Vanilla Coconut Flour Cupcakes
Vanilla Coconut Flour Cupcakes- made with just 8 ingredients, these grain-free cupcakes come together super fast and easy! (gluten-free and dairy-free)
‘Tis the season for love and nothing says I love you like a homemade batch of cupcakes, am I right?
These vanilla beauties have quickly become a favorite in our house, especially with a tiny human who likes to talk a lot. He’s been asking for them every day and I don’t feel so bad giving him one because they’re a good source of fiber, iron and protein, plus they’re fairly low in sugar if you serve them without the frosting. Which you only do if you’re a food blogger who tests cupcake recipes 5x in one week.
Under normal circumstances I would consider serving a cupcake without frosting sacrilegious, but I have to admit, these are pretty tasty on their own. So I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to make them cupcakes or muffins!
What Is Coconut Flour?
Made from coconut meat, coconut flour is naturally grain-free and gluten-free. It’s high in fiber, protein and healthy fats, and is low in carbohydrates compared to grain-based flours.
It has a mild coconut flavor that blends seamlessly in baked recipes. It’s also very versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes including pancakes, cookies, brownies, or as a breading in savory dishes.
My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill because the texture is always perfect and I like that they go the extra mile to make sure their products are certified gluten-free. That means if you are celiac or are baking for someone who is, you can rest assured that this product is safe for them to consume.
Why do you need so many eggs?
Coconut flour is unique in that it is VERY absorbent. You will see this recipe calls for only 2/3 cup of flour and uses 5 eggs. That is not a typo!
One of the reasons I went through so many trials with this recipe is because I wanted to minimize how many eggs it called for. I did test it with just 4 eggs and the results were good but the batter was super thick which made the cupcakes look less desirable. If you want to use less eggs and are ok with lumpy tops then I say go for it!
Tips and Substitutions
- Can I use a different flour? Because coconut flour is so absorbent, I don’t recommend substituting it unless you are willing to experiment. Any other flour will require less moisture but it’s hard to say how much depending on which one you use. And even then, I can’t say for sure without testing it myself.
- What about honey instead of maple syrup? While this will definitely work, I find the texture of honey to be thicker and more difficult to work with in this recipe. The batter will be thicker and more lumpy compared to using maple syrup.
- Can I make these vegan? Unfortunately the eggs are an absolute must for this recipe. Coconut flour is great for some vegan recipes but when it comes to baking with recipes that usually require eggs I don’t recommend it. That said, this muffin recipe would make great vegan/GF cupcakes! Just leave out the blueberries and lemon zest then add frosting.
How to Make Vanilla Coconut Flour Muffins
The best part about this recipe is that is so simple to make! You just whisk together the wet ingredients then add the dry, transfer to a muffin tin and bake until golden.
What kind of frosting should I use?
The frosting you see in the photos is a vegan vanilla buttercream which I list the instructions for in the notes of the recipe. You can also buy remade frosting and pipe it on yourself.
Or if you prefer chocolate, I highly recommend trying my Best Healthy Vegan Chocolate Frosting recipe.
Looking for more grain-free desserts?
- Best-Ever Chocolate Quinoa Cake
- Grain-free Double Chocolate Cake Pops
- Fudgy Grain-free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Brownies
- Easy Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Vanilla Coconut Flour Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line and grease a muffin tin for 12 cupcakes.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Sift together to break up any large clumps.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet as you continue to whisk vigorously. You want to whisk quickly to remove as many lumps as possible because the flour will absorb the moisture quickly and become more difficult to work with.
- Using an ice cream scoop (or small dry measuring cup), fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full, until you have 12 cupcakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden on edges and firm in the center. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was created in partnership with a brand that I have used and loved for years, Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions and text are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make it possible for me to bring you quality content. For more delicious recipes and a coupon for $1.00 off any product, please visit Bob’sRedMill.com.
These are so beautiful! I’ll definitely be making these some day for a upcoming holiday I’m sure. I missed Valentine’s Day since I wasn’t feeling well but maybe St Patrick’s Day with green sprinkles?! Haha
I love that idea! I know these aren’t ideal for Bri’s egg allergy but hopefully she will outgrow it soon!
I expected to love these. Mine tasted horrible! I’m not sure if my coconut oil is too pure because it came straight from the West Indies but my cupcakes tasted like pure coconut oil and the texture was awful. I followed the recipe exactly. Very disappointed because they came out looking delicious!
I’m sorry to hear these were a dud for you! I should have noted that they will have a strong coconut flavor, especially if your coconut oil is unrefined. Not to mention the coconut flour which can also incorporate coconut flavor if it is the only flour being used. This recipe is meant to be as minimal as possible for a grain-free recipe but they definitely do not have the texture or flavor of traditional cupcakes. Sorry you had to learn that the hard way!
How can this vegan recipe use milk? Should it say soy milk? Will soy milk work?
Sorry for the confusion but this recipe is not vegan as it uses egg. However, it is dairy-free if you use plant milk, such as soy milk.
I actually really liked this recipe it’s so moist and good I did replace the syrup with something else but I do recommend this