Perfect Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes (2024)

These Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes are dairy-free, simple to make, and lend a bakery-style texture and a vanilla bean finish. You can bake up a batch of these perfect homemade gluten-free vanilla cupcakes in no-time.

If you like these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes, you might also like my Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes.

They are simple to make and bursting with chocolate flavor. I've also recently updated the photos for my Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes. If you're a lemon fan, you're going to love them.

For more cupcakes and desserts please visit my Gluten-Free Desserts.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

These are seriously the most incredible, better-than-bakery style Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes! They've been shared thousands of times and people come back weekly to tell me how amazing they are.

I've been making these gluten-free cupcakes for years and this is the third time I have redone the photos.

I really want you guys to see how lovely they are and be excited about how amazing they taste. Just read the comments below. You will fall in love with these cupcakes.

Here's an old photo that I took of these gluten-free cupcakes. You can see how perfect the texture is.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

I use vanilla bean paste these days, but you can easily use Rodell's vanilla extract. Rodelle Vanilla Paste is my newest favorite item to bake and cook with and that's why I use it in my vanilla cupcakes.

Now that I've tried it, I may never go back to extract again. It has such a deep, rich flavor and it's never too much.

I do love Rodelle's Vanilla Extract, but the paste is dreamy, especially in these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.

When I first developed this gluten-free cupcake recipe, I used vanilla extract, so please don't think that you have to use vanilla bean paste.

Extract lends a lovely flavor too. You are going to love it in these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.

Why You'll Love These Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I have been working on perfecting my gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe since 2010. It's not that it's a complicated recipe or anything.

I usually work on new recipes, not improving old ones.

My old gluten-free cupcake recipe was fine but I wanted a better texture. I wanted it to be fluffy and crumbly at the same time.

I made these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes a couple of times in January for one of my daughters' birthdays.

Finally, the last time I made them I found the right amount of ingredients to get the exact flavor and texture that I had been dreaming about.

From frosting to cake, they are now perfect. They're buttery (even though dairy-free), tender, crumbly, and have the perfect amount of vanilla.

And guess what? These gluten-free vanilla cupcakes only cost about $5 to make a dozen of them! Can you imagine what you'd pay at a bakery for these? They are easy and you can make them yourself.

If my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are perfect for autumn, these vanilla cupcakes are perfect for celebrations. Try them as treats for birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers, and weddings!

How to Make Gluten-Free Cupcakes

There are a couple of tips and tricks to getting the right texture with gluten-free cupcakes.

First, you have to follow the recipe. So many people comment on recipe posts saying that they made a ton of substitutions and the recipe didn’t turn out.

Other than the dairy substitute, I haven’t tried other substitutes in this recipe. If you use substitutions, you are doing so at your own risk.

Follow more Dairy Free Gluten Free Recipes.

Second, you want to mix at the right time and not over-mix.

Make sure to check out the full recipe at the bottom to see all the ingredients and the step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients to Use

Here's what you'll need to make my gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. This includes wet ingredients and dry ingredients.

• Cooking oil (I like to use vegetable oil)
• Granulated sugar
• Large eggs
• Gluten-free flour
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Dairy-free milk (or regular milk)
• Gluten-free vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

That's it for the cupcakes. For the frosting, you'll use:

• Dairy-free butter (or regular butter)
• Gluten-free vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar
• Dairy-free milk (or regular milk)

Note that there are a few obvious substitutions here. I'm including each of these, so you can make regular or dairy-free cupcakes with this same recipe.

Working with Gluten-Free Flours

When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour.

The best method really is to weigh the gluten-free flour but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.

And if you're wondering which flour blend is best, check out my guide to gluten-free flours. I've used a bunch of these, and I'm pretty happy with the all-purpose gluten free baking flour from Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur.

If you're making your own blend or using one that doesn't already include it, make sure yours includes xanthan gum. It's a binding agent that makes sure the cupcakes stay together.

Tips for The Perfect Cupcakes

Use room temperature butter for the frosting. It's so much easier to work with!

Like all my baking recipes, this one is best checked for doneness with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done cooking in the oven.

Use pure vanilla extract to make sure it's gluten free. And try the recipe with a different type of milk if you want to slightly alter the flavor of the recipe.

Plan to use a large mixing bowl for the cupcake batter, and make sure you have a wire rack when you take them out of the oven. A proper cooling rack makes sure every part of the cupcake turns out just right.

Use a piping bag if you want to make the vanilla buttercream frosting look like it came from a professional bakery. After all, it's what the pros use!

Plan to use an airtight container if you store these cupcakes in the refrigerator or freezer. The most common issue people face with storing gluten-free baked goods is a loss of moisture, and an airtight container can prevent that.

Common Questions About This Recipe

Here are some of the most common questions I get about my gluten-free cupcake recipe. If you don't see your question answered here, please leave me a comment. I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Why did my cupcakes explode?

First off, you may have overfilled the cupcake wells. Never fill more then ¾ of the way full, and it’s best to stick to around ⅔’s of the way full. I use a ¼ measuring cup to fill mine.

Another reason could be that you added too much leavening agent, or that you are at higher elevation.

Baking powder tends to work twice as hard at higher elevations. Consider cutting your baking powder in half if you are at a higher elevation.

All those tips are relevant to most cupcake recipes, not just these Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes.

Why did my cupcakes sink?

There are several reason why cupcakes sink, one is from over beating the batter and adding too much air. Also, cupcakes often will sink when there is too much moisture.

This is more common in humid climates where added moisture can collect naturally in ingredients such as flour.

When this occurs, cupcakes may rise rapidly and then fall during baking. In higher elevations, the leavening agent works twice as hard and may cause the batter to rise rapidly and sink before it's had a chance to set up.

Looing for an extra special treat? Use these cupcakes to make birthday cake ice cream.

Can I store these for later?

Yes, you can store these vanilla cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to three days. Like most baked goods though, they're at their very best on the day they're baked. . . which leads to another common question:

Can I store them in the freezer?

Yes, you can store these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes in the freezer. Just make sure to save the frosting until the day you serve them. It's super common to make these in advance, and they turn out great as long as you don't freeze the frosting.

Did you make these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes? Stop back by and let me know what you think of this gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe.