These fluffy gluten-free black velvet cupcakes are PERFECT for spooky season, birthday parties, or special events. We use black cocoa powder instead of dye to achieve a rich black color that’s taken to the next level with our black cocoa buttercream!

Gluten-free black velvet cupcakes topped with black cocoa buttercream

All The Drama, None of The Dye

Whether you’re making black cupcakes for Halloween, matching them to your favorite sports team, or serving them up for a birthday party, these gluten-free black velvet cupcakes are such a great bake! There’s so much to love:

They’re Easy To Make. If you can measure, stir, and scoop, you can make these. (Even if you don’t have piping skills!)
They Look Incredible. Black cocoa takes the place of black food dye in this recipe, giving the black cupcakes and black buttercream their dramatic dark color without a drop of black food coloring.
They’re SO GOOD. Like red velvet cupcakes, black velvet cupcakes have a softer chocolate flavor. In this case, it’s more like an Oreo (since it’s the same cocoa used in those cookies!). The sweet black frosting is the loveliest finish.

Happy baking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

One thing that makes this gluten-free black velvet cupcake recipe so great is the simple ingredient list. There’s only ONE special ingredient you’ll need to track down. Let’s take a look:

Gluten-Free Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur M e asure For Measure Gluten-Free Flour for this recipe. If you use another 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum so the texture turns out properly. Almond flour and coconut flour will not work in this recipe.
Black Cocoa Powder. It’s the same cocoa powder they use for Oreos! Black cocoa powder is the key for making black cupcakes without food dye. It’s highly alkalized, which gives it an even darker in color than classic Dutch processed cocoa. Do know that the flavor will be more like an Oreo than a classic chocolate cupcake.
Baking Soda & Salt. For the perfect rise, fluff, and balance of flavor.
Sugar. Granulated sugar (white sugar) for sweetness.
Vegetable Oil + Sour Cream. This combination adds amazing flavor and texture to the black cocoa cupcakes. Both help keep them fluffy and moist, and the extra acidity of the sour cream is a must to help enhance the chocolate flavor.
Eggs. Room temperature eggs work best!
Vanilla + Vinegar (Yes, really!). First, vanilla extract always and forever. Second, adding white vinegar actually helps with rise and tenderness. It seems strange, but works like a charm.
Butter. Then, for the frosting, you’ll need some softened butter. Vegan butter can also be used!
Powdered Sugar. To add body and sweetness to the frosting.
Cream or Milk. To give us that perfectly pipe-able, spreadable texture for decorating. You can use dairy-free milk, if needed!
*Maybe* Some Corn Syrup. For a really nice glossy sheen on the frosting, you can add 1 Tablespoon of corn syrup. It’s optional, but looks fantastic.

How To Make Gluten-Free Black Velvet Cupcakes, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Making gluten-free black velvet cupcakes, step by step

Start By Baking The Cupcakes

Preheat & Prep. To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup metal muffin pan with parchment paper liners and set aside. (You’ll need to bake an additional 2 cupcakes in a second batch later.)
Combine The Dry Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine gluten-free flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
Mix The Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar. Whisk until smooth.
Add Dry Ingredients To Wet Ingredients. Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Scoop & Bake Cupcakes. Use a large cookie scoop to measure about 3 Tablespoons of cupcake batter into each muffin cup. (Remember you’ll have enough for 2 extra cupcakes in a second batch, so try not to overfill the muffin cups.) Bake cupcakes 18-20 minutes.
Cool Completely Before Frosting. Let the cupcakes cool in the muffin pan 2-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before frosting. Bake your remaining 2 cupcakes and let them cool as well. You want the cupcakes fully cool before frosting, or the frosting will melt.

Making gluten-free black cocoa frosting, step by step

Next Make The Black Cocoa Frosting & Decorate The Cupcakes

Beat The Butter. Add softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl). Using the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until very smooth and light in texture. (It should look significantly lighter in color & have increased in volume.)
Add Most Of Your Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add black cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream to the mixer.
Mix on LOW first. On LOW speed, pulse the mixer a few times so the powdered sugar and cocoa doesn’t poof out the sides of the bowl. (You can also add the dry ingredients in small amounts if you prefer to avoid messes)
Increase The Speed. Once it’s just mixed together, add 1-2 tablespoons more of cream, along with the corn syrup. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium and mix for another 1-2 minutes, or until the buttercream is light and smooth. Ideally, you want it smooth and light without a lot of extra air bubbles.
Finish The Frosting. Use a flexible spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and press out any extra air bubbles, if you can. At this point, the frosting should be smooth and easy to spread or pipe. It should hold its shape on a spatula if you rotate it around (which means it will hold its shape when piped.)
Frost The Cupcakes. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (like Wilton 2D or Ateco 852). Hold the piping bag straight up, with the tip pointed down. Starting at the center of each cupcake pipe frosting into a rosette on top of each cupcake. (Start in the center of the cookie and continue to move around the circle of the cookie until you get close to the edges.) If you don’t have a piping tip, you can use an offset spatula to frost the cupcakes.
Serve & Store. Store 1-2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or refrigerate up to 3-4 days. Cupcakes can also be frozen up to 2 months.

A gluten-free black velvet cupcake with black cocoa frosting on a white scallop plate

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Black Velvet Cupcakes

Can I Use Regular Cocoa Instead? Not if you want them to be black. If you can’t find or order black cocoa, you can use Dutch processed cocoa powder (dark cocoa powder) for a dark chocolate look. I don’t recommend regular cocoa powder (natural cocoa powder) here, without some tweaks to the recipe.

Decorating Ideas To Try. I topped my black velvet cupcakes with crumbled gluten-free Oreo crumbs (regular Oreos are NOT gluten-free!), but black sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, Halloween sprinkles, or colorful sprinkles can all looks great.

What Piping Tip Do You Use? For best results, I like using a closed star tip, like the Wilton 2D or Ateco 852. It adds beautiful swirls and feels really easy to work with. It’s the same tip I use for these gluten-free chocolate cake cookies, gluten-free Pumpkin Cupcakes, and these gluten-free Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies.

More Fun Halloween Recipes To Try

Halloween chex mix with pretzels & m&m candies

Gluten-Free Halloween Chex Mix

Gluten-Free Dirt Pudding

Pumpkin Juice (aka Spiced Pumpkin Cider)

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

Recipe Card

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