Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

These paleo friendly almond flour cupcakes are rich, moist and made in one bowl! They’re completely gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free but taste like the most indulgent chocolate cupcake.

Almond flour never fails to amaze me. It honestly might be my favorite gluten free flour to work with. It keeps baked goods so moist thanks to the fat content and gives a deliciously light and fluffy texture.

Plus, almond flour is both gluten and dairy free so it’s perfect for anyone with food sensitivities. Almond flour is great for baking cakes and cupcakes thanks to it’s ability to both add moisture and structure.

These almond flour cupcakes are based loosely off my my popular almond flour cake, but with some substitutions to simplify the recipe and of course make them work as cupcakes!

You’ll need a base of almond flour to provide structure and moisture, plus tapioca starch to help bind things together and give a classic cupcake feel, cocoa for the chocolate, eggs for more binding and lift, then some honey, coconut sugar and canned coconut milk for more moisture.

The texture is identical to that of a refined flour and sugar filled chocolate cupcake, you would truly never know these are made with such good for you ingredients! Try my flourless chocolate cake or almond flour vanilla cake next!

Key ingredients

ALMOND FLOUR. These almond flour chocolate cupcakes obviously have a base of almond flour! Be sure to use blanched almond flour and not almond meal for this recipe.

EGGS. Eggs will help bind all ingredients together and provide some structure to these cupcakes.

MILK. We’ll be using canned coconut milk which provides a really luscious texture without the need for too much added oil.

OIL. A bit of oil helps to add more moisture. I usually use refined avocado oil.

COCOA. Cocoa powder will of course make these chocolate cupcakes! You can use dutch processed or regular.

HONEY. Honey adds some natural sweetness. I don’t recommend maple syrup since it’s a bit thinner in texture.

COCONUT SUGAR. To keep these refined sugar free we’ll use coconut sugar to sweeten. You can sub for any other granulated sugar if you prefer.

How to make almond flour chocolate cupcakes

PREP. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tray with 12 liners and set aside.

WHISK WET. In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients.

When measuring the canned coconut milk, be sure to shake the can really well before measuring so the white part and the more watery part are well combined to create a smooth milk.

Some brands don’t shake easily, so just add to a separate bowl and whisk together before measuring.

WHISK DRY. Add in the dry ingredients, making sure to spoon and level the flour, starch and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine until completely smooth.

It might seem thick at first, but as the eggs break up it’ll become like a normal cake batter.

BAKE. Add to the lined tray and fill each 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 20-24 minutes, I do 22 in my oven, but test with a toothpick. When a toothpick comes out clean, remove from the oven.

COOL & FROST. Let cool in the tray for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Buttercream frosting

I just made a regular chocolate buttercream using real butter, but if you follow a strict paleo diet, you are welcome to use palm oil shortening instead of the butter.

To make the frosting, add the room temperature butter to a bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy. Beat in the cocoa, then the powdered sugar, then the milk and vanilla.

Frost the cupcakes once fully cooled and top with berries and sprinkles if desired. I used these large piping tips to frost!

Ingredient swaps

Tapioca Starch. I really think tapioca starch works best in these almond flour cupcakes, but you can safely sub for arrowroot if you have that instead.

I don’t recommend corn starch since the proportions will change and you’ll need a slightly different amount.

Canned coconut milk. This ingredient is key for the moisture. I don’t recommend swapping for a regular non-dairy milk from a carton as those are more liquidy and watery.

Coconut sugar. You can use any granulated sugar here (except turbinado, I generally advise against using that for most things) such as light brown or regular white sugar.

I used coconut sugar to keep these refined sugar free, but any granulated sugar will work in its place. However, keep the honey as is since that is key for moisture.

Eggs. Unfortunately, this recipe really needs real eggs for best results. Vegan almond flour recipes can be tricky because the eggs add a lot of structure that you miss out on when you omit gluten.

You are welcome to try an egg replacer, I’d be inclined to use a store bought one over flax eggs or apple sauce. If you need a vegan and gluten free recipe, you can try my vegan chocolate cupcakes instead!

Try these recipes next!

• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Paleo Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Muffins
• Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookie
• Chocolate Protein Cake

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