Almond Flour Vanilla Cupcakes

These almond flour vanilla cupcakes are moist, tender and topped with homemade buttercream frosting. They’re naturally gluten free, dairy free friendly and made in one bowl. Perfect for birthdays or just a fun dessert!

My almond flour vanilla cake has been such a hit lately so it’s about time we made a cupcake version! These almond flour vanilla cupcakes are moist, tender, made in one bowl and topped with homemade gluten free buttercream frosting.

I’m not the type to say that almond flour baked goods have the exact same texture as “regular” ones, but I will say these cupcakes are light, tender with a moist crumb and bursting with fresh vanilla flavor. Almond flour naturally has a more grainy flavor than a gluten free all purpose flour, so if you’re looking for a more traditional cupcake, try my gluten free vanilla cupcakes!

Quick tips!

• Be sure to let the batter rest! I find this really helpful with a lot of gluten free cakes/cupcakes, but especially ones made with almond flour. This allows the flour to absorb some of the moisture and leads to a really tender cupcake.
• No xanthan gum is needed in these almond flour vanilla cupcakes. That is an ingredient that is typically added to help bind gluten free recipes together, but I found that using enough eggs gets the job done. The tapioca starch also works as an effective binder as well.

How to make almond flour vanilla cupcakes

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

Add the softened butter and white sugar to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and beat for about 30 seconds. Add in the eggs, yogurt and vanilla and beat to combine.

Add in the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt. Beat to combine. Let the batter rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, scoop into the prepared cupcake tin, filling each about 2/3 of the way up.

Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The edges of the cupcakes may brown slightly- this is normal with almond flour.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack. Frost with my buttercream frosting or frosting of choice and enjoy! Try my honey soaked almond cake next!

Can I make it vegan or dairy free?

Unfortunately, no, you cannot make these cupcakes vegan. The eggs are such an important ingredient for both binding and rising, and omitting or subbing for an egg substitute will lead to flat and dense cupcakes. You can, however, make these cupcakes dairy free. Just use dairy free butter for both the cupcakes and the frosting.

How to store and freeze

Once prepared, these almond flour vanilla cupcakes will keep at room temperature for 3 days. I recommend keeping them on a plate covered with a foil, or on a cake stand with the lid on.

You can freeze the cupcakes after baking before adding the frosting. Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Let defrost before frosting and enjoy!

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.

Eggs. Unfortunately, this recipe really needs real, whole 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.

Sugar. I used white granulated sugar to keep the cupcakes a classic color, but you can swap for coconut sugar if you prefer, though the color will be darker. I don’t recommend any liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup here.

Greek yogurt. I love using greek yogurt in baked goods because it adds a lot of moisture. I used full fat, but whatever you have is fine! Sour cream will also work as a sub.

Almond flour recipes to try next!

• Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
• Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Almond Flour Cookies
• Almond Flour Brownies

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