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.
These GF Pumpkin Spice cupcakes are so delicious and moist!! Best I’ve ever eaten!!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Pamela!! Thank you so much for your feedback!
These are absolutely incredible. I followed this recipe for my parents’ 35 year vow renewal. They were a HUGE hit. We also had cupcakes from a professional bakery, but everyone preferred these and would have never guessed they were gluten free. The only thing I tweaked was using 3 cups instead of 4 cups of powdered sugar. They were so highly requested, I’m already making them again but doubling the recipe for another event. Thank you for this masterpiece!!
Oh my gosh, I LOVE hearing this, Jenna! Thank you for giving this recipe a chance to serve at such an important event! I really appreciate your feedback and recipe rating!
Made these this weekend. I’m the only gf person in my family! Everyone loved them & said several times “you can make these again “, “ these are so good “!! Thanks again for a great simple recipe with pantry staples!!!!
That’s amazing, Lynn, thank you so much for letting me know!! Thrilled they were a hit, and you found them easy to make!
I’m here to ask a question but want to start off saying that every time i’ve made these, everyone loves them!! we have a few in our family/friends who are gluten free. I know this might be silly but i wanted to make these for my sons birthday and was wondering if i could swap out the same amount of gluten free flour for regular flour (I don’t want to waste the gluten free flour if I don’t have anyone gluten free!)
I am so thrilled to hear that, Bridget!! I haven’t been able to test these using all-purpose flour (since I have Celiac Disease and can’t have it in the house) so I can’t say for sure!
These are fantastic! A nice moist, light and airy cupcake! Due to an allergy I subbed out the cream cheese and butter for the non dairy versions and it worked great! This recipe will be on repeat this fall!
I’m so, so glad, Diane! There are some pretty knockout DF replacements for cream cheese these days – so glad you got to enjoy all the yummy flavor. :)
This recipe is absolutely fantastic. I’ve made it as directed, and I’ve also used bananas, applesauce and coconut sugar instead of regular. I also always use olive oil. 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!!!
THRILLED to read this, Shannon! So glad this recipe was a home run for you. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Love these. I make these with my toddler every other week or so. We skip the frosting and sometimes top with sweetened pepitas. Making 12 is perfect. Thanks as always for a great recipe!
Ooo that sounds delightful, Jen! Love to hear that you two enjoy making them together, too. :)
These were amazing! I did add a tsp of xantham and turned out perfectly. I love this recipe and trying to think of how to adapt it for another flavour other than pumpkin for once fall is over. Any suggestions on what could replace the pumpkin puree? I was wondering if applesauce or mashed banana might work. Kind of a crazy request but this is such a good recipe and I think it has potential to be adapted!
I think either applesauce could work! I haven’t tested, but between the two I might go with applesauce as it usually has the same “wetness” as pumpkin!
I tried it with applesauce and it was fantastic!
So glad to hear that, Shannon!!
Hello – I’d like to make the Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes for Thanksgiving. I assume by the measurements they are ‘mini’ cupcakes, but wanted to confirm. Thank you – looks like an amazing recipe
The recipe is for regular sized cupcakes & they are DELICIOUS!!
Hi Kristin, do you think I should add in some xantham gum if my GF flour doesn’t contain any?
Hi Karine! Yes I would add it in if your blend doesn’t already have it in there!
Today was a test run and these cupcakes turned out great. I will be making these again for Thanksgiving. Thank you for a great recipe!
Fabulous!! So glad they worked out for you. Happy Thanksgiving!!
I never leave reviews, but I just had to because these are so amazing! All of my daughter’s friends were asking for me to send their moms the recipe. I will make these every year now.
Oh my gosh, I am so thrilled to hear that!! Amazing – thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
can i make the cupcake batter in advance? any ideas of how long it might keep? thanks so much for the recipe, i am really looking forward to these!
Hi Chelsea! I have never pre-made cupcake batter. That said, you can bake these cupcakes and they will keep on the counter for several days afterwards!