Life will never be the same after you sink your teeth into these gluten free caramel cupcakes! The flavor is so irresistible that you will find yourself going back for more. Friends and family will never know these easy caramel cupcakes are gluten free!

A caramel cupcake with frosting piped like flower petals on a plate.

My daughter has been at it again with decorating these gluten free caramel cupcakes. Each decorated cupcake is beautifully elegant with a rose petal design. I seriously don’t think they could have turned out more gorgeous…I am definitely not a biased mom!

If you want to decorate this easy caramel cupcake recipe like she did, you just need the Wilton cupcake decorating frosting tips. I promise you don’t have to be a professional to get this result! My daughter watched this Video by Wilton and had fun.

The creamy caramel flavor of this moist cupcake paired with the caramel buttercream frosting is a combination made in food heaven. Rich, decadent, and drool-worthy yummy!

If you love frosting flowers, you will want to make these Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes. Their floral frosting design is so cute!! Here is a video to show you how to pipe flowers for cupcakes.

Allergen Information:

This recipe is gluten-free, oat-free, nut-free, and soy-free. If you use dairy-free caramel, the cupcakes are dairy-free. Use plant-based butter for the frosting. I share a dairy-free caramel recipe below.

The top view of gluten free caramel cupcakes decorated like roses.

Reader Rave

Made them today. Tasty lil buggers, lol. FYI…I used Cup4Cup GF Flour.” Lisa M., Facebook comment

If you love these cupcakes with caramel frosting, you should check out all my other delicious gluten free cupcake recipes! There are so many tasty treats that deciding which one to bake first is the hardest part!

A gluten free caramel cupcake on a plate with the paper liner peeled.
Top Pick
King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour 3 lbs

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.)

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Ingredient Notes:

If you haven’t baked gluten-free cupcakes or need some modifications due to food allergies, I am happy to help!

  • Gluten free flour blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend, Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend, and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes. You can read here more about my favorite gluten free flour blends for making cakes.
  • Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon. If you are gum-free, use my DIY Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend to make these cupcakes. (Note: try to use the psyllium husk powder I did, or another that won’t turn the baked goods slightly purple.)
  • Non-dairy milk – I used almond milk, but other dairy-free milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk. You can also use regular milk.
  • Caramel – It is important to check the ingredients to ensure no gluten in the caramel color. I used Trader Joe’s caramel sauce, which is gluten free.

Are you ready to make these delicious cupcakes for yourself? If you are newer to gluten free baking, here are some of my best Gluten Free Baking Tips to help you get started.

Step-By-Step Directions:

A bowl with the caramel cupcakes dry ingredients.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Next, add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to blend.

Wet ingredients in a bowl ready to whisk.

Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a separate bowl and whisk to blend.

The wet ingredients were poured over the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just barely mixed.

You never want to overmix your cupcake batter. If you do, you will break up the little air bubbles, and your cupcakes will turn out much denser. For this reason, I do not recommend a standing mixer.

The cupcake batter in a bowl.

This is what your cupcake batter will look like.

📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.

Cupcake batter in a lined muffin tin ready to bake.

Step 4: Add the cupcake batter to a lined muffin tin. Use a cookie scoop to use the same amount of batter in each section. This will help ensure your cupcakes turn out all the same size! I like to use Parchment Paper liners when I bake. (I recommend filling each no more than ¾ full.)

Your cupcakes often stick to regular paper liners, which drives me nuts. The parchment paper liners make everything no-stick!

Step 5: Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes. To test if your cupcakes are done baking, insert a toothpick into a cupcake. If the toothpick comes back clean, your cupcakes are finished baking. If you see crumbs or batter, they must be baked a little longer.

Allow cooling while you mix up the frosting (see the recipe below). Frost your cupcakes and enjoy! This video will walk you through how to decorate cupcakes as flowers.

Change up the flavor:

  • Salt—You don’t have to put salt on the caramel cupcakes, but they taste amazing with it. If you have someone who can’t have a lot of salt, feel free to omit it. Who doesn’t love salted caramel?
  • Mini Chocolate Chips – Add some mini chocolate chips to the frosting for an over-the-top delicious experience.
  • Chocolate Shavings—Add a few chocolate shavings to the top of the cupcake for added flavor and to enhance the look.
  • Toasted Coconut – Sprinkle toasted coconut on top of the gluten free cupcakes. Toast coconut in a pan without any oil while stirring continuously. It is ready when the edges have turned light brown.

Recipe FAQ:

Can I make this caramel cupcake recipe dairy-free?

You can definitely make this recipe dairy-free using non-dairy milk. You would also need to find dairy-free caramel. As for the frosting, it may be a little tricky. You can use non-hydrogenated palm shortening instead of butter.

Can I freeze these cupcakes?

Yes, you can freeze easy caramel cupcakes. They are best if you DON’T frost them ahead of time and freeze the cupcake. If you want to freeze the frosting, put it separately in freezer bags. The most important part is making sure that they are stored in an airtight container.

When ready to serve, you can thaw them on the countertop until they have defrosted. Decorate and devour!

How do you store these cupcakes?

Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They will keep up to 4 days.

A fork next to a gluten free caramel cupcake.

Love This Recipe?

If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This helps others know that this recipe is delicious. Thank you!

Gluten Free Caramel Cupcakes

Sandi Gaertner
Delicious gluten free caramel cupcakes are perfect for a party. Use salt flakes to make these salted caramel cupcakes!
4.94 from 15 votes
gluten free allergy icon
nut free allergen icon
soy free allergy icon
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 285 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • â…› teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • â…” cup milk feel free to use non-dairy milk
  • 3 tablespoons light oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • â…“ cup caramel you may need to heat it to soften it enough to mix in
  • 1-2 tablespoons water as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350º F.
  • In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
  • In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is “just mixed.”
  • Add paper liners to a muffin tin. Fill each ¾ with cupcake batter.
  • Bake for 20 minutes until done.
  • remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  • Add the frosting ingredients to a mixer and whip the frosting.
  • Scoop frosting into a frosting bag and decorate each cupcake.

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
  3. To keep these cupcakes light and fluffy, do not overmix the batter.
  4. To make these cupcakes dairy-free, substitute vegan butter for the regular butter.
  5. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cupcakes need to bake longer.
  6. 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

Serving: 1gCalories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 129mgPotassium: 97mgFiber: 1gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 301IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg
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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.

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Recipe Rating




18 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These are delicious! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All purpose flour. Perfect crumb, slightly dense and moist. Made a DF dark chocolate ganache topped with hazelnuts in place of the buttercream as I couldn’t find DF caramel sauce.

  2. I haven’t made them yet, but I was wondering if you have used cream cheese instead of butter for the frosting?

    1. Hi Anabel, I haven’t tried that with this recipe. I do have a great cream cheese frosting recipe on my vanilla cake recipe, but it isn’t caramel flavored.

  3. 5 stars
    I just pulled a batch out of the oven, let them cool and tried one…holy heavenly cupcake…they’re amazing! I used melted unsalted butter instead of the oil for a bit more flavor, added a little extra salt and vanilla. This is a keeper recipe for sure!

  4. What GF brand caramel sauce did you use? I have given up on making/cooking caramel frosting I’ve tried many many years. It’s not pretty & at times an epic fail! Looking forward to giving this recipe a try. For my husband’s sake hoping it’s a success!
    Thanks
    Melissa

  5. These look amazing I love how pretty you made the frosting on the cupcakes! And thanks for the tip on freezing them. They will make a great snack when I need a quick treat.

  6. I have to say that both you and your daughter did a FANTASTIC job. The cupcakes look beautiful and who doesn’t adore caramel right? Looking forward to making these for the family!

  7. I loved this recipe! Mine definitely didn’t turn out as gorgeous as yours, but they sure tasted good!