Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

The perfect light and fluffy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. Top these super moist tender cupcakes with classic American buttercream, and your favorite sprinkles for the ultimate birthday cupcake, or make them fancy with brûléed figs a grown-up affair. Either way, this is a go-to recipe for gluten-free vanilla cupcakes!

My neighbor brought over homemade gluten-free vanilla cupcakes a few months back, then texted me to ask for a baking date to come up with a better recipe. She was tasked with making a gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free vanilla cupcake for her daughter's birthday party.

Using my gluten-free chocolate chip cupcake from three years ago as a starting point, we made several dozen cupcakes in our quest. We ended up with a cupcake that was pretty great, especially considering all its limitations. But because I can't leave well enough alone, after the party, I threw the dairy and sugar back in and kept testing. 

My goal: perfect basic gluten-free vanilla cupcakes - the vanilla counterpart to my perfect gluten-free chocolate cupcake recipe.

Update 04/09/2024: And because I really can't leave well enough alone, I've continued improving this recipe until the resulting cupcake is, well, absolutely perfect. I tested my gluten-free vanilla cake in cupcake form, and the result is the perfect gluten-free vanilla birthday cupcake recipe. 

Why you'll love these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes

• Ultra-moist buttery gluten-free vanilla cupcakes bursting with flavor.
• Light and fluffy, a quality usually reserved for chocolate cupcakes that turn to oil for their fat. It has a tender crumb that is neither dry nor gummy.
• Tastes like super moist sugar cookies topped with vanilla frosting and sprinkles
• Classic American buttercream or cream cheese frosting for a perfect birthday party cupcake 

Ingredients for Gluten-Free vanilla cupcakes

Rather than using an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour, I prefer to make my own blend of gluten-free cake flour. Not all store-bought flour blends behave the same in different recipes - what might work for one recipe doesn't work for another. Additionally, store-bought gluten-free flour blends rely heavily on starches and gums without as many nutritional or flavorful flours.

As such, I've found that gluten-free recipes turn out better when you adjust the flours depending on what you're baking (ex. cupcakes versus cookies). When you choose the best gluten-free flours for each specific recipe, you're able to achieve the best texture, flavor, and nutrition. For each of the flours listed below, I exclusively use Bob's Red Mill brand, unless otherwise noted.

However, I have tested these cupcakes with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour blend with success, so if you'd rather use an all-purpose flour, I recommend substituting all of the flours by weight with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour.

Here are all the ingredients you'll need for these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes: 

• Sorghum flour: Sorghum flour is a wholesome whole-grain flour. With slightly sweet notes, sorghum flour adds flavor depth. Sorghum also helps creates a very moist crumb.
• Sweet rice flour or mochiko: Sweet rice flour is distinctively different than white rice or brown rice flour. Sweet rice flour is the same flour used to make mochi, and as such, its stickiness helps to bind the cupcakes together, creating chewiness like a classic cupcake recipe. I prefer Koda Farms Mochiko for cupcakes and cake, but Bob's Red Mill Sweet Rice Flour also works.
• Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour adds chewiness and helps mimic the fluffiness of classic cupcakes.
• Millet flour: Millet flour is a neutral flour that balances the others out so the cupcakes aren't too moist or gummy
• Xanthan gum
• Baking powder, baking soda, salt
• Unsalted butter, room temperature
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs, room temperature,
• Vanilla and almond extracts: for nut-free version, replace almond extract with additional vanilla extract
• Whole milk, room temperature
• Sour cream, room temperature
• Frosting!

How to Make Gluten-Free Cupcakes

1. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, scraping sides after each addition.
4. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
5. With mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the sour cream and milk, mixing until just combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners and bake. Let cool completely before frosting.
7. Top with your favorite frosting!

More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes

Cake is my favorite thing to bake gluten-free! Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Recipe

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

yields: 15 cupcakes

prep time: 30 minutes mins

cook time: 33 minutes mins

Additional Time: 10 minutes mins

total time: 1 hour hr 13 minutes mins

The perfect light and fluffy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. Top these super moist tender cupcakes with classic American buttercream or cream cheese and your favorite sprinkles for the ultimate birthday cupcake, or make them fancy with brûléed figs a grown-up affair. Either way, this is a go-to recipe for gluten-free vanilla cupcakes!

5 from 2 reviews

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Ingredients

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

• ▢ 72 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob’s Red Mill sorghum flour
• ▢ 70 g (¼ cup + 3 tablespoons) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko, different from "white rice flour" or "brown rice flour"
• ▢ 56 g (½ cup) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• ▢ 46 g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoons) Bob’s Red Mill millet flour
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ▢ 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 220 g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon almond extract, or more vanilla extract for nut-free version
• ▢ ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150 g) whole milk, room temperature
• ▢ ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream for cupcakes

• ▢ 1.5 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened slightly above room temperature
• ▢ 450 g (3¾ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
• ▢ ½ whole vanilla bean, seeds only, or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1-3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
• ▢ Optional: a few drops gel food coloring, sprinkles

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• ▢ 12 ounces full-fat cream cheese (blocked)
• ▢ 2¼ cups (270 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ Pinch kosher salt

Brûléed Figs

• ▢ 7 figs, ripe, but firm, halved
• ▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

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INSTRUCTIONS

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with 15 cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, millet flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides after each one.
• Add the vanilla and almond extracts, mixing until just combined.
• Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in three batches, adding the sour cream and milk in between, mixing until just combined.
• Fill the cupcake liners ⅔ full. I recommend using a ¼-cup ice cream scoop for even cupcakes.
• Bake for 25-28 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed in the middle and a toothpick comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs. These cupcakes will seem light and airy in texture when gently pressed, so take care not to overbake them.
• Remove from oven. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting Option

• Once cool, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to the butter, in 4 batches, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until smooth. Add the milk or cream, starting with just 2 tablespoons and adding additional milk or cream as needed, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Fold in a few drops of gel food coloring, if desired.
• Frost the cupcakes. Pipe or spread frosting on the cupcakes using a ½-inch closed star piping tip or offset spatula. Top with sprinkles.

Cream Cheese Frosting Option

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed. With the mixer on medium speed, add the cream cheese, one piece at a time, beating until completely smooth.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar, in thirds, mixing on low speed until just combined.
• Add the vanilla and salt, and beat on medium speed until smooth, taking care not to overmix.
• Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. For the pattern above, use a large closed-star pastry tip.

Brûléed Figs, optional

• Place the sugar on a small plate. Press each fig into the sugar to coat well. Let them sit for a minute then press them again.
• Using a kitchen torch with enough distance to keep from burning the figs, brûlée the sugar until it begins to caramelize. Let cool until it firms up and top each cupcake with a brûléed fig.

Notes

Flour substitutions: I have tested these cupcakes with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour blend with success, so if you'd rather use an all-purpose flour, I recommend substituting all of the flours by weight with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour.

Goat Cheese Cream Cheese Frosting Option: Substitute half of the cream cheese with goat cheese for a sophisticated goat cheese variation. 

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 1mg

This nutritional information has been automatically calculated, and as such, may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please reference the specific ingredients you use for the most accurate nutritional information.