Mint Chocolate Cupcakes (gluten free + vegan)
Chocolate mint cupcakes made gluten free + vegan! Soft, moist, bursting with flavor, and crowd-pleasing for any occasion.
Chocolate mint cupcakes are the perfect dessert for anyone who loves fresh mint and rich chocolate. The best part is these gems are gluten free, dairy free, and egg free, making them super allergy friendly. They are soft, moist, fluffy, and totally bursting with flavor!
These cupcakes are easy to mix up, making them perfect for busy bakers.
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn (optional), sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, nightshades, tomatoes, and more
Chocolate mint cupcakes are a delicious and easy dessert that are gluten free and vegan, top 9 allergy free. The soft chocolate cupcakes combined with the cool mint frosting, creates a flavor explosion that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, or anytime you want to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Why You’ll Love these Cupcakes
- Easy to make and decorate
- Super festive for St. Patrick’s Day or Winter Holidays
- Rich chocolate and refreshing mint
- Gluten free, Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, top 9 allergy friendly
I absolutely love cupcakes with sprinkles and these were jazzed up for St. Patrick’s Day but you could also use them for any winter themed holiday. While I’ve made them into cupcakes, you could totally make this as a single layer or double layer cake. Just double the recipe for the 2 layer cake and enjoy!
Ingredients
What’s great about this recipe is you only need a few grocery store items that come together quickly to make these cupcakes.
- Gluten Free Flour: For this recipe, I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure gluten free flour. I think it is a great blend that has very little grainyness.
- Mint Extract: I love to use peppermint extract but spearmint or even plain mint are all yummy.
- Cocoa Powder: For this recipe, I used natural unprocessed cocoa powder. If you have Dutch processed cocoa powder, that can make for an even sweeter and richer dark chocolate flavor.
- Food Color: These cupcakes were colored with Watkins Natural Food Coloring.
- You’ll also need: Applesauce, sugar, neutral oil, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flaxseeds, dairy free milk, and vanilla extract.
For the Mint frosting you’ll need: Dairy free butter, powdered sugar, mint extract, dairy free milk, a pinch of salt, and green food coloring.
Allergy Substitutions
If you are avoiding nightshades, make sure you check out my nightshade free gluten free flour blend!
If you are avoiding food dyes, you can use a natural food dye to color these. I used Watkins Natural Dyes.
If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your powdered sugar, baking powder, and vanilla extract are corn free. I have my favorites on my shop page.
Variations
- Don’t color the frosting green and sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top for a festive winter chocolate mint cupcake!
- Sprinkle cocoa nibs or mini chocolate chips on top in place of sprinkles.
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with recipe measurements, please see the recipe card below.
First up, prep the cupcake tray by lining it with paper liners or spraying with a neutral flavored oil.
Next, in a medium size bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: Gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Then, in a large bowl with a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the wet ingredients: Dairy free milk, sugar, oil, vanilla, mint extract, applesauce, and flaxseeds.
Now, combine the dry into the wet, making sure to mix it on medium-high speed for a good minute.
Transfer the cupcakes to the pan, filling each with a generous quarter-cup of batter.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until the toothpick pulls out clean. Let them cool in the hot pan for 10 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Having them sit in the hot pan for those extra minutes is really helpful in gluten free baking. But let them cool totally before making the frosting!
Mint Frosting
This frosting is so easy to mix up! First, add the room temperature dairy free butter to a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix that on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until it is light and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar, mint extract, and a spoonful of dairy free milk. Mix this on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Then mix on high speed again for a minute. Add more milk if needed. Finally, add the green food coloring until it is the shade you want.
Use a piping bag with a star tip to frost them like the ones in these photos.
Tip! This makes a lot of frosting! You can easily halve the frosting recipe if you are not getting mini mountains of frosting on top.
Add your sprinkles, cacao nibs, or mini chocolate chips and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes! To make them mini cupcakes, fill each mini cupcake until they are 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Let them cool before frosting.
Yes, if you are not avoiding wheat, you can make these with the same amount of all purpose flour.
Yes. Make the cupcakes up to a day in advance and leave them unfrosted on the countertop in an airtight container. The frosting can also be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use. Allow the frosting to sit on the countertop for 15 minutes to help it become easier to work with.
How to Store
As these are frosted cupcakes, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. After that, the gluten free cupcakes begins to dry out. Which can make them perfect for turning into cake pops!
You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes after baking and cooling by wrapping and storing in a freezer safe container and keeping frozen for up to 2 months. Allow the cupcakes to thaw at room temperature for a few hours before frosting and serving.
More Cupcakes to Love
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Equipment
- Muffin pan
- cupcake liners
- mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring cup
- measuring spoon
- hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup oil
- 2 tablespoons applesauce unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon peppermint
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed ground
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Mint Frosting
- 1/2 cup dairy free butter
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- 1-2 tablespoons dairy free milk
- Pinch salt
- Green food coloring
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/150°C. Line or spray a 12 cup muffin tray and set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: Gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, combine the wet ingredients: Dairy free milk, sugar, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and flaxseeds.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until fully combined. Don’t be afraid to have this on medium speed as you don’t have to worry about over developing the gluten.
- Bake. Add ¼ cup of batter to each cupcake. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot muffin tray for 10 minutes before removing them from the hot tray and letting them finish cooling on the countertop.
Frosting
- Mix. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the dairy free butter on high for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, mint extract, and pinch of salt. Mix on low until the sugar is incorporated and then mix on high speed for an additional 2 minutes or until the frosting is voluminous. Add the green food coloring to your preferred color and mix.
- Frost the cupcakes. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a star tip and generously frost each cupcake. Top with sprinkles, cacao nibs, or mini chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Notes
- Allergy Substitutions
- If you are avoiding nightshades, make sure you check out my nightshade free gluten free flour blend!
- If you are avoiding food dyes, you can use a natural food dye to color these. I used Wilton’s Natural Dyes.
- If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your powdered sugar, baking powder, and vanilla extract are corn free. I have my favorites on my shop page.
- Variations
- Don’t color the frosting green and sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top for a festive winter chocolate mint cupcake!
- Sprinkle cocoa nibs or mini chocolate chips on top in place of sprinkles.
- How to Store
- As these are frosted cupcakes, store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. After that, the gluten free cupcakes begins to dry out. Which can make them perfect for turning into cake pops!
- You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes after baking and cooling by wrapping and storing in a freezer safe container and keeping frozen for up to 2 months. Allow the cupcakes to thaw at room temperature for a few hours before frosting and serving.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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