These moist gluten free gingerbread cupcakes are loaded with lots of yummy gingerbread flavors. The creamy buttercream frosting is put on in a beautiful swirl and looks fabulous—dust with cinnamon and sugar, or top with a mini gingerbread cookie as a garnish.
These elegant gluten free gingerbread cupcakes just scream the holidays! They are perfect for all your holiday entertaining and taste phenomenal. Serve these gingerbread cupcakes, and they will go so fast there won’t be a crumb leftover.
Don’t you love all the holiday flavors? Gingerbread, cinnamon, pumpkin, cranberries, the list goes on and on. There are many things to love about the holiday season, but my favorite is spending time with family making tasty treats.
If you love cupcakes as much as we do, I have a lot of fun gluten free cupcake recipes to make!
Why you need to try this gluten free gingerbread cupcake recipe:
Okay, maybe it’s eating the tasty treats, but you get the idea. I love these gluten free gingerbread cupcakes because not only do they taste great, but are a blast to decorate. Oh, and I should tell you that the aroma while they are baking, is out of this world.
If you love gingerbread flavor, try this easy Gluten Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake and this Gluten Free Gingerbread Biscotti, too!
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 just 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.
- Butter – To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- Non-dairy milk – I used almond milk, but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk. This is a good write on whether almond milk is gluten free.
- Molasses – You can use regular or blackstrap molasses. Check this list to ensure your molasses is gluten free.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger – Most spices are gluten free, but if shared equipment is an issue for you, I recommend using Penzey’s or McCormick spices that are gluten free.
Recipe step-by-step directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend them.
Step 2: In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend. I melt the butter so it warms the molasses, making it easier to mix.
To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale.
Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
Use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
HINT: Mix the wet and dry ingredients until they are just barely mixed. This will keep your cupcakes more fluffy.
Step 4: This is what your cupcake batter should look like.
Step 5: Line your cupcake tin with parchment paper cupcake liners and fill each ¾ full with the cupcake batter.
Step 6: Mix up the frosting in a standing mixer. Add it to a piping bag and use a medium star tip to swirl the frosting. If you would like it to be like a flower, start in the center and work your way out.
If you are looking for gingerbread cookies, this gluten free gingerbread shortbread is also tasty and festive.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
Unfortunately, once in a while, when you bake cupcakes, the centers can fall. This can happen due to a variety of reasons. One reason could be that the oven is hotter than you think. Check the temperature with a thermometer to see if it’s heating too high. If it is, then adjust the temp to lower it before baking.
Another reason for the centers to sink is that if you overmix the batter, air bubbles will form and then pop from the heat. When baking, just mix the batter until it’s barely mixed. If you stir it too much, the cupcake will be dense and not as good.
You can store the gluten free gingerbread cupcakes in a storage container in the refrigerator. Just remember to keep them airtight and always cold so they last longer. They will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze gingerbread cupcakes. Keep them wrapped and in a sealed container. They will last 1-2 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to serve them, place them in the refrigerator until they thaw, then devour them.
If you’re new to gluten free dining, I want to make sure you have all the right tools to get started. Have a peek at my Gluten Free Pantry Essentials and Equipment Recommendations to get you started. There are all sorts of helpful information to guide you along the way.
More delicious gluten free gingerbread recipes:
- Gluten Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Holiday Gluten Free Gingerbread Biscotti
- Our Favorite Gluten Free Pfeffernusse Cookies
- Holiday Gluten Free Gingerbread Linzer Cookies
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend *see note
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup molasses
- 3 eggs large
- 1 ¼ cups almond milk * see note
For Frosting:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons almond milk * Add up to 2 more TBSP depending on how thick you want your frosting.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend them together.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend. I melt the butter so it warms the molasses, making it easier to mix.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until they are just barely mixed. This will keep your cupcakes more fluffy.
- Line your cupcake tin with parchment paper cupcake liners and fill each ¾ full with the cupcake batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes until done. 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.
- Remove the cupcakes to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting them.
- Mix up the frosting in a standing mixer. Add it to a piping bag and use a medium star tip to swirl the frosting. If you would like it to be like a flower, start in the center and work your way out.
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.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- These cupcakes will keep for 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.
can you tell me what is sprinkled on top of the icing?
Hi Jeannie, it is a dash of ground nutmeg 🙂
Delicious. Made these for a high school band Christmas party. Only change was I made cream cheese frosting.
I am so glad the kids enjoyed the cupcakes. Have a Merry Christmas!
Did you freeze with the buttercream frosting on your cupcakes?
Hi Doreen, I highly recommend freezing without the frosting.
These were so good. I was out of almond milk but I remembered my mom used tea in her molasses cake so I subbed with black tea. Worked out beautifully. Thank you for sharing this recipe 👍
That is a cool tip, thank you so much Dianne. I am so glad you loved this recipe.
Curious as to why the butter and sugar aren’t creamed together? The look of the lumpy butter is stressing me out lol
I soften my butter, so there aren’t lumps. If you want to cream them together, it should be fine but mix in the dry ingredients by hand.
This recipe has way too much molasses. That’s all you taste. I’d cut it in half
I am glad you will reduce the amount. I find everyone has a different preference for the molasses flavor.
What could you use instead of molasses to make this a sugar free recipe (will substitute a sweetener for the sugar).
Hi Nancy, I have not tested making this sugar free so I do not know how to advise you.
If you have the weights for ingredients, it would be wonderful if you would include them for folks (like me) who do have kitchen scales and prefer to use them for more accurate measurements. These cupcakes sound great and I am looking forward to trying them! I have a silicone gingerbread person pan/mold that might work well.
Hi Elle, I don’t like to measure my ingredients because every single gluten free flour blend weighs something different. It would be impossible for me to test these with multiple flour blends due to the cost of ingredients. I do give several good tips for measuring your flour in the post.
this is for Elle:
Since going gluten-free, like you, I have found weighing my ingredients works much better. When I find a recipe I really want to try (like this one) that does not have weights included, I have had luck using the weights on the bags of flour.
For example, Bobs Red Mill has 1/4 cup at 37g so two cups would be 296g. I haven’t tried it with this recipe yet but I recommend giving it a try. Hope this helps.
to clarify. This weight is with Bobs red Mill 1:1 flour