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Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

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These Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes are dairy-free, simple to make, and lend a bakery style texture and a vanilla bean finish. You can bake up a batch of these perfect homemade gluten-free vanilla cupcakes in no-time.

If you like these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes, you might also like my Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes. They are simple to make and bursting with chocolate flavor. I’ve also recently updated the photos for my Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes. If you’re a lemon fan, you’re going to love them.

For more cupcakes and desserts please visit my Gluten-Free Desserts.

a gluten free vanilla cupcake topped with blue and white swirled frosting, on a white plate with a fork

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

These are seriously the most incredible, better-than-bakery style Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes! They’ve been shared thousands of times and people come back weekly to tell me how amazing they are.

I’ve been making these gluten-free cupcakes for years and this is the third time I have redone the photos. I really want you guys to see how lovely they are and be excited about how amazing they taste. Just read the comments below. You will fall in love with these cupcakes.

Here’s an old photo that I took of these gluten-free cupcakes. You can see how perfect the texture is.

a gluten free vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting with a bite out

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

I use vanilla bean paste these days, but you can easily use Rodell’s vanilla extract. Rodelle Vanilla Paste is my newest favorite item to bake and cook with and that’s why I use it in my vanilla cupcakes.

Now that I’ve tried it, I may never go back to extract again. It has such a deep, rich flavor and it’s never too much. I do love Rodelle’s Vanilla Extract, but the paste is dreamy, especially in these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.

When I first developed this gluten-free cupcake recipe, I used vanilla extract, so please don’t think that you have to use vanilla bean paste. Extract lends a lovely flavor too. You are going to love it in these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.

a gluten free vanilla cupcake topped with blue and white swirled frosting, on a white plate in front of another cupcake

Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I have been working on perfecting my gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe since 2010. It’s not that it’s a complicated recipe or anything. I usually work on new recipes, not improving old ones.

My old gluten-free cupcake recipe was fine but I wanted a better texture. I wanted it to be fluffy and crumbly at the same time. I made these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes a couple of times in January for one of my daughters birthday’s.

 

Finally the last time I made them I found the right amount of ingredients to get the exact flavor and texture that I had been dreaming about. From frosting to cake, they are now perfect. They’re buttery (even though dairy-free), tender, crumbly, and have the perfect amount of vanilla.

And guess what? These gluten-free vanilla cupcakes only cost about $5 to make. Can you imagine what you’d pay at a bakery for these? They are easy and you can make them yourself.

top down view of a gluten free vanilla cupcakes topped with blue and white swirled frosting

How to make gluten-free cupcakes

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 oil, sugar, and eggs you’ll want to beat it for the time listed. This adds air which in turn helps the cupcakes rise.

Once you add your flour mixture, you’ll only want to beat until combined. Beating any longer will cause the batter to stiffen.

Why did my cupcakes explode?

First off, you may have overfilled the cupcake wells. Never fill more then 3/4 of the way full, and it’s best to stick to around 2/3’s of the way full. I use a 1/4 measuring cup to fill mine. Another reason could be that you added too much leavening agent, or that you are at higher elevation. Baking powder tends to work twice as hard at higher elevations. Consider cutting your baking powder in half if you are at a higher elevation.

All those tips are relevant to most cupcake recipes, not just these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.

top down view of a gluten free vanilla cupcake topped with blue and white swirled frosting, on a white plate with a fork

Why did my cupcakes sink?

There are several reason why cupcakes sink, one is from over beating the batter and adding too much air. Also, cupcakes often will sink when there is too much moisture. This is more common in humid climates where added moisture can collect naturally in ingredients such as flour. When this occurs, cupcakes may rise rapidly and then fall during baking. In higher elevations, the leavening agent works twice as hard and may cause the batter to rise rapidly and sink before it’s had a chance to set up.

Did you make these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes? Stop back by and let me know what you thought of this gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

a gluten free vanilla bean cupcake with a bite out of it on a marble counter

These Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes are dairy-free, simple to make, and lend a bakery style texture and a vanilla bean finish.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

For the frosting:

  • 1/2 cup (4 oz.) dairy-free butter (or dairy butter), room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
  • 3 cups (360g.) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk (or dairy milk)

Instructions

  1. For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position rack in center of oven. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl combine oil and sugar.
  3. Add eggs and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for one minute. Add flour, salt, baking powder, dairy-free milk, and vanilla extract (or paste); beat at medium speed for one minute.
  4. Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the centers springs back when touched and cupcakes are very lightly browned.
  5. Let cool in the pan on rack for five minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan onto rack and cool completely before frosting.
  6. For the frosting: In a medium mixing bowl, beat together dairy-free butter and vanilla paste until smooth and creamy.
  7. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well. Alternate one cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of dairy-free milk until all ingredients are blended.
  8. Beat in additional dairy-free milk if needed to obtain desired constancy.
  9. Frost and enjoy!

Notes

  • You can use regular milk and butter in this recipe if you don't need to eat dairy-free.
  • 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.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 cupcake w/frosting
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 440Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 5950mgSodium: 200mgCarbohydrates: 63gSugar: 40gProtein: 4g
© Chrystal
Cuisine: Dessert / Category: Desserts
a pinterest pin of a photo of a cupcake with white frosting with the words gluten-free dairy-free vanilla bean cupcakes at the top

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This is so great. I’ve made a couple of gluten free baked goods in the past and they were anywhere from “ok” to something that resembled a brick and twice as heavy. I used this recipe to make ice cream cone cupcakes (using gluten free ice cream cones). Wonderful taste and I’ve sent links of this recipe to several people. These are truly AWESOME!!!

    Reply

    • These cupcakes are DELICIOUS. Thank you for posting weight measurements! I used dairy milk and although i was skeptical of using oil (instead of butter) I’m so glad i trusted the recipe and used oil. I brought them to a gathering with some gluten-free friends and everyone loved them. Excellent texture, fluffy and flavorful. This will be added to my recipe box!

      Reply

    • Same question. I followed the recipe exactly and my batter resembled crumbly sugar cookie dough. I’m only halfway through baking, but so far they are still in the shape of the scoop I used to scoop them out.

      Reply

  5. So I have tried a few different recipes using wheat flour and gluten free flour for cupcakes but these came out THE best I have ever done!
    My boyfriend is Celiac so I am often trying to replace the treats he misses but if I am to bake cupcakes for non celiacs too I will now always use this recipe anyway.
    If I wanted to do chocolate ones, do you think the cocoa powder would spoil the fluffiness?
    Thank you for this recipe!!

    Reply

  6. This is a great recipe. I erred on the side of less beating after reading the comments about sinking (so each beat was between 30-60 seconds). I was a little haphazard with measuring as I was baking with kids but it turned out fine. One point – they were in the overnight a good 30 minutes (180 degrees Celsius fan forced pre heated). All ovens are different, just a point to note. Thank you!

    Reply

  7. I have gluten free flour and Xanthan gum separate – I couldn’t find the 1-1 flour. How much Xanthan gum should I add?

    Reply

  8. I made this for my wife’s birthday and she loved them. There is one cupcake shop in Madison, WI that she loves, but now that we live far away we haven’t found anything that came close until this recipe. Moist and crumbly just as described.

    We live at 7,600 feet and I used the w/ dairy recipe. Right at the 18-minute mark they were ready to come out.

    Reply

  9. My 4 year old granddaughter was diagnosed with celiac. I am making these for her birthday. Just wondering do you store the cupcakes on the counter or in the refrigerator? Thank you Linda Shanahan

    Reply

    • I usually store them on the counter. You can put the in the refrigerator, but you’ll want to bring them to room temperature to soften the frosting again.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

      • I made these cupcakes yesterday and we ate them today. They were perfect!! Under notes it said you could use butter instead of oil so that is what I used and I used 2% milk We have tried bakery gf cupcakes and these are 1000% better. And so easy to make. Thank you so much for the recipe. I make cupcake for all of my grandchildren’s birthdays which i now have 7 so this recipe will be used over and over again. Linda

        Reply

  10. Hello—I would like to try your recipe for gluten free cupcakes. If I wanted to use butter instead of oil, how much butter would you recommend? Also, other than being dairy free, is there a taste and/or texture benefit of using oil instead of butter?

    Reply

  11. Just put these in the oven, but the batter only filled 8 normal sized cupcake libers, not 12. And each liner was filled slightly less that the 2/3 per added recipe notes.
    I measured everything out and the only thing subbed was maple syrup for sugar using slightly less than the amount called for.
    That wouldn’t have created this great of an error, would it?
    I feel so incomplete sans 4 cupcakes!

    Reply

  12. I’ve been experimenting with gluten free recipes as my partner is coeliac. I didn’t think a fluffy textured gluten-free cupcake was possible. I followed the recipe almost exactly, as suggested, but I used a different flour blend. After 18 minutes the cupcakes were perfectly cooked and the texture was not compromised from the lack of gluten. Thank you!

    Reply

      • When I double and triple batches I like to use slightly less baking powder. For tripling this recipe I would use 5 teaspoons of baking powder. Can you bake all three at the same time? If not, the baking powder starts to activate while it waits to bake and your cupcakes may not rise as much.

        Best,
        Chrystal

        Reply

  14. I feel like this recipe is very forgiving. I looked it up on the spot to make a quick batch of cupcakes on a rainy summer day. I was too lazy to get out my hand mixer so I just used a whisk. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and I added Enjoy Life dark mini chocolate chips. The batter was indeed somewhat thick, however, I did not measure out everything exactly which is why I say this recipe is very forgiving. They did take longer to cook than 20 minutes, but they came out perfect and are delicious. It was just as easy to make as a prepared mix, but I got to use my own fresh ingredients. I love that they don’t have butter because butter can be a pain to work with if it’s not creamed just right.
    Definitely would make them again!

    Reply

  15. I just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe. I dable in baking and over the last few years I found that I am allergic to basically everything. Hard to be a foodie when you are allergic to everything. This is my ALLTIME favorite cupcake recipe. I make it for myself and now my boys are pretty hooked too.. I’m so excited to be using it for my wedding day cake as well!

    Reply

    • Hi Marrissa,
      I am so glad you and your boys love these cupcakes. I have a cake version of this recipe that you can use for your wedding cake if you want. (Congrats!) I also have a lemon cake that lots have people have used to make wedding cakes.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  16. Can you tell me if I want to substitute eggs with pysilim husk
    Is the recipe will work or no?
    As my kid has allergie from eggs
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Amal,
      I haven’t tried pysillium husk powder in this recipe. Some of my readers have used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer with luck.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  17. Hello Chrystal, These look amazing! How do you think rice flour will go? Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes, Nicole 🙂

    Reply

    • I haven’t used only rice flour in this recipe but I imagine it wouldn’t have the same texture. Sorry I can’t be more help.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  18. I made these for my son who has a gluten allergy. I usually don’t eat any of the GF things I make for him, because frankly they taste just terrible. These cupcakes……. oh man….. I think I had more of them than he did! They are light, fluffy, perfect consistency… topped off with Swiss meringue buttercream, and I have died and gone to GF cupcake heaven! I followed the recipe exactly, also using Bob’s Mill 1:1 GF flour. Only extra I added was some orange zest for a hint of citrus.

    I will be making these again very soon, and can’t wait to try out more of your GF recipes! So glad I found your website!

    Reply

      • Hi can you tell me what the finished batter consistency should be like? In the video is looked more loose than usual cupcake mixture is that correct? As going to be making these on Friday don’t want to get it wrong x

        Reply

        • Hi Toni,
          The batter is a little loose, but it should be similar to other cupcake and cake batter. Cupcake batter shouldn’t be thick. When you measure the flour make sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level it.

          Best,
          Chrystal

          Reply

  19. Hello, do you know if grapeseed oil would be good here? I realized that there is no butter in this recipe and i am aware that grapeseed oil can be a good sub for dairy free butter. Just wondering if anyone has ever tried this? Thanks!

    Reply

  20. Hello!!! I tried these cupcakes and absolutely love the flavor of them!! I also tried the chocolate ones and loved them as well!! I was noticing that my chocolate cupcakes raised up a little bit further than the vanilla ones. The difference in ingredients was cocoa powder and baking soda for the chocolate. Any suggestions on getting the vanilla cupcakes to raise a little more? Thanks so much!!!! Amanda

    Reply

    • I am so glad you like them. You can always add 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar (this will react with the baking powder and give it a quick lift) or you can fill them a little more, making 10 cupcakes instead of 12.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

      • Hi crystal!!! I Have fixed the vanilla ones several times and I feel like because I live in Indiana the humidity is getting me. The cupcakes taste delicious but they are a little moist and dense. The chocolate ones are very fluffy!! I’m just trying to get the vanillla ones to have a similar texture. I have not tried the vinegar trick yet. I did however fill them fuller and that made them bigger but still had a lot of moisture. The next day the top of the cupcake comes off on my finger. Should I reduce the milk and add vinegar? I am using unsweetened almond milk, bobs flour 1-1, coconut oil, vanilla paste (along with the other ingredients) and mixing for the written time. The taste is delicious!!! I just am wanting them to be a little more airy and fluffy!!! Thank you so much!!!!

        Reply

        • I definitely think the humidity is causing them to be extra moist. You could try making the chocolate cupcakes without the cocoa. Omit the cocoa and add an additional 1/4 cup of gf flour to offset the recipe.

          Best,
          Chrystal

          Reply

  21. Let me say something, i’m gluten intolerant and this is the best cupcake recipe i’ve ever tried ! Nothing but good food right here! Super moist and fluffy . Full of taste , simply amazing in everyway ! for a gf cupcake or any cupcake ! I even made a tiktok about it if ur interested ! Thank you for this , can’t wait to try other recipes to❤ You made my day

    Reply

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