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    Home » Paleo

    Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (with Almond Flour)

    Published: Sep 22, 2020 · by Katie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This is the most amazing chocolate cupcake recipe - moist, soft and fluffy with a rich chocolate flavor. These easy Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes are gluten free, grain free and dairy free. They're made with almond flour, sweetened with coconut sugar and perfect for any birthday or celebration.

    gluten-free-dairy-free-chocolate-cupcakes

    I've always been more of a vanilla cake kind of person...but wow!  These paleo chocolate cupcakes may have just converted me.

    They are so moist and tender, with a rich chocolate flavor. It's easy to eat two or three! These gluten free dairy free chocolate cupcakes are everything you could want in a cake (or cupcake).

    And what goes perfectly with these healthy chocolate cupcakes?  Coconut cream frosting!  It's lightly sweetened, only a few ingredients and extremely easy to make.

    Why You'll Love these Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

    • paleo friendly - made with simple, minimally processed ingredients
    • moist and tender with a nice crumb- the perfect cake texture
    • gluten free and grain free - made with almond flour
    • dairy free - made without butter and milk
    • easy to make - no fancy equipment needed
    • a great chocolate cupcake recipe for kids

    These are seriously the best paleo chocolate cupcakes!

    Paleo-almond-flour-chocolate-cupcakes
    moist-and-tender-chocolate-cupcakes

    Ingredients

    Here's what you need to make these homemade paleo chocolate cupcakes:

    • blanched almond flour
    • cocoa powder (or cacao powder)
    • tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour/starch)
    • coconut sugar
    • cinnamon (optional)
    • baking soda
    • salt
    • eggs
    • avocado oil (or olive oil)
    • vanilla extract
    • water (or almond milk)
    Paleo-Chocolate-Cupcakes

    How to Make Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes From Scratch

    Making cupcakes from scratch is so easy!  This recipe is basically as simple as making a box cake 😉

    Here's the step by step instructions:

    First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

    Next, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.  I recommend sifting the almond flour and cocoa powder, as they have a tendency to clump.  Combine with a whisk until well mixed.

    Add in the remaining ingredients.  This includes the eggs, avocado oil, vanilla and water.  Whisk until smooth.

    Pour the batter into a lined muffin pan.  Each cupcake is about ¼ cup batter, making 12 cupcakes.

    Next, place the cupcake in the oven (middle rack) and bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes.  16 minutes will give you more of that extra moist, under-baked texture (which I prefer).

    After baking, let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.  Cool completely before frosting.

    chocolate-cupcakes-from-scratch

    Paleo Coconut Cream Frosting

    What type of frosting goes well with paleo chocolate cupcakes?  My answer to that is: any frosting will work.  Pick your favorite! 

    Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  (Yes, I love you chocolate, but not so much in frosting form.)  So, I went for a coconut cream frosting.

    This coconut cream frosting recipe is so easy!  Only four ingredients required, all paleo baking staples.  Here's what you need:

    Frosting Ingredients

    • coconut cream
    • maple syrup
    • vanilla extract
    • tapioca flour (or arrowroot)

    You'll need the cream from two cans of full fat coconut milk.  Remember to only use the cream, not the runny coconut milk portion.  If you open a can and the cream has not been separated from the milk, then pop it in the fridge overnight.

    The maple syrup and vanilla extract are for flavor and sweetness.  This frosting isn't super sweet, but you may add another tablespoon or two of maple syrup for a sweeter taste.

    Tapioca flour makes the frosting thicker.  You could probably get away without using it, but I think it adds to the texture. As another option, you could add powdered monk fruit instead of tapioca. This will further sweeten the frosting, but still help to thicken it.

    How to Make Coconut Cream Frosting

    To make the frosting, whisk together coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla.  Then, add the tapioca flour and continue to whisk until smooth.

    Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes to thicken.

    Then, add the frosting to the cupcakes.  You can spread the frosting with a knife, or pipe it.  I used a plastic baggie to pipe the frosting.

    This frosting does not do well in the heat, so I don't recommend making it for an outdoor party or celebration during the warmer months.

    frosting-the-cupcakes

    More Easy Paleo Cupcake Recipes

    Although I may consider this the BEST Paleo cupcakes recipe...I do have a few other on my blog that I absolutely adore as well.  Including:

    • Almond Flour Vanilla Cupcakes
    • Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cassava Flour
    • Tigernut Flour Cupcakes

    FAQ

    Can I make these paleo chocolate cupcakes into a cake?

    Yes! To make these cupcakes into a cake, double the recipe. Place the batter into two 9" round cake pans (line with parchment paper on the bottom), and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

    Can you make these cupcakes ahead of time?

    Yes! You can make the cupcakes up to a day in advance, but I don't recommend frosting them until the day you serve them. After baking the cupcakes, let them cool, then store them in an airtight container on the counter up to one day in advance.

    Print
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    gluten-free-dairy-free-chocolate-cupcakes

    Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (with Almond Flour)

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews
    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 16 minutes
    • Total Time: 26 minutes
    • Yield: 1 dozen cupcakes 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Healthy, Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes made with almond flour and sweetened with coconut sugar.  Extremely moist, tender and easy to make - the perfect cupcake for any celebration or family gathering.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Chocolate Cupcakes

    • 1 + ½ cups blanched almond flour (150g)*
    • ⅓ cup cocoa powder (38g)*
    • ¼ cup tapioca flour (30g)
    • ½ cup coconut sugar (80g)
    • ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 2 large eggs
    • ¼ cup avocado oil
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • ½ cup water (room temp)

    Coconut Cream Frosting:

    • 1 + ½ cups coconut cream**
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • ½ tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 Tbsp tapioca flour

    Instructions

    Chocolate Cupcakes

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
    3. Add in the remaining ingredients.  This includes the eggs, avocado oil, vanilla and water.  Whisk until smooth.
    4. Pour the batter into a lined muffin pan.  Each cupcake is about ¼ cup batter, making 12 cupcakes.
    5. Place the cupcakes in your oven (middle rack) and bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes.
    6. After baking, let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
    7. Cool completely before frosting.

    Coconut Cream Frosting

    1. Whisk together coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla.
    2. Add in tapioca flour, whisk until smooth.
    3. Refrigerate frosting for 20 minutes or until thickened.
    4. Remove frosting from fridge, stir and then frost cooled cupcakes***
    5. Store frosted cupcakes in fridge.

    Notes

    *I recommend sifting the flours to remove any clumps

    **You will need 2 cans of full fat coconut milk.  Use just the cream, not the liquid coconut milk.

    ***I placed the frosting in a plastic baggie, cut a hole in one end and piped it onto the cupcakes.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @bakeit.paleo on Instagram and hashtag it #bakeitpaleo

    dark-chocolate-paleo-cupcakes
    « Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
    Grain Free Almond Flour Pizza Crust (Paleo, Vegan) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eric

      October 02, 2020 at 7:06 pm

      My favorite chocolate gluten-free cupcakes. Amazing!

      Reply
    2. Katie

      May 09, 2021 at 2:30 pm

      My family loves these moist Paleo chocolate cupcakes and we hope you do too!

      Reply
    3. Luci b

      February 15, 2022 at 10:53 am

      My favorite choc cupcake so far! They are delicious! I topped with my own homemade coconut cream frosting.

      Reply
      • Katie

        February 15, 2022 at 2:08 pm

        Oh wonderful! Thank you for the review 🙂

        Reply
    4. Tanya

      March 04, 2023 at 9:39 pm

      I tried these side by side with the chocolate cassava cupcakes and although both were delicious these were slightly better for me. Absolutely delicious and my new go to chocolate cupcake!!

      Reply
      • Katie

        March 05, 2023 at 6:28 am

        Oh wonderful! I'm so glad you like them. Thank you for leaving a review 🙂

        Reply
    5. Val

      March 24, 2023 at 9:45 pm

      Katie, you are amazing! These ROCK! I do mine with a little twist. I add more cinnamon. I also use xylitol instead of coconut sugar. To cook ,I use a mini-muffin pan of 24 and cook for just over 13 minutes. Oh my goodness. I make these twice a week! My friends who don't usually eat healthy also LOVE these! They are so good that I don't even bother with frosting! WOW! Thank you thank you thank you!

      Reply
      • Katie

        March 25, 2023 at 7:09 am

        Thank YOU so much! Your review just made my day! I'm so glad you and your friends enjoy them 🙂

        Reply
    6. Tori

      April 24, 2024 at 11:57 am

      Could I use monkfruit in place of coconut sugar? Only bc I have that already 🙂

      Reply
      • Katie

        April 24, 2024 at 1:51 pm

        Yes!

        Reply
    7. AudreyLover92

      February 13, 2025 at 1:50 pm

      Could this be done in a 9x13

      Reply
    8. Lei

      February 13, 2025 at 4:20 pm

      These are so good, Katie! We all love these cupcakes! 🙂 I always forget to post this in my IG stories and tag you as my kids devour them quickly lol .

      Reply
    9. Mom

      February 27, 2025 at 7:08 am

      Made this in a 9x13 pan but tripled the recipe. was delicious. I used a cashew frosting since the birthday boy does not like coconut. Keeping this recipe

      Reply
      • Katie

        February 27, 2025 at 2:52 pm

        I'm so glad the 9x13 pan worked!

        Reply
    10. Heather Meyer

      April 03, 2025 at 7:53 pm

      Hi!! What do you mean by “use just the cream not the liquid coconut milk” with regards to the coconut cream?

      Reply
      • Katie

        April 04, 2025 at 7:20 am

        In a can of coconut milk (or coconut cream) there should be part cream (thick and white) and part milk (liquid). If the cream and the milk are not separated, then place the can in the fridge overnight and they will separate. For the frosting, you only want to use the thick white cream.

        Reply

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    Hi there!

    I'm Katie and I have a passion for baking healthy treats using real, whole food ingredients. On my blog you'll find a variety of sweet and savory recipes, all gluten free and dairy free. My mission is to make baking nutritious, delicious, simple and family friendly.

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