I like to play a fun game anytime I serve Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes where I force whomever is eating one to try and guess the secret ingredient immediately after taking their first bite — fudgy chocolate frosting mustache and all. It’s really fun. To this day, not one person has guessed that what makes these gluten free cupcakes exceptionally moist and tender, and vegan too, is canned pumpkin. No egg nor butter substitutes needed — just a trusty cup of regular ol’ canned pumpkin. YES! These ultra-chocolatey gluten-free cupcakes will immediately become your new favorite allergy-friendly baking recipe. Nobody would ever guess they’re not only gluten free, but vegan too!
Homemade Vegan + Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Between my daughter’s egg and dairy allergies, and my Celiac Disease, the need for a vegan + gluten free chocolate cupcake recipe is real, and these cupcakes aren’t just good for being allergy-friendly — they’re objectively delicious. And the texture! My food photographer messaged me to say they’re better than the non-gluten free cupcakes she’s made. When I tell you I audibly gasped! I also love that these homemade cupcakes freeze well so I can pull one out and frost it anytime my daughter has a birthday party to attend, for example. There was a nearby bakery with a daily vegan cupcake flavor we’d pick up anytime she needed one, but it closed down recently. Furthermore, the cupcakes were expensive, the texture wasn’t great, and the flavor wasn’t usually something a young child would jump up and down for. Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes studded with chocolate chips and flourished with fudgy frosting and sprinkles though? A hit with kids and adults alike!
Ingredients Needed
These chocolatey cupcakes are made with a handful of everyday ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
Plant-based milk: look for plant milk — almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc. — without a ton of added gums for gluten free cupcakes that are light and fluffy yet moist and tender. See my top tips below for more on this. Distilled vinegar: added to the plant milk creates homemade vegan buttermilk to give the cupcakes a nice rise and moist texture. Gluten free flour blend: I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. If you use a different blend, ensure it already contains a binder such as xanthan gum. Unsweetened cocoa powder: provides a deep and decadent chocolate flavor. Baking powder + baking soda: reacts with the vegan buttermilk to give our gluten free cupcakes a beautiful, high rise. Salt: balances out the flavors. Granulated sugar: for sweetness. Pumpkin puree: is the MVP of this recipe because it eliminates the need for eggs and a large amount of fat. This is the ingredient nobody can ever pick out! Vegetable oil: you can use any neutral tasting oil like canola oil or avocado oil. Vanilla extract: a generous splash compliments the chocolate. Chocolate chips: really pumps up the chocolate flavor! I recommend Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels, but you can use your favorite GF/vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
Cupcake Toppers
Frosting: anytime I go homemade with the cupcakes, I take help when it comes to the frosting. See below for my favorite way to give store-bought frosting the texture of homemade buttercream frosting. I like Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting which is GF and vegan. Sprinkles: what are cupcakes without sprinkles?! While many store-bought sprinkles don’t contain gluten, a lot are manufactured on shared lines with products containing wheat. So, be sure to check labels before adding to your cupcakes. I like Supernatural (these photos show their chocolate jimmies), Sweetapolita, Watkins, and Kate’s Safe and Sweet for gluten free + vegan sprinkle options.
Top Tips for the Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
I’ve made these cupcakes enough times to accumulate a few tips for making them absolutely PERFECT.
Store Bought Frosting Hack
When we first started our gluten free + vegan baking adventures, I was shocked yet delighted to find that most of the tub frostings at the grocery store are both GF and vegan — even some cream cheese “flavored” frostings! Be sure to always check labels at your grocery store, but I love Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting for topping these chocolate cupcakes with. Here’s how I transform the frosting from thick and dense straight out of the tub, to light, whippy, and nearly identical in texture to homemade buttercream:
How to Store and Freeze
How to store: place the cooled plain or frosted cupcakes into an airtight container with a lid. Store on the counter for 3 days, or up to 7 days in the fridge. How to freeze: cool the unfrosted cupcakes completely then place inside a gallon Ziplock freezer bag, remove the air, then freeze flat for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter then frost.
Alrighty, ready to dive into these irresistible chocolate bombs?
Try Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Too!
How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Step 1: Make vegan buttermilk.
To a glass measuring cup or bowl, combine plant-based milk and distilled vinegar then stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes then — voila — homemade vegan buttermilk! Tip: in my experience making vegan buttermilk with different plant-based milks (almond, soy, etc.), sometimes the milk will look slightly curdled at the end of the 10 minutes, while other milks will look unchanged.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients.
While the vegan buttermilk does its thing, combine the dry ingredients. To a medium-size mixing bowl add the gluten free flour blend, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt then whisk to combine and set aside.
Step 3: Combine the wet ingredients.
To a large mixing bowl add granulated sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and the prepared vegan buttermilk then whisk to combine.
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 batches, whisking until smooth between additions, then stir in vegan/GF chocolate chips. These are Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels.
Step 5: Bake, cool, then frost the cupcakes.
Scoop 1/4 cup batter into each cup of a muffin pan lined with paper or silicone cupcake liners then bake for 23-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean — don’t underbake. Let the cupcakes sit in the cupcake tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, frost then add sprinkles but again, HOLD OFF on enjoying until the next day — your patience will be rewarded! I hope you love every crumb of these ultra chocolatey cupcakes that can make living and eating gluten free and vegan a little bit easier — and more delicious! Enjoy!
More Chocolatey Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
Gluten Free S’Mores Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter Lava Cakes Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Buckeyes (Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls) Oreo Mousse S’Mores Icebox Cake Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin Like this recipe? Share it with friends!
