These grain-free Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes are absolutely perfect for birthday celebrations. Because so many of you have nut allergies, I decided this had to be a nut-free cupcake recipe! Be sure to check out my Nut-Free Recipes page if you are on a nut-free diet, or if your children go to a school with a nut-free food policy.
Made with coconut oil, these cupcakes are also a fabulous dairy-free dessert. While I’ve been on a strict grain-free diet since 2001, my recipes continue to evolve within the grain-free genre, as I learn more about various healthy foods. Coconut oil has been a favorite ingredient of mine for some time, but for the past year or so my focus has been on eating as much coconut oil as I can. Sometimes that means eating it straight out of the jar, other times I add it to everything I cook. Most days I do both.
A good deal of anecdotal evidence points to coconut oil as a fabulous brain food. Here’s a video that discusses the health benefits of coconut oil.
Did you ever notice that the rise of various brain disorders (ADD, Autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, etc.) happened to take place in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when the fat-free diet was all the rage? I think many people’s brains may have been malnourished by the pervasive lack of fat in the Standard American Diet during this period.
My Paleo Chocolate Cupcake recipe is full of good fat! I hope your family enjoys these gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free chocolate cupcakes as much as we do!
Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ⅓ cup honey
Instructions
- Pulse together dry ingredients in a food processor
- Pulse in wet ingredients
- Line a muffin pan with paper liners and scoop ¼ cup batter into each
- Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes
- Cool and serve
Frost these Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes with my amazing Paleo Chocolate Frosting. Here are some of my other easy paleo cupcake recipes!
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Rachel says
Can I sub maple syrup for honey? I don’t cook honey as my understanding is hearing honey causes it to block up
Our subtle energy channels and renders it not as good for us as enzyme rich raw honey… thanks! Peace
Elana says
Rachel, I haven’t tried that so not sure, if you do experiment please let us know how it goes :-)
Rachel says
They came out good! Just needed a touch of coconut sugar
Elana says
Thanks Rachel!
Candace says
When you say touch of coconut sugar what size portions did you use? I have a child that is allergic to honey so I was going to try maple syrup too!
Gabrielle says
These are too delicious!! My grandma made some in the shape of little hearts for Valentines day, and gave 2 to my mom and I as gifts!
Do you happen to have nutritional information on these (with frosting)?
Elana says
Gabrielle, thanks for letting me know these are delicious! For more on nutrition info please go here:
https://elanaspantry.com/nutrition-information/
Have a great day!
Elana
Melissa Gillis says
Hi Elana!! Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it last year for a gluten free friend who typically just eats meat and veggies. I printed the ingredient list and presented it with the cupcakes for her birthday…she was so pleased she gobbled up three right then and there!
So…a question, please…. this same friend is now on her fifth day of Whole30. Do you think it would work I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the honey? If so, should it be part per part?
Thank you!
Elana says
Melissa, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes. I’m so glad to hear these cupcakes were so good that your friend gobbled up three at one sitting!
Justine says
Seing all the great comment about these i alnist felt like it was unecessary to tell you how perfect these turned out! Thank you again to provide me with ALWAYS FAIL PROOF recipe! I had some old looking pears but still good to Cooke with and wanted to make a chocolate pear muffin. Ended up doing your recipe with diced pear in it! Delicious!!!! Had two for breakfast…and one after supper. Next time I will make a paleo nutella to go with it, hoping I don’t it everything in on sitting and regretting it after eheh! Thank you Elana !!!!
Elana says
You’re welcome Justine!!! Great to hear that my recipes are always fail proof :-)
Ana says
Elana, one questionable regarding all of your recipes with coconut oil: do you measure it before or after melting? Thanks!
Elana says
Ana, it will work either way :-)
Monica S says
How well do these freeze? And if they do for how long? I have used this recipe several times now, people barely notice a difference. As my son has 15 food allergies, this recipe with its simple ingredients is amazing!!! Thank you for sharing.
Elana says
Monica, I haven’t frozen these so not sure. If you do please let us know how it goes :-)
Melissa Gillis says
I have frozen them. They work beautifully
Elana says
Thanks Melissa!
Karen says
I have three major problems with your recipes…they are simple, don’t necessitate gourmet ingredients that I don’t have on hand, and they are GOOD! These issues lead to me easily whipping them up and eating more than I need to. Other paleo baking recipes aren’t really that great, so I don’t feel the need to overeat, but yours are different.
These cupcakes are wonderful! It’s crazy how such simple ingredients make the most cupcake-like texture of any paleo cupcake I’ve tried. Others have a long list of ingredients, but definitely taste like a paleo version of the real thing. I made these, but also incorporated your vanilla cupcake and made them into a marble cupcake. It was funny how the batters were very different, so I was nervous they would be different textures that didn’t belong together in one cupcake, but they turned out wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I did use butter instead of coconut oily his time, but I’ve made the chocolate alone the way you have written. Both turned out fantastic!
Elana says
Karen, so glad to hear that these were fantastic :-)
Ashley says
Hi Elena,
Can I replace honey with 1/3 cup xylitol? If yes, should I use the same measure
Elana says
Hi Ashley, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes!
Bev says
This is the first recipe I have tried from Elana and I can’t wait to try more! The cupcakes were moist and delicious! I added more chocolate chips, which sunk to the bottom, but they were sooooooo good!! I tried Avocado oil because I didn’t have the others… your encouragement to another post made me try it! Thank you!!
Elana says
Bev, thanks for your comment and so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes :-)
Lt says
If you dust a small amount of almond flour ove the chocolate chips, they do not sink.
Kat says
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Our doctor has just put us on a paleo diet and 1 week in, he was DYING for something sweet with his after dinner tea. It was already a big ask for a full blood Irishman to give up bread, potatoes, and beer….I honestly think the whole country survives on it! This chocolate cupcake recipe saved the day with a bit of home whipped cream with a dash of honey and cut up strawberries! Im going to explore tour website some more!!
Elana says
Kat, so glad this recipe saved the day :-)