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 vegan cupcake recipe bakes up perfectly every time with regular wheat flour and most gluten-free flour mixes. You can also bake it in a cake pan for a perfectly moist vegan chocolate cake! 
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 vegan chocolate cake 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?
- Preheat 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 salted caramel frosting is rich, buttery, sweet, and salty which is a perfect combo with this chocolate cake. My recipe for The Best Vegan Buttercream Frosting can be made in any flavor like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry and is delicious on these cupcakes!
Want some more vegan cake recipes?
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
- Super Easy Vegan Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too! Connect with me on Facebook and Pinterest too!
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
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
-
Measure out all the dry ingredients into 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.
I'm hoping to make these for my son's birthday party as multiple of my in-laws are plant based Celiacs. I do have a question though and this may be a stupid question.. What kind of sugar would you recommend? I feel like I've heard cane sugar is a no no in the vegan community. Thank you!! I'm super excited to make these!!
Hi Kennedy, some sugar is not vegan since is sometimes filtered through bone char. Organic sugar is always vegan though. (I'm not sure if they still have it, but I've even seen organic sugar, labeled vegan at The Dollar Tree.) Enjoy! 🙂
First time making dairy-free cupcakes. They were for my daughter's second birthday. SO good!! Will definitely make again. I used apple cider vinegar because that's all I had and it worked out great. Also went well with a chocolate avocado frosting 😉 Thank you for this recipe!
You are very welcome Becca! I'm so happy that you liked them! 🙂
Hi,
Can you freeze the muffins?
And can you add chocolate chips to them as well, if so how much?
Thank you!!
Hi Louise, Yes, you can freeze these. Just keep in an airtight container. You can also add chocolate chips. I would add about 1/2 cup of mini chips if you have them. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi there!
I’m just in the process of making these now and was going to do them in a min cupcake form, do you think that will work?
Hi June, you probably finished making the cupcakes before I could answer, but yes, the mini cupcakes work fine, but you won't need to bake them as long. Only bake them for about 16-18 minutes. 🙂
This looks amazing! Do you think I can use 1 cup of beet puree to add depth and coloring? For a red velvet type cupcake?
I have never tried it personally, but I think that you could. I would reduce the water and oil a little to compensate for the extra liquid. I also have a vegan brownie recipe that I use pureed beets in. You may want to check that out too. 🙂 Here is the link: https://thehiddenveggies.com/veggie-brownies-recipe-vegan-gluten-free/
I loved these! I also made the buttercream both chocolate and mint to put on top. It was delicious!!!!
Sgould I use self raising or plain flour or can youuse both?
I always use plain flour, but I think that both would work. Enjoy! 🙂
These were freaking delicious! My whole family loved them! Thanks.
Hi, what sugar are you using?? Is it caster sugar or standard granulated? I'm wanting to make this with gluten free flour. Is it plain or self raising?? One last thing! Do you have to use the vinegar?
Thanks.
I use granulated organic sugar and I've made it with many types of GF flour and it always works well. I use my homemade GF flour mix or other general store-bought GF flour mix. I think the GF flour with xanthan gum works best. If it doesn't have xanthan gum in it I usually add a tsp. And, yes, you have to use vinegar to make it come out well. The vinegar interacts with the baking soda to help it rise and works as an egg replacer. You may be able to sub out lemon juice for vinegar, but I have not tried it myself. (You will not be able to taste the vinegar). I hope that helps! 🙂
Has anyone ever tried this recipe using Trader Joe’s gluten free flour? It doesn’t have xantham gum in it, so I was wondering how it would turn out. Thanks!
I use that flour a lot. It works well with this recipe. I usually put a 1/2 of xanthan gum in it, but I have forgotten to do it and it still comes out okay, just slightly more crumbly. Hope you enjoy it! It's my family's favorite cake! 🙂
I made these with bobs Red Mills baking flour and the batter ended up being SO thick! Any recommendations? Do I need to use a different GF flour?
I'm not sure. I made them many times with many types of gluten-free flour and the batter is regular cake batter consistency. Maybe recheck your measurements? Did you end up baking them?
Sorry for the late reply! I did bake them, they domed in a weird way. But I remade them and just added a bit of plant milk to make thin out the batter and they baked up beautifully! I also now use Jules gf mix and I think it works better than Bob's! Thanks for the recipe, I'm about to bake 2 dozen for a fundraiser!
I 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.
Aww, 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! 🙂
What type of vinegar did you use? I have normal or apple cider vinegar? Thanks for the great recipe!
Also what oil did you use? Sorry!
I usually use canola oil or vegetable oil.
I usually use white vinegar, but I have also used apple cider vinegar. They both come out well. Enjoy! 🙂
Can you use vanilla almond milk instead of water?
I have not personally done it before, but I think that it would work fine.
I 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!
Thanks, Jenn, it made my day to read this! 🙂
Can I sub coconut flour?
I 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.
I 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!
I'm so happy that you liked the cupcakes! Happy Birthday to your son! 🙂
I 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!!!
I'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! 🙂
Hi, 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!
Thanks Tess! Yes, when I say regular flour, I mean all-purpose wheat flour. Hope that you enjoy them!
These look out of this world delicious! Definitely need to put these on the baking list for the weekend!
Thanks Erin! Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks Erin! Hope you like them as much as we do! 🙂
These 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.
Thanks Leslie! Hope that you like them! 🙂
Thanks Leslie, these cupcakes always come out well for me. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
These 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!
I'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! 🙂