This recipe is for my cupcake fans. Wait until you take a bite of these dairy-free gluten free vanilla cupcakes. They have a surprise inside! Pipe this delicious homemade chocolate frosting on top and you have a dessert that is sure to please everyone!
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Cupcakes have been one of our favorite ways to enjoy dessert. I like them because they allow me to control the portion of sweets more. Put a big cake in front of me, and I will eat way more than a cupcake amount!!
Do you ever feel this way? I seem to have no self-control when desserts are involved. Take this Gluten Free Lemon Layer Cake recipe or this Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe. I would want to cut myself a giant slice! And if you want to try something cool and different...give these Gluten Free Black Velvet Cupcakes a try!!
For the best gluten free cupcake recipes, check out my Gluten Free Cupcakes resource guide!!
Why Make Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes:
- These cupcakes are made with simple ingredients, most of which you already have in your gluten free pantry.
- They are easy to make and bake up light and fluffy!
- This easy gluten free vanilla cupcakes recipe comes with three recipe variations. Gluten free, dairy-free, and you can even make them refined sugar-free. Note if you use coconut sugar, these cupcakes will be golden if you use gold coconut sugar or more brownish if you use regular coconut sugar!
Made these 1/18/23 to take to my twin granddaughter’s birthday party. Came out perfectly! This is a keeper!"
Dee B., Pinterest comment
I love these cupcakes for birthday parties because you can top them with any frosting flavor.
If you are a coconut fanatic like me, you may also want to try making this easy Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes recipe!
Tips For Success:
- Do not overmix the batter.
- Use parchment paper liners to prevent the cupcakes from sticking to the papers.
- Do not frost your cupcakes until they are completely cooled.
I wrote up all of my gluten free baking tips to help you!
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
- Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Baking Powder - Use aluminum-free for best results.
- Eggs - Use size large.
- Almond Milk - Other dairy-free milk will work, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter.
- Pure Vanilla Extract - I do not recommend using imitation vanilla.
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
It is really easy to make cupcake frosting from scratch! The secret is ensuring your butter is softened to room temperature so that your frosting turns out smooth.
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and whisk them to mix them up.
Step 3: 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.
Your batter should have a smooth consistency, like in this photo.
Step 4: Line a muffin tin with parchment paper liners and fill each ¾ full with the cake batter.
Step 5: Bake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Step 6: Decorate with sprinkles. Check out my guide to all of the safe gluten free sprinkles brands!
Check out my gluten free vanilla cupcake web story too!
If you truly 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!!
Want to add color or flavor to your frosting? Check out my Gluten Free Frosting Guide for tips!
I made these yesterday! Delicious!"
Laura T., Pinterest comment
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
The best way to test whether cupcakes are baked is to insert a toothpick into the middle of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes back clean, they are finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, they need to be baked a little longer.
When your cupcakes turn out dense, it is because you over-mixed your batter. This can be a huge issue in gluten free baking. Mix your ingredients until they are just barely mixed.
These cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container or for up to 4 months in the freezer.
You can easily make these ahead. You can make the batter up to two days before baking the cupcakes, or you can make the cupcakes without frosting and freeze them until you are ready to use them.
The best way to make your cupcakes light and fluffy is to NOT overmix your batter. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until they are just barely mixed.
Often this can happen if you open the oven door while the cupcakes are baking. Another reason is if your oven wasn't at the right temperature when you put the cupcakes into the oven.
Variation:
Another fun idea is to fill these cupcakes. The secret is in this little middle scooper. That is probably not the real name of this handy $4 gadget, but what an awesomely fun way to fill the cupcakes!
Grab chocolate, pudding, sprinkles, M&Ms, or your favorite jam! I scooped out the middles of these cupcakes and added a seedless raspberry jam.
Filling ideas:
You can fill these gluten free vanilla cupcakes with jam, frosting, Nutella, or whipped cream, or stick a fresh strawberry inside! You can fill these with M&Ms or sprinkles to make a piñata cupcake…which is fun for birthday celebrations.
This gluten free cupcake batter can also make a sheet cake or layer cake...it is very versatile! All you need are a few simple ingredients!
Love this recipe!! Just used it for Birthday cupcakes!! Simple to make and absolutely delicious to eat!!"
Lisa P., Facebook comment
More Gluten Free Cake Recipes:
- The ultimate cake, we made this Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Raspberries for Mr. Fearless Dining's birthday!
- I love the added almond flour in this Gluten Free Orange Almond Cake because it adds a small protein boost.
- One of the best cake recipes, this Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake is perfect for a party.
- A popular recipe on my blog, this Gluten Free Creamy Apple Cake is completely fool-proof.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter (or coconut oil)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cups non-dairy milk * see note
- Optional filling like jam Nutella, etc.
For Frosting
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 12 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons milk You may need to add 1 tablespoon if your frosting is too thick.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a small bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a larger bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. You want the batter to be smooth, but not too runny.
- Add parchment paper cupcake/muffin liners to a muffin tin. Fill each ¾ with the cupcake batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes until done.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and put each cupcake onto a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Take the middle scooper if you want to fill your cupcakes and remove the middle of each cupcake.
- Fill each cupcake with your preferred topping. (There is a list in the post, but ideas include jam, Nutella, M&Ms, etc).
- In a mixer, add frosting ingredients and whip until thick and creamy.
- Put the filling into a frosting pastry bag. Make sure to put the frosting tip in! Add frosting, including over the hole with the stuffing.
- Serve and enjoy!
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 doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but 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.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcakes. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cupcakes need to bake longer.
- These cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
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.
Fearless Dining
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Davida
These are great.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved these cupcakes. Thank you so much!
Kathy
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.
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Sukh
Hi. Could I make this receipe into a 9 by 13 inch cake ? What adjustments would be needed?
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Karyn
Do you melt the butter or cream it?
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Queenie
What egg substitute would you use for this recipe? Thanks!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Queenie, I have not tested this recipe with any egg substitutes. Maybe someone will chime in if they have?
Melissa
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?
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Karen
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!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Karen. Thank you for coming back to rate the recipe 🙂
Pam
Is there any sweetener in the batter?
Sandi Gaertner
I am not sure if I understand your question. There is 1 cup of sugar in the batter.