Made with wholesome, gluten-free ingredients, these oat and almond flour chocolate cupcakes are the BEST healthy sweet treat! They’re lower in sugar than traditional cupcakes, thanks to natural sweetness from mashed sweet potato that’s brought out by maple syrup. Pair them with my Avocado Chocolate Frosting for a rich dessert that’s filling and fiber-rich.
For those of you who love a sweet treat but want a lil’ somethin’ healthier, these almond flour chocolate cupcakes are for you! They even have a veggie and everything.
A mix of almond and oat flour provides a gluten-free base for other ingredients that you probably have in your pantry at the moment. Milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, oil (avo, EVOO, or coconut), eggs, vanilla…there’s really not much to them! But don’t worry — they’re still amazingly tasty even with the simple ingredient list.
A lot of that tastiness comes from the mashed sweet potato mixed into the batter, providing natural sweetness, fiber, and a variety of vitamins. As a result, the cupcakes are more filling than usual too. Yum, yum, YUM.
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Main Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oat flour: If you need your almond flour chocolate cupcakes to be strictly gluten-free, use a brand that’s certified gluten-free like King Arthur. If you don’t have oat flour, you can make a substitute yourself by grinding old fashioned oats in a food processor. You’ll need about 1 and ¼ cup oats to make 1 cup oat flour.
- Almond flour: Use blanched extra fine almond flour, not almond meal.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I prefer to use Dutch-processed since it’s less bitter than regular cocoa, but you can sub regular cocoa or cacao powder.
- Mashed sweet potato: You can cook the sweet potato by roasting, boiling, or microwaving. I prefer to roast the sweet potato for about an hour at 400 degrees F. For this method, scrub the potato clean, punch several holes in the skin using a fork, and put it on a baking sheet on the center rack. See my instructions for how to make a microwave sweet potato if you’re in a time crunch. Canned sweet potato puree also works!
- Milk: Any kind, cow’s or plant-based, works.
- Maple syrup: Substitute honey if desired. If you want to cut down the amount of syrup, use half mashed bananas or applesauce.
- Oil: Extra virgin, avocado, or melted coconut oils all work.
- Eggs: I have not tried it, but I believe that flax or chia “eggs” would work as subs. For 1 “egg,” mix 1 tablespoon chia seeds or milled flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water and let it sit for 10 minutes to thicken.
Instructions
The full recipe card for almond flour chocolate cupcakes is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.
Whisk together the wet ingredients. Sprinkle in the dry ingredients.
Stir together until just combined.
Spoon the batter into liners in the cavities of a muffin/cupcake pan, filling them almost to the top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F/177 degrees C.
Frosting
These cupcakes are excellent with my Avocado Chocolate Frosting! Together, they make a healthier and lower sugar dessert option (especially for kids). However, you can use whatever kind of frosting you want for them.
Storage
Almond flour chocolate cupcakes will keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 to 7 days. I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator instead of on the counter, especially if you frost them with the avocado frosting.
To freeze, let them cool completely then wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Transfer to an airtight container or bag, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before frosting. You can also freeze them already frosted.
More Healthier Sweets
If you love these cupcakes, check out some other desserts while you’re here:
📖 Recipe
Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes (with sweet potato)
Equipment
- Cupcake/muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato - from about 1 medium sweet potato, see notes for cooking tips
- ¼ cup whole milk - sub any kind
- ¼ cup avocado oil - sub melted coconut or extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup - sub some or all with mashed banana or applesauce to cut down on sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup oat flour - make your own by grinding old fashioned oats if needed
- 1 cup almond flour - blanched, extra fine (not almond meal)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder - I like to use Dutch-processed
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Avocado Chocolate Frosting - if desired, or use frosting of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Line a muffin pan with silicone or paper cupcake liners. If your liners are not nonstick, spray or brush them with oil to prevent sticking. You can also use a silicone muffin pan if you have one.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potato, milk, avocado oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. It's OK if there are a few lumps from the sweet potato, but it should be mostly smooth.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir together the oat and almond flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and salt.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredient mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Fill each cavity almost to the top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Prep time does not include time it takes to cook the sweet potato. You can cook the sweet potato by roasting, boiling, or microwaving. Here are my instructions for making a microwave sweet potato. To roast one (my preferred method), scrub clean and use a fork to poke several holes in the skin. Place on a lined baking sheet and cook for 45 to 60 minutes at 400 degrees F/204 degrees C until fork-tender. Then, scoop the flesh out of the skin and mash with a fork before adding to the recipe. You can also use canned sweet potato puree if you’re crunched for time!
- Nutrition facts do not include the frosting.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 to 7 days. If using the avocado frosting, they may not last as long (since it has a shorter shelf life compared to store-bought frostings).
- You can also freeze the cupcakes, either frosted or unfrosted, for up to 3 months.
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