These may just be the perfect gluten free vegan chocolate cupcakes! This is a moist, chocolaty, not too sweet cupcake that you can whip up in minutes with no special ingredients or equipment! 
This tried and true recipe comes out perfect every time and is my go-to recipe for my gluten free vegan kids’ birthdays or special events.
Why you will LOVE these chocolate cupcakes…
- They’re moist, fluffy, and delicious!
- They are free of dairy, eggs, and nuts and they come out great with either regular or gluten free flour.
- You don’t need a mixer or special equipment, just a mixing bowl and a whisk!
- There is no need for egg replacers.
- You probably already have all the ingredients that you need in your pantry!
- You can easily make your own gluten free flour that works perfectly for these cupcakes!
I’ve been making this tried and true vegan chocolate cupcake recipe for years and it never disappoints. It always comes out moist and delicious and I love that it’s not too sweet!
How do I make gluten free vegan chocolate cupcakes?
- Pre-heat the oven to 375° F.
- Measure out all the dry ingredients unto a mixing bowl.
- Measure out the wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl (I like to use a large measuring container).
- Stir with a whisk for about 30 seconds until all the batter is combined.
- Pour it into cupcake liners or a greased and floured 8 inch round cake pan.
- Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes or cake for 25-28 minutes.
Note: This recipe works well in cake form too and this recipe will make either 12 cupcakes or one 9 inch round cake.
What type of vegan frosting should I use?
You can use any frosting that you would like to top these cupcakes. My favorite is my salted caramel frosting! It’s rich, buttery, sweet and salty which pairs nicely with this perfect chocolate cupcake! It may be the best cupcake you will ever eat!
Did you make these gluten free vegan chocolate cupcakes? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
An easy moist and rich chocolate cupcake made gluten free and vegan.
- 1 1/2 cup gluten free flour or regular wheat flour if not gluten free
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup oil (any neutral flavored oil will work)
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Pre-heat the oven to 375° F.
Measure out all the dry ingredients unto a mixing bowl.
Measure out the wet ingredient in a separate mixing bowl (I like to use a large measuring container).
Stir with a whisk for about 30 seconds until all the batter is combined.
Pour it into cupcake liners or a greased and floured 8 inch round cake pan.
Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes or if making a cake for 25-28 minutes.
Notes:
- This recipe works well in cake form too and this recipe will make either 12 cupcakes or one 8 inch round cake.
- If you want to make a double layered cake, double the recipe.
Vickie Krivacs says
May 26, 2019 at 5:24 pmI doubled the recipe and made a layer cake for a friend who eats GF/Vegan. It was off the charts delicious. This is my new go to recipe for chocolate cake. Thank you. The ingredients are very simple and easy to obtain. I made your chocolate vegan buttercream and it was the perfect recipe. Thank you on behalf on my friends who expanded my horizons.
Monica says
May 26, 2019 at 5:43 pmAww, thanks so much! It made my day to read this! It has been my go-to recipe for years, it’s hard for me to make any other cake because I love this one so much! I’m glad you used my chocolate buttercream with it! A great combo! 🙂
Sarah says
May 11, 2019 at 5:35 amWhat type of vinegar did you use? I have normal or apple cider vinegar? Thanks for the great recipe!
Sarah says
May 11, 2019 at 5:38 amAlso what oil did you use? Sorry!
Monica says
May 13, 2019 at 9:00 amI usually use canola oil or vegetable oil.
Monica says
May 13, 2019 at 9:00 amI usually use white vinegar, but I have also used apple cider vinegar. They both come out well. Enjoy! 🙂
Sarah says
May 10, 2019 at 7:59 amCan you use vanilla almond milk instead of water?
Monica says
May 10, 2019 at 10:31 amI have not personally done it before, but I think that it would work fine.
Jenn says
May 1, 2019 at 10:04 amI never leave recipe comments, but I wanted to thank you for these. I made these for a birthday party, and I was super nervous because while I bake all the time, I’ve never baked GF or vegan before. These came out incredible! I didn’t do too well making a homemade caramel sauce, but the frosting still came out great with what I could salvage from the pan. Some of the people at the party aren’t GF/vegan, and they had some of the cupcakes and were blown away!
Monica says
May 1, 2019 at 11:47 amThanks, Jenn, it made my day to read this! 🙂
Rb says
April 26, 2019 at 6:47 pmCan I sub coconut flour?
Monica says
April 27, 2019 at 6:07 pmI have never personally tried it, but I don’t think that it would bake up the same. I always use my gluten-free flour mix or a general GF mix like.
Lies says
March 16, 2019 at 3:00 amI baked the cupcakes yesterday to taste. It was our test run. I used glutenfree flour. Me and my kids and my sistet who suffers from coeliakie, we al liked them.
Totday I’m going to try to make a cake out of them for my Son’s birthday party.
Thank you for the recipe!
Monica says
March 17, 2019 at 12:38 pmI’m so happy that you liked the cupcakes! Happy Birthday to your son! 🙂
Dana says
February 24, 2019 at 6:39 pmI have made a number of vegan cake recipes using flax in place of eggs and the cake ends up tasting like grass. This cake literally took no time to put together- was super moist and especially delicious. I think it would fool a non- vegan eater. I made the caramel sauce and that didn’t work out great but was delicious and I still added it to the frosting and it was a great combination. Will definitely be making again!!!
Monica says
February 25, 2019 at 9:02 amI’m so happy that you liked this recipe Dana! It’s been one of my favorites for years! The caramel is a little tricky to make. Even the humidity in the air can change consistency of it, but at least it always tastes good! 🙂
Tess says
January 15, 2019 at 7:42 amHi, these look amazing! I’m going to make them for a friend this weekend.
Just have one UK-specific question: when you say regular flour, would that be all-purpose flour (plain flour to me)? I’ll try it with your gf flour recipe at some point but for time purposes going to do normal flour this time!
Thanks!
Monica says
January 15, 2019 at 8:42 amThanks Tess! Yes, when I say regular flour, I mean all-purpose wheat flour. Hope that you enjoy them!
Erin Dee says
January 4, 2019 at 9:22 pmThese look out of this world delicious! Definitely need to put these on the baking list for the weekend!
Monica says
January 5, 2019 at 12:27 pmThanks Erin! Enjoy! 🙂
Monica says
January 6, 2019 at 8:55 pmThanks Erin! Hope you like them as much as we do! 🙂
Leslie says
January 4, 2019 at 3:51 pmThese look perfect! It is hard to find a gluten free cupcake recipe that isn’t dry/crumbly or wet/spongy. I’ll definitely be trying these.
Monica says
January 5, 2019 at 12:26 pmThanks Leslie! Hope that you like them! 🙂
Monica says
January 6, 2019 at 8:54 pmThanks Leslie, these cupcakes always come out well for me. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Megan says
November 3, 2018 at 11:04 amThese came out amazing! I used your gluten free flour recipe and it worked perfectly! I really like that they aren’t overly sweet, you can enjoy sweeter frosting that way. I just used chocolate frosting on them, but I want to try the caramel frosting soon. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Monica says
November 3, 2018 at 11:17 amI’m so happy to hear that you liked them Megan! That gluten free flour recipe has been working for me in so many recipes! I can’t believe that I went so many years without it! Oh, and give the caramel frosting a try, you will love it! 🙂