By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On January 15, 2023
Easy to make Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes that are tender, velvety, and have a dairy-free option.
If you're more of a cake person, you can use this gluten-free red velvet cupcake recipe to make a gluten-free red velvet cake!
If you love cake and cupcakes you'll want to check out my Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake next. My Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake is also scrumptious.
For more ideas head over to my Gluten-Free Desserts.
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
This year my youngest daughter (turned 12) requested Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes for her birthday.
Her first request was that they were topped with a Nutella Buttercream, not the traditional cream cheese frosting that I normally top them with.
Growing up, Red Velvet Cupcakes were ALWAYS topped with cream cheese frosting. It took a bit of convincing, but finally she agreed that we could use cream cheese frosting.
Up until now, I haven't posted these gluten free red velvet cupcakes on the blog. But by popular request, I am sharing them here and I am excited for you to try them.
What does a Red Velvet Cupcake taste like?
The way I like to describe a gluten-free red velvet cupcake taste is that it's a combination of flavors that pull together to form a unique, and delectable cupcake.
With the gluten-free white cake base, a little cocoa, the buttermilk (or dairy-free buttermilk), and vinegar you get a taste that's like no other - and it's incredible.
Top Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for the ultimate cupcake.
I mean, you could top them with a buttercream or chocolate buttercream frosting. It'll still be amazing.
Did you know that red velvet cupcakes originally were topped with a cream cheese frosting that had a hint of lemon? Yep. I usually leave the lemon out, but it's definitely worth trying if you are feeling adventurous.
How to make a gluten-free red velvet cupcake
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Line a 12 serving cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Mix in the egg, buttermilk (or dairy free buttermilk), vanilla, and red food coloring until combined. Stir in the white vinegar and hot coffee (or hot water).
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Scoop the batter evenly into each cupcake well, about ¼ cup per well.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the cupcakes cakes from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese (or dairy-free cream cheese), butter (or dairy-free butter) and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, beating well until you reach desired consistency.
Frost cupcakes.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This gluten-free red velvet cupcake recipe will be a favorite!
Can I make these Red Velvet Cupcakes Dairy-Free?
Oh my gosh, yes, you can make these gluten-free red velvet cupcakes dairy-free. My favorite way to swap out the traditional buttermilk called for in red velvet cupcakes is with flaxmilk + vinegar.
You can use other dairy-free milks but the flaxmilk gives you the extra acidity, and thickens really well with vinegar. You get that sour, buttermilk taste, but without the dairy. Use dairy-free cream cheese and dairy-free butter to make the frosting dairy-free. Simple.
But isn't Red Velvet the same as chocolate cake with red food coloring?
Ah ha! I have asked myself the same question. There isn't a lot of cocoa in red velvet, and although some chocolate cakes use buttermilk or vinegar to enhance the flavors of the cake itself, it's the combination of flavors that gives it a little zing, rather than your smooth chocolatey flavors.
The acidity in the buttermilk and vinegar combined with the cocoa and food coloring give you the red velvet coloring.
These cupcakes are incredibly easy, and the texture is out of this world. You can use this same recipe to make a cake. I've written up the instructions for an 8" cake over on my Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake post.
Other gluten-free cupcake recipes
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Gluten-Free Blueberry Cupcakes
You can never have too many cupcake recipes! Pin this gluten-free red velvet cupcake recipe for later.
Easy right? What other questions do you have about gluten-free red velvet cupcakes? Leave me a question in the comments and I will get back to you.
Until then, if you are looking for more yummy gluten-free red velvet recipes you'll love Flippin Delicious's Red Velvet Fudge.
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
Easy to make Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes that are tender, velvety, and have a dairy-free option.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend (142g) (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (.5 oz)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- ½ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup flaxmilk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar, let sit 2-3 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar (omit if making dairy-free buttermilk with vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons red food coloring (up to 2 tablespoons for a deeper color)
- ¼ cup plain hot coffee (or hot water)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (or dairy-free cream cheese)
- ¼ cup butter (½ stick), room temperature (or dairy-free butter)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Line a 12 serving cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Mix in the egg, buttermilk (or dairy free buttermilk), vanilla, and red food coloring until combined. Stir in the white vinegar and hot coffee (or hot water).
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Scoop the batter evenly into each cupcake well, about ¼ cup per well.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes cakes from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese (or dairy-free cream cheese), butter (or dairy-free butter) and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, beating well until you reach desired consistency.
- Frost cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days..
Notes
Dairy-free option included.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 370Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 287mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g
nicole
hello, ive just made these today but had a question for the future. i didnt have buttermilk so ended up making my own with milk + vinegar, and then i saw the part that said near the additional vinegar 'omit if making dairy-free buttermilk with vinegar'. i wasnt sure if that meant omit vinegar if making your own buttermilk at all, or if it was only for the diary free buttermilk, so omitted it out of an abundance of caution haha! but to get to my actual question:
while they are pretty darn good (i scarfed 2 with no reservations), i had an issue where the texture was almost *too* moist, if that makes sense? kind of like the center of each cupcake was denser and didnt crumb, the way cake might be if underbaked, but it baked the full time and came out clean with multiple toothpicking tests. would that be something that happened because i didnt use the additional vinegar? im hoping to get some buttermilk at the store and make them again to see, but with grocery shopping being tough where i am, its hard to get out at the moment. im not mad at them as they are, theyre still awesome! but if i can get closer to the texture of a classic cake theyll be even better 😀 thank you!
chrystal
Hi Nicole,
The recipe calls for vinegar, so if you mix vinegar with milk or a dairy-free milk to make the homemade buttermilk then you don't add the 1 teaspoon of vinegar.
For your other question, it could be that your cupcakes needed a touch longer in the oven. It could also be your flour blend. What blend did you use?
Best,
Chrystal
nicole
thanks for the clarification! i had used bobs 1 to 1 gluten free flour, and surprisingly once they sat overnight they actually completely settled texture wise, no more issue with the slight over moist- ness. i also noticed the wrappers got floppy and pulled away from a lot of the cupcakes, so im wondering if they just needed to dry out a touch, and the paper wrappers absorbed the excess moisture or some other such thing. either way, they ended up perfect! i think i will give them a slightly longer bake this time to see if that little bit of excess moisture can bake out, thanks for the suggestion. and for the recipe of course, theyve been a real hit with my GF friends 🙂
Lisa
I just made these now and I had the same issue. I ate one, and it is done even though it is really moist. I used Namaste gluten free flour. That being said... I have tried a large number of gluten free cake recipes, and this is the first one that did not come out dense and gummy. So, I am absolutely thrilled. Also, red velvet cake is my fav, but I am not a fan of cream cheese icing... And I noted Chrystal’s comment on my frosting. It really was fantastic.
chrystal
Hi Lisa,
I am so glad you liked them. I don't find that Namaste works well in my recipes, so I'm glad your cupcakes still turned out. If you have have Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking flour, try that in cakes. It really does well with the texture. Also, make sure unless otherwise noted, to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level. 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Chrystal
Miriam
Hello
I want to bake a sheet cake using this gluten free red velvet cupcake recipe do I need to multiply the ingredients or more than that?
chrystal
Hi! Yes, you need to double the ingredients and bake it in a 9x13 cake pan.
Best,
Chrystal
Miriam
Made the cake and added more red food coloring and still came out looking like a devils food cake. Why?
chrystal
Hi Miriam,
I'm not sure. A few people have gotten that result. Can you tell me what food coloring you used? It might help me troubleshoot.
Best,
Chrystal
Lily
If I am baking at high altitude, how much baking powder and how much baking soda should I use? Should I cut both in half??
Also, your recipe says 1/2 buttermilk. Is that a 1/2 cup? If I don’t have buttermilk, but just want to use regular milk, can I use 2% milk and add 1 teaspoon white vinegar to the milk (omitting the vinegar later in the recipe)? Or do I need to use whole milk with the 1 teaspoon white vinegar?
Thanks!!! Your vanilla cupcakes were SUCH a huge hit!! Even my friends who aren’t GF kept saying “I could go GF if this is what GF things taste like!”
chrystal
Hi Lily
I am so glad everyone loved my vanilla cupcakes. For the high altitude, I would start with cutting the baking powder and baking soda in half. Yes, 1/2 cup buttermilk OR 1/2 cup milk of choice plus the vinegar. If you make your own vinegar you can omit the 1 teaspoon called for in the recipe separately.
Best,
Chrystal
Lily
Ok so if I use buttermilk, I should still add white vinegar as well, right?
And is this distilled white vinegar? Or what kind of vinegar?
Thank you so much! I want to make sure these come out as perfectly as the vanilla ones came out. The expectation from me is high from my friends and family now thanks to you 🙂
chrystal
Hi Lily,
If you use buttermilk, you still add the distilled white vinegar. You only omit if if you make your own buttermilk with milk + vinegar.
Best,
Chrystal
Erica G
Looking to make these next week, it’s fairly similar to my granny’s regular recipe. What is the coffee or hot waters purpose? Just curious. Thanks!
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Erica,
Glad you asked. Hot coffee or hot water is typically added to the batter to help dissolve and activate the cocoa powder. The hot liquid also helps to create a more tender and moist crumb in the cupcakes.
Erica G
Made these but did omit the coffee/hot water after reviews said they were too soft and not red. My GF coworkers LOVED THEM! Going to try the dairy free next!
Wendy Stoltz
Thanks, Erica. So glad they where loved!
Betsy
Can you use any other "milk" than flaxmilk? For instance cashew milk?
chrystal
Yes, you can use your dairy-free milk of choice but I don't recommend full fat coconut milk in this recipe.
Best,
Chrystal
Maliha
Can anything else be substituted for Gluten free flour
Like oat flour perhaps?
chrystal
I haven't personally tried oat flour in this recipe, so I can't speak to it from experience. Sorry I can't be more help.
Best,
Chrystal
Kim
Looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend! Just had a few questions, what kind of coffee should be used? If I substitute the coffee and do the water, will there be a change in taste at all?
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
chrystal
The coffee helps bring out the other flavors and adds to the flavor itself. You can use any coffee, light, medium or dark or even decaf if you can't do caffeine. I hope that helps.
Best,
Chrystal
Vk2004
Hi I don’t have the Bob’s red mill gluten free flour but I do use another gluten free all purpose flour, my question is that I know that since the Bob’s red mill flour contains xantham gum, but mine doesn’t not, do I need to add any additional xantham gum, if yes than how much should I put?
chrystal
For this recipe, add 1 teaspoon of xanthan.
Best,
Chrystal
Brittanie
I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac disease for about 10 years now and I just recently started venturing into gluten free baking. I used your vanilla cupcake recipe for a bridal shower last weekend and made these red velvet cupcakes today. Both are amazing and I’m so glad I found your website! My husband and son who don’t have to eat gluten free absolutely loved them!
chrystal
I am so glad. Thank you for letting me know. I hope you find many more recipes on my site to love.
Best,
Chrystal
Ronak Mehta
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
chrystal
So glad you like the recipe. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Marliss Amiea
Omg! I just made these for my husbands birthday today and they are absolutely amazing! I followed the directions to a “T” and added a little lemon juice to the frosting and they are a huge hit! Thanks for sharing.
chrystal
I am so glad you loved them. I love the idea of adding lemon juice to the frosting. Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Chrystal
Meera
Hi, what kind of food colouring is safe for gluten free baking? I’ve read that the most common (Wilton) is no longer guaranteed to be gf.
chrystal
Hi Meera,
It changes sometimes. Definitely continue to check labels. Check out Lulubelles, Simple Truth, or McCormick Natures food coloring.
Best,
Chrystal
Jillian
I followed this recipe almost exactly, with just a teensy bit more cocoa. It was awesome! One guest who was very skeptical said he honestly wouldn't have known it was gluten-free. I used King Arthur cup 4 cup flour and frosted them with ermine frosting (using GF flour). Baked for 23 minutes. I never know whether to believe the comments, but I can assure you that this is a good recipe if followed exactly, with a good flour mixture, and baked properly.
chrystal
Hi Jillian,
I am so glad you and your guests loved them. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Best,
Chrystal
Holly
Hello,
How many ounce/grams is one cup please?
Thank you
chrystal
Hi Holly,
For the flour, it's listed. 1 cup is about 142 grams.
Best,
Chrystal
Christine Vu
Hi Chrystal! I was wondering if there was a way to make the red more prominent? I added extra drops of red however the cocoa is super overpowering color wise so it still came out a bit too dark and looks practically like a regular cupcake! Although they do taste amazing! Thank you!
chrystal
I haven't personally had it not come out red, but maybe add a little less cocoa next time.
Best,
Chrystal
Allison Terry
I had the same issue with the color -- actually just made these this morning for my sister's birthday, but they came out more brown than anything. Any particular food coloring would be better? I even added a few extra drops of food coloring.
chrystal
I wonder if it's a particular food coloring or maybe they aren't making them like the used to. Mine turn out red-red (which you can see in the photos). Maybe add a few drops more and reduce the cocoa by a couple of tablespoons and see if that helps the color pop.
Best,
Chrystal
Monisha persaud
STELLAR WELL WRITTEN recipe
We used same flour bobs 1 to1 and did diy buttermilk
incredible!!!!!!!.amazing job on this recipe 10 stars
chrystal
I am so glad you loved them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
jinny
Can this recipe be made into a 8in layer cake? Thanks!
chrystal
Yes. Spoon batter evenly into the two 8" cake pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the center springs back when touched and the centers are set.
Best,
Chrystal
Kailey
oooh, thank you for answering this! I came here to ask as I'm planning on making this for Christmas dessert.
Audrey
Hello,
Can i use your mix of glutten free flour in this recipe instead of bob’s red mill’s?
I used your mix for your chocolate cake recipe and it was delicious!
Thank you!
chrystal
Yes, you can use my flour mix. I would add an additional 2 tablespoons of flour if you are using my mix. It's fine without, but it helps with the texture 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Lori Augustine
Hi! I read the comment about this working as a cake recipe for 8 inch cake pans. It seems like it's not enough. Should I double the ingredients?
I want to make this tomorrow. I love the texture of your cake.
Thanks!
chrystal
Yes, sorry. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes which is one 8" round single layer cake. For a two layer cake, double the recipe.
Best,
Chrystal
Rebecca
Can’t wait to try these! Can they be frozen before they are frosted?
chrystal
Yes, I like to freeze them unfrosted, thaw them then frost with fresh frosting 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Jeannie
Wow! I have made several recipes of gluten free cake and cupcakes through the years. The texture of these is remarkable. I can’t believe they are gluten free I will be making these often. Thanks!
Lisa
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it’s great! The only problem I seem to encounter is that the batter contains tiny lumps of unmixed bits. I sift everything. I can’t figure out what stage or why this happens. It doesn’t happen with any other recipes I make, just this one. I usually use almond milk with 1 tsp vinegar and Americolor gel colouring. Any ideas?
chrystal
Hi Lisa,
I haven't had the problem, but as long as they bake up, it should be fine.
Best,
Chrystal
Kristan
This was my first gluten free baking experience and the cupcakes turned out perfect. You wouldn't know the difference. Pretty much followed the recipe exactly (used buttermilk, etc) except I love cream cheese frosting so i used another recipe which is basically the same as this one but doubled for piping. Thanks for sharing.
chrystal
I am so glad you loved it. Thank you for taking time to stop back by and let me know 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Enass
Hi Chrystal,
Just wanted to let you know I have made this recipe and your chocolate one and they are AMAZING! Even those who aren’t gluten free enjoy them.
However I just have on issue I’m hoping you can resolve for me. The last 2 times I made the red velvet cupcakes they were not coming out cooked. After leaving them in the oven for about almost 30 minutes, they still seemed very gooey on the bottom of the cupcake and slightly undercooked?? I have followed the recipe exactly and have made it in the past without any problems. Do you have any suggestions?
chrystal
Hi Enass,
I'm so glad you are enjoying my cupcake recipes. I'm not sure why they would suddenly have that issue. Did you change anything like flour blend, or a new cupcake pan?
Best,
Chrystal
Enass
Hi Chrystal,
No I haven’t changed anything to be honest. I’ve always used the same flour blend and it turned out fine. And they seem to sink in a little bit as well. It’s really weird because previously this wasn’t happening with this recipe
chrystal
That is strange. I know sometimes flour blends can change slightly, or be bad. This may sound silly, but any chance it's been extra raining or there's been a big temp drop? Also, it might be time to get an oven thermometer if you don't have one, and make sure it's heating to the right temp. That's the only other things I can think of.
Best,
Chrystal
Michelle
Could the baking powder be bad?
chrystal
Yes, baking powder can go bad.
Best,
Chrystal
Alice
Hi Chrystal
Firstly thank you for this recipe. I love your recipes. quick question, are we using any mixer of any sort or just mixing by hand. This is for the cupcakes
chrystal
You can mix them by hand or use an electric mixer (stand or hand mixer).
Best,
Chrystal
Alice
Hi Chrystal
Thank you so much much this recipe. Do I need a mixer for this or everything is mixed by hand?
chrystal
You can mix it by hand.
Best,
Chrystal
Cynthia
Hi Chrystal, could I use melted coconut oil for the vegetable oil instead?
chrystal
Hi Cynthia,
I haven't tried coconut oil in this recipe yet, sorry!
Best,
Chrystal
Samantha
These were absolutely delicious! My family had no idea that they were GF. Will definitely make these again!
Liv K
What is the best gf flour blend without potato starch? I’m a baker and have a little girl’s birthday party that I’m making gf/df cupcakes for and Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 has potato starch in it, which she is allergic to.
chrystal
You might like my gluten free flour blend recipe, you can use arrowroot starch in place of the potato starch. https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-flours/
Best,
Chrystal
Liv K
Would either recipe work for your cupcakes?
chrystal
Hi Liv,
If you're asking about my flour blend, then yes, both work for these cupcakes.
Best,
Chrystal
Leigh
Hello, Could I use butter instead of oil?
chrystal
Yes, you can use melted and cooled unsalted butter. Please note that the texture will be slightly different.
Best,
Chrystal
Shelley Trigg
I made a double batch of these cupcakes for a Father's Day brunch and they were fantastic. Everyone commented on how moist they were and how good they tasted. Thanks so much for the fantastic recipe! I only made one small change and used whole milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice because I didn't have any buttermilk on hand. Love this recipe and will definitely make it again!! Thank you.
Lindsay
Hi Shelly! So glad that everyone loved the cupcakes - thanks for coming back to let us know!
Deanna
When making buttermilk with milk & lemon juice, did you still add the other amount of vinegar or omit?
Wendy Stoltz
Hi Deanna,
Omit if making dairy-free buttermilk with vinegar.
Cindi
Made these for a wedding. My family tried them and everyone thought they were really good and Red Velvet is one of their faves. I don't think they even knew they were gluten free until I told them.
Lindsay
Yay! Cindi, thank you for letting us know how much everyone loved the cupcakes! They sound perfect for a wedding.