These rich and tender Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes are unbelievably good, and so easy to make! Made with wholesome ingredients and without refined sugar, these cupcakes are gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo-friendly. Top them with your favorite store-bought or homemade frosting for the perfect treat for any occasion.
Jump to:
Healthier baking is where I shine. I love almond flour for baking, especially when paired with tapioca starch. You can achieve just the right texture - light and moist muffins, chewy cookies, and tender quick breads using a combination of almond flour and tapioca starch.
You cannot convince me that these almond flour chocolate cupcakes are not the best thing ever. They are densely chocolatey with an amazing texture, yet healthier and friendly for people with dietary restrictions (dairy-free, gluten-free & grain-free!). Paired with this 5 Minute Dairy-Free Frosting and they taste like everything you want a Hostess cupcake to be.
I'm the self-proclaimed queen of almond flour recipes. If you need other phenomenal recipes using almond flour, try these Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies, these Almond Flour Cocoa Cookies, these Almond Flour Banana Nut Muffins.
What I Love About This Recipe
These cupcakes are my new go-to for birthday parties, holidays, and sometimes just because. Here is why I love them:
- Easy to Make — This recipe is a simple one-bowl recipe with no special tools required. Just bake them, frost them, and bask in the simplicity.
- Wholesome Ingredients — The taste and texture of these almond flour cupcakes are divine, but they're dairy-free, grain-free and gluten-free. With added protein from the almond flour and no refined sugar, who could say no?
These Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting are another celebration favorite of mine!
Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
Blanched Almond Flour - Costco ultra fine blanched almond flour is a baking staple in my house. It is a great deal and it works wonderfully for baking. Keep in mind that almond meal is not the same as blanched almond flour. It is grittier and contains the skin of the almonds, and won't produce the same perfect texture for these cupcakes.
Tapioca Starch - Also called tapioca flour, tapioca starch adds a lightness to baked goods made with almond flour.
Cocoa Powder - Use 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder. I really like Hershey's Special Dark 100% Cacao Powder for a rich chocolatey flavor. Because we use so much cocoa powder in this recipe, it is important to use one that you enjoy the flavor of!
See the full ingredient list and measurements in the recipe card below.
Possible Substitutions & Variations
- Tapioca starch is sometimes called tapioca flour - these can be used interchangeably. Cassava flour would be the best substitution if you cannot find this ingredient. Arrowroot flour may work but I haven't tested this sub and worry about making substitutions with ingredients that are used in high volume in a recipe.
- Using pourable full fat canned coconut milk (like Organic Thai Kitchen which stays liquid at room temp) will make these cupcakes less crumbly, but water or any other milk alternative can be used.
- Olive oil can replaced with avocado oil, or melted and slightly cooled coconut oil or butter.
- Coconut sugar can be replaced with brown sugar, or granulated maple sugar.
- Maple syrup can likely be replaced with honey but I haven't test this substitution.
- I don't recommend egg replacements in this recipe. Paleo baking can be a little finicky and using an egg replacement may cause this recipe to fail.
If you try any substitutions in this recipe, please let us know what works in the comments below!
How to Make Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until the cocoa is evenly dispersed and there are no lumps. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk together until a smooth batter forms but avoid overmixing.
Step 3: Divide the batter equally among the wells of a 12-count muffin tin lined with paper liners. Each liner should be about ¾ the way full. To ensure the cupcakes are the same size, use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop and make sure each scoop is scant and level.
Step 4: Place the cupcakes in an oven preheated to 350 F and bake for 18-22 minutes (20 minutes was perfect for my oven), or until you can poke the center of a cupcake with a toothpick and have it come out cleanly. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting..
Dairy-Free Frosting
This 5 Minute Dairy-Free Frosting is an easy and delicious topping for these cupcakes! To make it, you'll need palm shortening (or all vegetable shortening made with 100% pal fruit oil), powdered sugar, pourable full fat coconut milk or dairy-free milk, sea salt, and vanilla extract.
If you can tolerate butter, this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is another great option!
Commonly Asked Questions
Store almond flour cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They will soften when stored, and can be stored in the fridge to extend the shelf life - storing in the fridge may cause them to dry out a bit.
These cupcakes can be made ahead and frozen for longer storage. To do so, allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then wrap them in plastic wrap (I like the Press and Seal wrap) and place them in a freezer bag. Additionally, to protect against freezer burn, I also wrap the bag in tin foil. The cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the cupcakes at room temperature for about 2 hours or overnight.
They freeze best when frozen the day you bake them because the tops are kind of crispy the first day and won't stick to plastic.
If you measured all ingredients accurately, this is likely due to over-mixing (because the leavening agent gets activated before the baking begins so the cupcakes do not rise properly) or underbaking (if the center of the cupcake is uncooked, the cupcake will sink in the middle). Mixing the dry ingredients separately to distribute the baking powder is helpful to prevent over-mixing. Using the "poke method", by poking the center of a cupcake with a toothpick to assess if it comes out cleanly, can mitigate sinking caused by underbaking.
Use a scant scoop when dividing the batter into 12 cupcakes or aim to fill each cupcake liner about ¾th of the way full. Doing so will prevent cupcakes from overflowing.
Not usually, but these cupcakes are! Baking without grains, dairy, or refined sugar open up a window to create delicious baked goods that fit into the paleo diet framework.
Dietitian Notes
- With 2 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein, these cupcakes are a healthier and more blood sugar stabilizing option compared to conventional cupcakes.
- Unsweetened cocoa is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols. Antioxidants in cocoa can inhibit or delay cellular damage by quenching free radicals.
Recipe Tips
- I like to lightly pack and then level a measuring cup when measuring almond flour. It tends to be a more accurate way of measuring almond flour vs. spooning and level. I also do this with tapioca starch because spooning and leveling starch is a joke and makes a huge mess.
- Mix the dry ingredients well! This is the time to get out all the lumps of cacao power and coconut sugar before the leavening agent is activated.
- Use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to divide the batter into 12 perfect cupcakes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent it from melting, especially if using dairy-free frosting which can have a lower melting point.
Try These Other Gluten-Free Treats
Looking for other tasty recipes? Here are a few you might like:
Did you try these Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes?
I would love to see how it went! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram or leave a comment on Pinterest.
Love this recipe? Connect with me by leaving a comment below! 😊
📖 Recipe
Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- 12-count muffin tin
- Paper Muffin liners
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Blanched almond flour (140 g)
- ¾ cup Tapioca starch (90 g)
- ½ cup Coconut sugar (80 g)
- ⅓ cup Unsweetened 100% cocoa or cacao powder (35 g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder paleo if needed
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- ½ cup Maple syrup (4 ounces/118 ml)
- ½ cup Olive oil (4 ounces/118 ml)
- 2 Eggs, large
- ¼ cup Milk alternative or water *see notes (2 ounces/59 ml)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until the cocoa is evenly dispersed and there are no lumps. Set aside.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk together until a smooth batter forms but avoid overmixing.
- Divide the batter equally among the wells of the 12-count muffin tin lined with paper liners. Each liner should be about ¾ the way full. To ensure the cupcakes are the same size, use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop and make sure each scoop is scant and level.
- Place the cupcakes in the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes (20 minutes was perfect for my oven), or until you can poke the center of a cupcake with a toothpick and have it come out cleanly. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
Notes
- I like to lightly pack and then level a measuring cup when measuring almond flour. It tends to be a more accurate way of measuring almond flour vs. spooning and leveling. I also do this with tapioca starch because spooning and leveling starch is a joke and makes a huge mess.
- Mix the dry ingredients well! This is the time to get out all the lumps of cacao power and coconut sugar before the leavening agent is activated.
- Use a scant level 2-ounce ice cream scoop to divide the batter into 12 perfect cupcakes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent it from melting, especially if using dairy-free frosting which can have a lower melting point.
- Tapioca starch is sometimes called tapioca flour - these can be used interchangeably. Cassava flour would be the best substitution if you cannot find this ingredient. Arrowroot flour may work but I haven't tested this sub and worry about making substitutions with ingredients that are used in high volume in a recipe.
- Using pourable full fat canned coconut milk (like Organic Thai Kitchen which stays liquid at room temp) will make these cupcakes less crumbly, but water or any other milk alternative can be used.
- Olive oil can replaced with avocado oil, or melted and slightly cooled coconut oil or butter.
- Coconut sugar can be replaced with brown sugar, or granulated maple sugar.
- Maple syrup can likely be replaced with honey but I haven't test this substitution.
- I don't recommend egg replacements in this recipe. Paleo baking can be a little finicky and using an egg replacement may cause this recipe to fail.
Amanda says
They're so good and so easy to make!