These easy gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are super simple to whip up, use only one bowl, and have the perfect bakery style texture.
Gluten-free chocolate cupcakes have never been easier!
This gluten free chocolate cupcakes recipe was adapted from my Gluten Free Chocolate Cake.
If you are looking for an egg-free cupcake you might like my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes.
For more recipe ideas check out my Gluten Free Recipes archive.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Every time I see the pictures of these Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes I want to hop in the kitchen and bake up a batch.
This recipe is incredible and it remains one of my most favorite recipes. Hopefully you'll make some so you can see what I'm talking about.
You can't tell these cupcakes are gluten-free. They texture is amazing, the flavors perfectly balanced, and the recipe in its simplest form.
These Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes are the cupcake version of my Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake (which is my number one recipe on my site the past year).
I've received a lot of messages asking how to convert the recipe from cake to cupcakes.
There's no hard and fast secret on how to turn a cake into a cupcake, its simply an adjustment of bake time.
But because most bakers like to save or print recipes (me included), it's easier to adjust the recipe and SHOW how to make the cake into cupcakes vs. putting a foot-note somewhere on the cake recipe explaining how to make the cake into cupcakes.
It's easy to miss a note, so I created this post to help everyone make easy gluten-free chocolate cupcakes 🙂
Working with Gluten-Free Flours
When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour.
The best method really is to weight it but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.
There are a couple of tips and tricks to getting the right texture with gluten-free cupcakes. First, you have to follow the recipe.
So many people comment on recipe posts saying that they made a ton of substitutions and the recipe didn’t turn out.
Other than the dairy substitute, I haven’t tried other substitutes in this recipe. If you use substitutions, you are doing so at your own risk.
Second, you want to mix at the right time and not over-mix. When you are beating the ingredients you’ll want to beat it for the time listed.
This adds air which in turn helps the cake rise. Beating any longer will cause the batter to stiffen.
Both those tips are relevant to most cake and cupcake recipes, not just this Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes.
The gluten free chocolate cupcakes recipe is simple enough that anyone can make it. Take a peek at the video above to see just how easy it really is.
How to make gluten-free chocolate cupcakes
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps.
- Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for two minutes.
- Stir in boiling water.
- Spoon batter evenly into cupcake wells.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Frost and enjoy.
Everyone that has made these gluten-free chocolate cupcakes has raved about them.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
If you like cake then you’ll also love my Gluten-Free Lemon Cake and my Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.
I've got some tasty frosting options below but if you're looking for something special this Nutella Buttercream Frosting Recipe is to-die-for.
If you make these gluten-free chocolate cupcakes please stop back by and let me know what you thought!
Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
These easy gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are super simple to whip up, use only one bowl, and have the perfect bakery style texture.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour blend OR Bobs Redmill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 ½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
- ¾ cup boiling water (for activating the cocoa)
For the frosting:
- ½ cup butter (or dairy-free butter)
- 1 ½ teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk (or dairy-free milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Line two 12-serving cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps.
- Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for two minutes.
- Stir in boiling water.
- Spoon batter evenly into cupcake wells. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.
- For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add cocoa powder and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Slowly beat in milk. Beat in additional milk if needed, to obtain desired consistency.
- Frost cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 241mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 3g
Anahera
OMG,Thank you these are absolutely delish,you can’t tell they are gluten free,soo fluffy and moist.I am 11 and a non-celiac gluten intolerant and I made these for a birthday party and they were a hit!I used edmons gluten free plain flour and they came out perfectly,thanks again
Cindy
Made these for my daughters birthday. Have tried many recipes that say “ these don’t taste gluten free” and the texture was always gritty. Not these! Amazing. Best ever! Highly recommend.
Lindsey
Have you ever added espresso to bring out the yummy cocoa flavor in these chocolate cupcakes? or hot coffee instead of boiling water? About to try this recipe myself and wondered as I'm not used to baking gluten free goodies...I usually add espresso to my chocolate cake recipes (unless it's for kids! 😉
chrystal
Yes, I often use coffee instead of hot water in my gluten free chocolate cake recipe and in these chocolate cupcakes 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Jess
Can you turn these into a cake? I love the recipe so much and was wondering for a family members birthday.
chrystal
Yes, I have a cake version: https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/easy-gluten-free-chocolate-cake-11-ingredients/f
Best,
Chrystal
Done
These are delicious. I used almond milk and GF Bob’s Red Mill AP flour. I found a peanut butter frosting recipe and dropped a mini Reece’s peanut butter cup in each cupcake prior to baking. The batter was very runny so I was worried but they turned out perfectly.
Amy
OH MY GOODNESS..finally a real GF Cupcake. I am a baker and GF. I have tried so many recipes and this is THE ONE. I can not wait to try more of your recipes. These were so delish!! And NO ONE would ever believe these are GF. I can not thank you enough for taking the time to explain it all and I followed to a T. They were perfect! Also, I love your flour blend. I will be keeping that on hand! Thank you again!
chrystal
You are very welcome. I am so glad you loved them.
Best,
Chrystal
Andrea
This is a wonderful recipe, thank you so much!
I halved the recipe to just yield 12 and it worked perfectly. I used Cup 4 Cup flour and peanut butter cream cheese frosting, YUM!
Sharan Burley
Just made these for my son's birthday, I was sceptical as my first attempt at Gluten free baking was a disaster !! However these little beauties are fantastic. So light and moist. Definitely converted
chrystal
I am so glad you like them. I hope you find many more recipes that you love. Thank you for stopping by and letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Olivia Abraham
Omg I absolutely loved these they are the best GF cupcakes ever!!!
Caitlin
Hi there, have you ever tried to freeze these cupcakes?
I have anther birthday to bake for next month and curious if I could just freeze leftovers of these to use then?
chrystal
Yes, I like to freeze them without frosting and frost when I'm ready to use them.
Best,
Chrystal
Jacalyn Harrell
Would it work to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
chrystal
You can use any neutral oil of choice, or melted and cooled butter (the texture will vary slightly).
Best,
Chyrstal
Laura
These are the BEST gf chocolate cupcakes! My daughter requested them this week for her birthday, she’s doesn’t have Celiac like her Mom. Only difference she ask for was peanut butter frosting. Yummy like always. Thank you for this recipe.
chrystal
I am so glad you like them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Luise
Can your no. 1 gf flour blend be used in this recipe?
chrystal
Yes, you can use my flour blend in this recipe.
Best,
Chrystal
Zayne
Can I use oat flour instead?
chrystal
I'm not sure how much oat flour you'd need to use as oat flour isn't a 1-to-1 for other gluten free flours. Sorry I can't be more help!
Best,
Chrystal
Enass
Hi,
I just have a question about the baking of the cupcakes. When I baked the cupcakes I noticed that whilst heading towards the end of baking the cupcakes started to shrivel and sink whilst in the oven. Do you know why this may be happening and do you have any tips to help prevent this next time. Thank you
chrystal
Hi Enass,
They shouldn't do that. What flour blend did you use?
Best,
Chrystal
Marita
Hi 🙂 Sorry about the silly question but you are using the US 'customary cup' (236.588 mL) or the 'legal cup' (240mL) or the 'international cup' (250 mL)?
chrystal
Hi Marita,
I use US measurements. I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Annie
This is THE BEST gf cupcake recipe - I must have made them about 100 times . I do have one question though, my cupcakes always go very sticky on top and i’m not sure why - I always wait for them to cool fully (a few hours) before putting them in a container, so I was wondering if you know why this might be? But seriously these are delicious
chrystal
I am so glad you love them. I'm not sure why the tops are sticky for you. Do you live in a humid area?
Best,
Chrystal
Nahla Mahmoud
I followed the cupcake batter recipe exactly as described and they were delicious!! I always feel that gluten free cakes are gritty but these were perfect and so yummy. I will be making them for my daughters graduation party!
I didn’t use the buttercream frosting because my family and I like whip cream frosting.
chrystal
I am so glad everyone loved them. Thanks for sharing, Nahla!
Best,
Chrystal
Nahla Mahmoud
I also tried your gf vanilla cupcakes and followed the recipe 100% but the cupcakes stuck to the liners (the cupcakes were cold). I also felt it was a bit gritty.
I think the hot water in the chocolate cc recipe helps with making the gf flour more absorbent and not gritty. Do you think so?
I compared the two recipes ingredients and wanted to increase the vanilla recipe to make 24 cupcakes like the chocolate and adjust other ingredients to be like the chocolate recipe and maybe get better results without having it stick and be soft and fluffy.
I’m not very good at baking and don’t know how to play around with ingredients and exchange something for another.
So if I decided to increase each ingredient on the vanilla cc recipe to match the chocolate cc recipe and adding the 3/4 cup of boiling water, what can be exchanged in place of the cocoa powder and still have a good tasting vanilla cupcake?
I included a link for the vanilla cupcake recipe I used below.
https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-vanilla-bean-cupcakes/
chrystal
Hi Nahla,
I think it may be the flour blend you're using. The vanilla cupcakes don't stick to the liners, and they aren't gritty. The hot water does help with the chocolate cake but I haven't tried adding hot cocoa to vanilla cake. Maybe try letting the batter sit for 30 minutes to see if that helps your particular flour blend to absorb the liquid better.
Best,
Chrystal
Deb
These were excellent! Couldn't tell they were gf. My 8 year old grandson said they were much better than the $5+ ones from the bakery. Thank you!
Barbara Mongilutz
Made these for Easter dinner they were a big hit, I'm renting the recipe on to my granddaughter who is g/f she really enjoyed them. This reminds me of my mothers old recipe she made that I still make. I know when I saw it that would be good the hot water does it sometimes she used
Coffee.
Bri
Can you use any form of vegetable oil, like sunflower oil? Thank you!
chrystal
Yes, you can.
Best,
Chrystal
Linda
Wow! I can NOT believe how good these cupcakes are! I am not gf but my daughter-in-law is and I made them for her birthday. I used the Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose flour and substituted almond milk for the dairy milk and they turned out perfect! I was very skeptical because I am a batter taster (I know..bad habit) and the batter was not that great..had a funny taste. This made 25 cupcakes, so I had to try the extra one after it cooled. Amazing! The best cupcake I have ever had - even without frosting! I will definitely be trying your other recipes!
CK
So so good. Had to use a sweetened oat milk so I cut the sugar down to one cup. They were perfect.
GFMomma
Thank you so much for this recipe!! This is the first GF cupcake that my son didn't just eat the frosting! He ate the entire cupcake!!! I was a little concerned about the batter because it was so runny after the boiling water, but I just added about 1/8 cup flour and it was perfect! I was also worried about the frosting before I added the milk. It was basically powder! But it was AMAZING!!!
Emily Ferdinandi
Hello! I’m making these for someone who can’t eat eggs - is there a substitute you could suggest? Thank you!
Laura
Which nondairy milk would you recommend for this recipe?
chrystal
We like to use almond milk.
Best,
Chrystal
Laura
Hey! Just wondering if you can use buttermilk instead of milk? If so would you have to adjust the abking powder and soda at all?
chrystal
Hi Laura,
I haven't personally used buttermilk in this recipe but if you do please let me know how they turn out.
Best,
Chrystal
Susan Van Veen
OMG! These are terrific. Our great granddaughter has celiac disease and we hosted her 2nd birthday on July 4th. I was sweating bullets since I was making the cupcakes (bakery too expensive). I made these and your vanilla recipe and they were a HIT!! Everyone liked them better than “regular” cupcakes. As a chocoholic, I can attest to how great they were. Thanks so much for making this recipe available!
Anita
Can you sub the granulated sugar for brown sugar? I do this for all of my recipes but you made it clear to not sub things.
chrystal
I haven't tried it in this recipe, but it should work.
Best,
Chrystal
Sara
Hi,
If I only need 12, can I simply half everything? Is there anything you’d suggest modifying?
Thanks!
chrystal
Hi Sara,
Yes, you can halve the recipe as is.
Best,
Chrystal