These easy almond flour cupcakes are moist, rich, and fluffy. Using almond flour makes them gluten-free as well as adding a nice nutty flavor. The chocolate frosting is indulgent and delicious too.
Jump to:
Making almond flour cupcakes is simply a matter of combining the ingredients and dividing them between muffin tin cups. You can use any sweetener you like in this recipe. Choose a sugar-free, cream cheese frosting too, and these become low carb/keto-friendly! Before frosting, these weight in at just 2 net carbs apiece.
You don’t need grains, oil, or butter to make them. But you wouldn’t be able to tell from biting into one. These beautiful little treats are perfect for any occasion! Try one and you’ll never want to make conventional cupcakes again!
If you are looking for other ideas, guests always love my gluten-free mochi brownies. These dairy-free brownies and these stuff-baked apples are two other favorites of mine that you can easily make gluten-free too with a simple sub or two.
Main Ingredients
Only 8 different ingredients are needed to make these little treats, along with your choice of prepared frosting. The key ingredient is almond flour, which you can find in pretty much every grocery store these days.
Here are some of the main ingredients you will need:
- Almond flour: The star ingredient in the cupcakes. It is made by grinding almonds very finely. Use either superfine or the blanched kind, not the coarser almond meal which makes them too dense. If you like, you can swap half of it for hazelnut flour, for a slightly different flavor in the finished cakes.
- Cocoa powder: For a true chocolate taste. Use unsweetened cocoa powder for the best, most intense flavor.
- Sweetener: To add sweetness to your almond flour cupcakes, of course! Use any brand of granulated sweetener you like. Bear in mind you might not need a whole cup of sweetener because some kinds are sweeter than others. Add a little at a time until it’s sweet but not too sweet! I like erythritol, although monk fruit sweetener also gives a good result.
- Baking soda: To make them rise. This ingredient helps the cupcakes become light and fluffy.
- Sour cream: This replaces the butter or oil typically found in conventional cupcake recipes. Feel free to use unsweetened, unflavored Greek yogurt instead if you want.
- Chocolate frosting: To finish the cupcakes beautifully. You can either buy a can of prepared chocolate frosting or use your own recipe for a keto-friendly one.
Instructions Overview
After preheating the oven and lining a muffin tin you can get to work on the cupcake batter. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sweetener together.
Now mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and eggs, and then divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the middle of one comes out clean. When they are cool, you can pipe the frosting on top.
Common Questions
It's basically finely ground almonds (or almond meal). This ingredient contains more moisture than regular flour, so the cupcakes will come out moist but also a little fragile when they first come out of the oven. Let them cool completely before attempting to remove them from the liners or baking sheet.
In short, yes. Because it’s more consistent and fine in the size of each grain, you can use it where the flavor is more important than the texture, such as in keto-friendly muffins, these almond flour cupcakes, or crackers.
Although there is no 1:1 conversion method when substituting for all-purpose flour, you will typically need slightly more raising agents since it is heavier than conventional flour. In this recipe though, I have worked it out for you!
This kind of flour adds a rich flavor and slightly nutty taste to baked goods. Also, you typically use more fat when compared to regular flour, which can help extend the shelf life of these almond flour cupcakes.
Ground almonds are usually ground up almonds in their raw skins. Almond flour is usually ground skinless almonds. I say "usually" because labeling can vary. However, for these cupcakes, you will need the kind which is cream to beige in color not ground almonds which are medium brown in color and coarser. If in doubt, just go by color.
I love making a low-carb shake to pair with these. Add some heavy cream, fresh strawberries, and low-carb ice cream (such as Rebel) to a blender and whiz up a shake. Of course, a glass of iced tea or cup of coffee also pairs wonderfully.
Keep the cupcakes at room temperature for up to 2 days or for several more in the refrigerator. They keep better when covered.
You can. Put them in a shallow container or Ziploc bag and then they can be frozen for a couple of months.
Although these cupcakes are better served fresh, they will keep for several days. Refrigerated, they can last up to 6 or 7 days.
Another option would be reusable silicon wrappers or you could just use greased muffin cups.
For the second option, let them cool in the cups for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack, or else they are likely to break apart. I’d use either paper or silicon liners just to ensure this won’t happen.
Chopnotch Tips
- Don’t fill the muffin cups more than ¾ full or else the cupcakes won’t be able to rise properly.
- Don’t over-mix or over-bake either. Over-mixing leads to dense cupcakes while over-baking can dry them out. Plus, they keep baking for a couple of minutes after you take them out of the oven.
- You can change the flavor of these cupcakes if you want. Try lemon zest and a lemon frosting. Or how about berries and a strawberry frosting? Cherries are always amazing with almonds. The combinations are endless.
These almond flour cupcakes taste just like ones with conventional flour. But they are gluten-free and low in carbs as well as really tasty!
Related Recipes
Let us know what you think! Give this recipe a rating in the comments section below.
Recipe
How to Make
Almond Flour Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sweetener, any brand
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 16 ounces milk chocolate frosting, any brand
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a muffin tin and line it with muffin liners.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix until combined. Then add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter evenly into each of the 12 cups in your lined muffin tin filling each one no more than ¾ of the way full, and then bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven when an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Let cool completely and then pipe the chocolate frosting on top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t fill the muffin cups more than ¾ full or else the cupcakes won’t be able to rise properly.
- Don’t over-mix or over-bake either. Over-mixing leads to dense cupcakes while over-baking can dry them out. Plus, they keep baking for a couple of minutes after you take them out of the oven.
- You can change the flavor of these cupcakes if you want. Try lemon zest and a lemon frosting. Or how about berries and a strawberry frosting? Cherries are always amazing with almonds. The combinations are endless.
