Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes Made with Beets

I love red velvet cupcakes and I’ve figured out how to not only make a gluten-free red velvet cupcake, but also one with a healthy twist. Yes, you guessed it, these cupcakes contain nutrient-rich BEETS! This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Today is my birthday and I want to share a special recipe with you to celebrate.

This beautiful Sunday started with a long walk with my husband and dog. Then I baked some gluten-free red velvet cupcakes, chatted with friends, opened presents and enjoyed a yummy dinner at my parent’s house. All in all, a great day!

I decided to make gluten-free red velvet cupcakes today for several reasons. For starters, Passover is finally over (it ended last night), so this was my first chance in the kitchen to bake up something using flour. 

Second, I have never posted anything red velvet anything before – so I was ready for the challenge of coming up with a winning recipe to share. 

Finally, I love the color red. It’s my favorite color (and some would say the color red suits my fiery, trailblazing personality!). I need to eat more red foods.

History of Red Velvet Cakes

I did a little research on the history of red velvet cake and learned that the cake got its red hue from non-Dutched, anthocyanin-rich cocoa.

Today, however, most store-bought cocoa is Dutch processed, which means the chocolate is treated with an alkalizing agent to modify its color that not only gives the cocoa a milder taste, but also it changes the color from a reddish hue to its brown color.

Today’s modern red velvet cakes get their color from food dye. I, for one, cannot fathom eating a mouthful of food dye. So I decided to make my red velvet cupcakes using red beets.

Truth be told, I tried using a red natural food dye to get the red color at first, but it didn’t work no matter how much dye I used. The natural food colors weren’t strong enough to shine through. But the red from the beets shows and looks beautiful.

Please note that the red isn’t as strong as it would have been if I had used synthetic food coloring. If you want your red velvet cupcakes really red, you’ll likely need to use some dye.

How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes

In this post, I’ll show you how to make gluten-free red velvet cupcakes using nutrient-rich beets and a few other key ingredients and techniques.

Always gather all your ingredients first. It makes baking so much easier when you do.

Step #1: Prepare the Beets

You can use canned or pre-cooked beets (make sure there are no other added ingredients as some store bought beets contain vinegar!), but I prefer to make my beets fresh. They are the sweetest this way.

If using canned beets, drain a 15 ounce can of beets, then process the beets to as thin of a mixture as possible in your food processor. It’ll make just less than 1 cup of beets, which is perfect.

If making your beets from fresh beets, start by washing, peeling and cutting your beets into about 6-8 wedges each. Add beets to medium pot and cover with water.

Bring water to boil, then simmer beets for about 15-30 minutes until soft (use a fork to piece beet for doneness).

Drain and allow beets to cool for 10 minutes, then use your food processor to process the beets into a smooth mixture. Set aside.

Step #2: Prepare the Cupcake Batter

To make the batter, first whisk together your Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Add egg whites to a clean, dry bowl attached to your standing mixer (or use a handheld mixer) and beat egg whites on high for 2 minutes until stiff white peaks form. Do not overbeat. Add egg whites to a small bowl and set aside. The egg whites will add nice rise and a lightness to the final cupcake creation.

Return the bowl to your mixer and change to the paddle attachment. Add butter and sugar and beat on high speed for about 2 minutes, then add oil, egg yolks and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined. Add vinegar and 1 cup of beet mixture (more until desired color is reached) and continue to mix for another minute. (The beets will add color, moisture and sweetness and are relatively tasteless in the finished product).

Now add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix on medium speed, then add buttermilk and continue to mix. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until well combined.

Also, add your red food dye, if using. It’s 100 percent optional. The beets will give the cupcakes a brownish-red earthy tone, but if you add red food coloring, the cupcakes will really pop.

Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in egg whites by hand using a spatula until well combined. Do not overmix.

Evenly distribute batter into 18 cupcake cavities lined with cupcake liners, filling each cavity about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake in a preheated 350º F oven for 19-21 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cupcakes cool, prepare your frosting. If you’re short on time, use store-bought frosting instead or simply dust the tops with powdered sugar.

To make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in your mixer and beat until well combined. Add vanilla and salt and then slowly add powdered sugar (mixing on low) until mixture is well combined and desired texture is achieved.

Frost cupcakes as desired using a piping bag or spread the frosting on top of each cupcake using a butter knife.

The Taste Test

And now for the best part of this post – the taste test! (Well, the best part for me, you only get to look.)

These gluten-free red velvet cupcakes are as delicious as they are gorgeous. By adding beet to the batter, these cupcakes came out moist, fluffy, light, tasty, and oh-so-red!

I’ve heard some people say beets add an earthy flavor to the finished product, but in all honesty, I think they add a bit of sweetness (beets are a sweet vegetable, after all), a beautiful, natural reddish hue, and moisture (like when you add pumpkin or applesauce to a recipe – it makes the cake a bit more moist).

Beets also add a punch of nutrition. You get extra fiber, Vitamin C, tons of antioxidants to gobble up those free radicals, and beets do wonders for detoxifying your body by purifying your blood and liver. The health benefits are endless.

But more importantly, I love using beets to naturally color my gluten-free red velvet cupcakes as opposed to the alternative (synthetic food dye).

I brought the cupcakes to my parents house tonight for dessert. My dad is finicky when it comes to my gluten-free desserts but he agreed to try them. So did my mom (she doesn’t usually eat desserts but because it had beets, she was excited to try it).

My dad raved about these cupcakes. He loved them and even asked if he could keep an extra one to eat tomorrow for dessert. Wow, what a compliment!

I’ll definitely be making these again and again. I love how they turned out, and they’re so beautiful for Valentine’s Day, birthday celebrations, or just because you want a delicious, gluten-free treat all to yourself. You deserve it.

FAQs

Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions:

What flour did you use? I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. It’s a blend of rice flours, starches and xanthan gum and best mimics the texture of gluten in baked goods. You can use another 1:1 gluten-free flour blend but results may vary.

Want it dairy free?

• Use a vegan butter substitute like “butter” sticks by Earth Balance.
• Use a plant-based milk mixed with 1 tsp of lemon juice in lieu of buttermilk.
• Use a vegan frosting or omit and dust cupcakes with powdered sugar instead.

Want it sweeter? The sweetness can vary depending on the sweetness of the beets and how much frosting you add to the top. You can use anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar without changing the integrity of the recipe.

Can I make it egg free? I haven’t tried but eggs are a big part of this recipe. You may want to try another recipe if you can’t eat eggs.

Other Cupcake Recipes

These other gluten-free cupcake recipes:

Melt In Your Mouth Almond Flour Pumpkin Cupcakes – These cupcakes are grain-free, moist and light. They’re perfect for fall or whenever those pumpkin cravings hit you hard.

Light and Fluffy Cassava Flour Cupcakes: These cupcakes are also grain-free and delicious for everyday celebrations.