my family’s favorite ways to enjoy dessert. They are individually portioned and made with simple gluten-free ingredients. This recipe yields cupcakes that rise beautifully and remain light and airy, whether you’re baking for a birthday, a party, or simply because you’re in the mood.
I love these cupcakes for birthday parties because you can top them with any flavor of frosting. Want more delicious gluten-free cupcakes? I have a lot of great Gluten-Free Cupcake recipes on the blog!! This Gluten-Free Lemon Layer Cake recipe is a fan favorite.
(Here are photos of the cupcakes when I originally created the recipe in 2018.)
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Other blends should work. Adjust the moisture level with additional milk or flour, depending on the batter consistency.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon. Read more about why binders are important in gluten-free baking to learn more.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free for best results and no metallic aftertaste.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Dairy-Free Milk – I used almond milk. Other dairy-free and regular milk will work, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk because it will make the cupcake texture dense.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter or light oil if you are dairy-free.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – I do not recommend using imitation vanilla. Pure vanilla extract has a richer flavor, which will shine through in this recipe.
A Note From My Kitchen
I tested this recipe with both Bob’s 1:1 and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. Both flour blends worked really well. I recommend resting the cupcake batter for 15-20 minutes. This allows time for the rice flour to soften, eliminating any potential grittiness. Do not panic if your batter seems thicker or thinner than mine pictured below. Each flour blend varies, and it is normal to have to tweak the moisture levels with more flour or milk.
How to Make Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes (Step-By-Step)
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together. I prefer to use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients because it helps blend the ingredients more thoroughly.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. If you use butter or coconut oil that is solid, heat it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to partially melt.
Step 3: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Don’t overmix the batter; your cupcakes will turn out dense.
Step 4: Your batter should have a smooth consistency, as shown in the photo above.
Sandi’s tip to avoid gritty cupcakes: Some flour blends are grainier than others. If you use a grainy flour blend, let the batter sit for 15 minutes so the rice flour can soften.
Step 5: Line a muffin tin with parchment paper cupcake liners and fill each cup with cake batter. These are seriously the best…I hate eating cupcakes when they stick to the cupcake liner. You will never have this happen using parchment paper liners!
Step 6: Bake the gluten free vanilla cupcakes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes. After, use a knife to gently lift each cupcake out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Do not frost the cupcakes until they are cool!
Step 7: Mix the frosting ingredients in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. I like to make the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling. If you want to add color or flavor to your frosting, check out my Gluten-Free Frosting Guide for instructions and tips! Be sure to use one of these gluten-free sprinkles brands!
If you genuinely love vanilla, you MUST give this Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake a try. It makes a great birthday cake or even a wedding cake! Or, if you also love chocolate, you can make these delicious Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes and serve both flavors!!
Tips For Success
1. Do not overmix the cupcake batter. I do not recommend using a stand mixer to make gluten-free cake or cupcakes. Overmixing the batter will lead to denser cupcakes.
2. Use these parchment paper cupcake liners to prevent the cupcakes from sticking to the paper.
3. Have patience…don’t frost the cupcakes until they are fully cooled!
4. I recommend using the bake oven setting and not the convection setting for a more even bake.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This gluten-free cupcake batter can also be used to make a sheet cake or layer cake; it is very versatile!
You can easily make these ahead. You can prepare the batter up to two days in advance of baking the cupcakes, or you can bake the cupcakes without frosting and freeze them until you’re ready to use them.
These cupcakes will stay fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or the freezer for up to 4 months.
There are two common reasons for this. Did you open the oven door during baking? Did you use too much liquid in the batter?
This usually happens if you didn’t bake the cupcakes long enough or if you didn’t use enough flour. Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio, affecting the liquid levels.
Need more baking help? I wrote up all of my gluten-free baking tips to help you! Read my Gluten-Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide. It applies to cupcakes as well! You can also learn a lot from my Gluten-Free Muffin Troubleshooting Guide.
Easy Gluten-Free Cake Recipes:
If you love baking, I have lots of fun gluten-free cake recipes you can use to make cupcakes. Here are some favorites:
- The ultimate cake, we made this Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with Raspberries for Mr. Fearless Dining’s birthday!
- One of the best cake recipes, this Gluten-Free Lemon Bundt Cake is perfect for a party.
- This fluffy Gluten-Free Carrot Cake is delicious with cream cheese frosting.
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe? I would love to hear how it turned out, and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you).⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Homemade Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cups milk or non-dairy milk * see note
For Chocolate Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 4-5 tablespoons milk Add 1 tablespoon more if your frosting is too thick.
For Vanilla Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or non-dairy milk
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to bake 350º F and make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven so the cupcakes bake evenly. I recommend using the bake oven setting and not the convection setting for an even bake.
- Combine 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour blendhe flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend. I prefer to use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients because it mixes them more thoroughly.
- Add the partially melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk to a separate mixing bowl and whisk to combine. If you use butter or coconut oil and they are solid, heat them in the microwave for 20 seconds to partially melt them.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is "just barely mixed." If you overmix the batter, your cupcakes will turn out dense.
- Optional: Some flour blends are grainier than others. If you use a grainy flour blend, let the batter sit for 15 minutes so the rice flour can absorb the liquid.
- Line a muffin tin with parchment paper cupcake liners and fill each cup 3/4 full with the cake batter. You can use a large cookie or batter scoop to add the cupcake batter evenly.
- Bake the gluten free vanilla cupcakes at 350º F for 25-30 minutes. The best way to test whether cupcakes are baked is to insert a toothpick into the middle of one. If the toothpick comes back clean, the cupcakes are finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, they must be baked a little longer.
- Cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack. Do not frost them until they are finished baking.
Make the Frosting:
- Add the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk to a stand mixer bowl. Mix the frosting ingredients in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for 3-4 minutes until the buttercream frosting is fluffy. I like to make the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling.
- Put the frosting into a frosting pastry bag with a frosting tip. Fold the top edge of the bag over 2-3 inches and add the frosting with a large spoon to the bag. Unfold the top edge and twist the open end of the bag. Squeeze the bag to pipe frosting onto each cupcake.
- Store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend does not contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- I used almond milk, but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Be very careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing will make your cupcakes turn out heavy and dense.
- Use parchment paper cupcake liners to prevent the cupcakes from sticking to the papers.
- These cupcakes will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer. I recommend freezing the cupcakes without frosting and adding frosting when they are thawed.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Another fab recipe. Every one of her recipes are amazing and fool proof!!
You are so kind to say that, thank you! I am really glad you loved these cupcakes.
This is a really good cupcake recipe. I was worried that I might have over mixed the batter, but it still came out tender. I also used whole milk. I will definitely make this my go to recipe. Thank you so much.
I am so glad you loved these vanilla cupcakes, thank you so much for writing to tell me.
can I use regular milk for this recipe?
Hi Angela, regular milk is fine. Enjoy!
My go to recipe for cupcakes!!! Love these! Quick, easy, and delicious!!
I am so glad you love these cupcakes. They are one of my favorites as well. I also love that I can change up the flavor by using almond extract and other flavored extracts.
These are great.
I am so glad you loved these cupcakes. Thank you so much!
Hi, I made these cupcakes, doubled the batch because the liners I’m using are bigger than normal. My butter was in the freezer so I had to microwave it. I was very careful to not make it too hot and stirred it until I thought it was cool enough to use. As soon as I added it to the cold milk and eggs, it clumped up. When I took the cupcakes out of the oven, the wells had a lot of melted butter in them making the liners very greasy. I really hope they aren’t ruined as doubling the batch used a LOT of expensive ingredients. Can this recipe be made with canola oil instead of coconut oil? Thank you.
Hi Kathy, You mentioned that you used butter, but asked me about coconut oil, so I am not sure which you meant. The answer is yes, you can definitely use canola instead of coconut oil in this recipe.
Hi. Could I make this receipe into a 9 by 13 inch cake ? What adjustments would be needed?
Yes you can. You will need to bake it longer…I haven’t made this cake in that size pan so after 20 minutes you will need to do the toothpick test.
Do you melt the butter or cream it?
I soften the butter, but I am careful not to melt it 100% because I don’t want it to be too hot for the eggs.
What egg substitute would you use for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Queenie, I have not tested this recipe with any egg substitutes. Maybe someone will chime in if they have?
Made these in a mini muffin pan sprayed with avocado oil and filled with a raspberry fruit spread thinned with a little lemon juice for my daughter’s baby shower. Everyone loved them and the majority of folks did not know they were gluten free. I would like to reduce the sugar a bit. Any thoughts on doing so?
I am so glad everyone loved the cupcakes! I think you could reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup. Especially if you are frosting them.
I just made the vanilla cupcakes but used Earth Balance Butter sticks and Rice Milk. I also didn’t frost them and they are yummy!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Karen. Thank you for coming back to rate the recipe 🙂
Is there any sweetener in the batter?
I am not sure if I understand your question. There is 1 cup of sugar in the batter.
Made these for our daughters 7th birthday party, they were perfect!!!
I am so glad you liked them!!!
Does the butter for the cupcake part need to be softened or melted??
Hi Alli, I usually melt the butter for baking. Thanks for reaching out :-).
This looks like a good recipe to use, and I was wondering, is a flour blend the same as just flour? Thanks!?
Hi Clara, a gluten free blend includes several gluten free flours, starch, and a gum for binding. One single gluten free flour will not work in recipes very well. I tend to use King Arthur, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend and Authentic Foods MultiBlend mixes mostly
Hello ? this recipe looks great! Can I ask – is it ok to use normal cow’s milk rather than non-dairy milk? Thank you!
Hi Katie, I haven’t tested this recipe with cow’s milk. If you try it, please come back and let everyone know. Thank you!!
I needed a gluten free dessert for a party and I made these. They were so delicious and no one could tell they were gluten free! Thank you!
I am so glad everyone liked them Julie. Thank you for letting me know 🙂
These look like so much fun to make! I love little hidden surprises in cupcakes. I made one with a hershey kiss in it once and I like the idea of M&Ms for my grandson as those are his favorite. I’m always searching for great tasting gluten-free recipes and this one looks like a keeper.
I love the idea of filling these with M&Ms 🙂