Gluten Free Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Updated Oct 23, 2025, Published Sep 23, 2010
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A Decadent Twist on a Classic
Chocolate lovers, get ready — these Gluten-Free Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes take the classic cake you know and love. They turn it into the ultimate handheld treat. With rich chocolate flavor, a soft, moist crumb, and that signature coconut-pecan frosting, these cupcakes are pure indulgence. Yet, they are made entirely without gluten, dairy, or eggs. Whether you’re baking for a special occasion or treating yourself, this recipe proves that you can have decadent desserts that everyone will crave. Yes, even non–gluten-free eaters.
If you love chocolate, don’t miss our Recipes With Chocolate Collection!
If you prefer not to mix flours, you can use 1½ cups all purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of the flours and starches in the recipe.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Cupcakes
These cupcakes combine the nostalgic flavors of traditional German chocolate cake with a modern, plant-based twist. The cupcake base is light but deeply chocolatey thanks to cocoa powder. A hint of espresso enhances the chocolate flavor without overpowering it. The frosting — a blend of toasted coconut, chopped pecans, and creamy coconut oil — gives that signature texture and sweet nuttiness you expect from German chocolate cake. It is only lighter and completely dairy-free.
If you enjoy baking with wholesome ingredients, you’ll also love our Gluten-Free Pear Almond Cake. It’s a naturally gluten-free dessert that’s as elegant as it is easy.
Tips for Perfect Vegan Cupcakes
- Shake the coconut milk can well. This ensures even distribution of the coconut cream for a perfectly moist texture.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir until combined to keep the cupcakes light and tender.
- Toast the coconut and pecans. This small step adds incredible flavor depth and crunch to the frosting.
- Use room-temperature ingredients. It helps the batter and frosting come together smoothly.
How to Serve Them
These Gluten-Free Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes are perfect for birthdays, holidays, or any occasion that calls for chocolate. Top each cupcake with a swirl of frosting and a sprinkle of toasted coconut for that classic bakery look. Serve them with coffee, tea, or even a Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Martini!
For a complete gluten-free dessert spread, add our Gluten-Free Pear Almond Cake. Include Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars to the table. Both pair beautifully with these cupcakes.
A Decadent Gluten-Free & Vegan Dessert Everyone Will Love
These Gluten-Free Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes are proof that indulgent baking doesn’t need gluten, dairy, or eggs to taste amazing. They are moist, fluffy, and topped with a dreamy coconut-pecan frosting. They’re a beautiful balance of comfort and sophistication. Whether you’re baking for a celebration or satisfying a chocolate craving, these cupcakes will win over everyone at the table.
For even more irresistible gluten-free desserts, visit our Dessert Recipe Collection. Every treat is tested to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and absolutely delicious.
Gluten Free Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ½ cup superfine white rice flour
- 1/3 cup millet flour
- 1/3 cup superfine sweet rice flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup coconut milk, shake can well before measuring
- ½ cup Vegenaise
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups coconut flakes
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, measured then sifted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ cup refined coconut oil , at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 4-6 tablespoons coconut milk
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the white rice flour, millet flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, coconut milk, Vegenaise and extracts. Add the coconut milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir or whisk to combine.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are slightly springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave oven on. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Prepare frosting while cupcakes cool.
Frosting
- Place the coconut flakes and pecans on separate baking sheets. Toast in oven until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes for the coconut and about 10 minutes for the pecans. Watch closely so they don’t burn. Let cool while mixing the rest of the frosting.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, salt, coconut oil and the extracts. Starting with the mixer on low speed, blend until combined. Gradually increase the speed to medium and add the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting is the consistency of buttercream frosting. Turn mixer to medium high speed and continue to mix for 3 minutes.
- Take a handful of the toasted coconut flakes to use as garnish and add the rest along with the pecans to the frosting and mix well with a spatula. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk to keep the frosting at a spreadable consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with some toasted coconut and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Carol,
I LOVE your cookbook. I made the Red Velvet cupcakes this past weekend. They were delicious! I haven’t had many great GF baking experience with some of the other books I’ve purchased. So I pre-baked for my upcoming birthday and the Red Velvet cupcakes were my test as they are my boyfriends favorite cake and he’s not GF.
My birthday is Sunday, but we’re going to dinner on Friday evening and I would like to bake this but as a mini cake. How would I adjust the recipe? Also, I’m not vegan, do I need to use Vegenaise ? I would prefer to use eggs and milk or buttermilk depending on your reply. I also plan to use the Sweet Rice blend. I would like to avoid going to the grocery store to purchase any additional ingredients, can I leave out the Instant espresso?
Thanks Camille! First of all Happy Birthday! If you want to bake this as a mini cake instead of cupcakes, just bake longer. And if not needing it to be vegan then use mayonaise instead of vegenaise – it will make a really moist cake. You can use milk or butter milk instead of the coconut milk in the recipe, add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda if you use buttermilk. Yes the sweet rice flour blend is perfect! You can leave out the espresso powder, no problem! For the frosting use butter instead of the coconut oil and milk instead of the coconut milk – you wil basically be making a buttercream frosting. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Hi, Wow – what a wonderful recipe!! I will be making these for my company tomorrow. I absolutely love, love love vegenaise – what a wonderful idea. I have usedTofutti Betther than Sour Cream when I bake but I am going to use the vegenaise. I have to eat GF/CF and egg free. When I need to use eggs I use a combination of ground flax seed meal w/warm water and apple cider vinegar. Thanks again!!!
Hi Lynne, I know the ground flax seeds work well as egg replacement but I always use Vegenaise when I bake cakes or cupcakes, it works great and everything is soooo moist! Enjoy!
These look so good! German Chocolate cake is my favourite, but it’s pretty much impossible to find German’s Sweet chocolate in my area, so I love that you’ve used cocoa instead. Could I use regular milk, butter and mayo instead of the vegan options, though? It would save me money, and cholesterol isn’t much of an issue around here.
I should tell you that your recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes is a hit in my co op builking. Those who know I eat gf say that they can’t tell the difference, and those who don’t know that I eat gf don’t know that there is a difference …. I bake them as mini cupcakes and get LOTS of cupcakes. That’s a good thing, because most people at our functions go back for seconds, and thirds…I also use the marshmallow frosting, and tint it for various holidays, because it doesn’t require refrigeration like a cream cheese frosting does. Thanks so much for all your work!
Thank you so much! Yes you could use mayo, butter and milk. Love that idea of tinting the marshmallow frosting – what a great idea!
Would this make one layer of 9 inch cake?
Yes, you will just have to bake it a little longer, abt 10 mins.
My mom recently found out that she is gluten intolerant and I’m vegan so I was struggling to come up with something to bake for our dinner party tonight. These came out beautifully. The texture is perfect and the taste is fantastic. We both thought that they were a bit too sweet so next time I will cut the sugar to 2/3 cup. Other than that, no changes necessary. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for letting me know Vanessa! So happy you enjoyed and I love it when people adapt my recipes to their own preferences!
These look amazing, I think I’m going to try baking them this weekend, my one friend has Celiac’s and another is going vegan for lent so this is PERFECT.
Can you use almond milk instead of coconut milk? (that would be one less thing I’d have to buy at whole foods)
Yes! ALmond milk will work perrfectly well. Enjoy and you are a very nice friend!
Not only did my soon-to-be son-in-law recently find out he needs to avoid gluten, but is even more allergic to rice, soy and wheat. I’d love to know how to get a similar or close!) result using coconut, quinoa, and/or teff flours. He can tolerate some oat flour, too. Would adding more Vegenaise counteract the dryness of those flours? My hubby and I are vegan, so love that you’re adding more recipes for us, too!
Hi Dianne, I am always hesitant to say to do something when I have yet to try myself but here is what I would do – Sub the white rice flour with teff and the sweet rice flour with potato starch assuming he can do potato. You might need to add just a tad more Vegeanasie, but I think if you keep the starch content high enough it will be fine. I wouldn’t try using this recipe with coconut flour as it has different properties, it absobs so much liquid. I have the best luck with lots of eggs when using coconut flour and so it would not be vegan. I hope this helps and if you can, report back and let me know!
This is the best gf chocolate cupcake recipe. I was leery because there were no eggs, but it’s excellent! A must try!
Thanks so much Susan! My hubby was so leary too but he is a convert as well!
Hi Carol,
This looks like a great recipe. I’m not vegan, but I tend to gravitate towards vegan and/or paleo recipes due to gluten & lactose intolerances.
I am just wondering if you can clarify something? It’s my understanding that regular white sugar is not considered vegan because it’s refined using bone char? Do you know if this is true? I have hesitated to refer to anything I’ve baked for other people as ‘vegan’ because of this.
Thanks in advance.
Christa,
That’s a very good question and unfortunately one that I don’t know the answer to. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Best,
Carol