The easiest, fluffiest oat flour chocolate cupcakes come together in minutes and never fail to please. So tender and decadent, you will absolutely not be able to tell that these cupcakes are gluten free, and you need just one naturally gluten free flour to make them. Pile these cupcakes high with lush chocolate buttercream or any frosting your heart desires.

Seven oat flour chocolate cupcakes are served on a cake stand.

The Best Oat Flour Cupcakes

When the craving for a chocolate cupcake strikes, I always turn to these oat flour chocolate cupcakes. Loaded with all the good stuff, including tangy, rich buttermilk, olive oil, brown sugar, cocoa powder, plus a touch of coffee for a rich depth of flavor, these gluten free cupcakes come together quickly and bake up perfectly every time.

Why You’ll Love These Oat Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are inspired by my oat flour chocolate cake and, like that cake, they are the ultimate rich, dark chocolate cake! You’ll love how oat flour mimics all-purpose flour to create a moist, tender crumb that will rival its wheat counterparts. These cupcakes are reliably great, and make a great option for birthdays and more. Here’s why you’ll love this oat flour chocolate cupcakes recipe:

Just one flour is needed. Superstar oat flour works like a champ in these gluten free cupcakes, creating a tender, fluffy base that’s the perfect vehicle for whatever frosting you like.
Keeps well. Unlike some gluten free bakes, the buttermilk helps to create a wonderfully moist cupcake with staying power. These cupcakes keep well for up to 1 week!
Can’t tell they’re gluten free. Yes … I stand by this statement 100 percent! I bet you would never be able to tell these are gluten free.

The ingredients for oat flour chocolate cupcakes are shown portioned out and labeled.

What You’ll Need

Here’s the list of ingredients for these gluten free chocolate cupcakes. The full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card lower down – this is just an overview.

Oat flour – Wonderful for baking, gluten free oat flour in this recipe creates an imperceptibly gluten-free chocolate cupcake. Grab a bag or easily make your own oat flour.
Brown sugar – Light or dark brown sugar works interchangeably in this recipe.
Granulated sugar – A bit of granulated sugar alongside the brown sugar brings sweetness.
Cocoa powder – Use unsweetened cocoa powder so it doesn’t overpower the cupcakes.
Leavening – Baking soda and baking powder help the cupcakes to rise.
Salt – I always use fine sea salt in my recipes!
Olive oil – I like extra virgin olive oil in baking and cooking recipes.
Egg – Most recipes are written using large eggs unless otherwise specified, so it’s a good idea to keep large eggs stocked in the fridge for any occasion.
Buttermilk – Low-fat or full-fat buttermilk helps to create tender cupcakes.
Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract to create more depth of flavor.
Coffee – Use fresh-brewed or instant coffee. If you don’t drink coffee, use hot water.

Two halves of an oat flour chocolate cupcake on a decorative plate.

How To Make Chocolate Cupcakes

I’ve outlined the steps you’ll need to take to make these luscious cupcakes below. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card.

The dry mix for oat flour chocolate cake in a bowl.

Eggs, oil, and buttermilk are combined in a bowl.

Prep: Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with liners. Lightly grease two 8-inch pans with at least 2-inch sides with olive oil and line them with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
Make dry mix: Whisk together the oat flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Make wet mix: Whisk together the olive oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. and stir very well to combine.

Smooth oat flour chocolate cake batter in a bowl.

Gluten free chocolate cupcake batter is portioned into a tin.

Add coffee: Stir in the coffee.
Place in tin: Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans and preheat oven to 350°F.

One dozen baked gluten free chocolate cupcakes in the tin.

The gluten free chocolate cupcakes cool on a rack.

Bake: Place pans in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Cool: Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack, and let them cool fully before frosting them.

These easy gluten free oat flour chocolate cupcakes come together in minutes and are so tender and decadent. Impossible to tell they're g-f!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

I love the simplicity of this recipe – you just need a whisk and a spoon to make the batter! Any day I don’t have to deal with the electric mixer is a good one. I’ve listed a few gluten free baking best practices to follow while making this cupcake recipe, plus a few other tips:

Rest the batter: Let the batter rest for a bit before baking. Oat flour, like all gluten free flours, benefits from a rest to let it absorb liquids. Resting the batter in the tin while the oven preheats is the right amount of time for the oat flour to hydrate. Don’t skip this step!
Substitute hot water: If you don’t drink coffee, you can substitute 1 cup of hot water for the coffee if needed. Or, you can use (decaffeinated if needed) instant coffee or instant espresso if you don’t regularly brew coffee at home.
Use room temperature ingredients: Whether you’re making a regular cake or a gluten free cake, bringing the ingredients to room temperature is important! It helps them to better incorporate into the batter, making for a better-structured cake after it’s baked.
Cool the cake completely: Oat flour cupcakes can be softer than wheat flour cupcakes, especially when they’re warm (although, every baked item needs to cool a bit regardless of whether it’s gluten free). Make sure to cool the cupcakes thoroughly before frosting them. To create ease of frosting, you can chill the cupcakes in the fridge for a few hours or up to overnight, well covered.
Make ahead: You can bake the cupcakes up to 24 hours in advance and I recommend doing this! When a cake rests in the fridge overnight its flavor deepens and the crumb firms up a bit. This will also make it easier to frost the cupcakes. Store the cupcakes, either unfrosted or frosted, covered with foil, or in an airtight container in the fridge.
Any kind of frosting: I’ve shown cupcakes frosted with my favorite chocolate buttercream frosting but you can use any frosting you like to finish these cupcakes! Try vanilla buttercream, meringue, cream cheese frosting, or even whipped cream …
Make it dairy-free: Choose your favorite non-dairy milk and non-dairy yogurt to use in the batter.
Make it refined sugar-free: Substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar and granulated sugar.

Why Use Oat Flour for These Cupcakes?

In this oat flour chocolate cupcakes recipe, the cupcakes bake up beautifully and don’t have the denseness or grittiness you may find in baked goods that rely on a gluten-free all-purpose flour substitute. Oat flour is my favorite gluten-free flour to use in baking recipes because it can often be used 1:1 by weight for all-purpose flour. If you wish, you can use your favorite gluten free flour blend, although please note that the texture may not be the same. You could also try my homemade gluten free flour blend with great results in this recipe!

Storage Options

These cupcakes taste the best, in my opinion, when they’ve been brought to room temperature for about 30 minutes before you serve them. And, if you have any leftovers, here’s how to store them:

Fridge – To store, cover the cupcakes tightly with foil, or place them in an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer – Freeze the cupcakes two ways: frosted cupcakes should be stored in an airtight freezer-safe container. Unfrosted cupcakes may be wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap and placed in a sealable freezer-safe bag. Store the cupcakes in the freezer for up to 3 months, and thaw them in the fridge before serving.

More Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipes