Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are tender and flavored with warming pumpkin pie spice. The perfect fall treat!
“Every single time this recipe delivers the lightest, moistest crumb I’ve ever had on a gf cupcake/muffin. I’ve been baking gf for 15 years. Thank you!!!”
While I truly appreciate the amount of bakeries offering gluten free cupcake options these days, I find most of them to be really dense and crumbly.
My Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting though?
Soft, tender, perfectly sweet and pumpkiny, heavily spiced, and buried under a cloud of cream cheese frosting. They are so incredible that you’d never, ever guess they’re gluten free!
Soft & Tender Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes
Whether you make these moist cupcakes for a fall party or potluck, as a pumpkin pie swap for Thanksgiving, or for any fall occasion in between, they’re great to feed a crowd because the taste and texture do not scream “gluten free”.
Especially when they’re finished with a flourish of crowd pleasing Cream Cheese Frosting, which is truly a cinch to whip up.
Grab a few gluten free baking staples, and let’s get to baking!
Try Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes
Start by mixing eggs, 100% pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, vegetable or canola oil, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer, until smooth and creamy.
Next, whisk together a gluten free baking flour blend, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the wet ingredients then mix until smooth.
Let the batter sit for 5 minutes, which gives the gluten free flour a chance to hydrate and absorb the liquid in the recipe then scoop 1/4 cup batter into each cup of a 12 cup, paper-lined muffin tin.
Bake for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Let the cupcakes cool completely then whip up the cream cheese frosting to slather on top.
To the bowl of your electric mixer, or another large bowl if using a handheld mixer, add softened cream cheese (regular or 1/3 less fat,) softened butter, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until smooth and creamy then scrape down the sides of the bowl and gradually add powdered sugar while mixing until the frosting is thick and creamy.
You can of course use a knife or spatula to frost the cupcakes, or you can get a more polished look by using a piping bag or Ziplock bag to swirl the frosting on top. Stuff the bag into a pint glass, fill with frosting then, if you’re using a Ziplock bag, snip the corner off and frost away.
Voila! I dust the tops with extra pumpkin pie spice which not only looks really pretty, but the scent hits your nose when you’re going in for a bite and is so lovely. :)
I hope you love these DELICIOUS gluten free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. They really are such a special treat! Enjoy!
More Gluten Free Pumpkin Treats
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
- Soft-Batch Pumpkin Gingersnap Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Crustless Pumpkin Pies
- Pumpkin-Spice Chocolate Covered Pretzels
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup gluten free baking flour blend WITH binder, see notes
- 1 teaspoon heaping pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners and set aside.
- Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium-sized bowl then whisk to combine and set aside.
- Add eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Mix until smooth and creamy then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add dry ingredients then mix until smooth. Let batter sit for 5 minutes.
- Scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined cup (I use an ice cream scoop) then bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in tin for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Add cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl of an electric mixer or a large bowl if using a handheld mixer. Mix until smooth and creamy then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add powdered sugar gradually while mixing until thick and creamy. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost then dust with additional pumpkin pie spice if desired.
Notes
- I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Can I add nuts?
Sure!
I’ve made these before and they are delicious. Has anyone tried to double it and bake in a 9×13 pan?
I have the same question – anyone make them in a cake pan before & if so, we’re any tweeks needed? Love them as cupcakes but wanted to bring it to Thanksgiving as a cake
Check out this post from my friend Tessa – she is a master baker!! https://handletheheat.com/how-to-convert-cake-into-cupcakes/
Is there another type of oil that can be used like EVOO or avocado oil? I can’t wait to make these. They look delicious!
Avocado, grapeseed, or coconut oil could all work!
Do you suppose it would be possible to successfully sub in Ottos cassava flour in place of the all-purpose? Cassava is alleged to work in much the same way as wheat flour. I ask because it’s only a cup and a non-yeasted recipe. Are you familiar with cassava flour in baked goods?
Hi Ashley! I’ve only used cassava flour in recipes where you want a chewy consistency – breadsticks, pizza crust, etc. That said, I haven’t tested swapping it out for the all-purpose GF flour in this particular recipe!
Delicious!! I made mine with sweetener rather than sugar because I am sugar and gluten free. They are so yummy!!
Fabulous!! I’m so glad you loved it, Janet!!
these cupcakes are insane. THEY ARE SO SO YUMMY. I recommend this recipe to everyone!!!
Ahh, so glad you enjoyed, Lexy! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
These are wonderful! I used King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. The gluten eaters at the dinner I brought them to had seconds!
LOVE to hear that, Diane! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Very good. Could easily pass these off as non-GF cupcakes. Whole family enjoyed. Made less icing than recipe called for and still had some left. Will make again.
These were very good. I did cut the amount of powdered sugar in half for the cream cheese frosting. I don’t like super sweet frosting. Next time, I might add a little more pumpkin pie spice or maybe just some extra cinnamon. The texture of these is perfect.
So glad you liked them!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Omg these are SO delicious! Best pumpkin pie cupcake recipe GF or not! Moist, tasty, just the right amount of pumpkin pie flavor. I could eat a bowl of the frosting by itself ????
These were delicious! I did not have pumpkin pie spice, so I mixed my own. I used cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom. I will definitely make these again.
These turned out fantastic moist and delicious!!
So glad you loved them, Lise! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Just made these for my sister-in-law who’s gluten free and they were SO yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
Thrilled they were a hit with you BOTH! Thanks Emily!