Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love making red velvet cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, and this simple gluten-free red velvet cupcake topped with a luxurious cream cheese frosting will make you swoon for more. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Red velvet cupcakes are known for their distinctive color and velvety texture. Traditionally, the red hue came from the reaction between the cocoa powder and the acid in vinegar and buttermilk. However, this reaction is hard to come by with today’s processed cocoa powders, so most bakers add red food coloring to their batter.

While you may find a bit of food coloring in my recipe, I assure you this velvety smooth cupcake recipe is made without gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, and it’s safe for people with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivities, wheat allergies, and gluten intolerance.

These cupcakes are visually stunning and a vision in red, making them the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day, birthday parties, wedding showers, baby showers, and other special occasions. The tangy cream cheese frosting on top is delicious and creamy and perfectly complements this ultra-tasty chocolate cupcake.

Whether you’re an experienced baker or just starting your gluten-free journey, I have a feeling you’ll love making and eating these beautiful gluten-free red velvet cupcakes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make the batter for these delicious gluten-free red velvet cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend (I used 240 grams of Better Batter All Purpose Flour (see notes)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (225 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk or dairy-free milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon red food coloring (see notes)

And for the tangy cream cheese frosting, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 package), softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

To make the cupcake batter, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk until combined.

Add the oil, milk, eggs, and vinegar to a separate bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk the ingredients together until combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spatula. If you want the cupcakes to be red instead of brown, add red food dye (optional) and incorporate the dye into the batter.

Add paper cupcake liners to a 12-cavity muffin tin and add the batter to each liner about 3/4 full. You should have enough to fill all 12 cavities of the pan evenly.

Bake the cupcakes in a 350º F preheated oven for 20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (For mini cupcakes, bake for 18-22 minutes.)

Allow the cupcakes to fully cool on a wire rack before adding the frosting. You could add slightly cooled cupcakes to the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

To make the cream cheese frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about five minutes.

Add the powdered sugar, milk (1 tablespoon at a time), and vanilla extract. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then mix on high until it reaches a thick but spreadable consistency, about three minutes. If it’s too thick, add a splash more milk; if it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Use a piping bag to pipe the cream cheese frosting on top. You could also use a butter knife to spread the frosting instead.

Now it’s time to dig in. Check out how beautiful the inside of these tasty gluten-free red velvet cupcakes look. Wow! They’re so bright and red, tender and moist, and have the perfect crumb … even without gluten!

Notes

Storing Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. The cupcakes will stay moist and tender for up to 4-6 days after they’re baked.

Choosing a Gluten-Free Flour: I’ve used both Better Batter All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour blend. Both flours offer a blend of rice flours, starches, and xanthan gum and work well to mimic the texture of gluten in baked goods. Be sure your flour blend contains xanthan gum, or add 1/2 teaspoon of it to the dry ingredients.

Dairy-Free Option: I suggest using dairy-free milk like almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or cashew milk for the batter and frosting. You could also make a dairy-free cream cheese frosting using dairy-free cream cheese (if you can find it).

Alternatively, I recommend omitting the cream cheese altogether and replacing it with dairy-free vegan butter sticks, like those from Earth Balance. This will result in a buttercream vs. cream cheese frosting, but it will still be delicious.

Egg-Free Option: I have made this recipe without eggs with excellent results. I recommend either using an egg replacer or flax eggs. One flaxseed egg equals one tablespoon of flaxseed meal + three tablespoons of warm water. (For this recipe, you’ll need to make two flax eggs, so use two tablespoons of flaxseed meal + six tablespoons of warm water.) Combine the flax and water and allow it to gel for five minutes at room temperature, then use it in lieu of eggs.

Cocoa Powder: Originally, when making red velvet cakes, the vibrant red color would come from the reaction of the vinegar or buttermilk with the natural cocoa. Today, however, most store-bought cocoa powder is Dutch-processed or alkalized, preventing this red reaction. You may notice your cupcakes are more brown than red, which is what I generally find. This is why I add food coloring to my batter.

Food Coloring: For a long time, I struggled with the idea of adding food coloring to my batter, but truth be told, I got over it and now have no issue using food coloring from time to time.

I recommend using a gel food coloring for the most vibrant addition of color. If using natural food coloring, you’ll need a lot more of it, and your cupcakes may still be more brown than red. Alternatively, some red velvet cake recipes say you could use beetroot powder to color your cupcakes, but I’m unsure if it will work. Some say the reaction between the beetroot powder and the acid in the batter will still result in a brownish cupcake.

Sprinkles on Top: I added red sparkling sugar to add more beauty to the already stunning cupcake.

More Gluten-Free Cupcakes

Enjoy these gluten-free cupcakes recipes, too:

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting: These cupcakes are chocolatey and smooth and topped with creamy, to-die-for raspberry buttercream.

Classic Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes: These classic cupcakes are super versatile and work for all occasions. It’s a recipe you must add to your repertoire.

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.

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These delicious gluten-free red velvet cupcakes look as beautiful as they taste. They offer a velvety soft, moist crumb along with a tangy, sweet cream cheese frosting. Perfection!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes

Prep Time: 8 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Jenny Levine Finke

Equipment

• 1 electric mixers
• various bowls and spatulas
• muffin pan
• 12 paper cupcake liners
• 1 Piping bag optional

Ingredients

For the Batter:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend I used 240 grams of Better Batter All Purpose Flour (see notes
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cocoa powder not Dutch-processed
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 225 grams
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk or dairy-free milk
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 – 1 teaspoon red food coloring see notes

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese 1/2 package, softened to room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Batter:

• Preheat your oven to 350º F. Add paper cupcake liners to a 12-cavity muffin pan. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
• Add the oil, milk, eggs, and vinegar to a separate bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk the ingredients together until combined.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a spatula. Add red food dye (optional) if you want the cupcakes to be red vs. brown and incorporate the dye into the batter.
• Bake the cupcakes for 20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. (For mini cupcakes, bake for 18-22 minutes.)
• Allow the cupcakes to fully cool on a wire rack before adding the frosting. You could add slightly cooled cupcakes to the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

For the Frosting:

• Add the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about five minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar, milk (1 tablespoon at a time), and vanilla extract. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then mix on high until it reaches a thick but spreadable consistency, about three minutes. If it’s too thick, add a splash more milk; if it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.
• Use a piping bag to pipe the cream cheese frosting on top. You could also use a butter knife to spread the frosting on top.

Notes

Storing Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. The cupcakes will stay moist and tender for up to 4-6 days after they’re baked.

Choosing a Gluten-Free Flour: I’ve used both Better Batter All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Both flours offer a blend of rice flours, starches, and xanthan gum and work well to mimic the texture of gluten in baked goods. Be sure your flour blend contains xanthan gum, or add 1/2 teaspoon of it to the dry ingredients.

Dairy-Free Option: I suggest using dairy-free milk like almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or cashew milk for the batter and frosting. You could also make a dairy-free cream cheese frosting using dairy-free cream cheese (if you can find it). Alternatively, I recommend omitting the cream cheese altogether and replacing it with dairy-free vegan butter sticks, like those from Earth Balance. This will result in a buttercream vs. cream cheese frosting, but it will still be delicious.

Egg-Free Option: I have made this recipe without eggs with excellent results. I recommend either using an egg replacer or flaxseed eggs. One flaxseed egg equals one tablespoon of flaxseed meal + three tablespoons of warm water. (For this recipe, you’ll need to make two flax eggs, so use two tablespoons of flaxseed meal + six tablespoons of warm water.) Combine the flax and water and allow it to gel for five minutes at room temperature, then use it in lieu of eggs.

Cocoa Powder: Originally, when making red velvet cakes, the red color would come from the reaction of the vinegar or buttermilk with the natural cocoa. Today, however, most store-bought cocoa powder is Dutch-processed or alkalized, preventing this red reaction. You may notice your cupcakes are more brown than red, which is what I generally find. This is why I add food coloring to my batter.

Food Coloring: For a long time, I struggled with the idea of adding food coloring to my batter, but truth be told, I got over it and now have no issue using food coloring from time to time.

I recommend using a gel food coloring for the most vibrant addition of color. If using natural food coloring, you’ll need a lot more of it, and your cupcakes may still be more brown than red. Alternatively, some red velvet cake recipes say you could use beetroot powder to color your cupcakes, but I’m unsure if it will work. Some say the reaction between the beetroot powder and the acid in the batter will still result in a brownish cupcake.

Sprinkles on Top: I added red sparkling sugar to add more beauty to the already stunning cupcake.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 218mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 303IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg

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