Indulge in these Almond Flour Cupcakes to cure your sweet tooth. They have the perfect texture, delicious flavor, and a scrumptious buttercream frosting that is irresistible. (Truly, you could eat it with a spoon it’s so good!) These have only 2.4 NET carbs each including the frosting!
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I love all sorts of desserts, but my heart skips a beat when I think of cupcakes! I mean they are portable cakes...what’s better than that? Every once in a while, you need a sweet treat, and these almond flour cupcakes come to the rescue. They are simple to make, and it’s truly a no-fuss cupcake recipe that I think you’ll greatly enjoy. When you make these easy gluten-free cupcakes, you’ll be happy to know they are Low Carb, Keto, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, and THM S!
If you are heading to a party or potluck and aren’t sure what to bring, take these lovely keto cupcakes! I love watching people eat them because they love every bite, then I tell them they are gluten-free. They are shocked because they are so similar to the cupcakes they are used to. While they aren’t identical to traditional cupcakes, if you don’t know upfront, you aren’t even going to realize it.
Ingredients
Almond Flour - For this keto cupcake recipe, you want unblanched almond flour. It is a good substitute for wheat flour in keto baking. Almond meal will not give the same tender crumb.
Sweetener - I use a custom sweetener blend in all my desserts. It is a combination of xylitol or allulose plus erythritol and stevia. This blend has no aftertaste and is cheaper to make than purchasing other sugar-free sweeteners. You can find my sweetener recipe here.
Butter - We only buy salted butter and I use it when baking all the time. The bit of added salt only enhances the other flavors.
Sour Cream - Adding sour cream makes the cake moist.
Eggs - Large eggs or extra large eggs are what I normally buy.
Baking Powder - Always check the date of your baking powder and baking soda to make sure your baked goods rise properly.
Vanilla Extract - Vanilla gives these a delicious sweetness and smooth flavor.
Salt - Even though I use salted butter I add a pinch of salt to balance the other flavors.
How To Make Almond Flour Cupcakes
Almond flour cupcakes are a quick and easy dessert idea that works well for pretty much all events. You can’t go wrong! Take a look at how simple they are to whip up:
First Step: Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350. Beat the room temperature butter and sweetener using an electric mixer. Cream together until they are light and fluffy, then add the sour cream and vanilla until combined.
Second Step: Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure to mix well after each egg is added. Mix in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly. Mix until ingredients are combined then pour the cupcake batter into 12 muffin cups that have paper liners.
Third Step: Bake the almond flour cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until they are firm to the touch and a golden brown color. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
NOTE: They may take up to 30 minutes to bake, depending on your oven.
Fourth Step: While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream frosting. Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl to blend the butter and cream cheese. Add in the powdered erythritol slowly and mix until the frosting is fluffy, creamy, and light. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
Variations
This is the perfect cupcake recipe to play with. It’s a great base and adding in some additional flavors, especially in the frosting is amazing!
Strawberries - Dice up some strawberries and add them to the buttercream frosting for a fun spring cupcake! Or sub in this Raspberry Frosting.
Blueberries - Mix in a few blueberries to the batter or garnish with some fresh blueberries. It adds some color and tastes good too.
Chocolate - Put ¼ cup of chocolate chips into the batter and sprinkle some mini chocolate chips on top to garnish. Looks gorgeous! You can also top them with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting which is a classic cream cheese frosting with added cocoa powder. For a more intense chocolate flavor make my Keto Chocolate Cupcakes.
Dairy-free - Sub in melted coconut oil for the butter and coconut cream for the sour cream. For the frosting, you can make a simple ganache with full-fat coconut milk and sugar-free chocolate chips.
Common Questions
Can I make these cupcakes into mini cupcakes?
Yes, you sure can make these almond flour cupcakes into mini cupcakes. They are perfect bite-sized treats that are great for kids or adults! Simply follow the recipe as directed but use a mini-muffin tin instead of regular-sized. They will not take as long to bake, so you’ll need to keep a close watch. They are likely to be done around the 15-minute mark, but that can vary depending on your oven.
Can I make this into a layer cake?
Yes. One batch of this batter will make approximately one layer so I recommend doubling it.
Does almond flour taste like almonds?
Yes, almond flour does have a mild almond flavor. If you love almonds, you can’t help but love cooking with almond flour. Think of it like recipes that call for almond extract. You are adding a little bit of almond flavor to enhance the dessert. That’s what it’s like baking with almond flour. It’s a slight flavor, but it enhances whatever you are making.
There are going to be recipes where almond flour isn’t a good fit, but when it comes to baking, it is magical! Not only is it a fantastic alternative to regular flour, but it also adds a lovely texture to your food too. If you haven’t tried it already, this is the perfect cupcake recipe to start with.
A couple of my other favorite recipes with almond flour are Keto Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies and Almond Flour Cornbread.
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon butter softened
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sweetener
- 4 oz butter
- 2 oz cream cheese
Instructions
- In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter and sweetener until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time mixing after each.
- Stir in the almond flour, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. Divide batter between 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners.
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Some ovens will take up to 30. You want the cupcakes to be firm to the touch and golden brown.
Frosting:
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer. Slowly add the powdered erythritol. Mix until light and fluffy.
Notes
Nutrition
Still, craving low carb cupcakes? Don’t worry; we have you covered:
- Black Bottom Cupcakes
- Keto Cheesecake Cupcakes
- Keto Chocolate Cupcakes
- Cranberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
- Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
- Keto Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
Originally Published March 13, 2020. Revised and Republished January 6, 2023.
Kathy Campbell says
Love almond cupcakes!!!
Pat Beckwith says
They were delicious!!!!
Dee says
I baked these because I was wishing for something. I was definitely surprised by the oh so very soft crumb. I’ve baked with almond flour before but this was wonderful. I am happy to have found this sugar free and Keto friendly cupcake recipe. Never knew I could get powdered erythritol, yay! I added a bit of passion fruit pulp to both the batter and frosting for a lovely tangy flavor. These are my new and forever favorite cupcakes. Thanks this is a really quick and easy recipe to follow and yields a happy surprise of fluffy cupcakes.
Kimberly says
I loved these and other desserts that I have been making the last 3 weeks while changing my diet to low carb. They have been life saving and allowed me to continue when it was difficult the first few weeks ..so thank you so much! I was wondering if it was possible to add some type of cream to the center of the cupcakes to make them similar to a Twinkie or something similar? Please advise if possible and if so how%?
Jan says
Is there a reason you uses erythritol instead of your own sugar blend in the frosting?
Just curious as I’ve been making your sugar substitute. Thank you!
Taryn says
Yes. I use commercially powdered erythritol in frostings because it is smoother. Even when I've tried to grind my sweetener to a powder I can't get it as fine as store-bought powdered erythritol.