By Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On January 15, 2023

These Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes are tender, rich and packed with healthy fats and protein. Top these paleo almond flour cupcakes with your favorite paleo frosting or mine.

Looking for more Paleo Desserts? Try my Paleo Brownies. My Paleo Strawberry Shortcake is also tender, and delicious.

Paleo Cupcakes

These paleo cupcakes are super simple to make. They use almond flour as the base and only eight other ingredients that most people have on hand - these are almond flour cupcakes.

I haven’t tried swapping out the almond flour for coconut flour but if I do, I’ll update the recipe notes below.

What sweeteners can I use in paleo cupcakes?

You can use pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, or honey in this paleo chocolate cupcake recipe. We’ve used granulated Swerve and Lakanto when we want to keep them low carb.

Just note that the flavor will be slightly different with each sweetener.

Maple syrup tends to be mild in flavor while still adding a touch of sweetness, which is why we like it in this recipe. Honey adds a strong flavor.

How to make paleo chocolate cupcakes

1. Add almond flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined and no lumps remain.
2. Add in the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until batter is combined. The batter won’t be completely smooth because of the almond flour.
3. Add hot coffee.
4. Stir just until combined.
5. Spoon batter evenly into your paper liners. Bake as directed.
6. Once completely cool, pipe on frosting.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. Please see the printable recipe card below for these almond flour cupcakes.

Working with Almond Flour

These are essentially almond flour cupcakes. One thing to note about using almond flour is that it is NOT a 1-to-1 for other grain-free flours, ex: coconut flour. It has a lot more protein and fat, and less starch, so it absorbs the liquid ingredients differently.

Almond flour is best stored in the refrigerator or freezer if you’re not going to use it right away.

Always bring almond meal or almond flour to room temperature before baking these paleo chocolate cupcakes with it. If you use it cold, it’ll absorb more of the liquid and your paleo cupcake batter will be thicker than it should be.

If that happens, add an additional 2 tablespoons of hot coffee or hot water.

Can I use an egg replacer?

I haven’t tried using an egg replacer in this paleo chocolate cupcake recipe because of the amount of eggs that it calls for. I have had others comment on similar recipes that chia egg and flax egg worked well, but they didn’t rise as much. Their cupcakes turned out to be more of a rich, fudgy brownie-like cupcake.

Can I use ghee?

Yes. For this paleo cupcake recipe, you can use melted and cooled ghee in place of the oil. The ghee creates a more fudge-like cupcake texture that many people love. If you use oil, stick with neutral flavored oils like avocado oil or coconut oil.

Did you make these paleo chocolate cupcakes? Stop back by and let me know what you thought.

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Yield: 12 cupcakes

Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes

Print

These Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes are tender, rich and packed with healthy fats and protein. Top these paleo cupcakes with your favorite paleo frosting or mine.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 2 cups almond flour (or almond meal)
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup oil of choice (or melted and cooled ghee)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons hot coffee (or hot water)

For the frosting:

• ½ cup dairy-free butter (or palm shortening)
• 4 cups sifted organic powdered sugar (or powdered coconut sugar)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
• 4-6 tablespoons dairy-free milk (more or less for consistency)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners; set aside.
2. For the cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl, whisk almond flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.
3. Add in the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combine.
4. Stir in the hot coffee.
5. Spoon batter evenly into your paper liners.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the center is set.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool before frosting.
8. For the frosting: Beat the dairy-free butter in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla and 4 tablespoons of dairy-free milk. Beat until well combined and fluffy. If needed, add in an additional tablespoon of milk for desired consistency.
9. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

• Spoon almond flour and cocoa into the measuring cups, and then level. Never scoop your measuring cup into almond flour, or cocoa.
• You can use your oil of choice in this recipe or you can use ghee.
• The coffee helps enhance the cocoa but you can use hot water in place of the hot coffee if needed.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 422Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 181mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 21gProtein: 7g

This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands that I used a the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.