Here is the healthy cupcake recipe that won’t let you down.
Cupcakes so soft and fluffy…
No one will ever guess that they’re low-fat!
I went through five or six attempts before finally achieving the results I wanted: a “no-fail” healthy vanilla cupcake recipe that both health-food eaters and junk-food eaters will love.
Above, a skinny vanilla cupcake with Healthy Glaze Icing.
You can have fun with this recipe: keep it simple, or add just a few ingredients to make blueberry cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, or even chocolate-chip cupcakes. Everyone should keep a good basic cupcake recipe in his or her arsenal.
Can be sugar-free, too!
Skinny Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes 9-10 cupcakes)
Or click if you’d prefer: Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes.
- 1 cup spelt flour, or white flour, or Arrowhead Mills gf mix (140g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ener g powder, or 1 tbs ground flaxmeal
- 4 tbsp xylitol or sugar (54g)
- 2 Nunatural stevia packets (or 2 extra tbsp sugar)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt of choice (Silk or SoDelicious both work) (230g)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (60g)
- 3 tbsp coconut or veg oil (can omit, but the cupcakes will be a bit gummy) (36g)
- add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum if using the gf mix
Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease muffin tins. Combine all wet ingredients with the energ or flax, and stir vigorously. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining dry ingredients, and mix very well. Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined (don’t overmix). Cook 18-20 minutes, then let sit at least 10 before removing from muffin tins.
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SUCH ahmayzing recipes!!
I made these yesterday and they were super yummy! I guess I read the ingredients wrong and didn’t even add an egg or the substitutes. I used spelt flour and xylitol also. They turned out perfect! I was just wondering if you can use this batter to make a cake? My husbands birthday is coming up and want to make a yummy cake. I love all the variety ideas and can’t wait to experiment!
Yes, you definitely can! Maybe just cook a little longer.
I tried to make these twice and I don’t know what happened, but shortly after they came out of the oven they sank a bunch in the middle and they seemed dense and gooey (which I tend to like, but many people don’t). Did I do something wrong? I did use a flax egg, but I reduced the milk as you said. I also used palm suger instead of xylitol or regular sugar. I even used the oil. I tried to follow the recipe exactly (and I sub palm sugar for regular sugar without trouble in many other recipes). They just didn’t look anything like yours. The taste is good, but again, a but too dense and gooey for a traditional cupcake (maybe more like a muffin). Any advice? Thanks!
Oh no, I am so sorry :(. I’m really not sure what could’ve gone wrong…
What flour did you use? And how many cupcakes did your recipe yield? They should be fluffy and light! To be honest, I didn’t personally try the flax egg; I had a tester (a friend) try that variation to make sure it worked. I didn’t see her cupcakes, but she said they turned out perfectly with the flax egg. I’m going to ask her for more feedback regarding just how gooey her cupcakes turned out. Hopefully I can figure out what could be the problem.
Oh, one more thing: just in case, make sure your baking powder is still good. Sometimes baking powder can lose its power over time.
I used spelt flour, but I did grind it myself. So, I tried to kind of pack it in (I think sometimes the freshly ground is fluffier, so I was trying to make sure I had enough flour, but maybe it still wasn’t enough??). I think my baking powder is pretty fresh and the batter was bubbling up. Oh, and they yielded about 11 cupcakes I think? Thanks for trying to help. Maybe I will try again (I would sure love a healthy cupcake recipe, I make cakes a lot for people). I’m sure it is user error 🙂 Oh, I did use cow’s milk yogurt (I couldn’t find any plain coconut milk yogurt at my store and I try to avoid soy)-would that have mattered? Thanks again, and for all your recipes because I have made and love many of them. I especially love your banana polka dot bread (which I often make into muffins), both of your magic shell recipes, the chocolate bars, I could go on….;)
Or maybe I had too much flour? I should try it using my scale and the grams (I think my battery is dead and I don’t have another). Maybe that would help??
Hmmm… yeah, if they yielded 11 cupcakes it does sound like too much flour. Unless you have tiny muffin tins!
Oh, I will also add that the first batch I may have undercooked (and didn’t know if opening the oven too early messed them up), but the second batch I cooked the full 20 min. I was afraid if I cooked them longer they may be too dry (even though I know ovens are all different).
Hey Katie! I’m definitetly going to try this recipe! After I make this vanilla one I think I’m going to experiment and attempt a moche (maybe with chocolate chips?!) flavored kind or a mint chocolate chip one:) I obviously like chocolate chips haha Thanks for the frequent and awesome tasting recipes!
Katie! 🙂 I made those yesterday (even before getting the email followup 🙂 ) and they are SOOOOO good! Everyone liked them – they were so damn fluffy! Delicious! Even thogh I made them with whole (wheat) spelt flour (how do you say that in english?^^)!
And thank you so much for the “gram- details”, I don`t know if it would have worked for me without them (I once asked you about cups and so on^^).
This is the best blog I´ve ever seen! 🙂 Thank you Katie! You`re doing such a great job!!
Aw Sandra, it’s only 7am and you already made my day. Thank you!! 🙂
To be honest, I like the grams better and usually cook using them. More reliable, and easier to clean up! I wish everyone had a food scale so we could stop this crazy business of measuring in cups!
Oh, and the words don’t actually need to be translated. You already have it correct for English: whole-wheat spelt flour :).
Oh and I forgot: I also thought about adding some cherries- maye I´ll try this version…today! 🙂
I have these in the oven right now! I couldn’t help but steal a few tastes in between and scrapping the bowl with my spoon and eating the little bit of batter left after pouring them in the pan! These will go great with chai tea +milk…
Wow, i only had them in the oven for like 5 minutes and they’re already huge!
Do you think you could use almond flour, coconut flour, brown rice flour or garbanzo flour?