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.
These Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes are from my cookbook. Up until now, I haven’t posted them 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?
They 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 not 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 1/4 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 then 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. For a 8″ or 9″ cake, double this recipe and grease two pans, and sprinkle in cocoa to prevent the cake from sticking.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
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 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
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (.5 oz)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 buttermilk (or 1/2 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
- 3-4 drops of red food coloring of choice (or more for a deeper color)
- 1/4 cup plain hot coffee (or hot water)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (or dairy-free cream cheese)
- 1/4 cup butter (1/2 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 1/4 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
Natalie says
These cupcakes look so delicious! Perfect to make with kids on summer vacation!
chrystal says
Thank you Natalie!
Susan Meismer says
What is a brand of dairy free cream cheese and is flax milk different than flax mixed into, say, almond milk? Also, is there a brand of gluten free white vinegar you use? These look too good to be true!
chrystal says
Hi Susan,
My favorite brand of dairy-free cream cheese is Kite Hill. Flaxmilk is a milk made from flaxseed. The brand I use is Good Karma. You don’t have to use flaxmilk, this will also work nicely with other dairy-free milks like almond milk, and cashew milk. As far as white vinegar goes, you can use any that is derived from rice, corn, or white wine. I like to use rice vinegar myself. You can also use apple cider vinegar in this recipe – the vinegar helps to thicken the milk, add acidity and add flavor.
Best,
Chrystal
Eila Rose McCormack says
Is the batter supposed to taste gross.
chrystal says
Hi Eila,
I’m not personally a fan of the batter but the cupcake should bake up nicely and have an amazing flavor 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Elizabeth says
My batter is very runny….is it suppose to be this way?
chrystal says
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes, it should be a little runny, but not watery.
Best,
Chrystal
Celia says
These cupcakes were perfection! Thank you so much for the recipe.
chrystal says
I’m so glad you like them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Talia Goldman says
I used this recipe and adapted it into a cake and the whole thing completely fell apart. I used quinoa flour which is a type of gluten free flour and it couldn’t have gone worse. Really disappointed, would not recommend following this recipe unless you have experience with gluten free baking.
chrystal says
Hi Talia,
I’ve never used quinoa flour in this recipe. Quinoa flour does not work as a 1-to-1 replacement for other gluten-free flours, which is probably why the cake didn’t turn out. If you use the flour blend recommended, or one with similar ingredients (non quinoa flour, or nut flours) you will have tasty results.
Best,
Chrystal
KristinaM says
Looks like a great recipe and I’m keen to try it. I found your website when I searched for gluten-free velvet cupcake.
I don’t usually reply to comments but the one above where you’ve replied made me. Nothing in your recipe says quinoa flour can be used. So someone substituted a main ingredient and complained the recipe didn’t work. What do they expect?
Rant over, thanks for sharing your recipes!
chrystal says
Thanks for your support Kristina. I often get comments that a recipe didn’t work after they changed several ingredients. Thanks for stopping by.
Best,
Chrystal
Alex says
Great recipe, and I didn’t have any of the problems with dryness that you sometimes get with GF cakes. If you are making these, don’t be fooled by the batter taste. The oil comes through way too strong in the batter but bakes out. Texture wise, you can’t at all tell these are GF. Thanks for the great recipe!
chrystal says
Hi Alex,
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment about your experience. I’m so glad you like them.
Best,
Chrystal
Kristina says
I made these cupcakes following the exact directions using coffee and low-fat buttermilk. I did not make the frosting though since this was just to see if it would even come out decent. It came out really good. I made a mistake with my food colors and put in yellow, haha, and then added red when I realized I had the wrong color. In the end, it didn’t look like red velvet, but it still tasted good. I’m new to gluten free due to celiac diagnosis and this was my first attempt at a gluten free cake. Husband and Son tries to push back against my gluten free lifestyle, however, they both enjoyed the taste and agreed it will be good for my sons birthday cake in a couple weeks. Thank you Chrystal.
chrystal says
Hi Kristina,
I am so glad you liked them! Once, I didn’t have red food coloring, and I didn’t discover it until I was mixing up the batter. My girls said they were just “velvet” cupcakes 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a review. Give my vanilla cupcakes a whirl next time you want to make cupcakes. You will love them!
Best,
Chrystal
Elle says
Just made these using Better Batter brand GF flour and subbed whole milk + vinegar for the buttermilk. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. Excellent results, very moist and springy. It’s a keeper for sure!
Full disclosure: I’ve been GF for so long I’m not sure I’ve had red velvet cake before. Regardless, these are some good cupcakes. Thanks so much!
chrystal says
Hi Elle,
Thank you for stopping by to let us know that Better Batter worked in this recipe and that you like these red velvet cupcakes 🙂 Have you tried my vanilla cupcakes yet? They are my favorite.
Best,
Chrystal
Sarah says
Would you adjust anything when making this into a cake? I need it to be stable enough to stack 6” on top of an 8”.
chrystal says
Hi Sarah,
This recipes makes 12 cupcakes, which is the equivalent of one 8 or 9 ” round cake. You’d have to double the recipe, and you’d have a little extra batter if you do a 6 and 8″ pan. The only thing I’d adjust is the cook time. I’d start with 16 minutes for the 6″ and 22-25 for the 8″ round.
Hope that helps. Best – Chrystal
Michelle says
My daughter requested that we make Red Velvet cupcakes for her boyfriend and his family for Valentine’s Day. I am gluten free and so are several members of his family. These turned out amazing and were a delightful treat for us and them!! They really raved about them, too. I loved the soft texture and that you used Bob’s 1 to 1. Thank you so much!!
chrystal says
Hi Michelle,
I am so glad your family liked them 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know.
All my best,
Chrystal
Steve says
Doubled this recipe to make 2 layer cake with 9″ cake pans. I ended up baking each half separately for 26-30 minutes and it turned out amazing. The first pan didn’t come out flat so I rotated it halfway through baking. The texture is fantastic, no one believed it was gluten-free. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
chrystal says
Hi Steve,
Thanks for stopping by to let me know you like this red velvet recipe! We’ve made it into a layer cake a few times. Everyone who’s tried it also couldn’t believe that it was gluten-free.
Best,
Chrystal
Sarah says
I’m newly gluten free so everything is an experiment. My daughter was trying to be so thoughtful coming up with every possible solution that didn’t involve cake – but you need CAKE when it’s your 16th birthday. Thank you so much for this recipe…my first, from scratch, gluten free cake…that was so delicious that everyone in my gluten eating family was happy to make the switch any time I wanted to make this cake. So thank you…thank you for giving me the memories of eating my daughter’s 16th birthday cake with her…and thank you for the most amazing cake I’ve eaten in a long time!
chrystal says
Awe, Sarah, I am so, so glad you and your family liked this recipe. And happy birthday to your daughter! I’m glad you found me and I hope you find many more recipes that you can enjoy with your family.
All my best,
Chrystal
Bridget says
Hi!
I’m reading the recipe and it says 1/4 C hot coffee.
In the cake instructions, it says double recipe but reduce coffee to 3/4 C. I was just looking for clarification, since doubling per the recipe would be 1/2 C. Thanks!
chrystal says
Hi Bridget,
Thanks for the catch! I removed that. You can double the recipe 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Diane says
Do you have any suggestions on how to make this Paleo instead of using gluten-free flour?
chrystal says
Hi Diana,
I don’t have a suggestion at this time but I do have a paleo double chocolate muffin that makes a delicious cupcake.
Best,
Chrystal
Zoe says
Hi I was wondering if I could put some chocolate chips in these like the have at Nothing Bunt Cakes? I live the red velvet there and wanted to copy that lol if so how much should I put for the recipe
chrystal says
Hi Zoe,
You can definitely add some mini chips to this recipe. I’m not sure about Nothing Bundt Cakes, I haven’t tried them.
Best,
Chrystal
Julia says
Hi!
I was just wondering if I would be using self raising flour or plain gluten free flour?
I made a batch with plain and they turned out a little strange. They texture was almost like a crumpet, is that normal? I’ve never had that happen before lol
chrystal says
Hi Julia,
What flour blend did you use in this recipe? I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour (not their all purpose gf flour).
Best,
Chrystal
Ashley says
Do I still use vinegar if I am adding the vinegar to milk to make buttermilk? I just don’t want that flavor to be to strong.
chrystal says
Great question, Ashley. Go ahead and leave it out 🙂
Best,
Chrystal
Donna Steger says
I’ll be trying this tomorrow and I am confident I’ll like it. I had another gf red velvet cake recipe that I not only followed the recipe, made her flour blend and still the texture was off. I could have over mixed, but that is why your recipes are great because they are very easy to follow. I’ve used my own flour blend and have not had one problem. I’m a big scale person, too, when it comes to baking. Even when I weigh instead of measure, I have NO problems! Thanks again.
chrystal says
Super excited for you to try these cupcakes, Donna! Let me know how they turn out.
Best,
Chrystal
Joyce says
Thank you for this easy and delicious Red Velvet Cake recipe. I made it for my husband’s birthday and he LOVED it! Red Velvet is his favorite cake and he thought he’d never get to have it again after recently being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This was the only cake I served and everyone loved it. Wonderful taste, moist, no graininess! And, best of all, I didn’t have to be a chemist mixing GF floors to make it. Thank you so much!!! ❤️
chrystal says
Hi Joyce,
I am so glad you love it. Thank you for taking time to stop by and let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Sally says
These cupcakes are incredible! They taste just like the regular red velvet cupcakes I used to make prior to my Celiac diagnosis. I subbed 1 cup King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour + 1/4 tsp xanthan gum for the 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1. I also used hot water instead of coffee. The batter was very runny but these still baked up wonderfully!
chrystal says
I am so glad you like them. Thank you for stopping by to let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
erin says
Recently I’ve been trying to bake more gluten-free recipes for my family because my dad was diagnosed with Celiac. I usually don’t like gluten-free desserts because they taste off, but these were delicious! My family loved them. Thanks for the recipe!
chrystal says
Hi Erin,
I am so glad you liked them. Thank you for letting me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Theresa Lougheed says
Can you tell me if this will work using your all purpose gluten-free flour blend.
chrystal says
Hi Theresa,
Yes, you can use my all purpose blend.
Best,
Chrystal
Nina says
I’ve only had a mini cupcake without frosting as a taste test so far but they seem to have turned out! I was really excited when I saw you used Bob’s Red Mill because that’s the brand I’ve found. Quick question: for the red food coloring you call for a whole ounce? I used a bottle and a half (approximately .35-.4 oz) and it seems more than red enough.
chrystal says
Hi Nina,
I’m so glad you like them. You are correct about the food coloring, I just updated it. You only need a few drops unless you want a deep color.
Thank you,
Chrystal
Leanne says
I don’t usually leave a review but this recipe is amazing! The cupcakes are soft and fluffy. The recipe was easy to follow, thank you for sharing
chrystal says
I am so glad you love them. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and let me know.
Best,
Chrystal
Rose says
I really want to follow your recipes and make these red velvet cupcakes but I’m in the UK, do you have any idea what flour I would use to substitute your recommended flour. I’m new to GF baking as I have a colleague now at work who has to eat GF. I really hope you can help.
chrystal says
What flours or flour blends do you have in the UK? I have a flour blend recipe that uses white rice flour, potato starch (not flour) and tapioca that works well in this recipe. You can also add some millet flour for a bit more substance.
Best,
Chrystal
Julie says
I followed this recipe to a tee, although my buttermilk was spoiled so I used the milk option with vinegar. These cupcakes were delicious!! My young kids ate 2 each. I have never seen them do this. The cupcakes were light and fluffy, not dense. I cannot wait to try more of your recipes.
chrystal says
Hi Julie,
I am so glad everyone loved these cupcakes. You might want to try my vanilla ones next 😉
Happy baking!
Chrystal