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Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowIt’s hard to believe that these keto cupcakes recipe only has 6 grams net carbs per serving! My low carb keto chocolate cupcakes are full of rich, chocolate flavor, but without all the sugar and flour that normally come along with it. They’re just as amazing as keto chocolate cake or even vanilla keto cake, but in a portion-controlled package. Whenever you find yourself with a chocolate craving, these treats should be at the top of your list.
Why You’ll Love This Keto Cupcake Recipe
- Delicate, moist texture
- Sweet, chocolaty flavor
- Easy to make in one bowl
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Keto-friendly and gluten-free
- 6 grams net carbs per serving (including the frosting!)
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for keto chocolate cupcakes, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – Choosing high quality almond flour is a must for moist keto cupcakes. It needs to be blanched and finely ground like the Wholesome Yum brand. Do not use almond meal, which will yield a grainy result.
- Cocoa Powder – Turns plain keto cupcakes into chocolate ones! Make sure to select one that’s unsweetened, and Dutch-processed to avoid bitterness — this one is one of my favorites.
- Baking Powder – Helps the cupcakes rise. Don’t confuse this with baking soda, which is not the same thing.
- Sea Salt – Salt in baked goods helps bring out the sweetness.
- Butter – Adds flavor and richness. Ghee or coconut oil can work for reduced-dairy or dairy-free substitutes, but the texture will be different.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The best sweetener for virtually all keto desserts, because it not only tastes and bakes like sugar, it also makes them very moist. Other sugar alternatives (including erythritol, stevia, and other brands of monk fruit sweetener) will yield more dry results, but if you still want to substitute, check my sweetener conversion chart.
- Eggs – A big part of baked goods, the eggs help to add structure and lift. I have not tested flax eggs to see if they would work in this keto cupcake recipe.
- Almond Milk – You can use store bought almond milk (as long as it’s unsweetened), or homemade almond milk. Other keto milk, such as coconut milk beverage (the liquid kind from a carton, not the thick kind from a can) or watered down heavy cream, would also work.
- Vanilla Extract – Helps to bring out the chocolate and sweetness.
- Chocolate Keto Frosting – The best keto cupcakes need this frosting! You could also substitute keto buttercream frosting if you like.
- Keto Sprinkles – Optional, but they add a beautiful finish.
How To Make Keto Cupcakes
This section shows how to make keto chocolate cupcakes, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Beat butter and Besti. Using an electric hand mixer in a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sweetener together until it’s fluffy and light yellow in color.
- Add dry ingredients. Beat in almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
- Divide. Line your muffin tin with parchment liners like these first. Spoon the cupcake batter into the lined muffin cups. You want them almost full. (They will not rise as much as traditional cupcakes.)
TIP: Need to cut the carbs and calories more?
Make mini keto cupcakes instead by using a mini muffin tin! You’ll get double the amount of cupcakes.
- Bake. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Frost. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a cooling rack, then frost with keto chocolate frosting.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep chocolate keto cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. (If you want to preserve the frosting shape, you can freeze them on a sheet pan first until solid, then wrap and place back in the freezer.) They will last 2-3 months this way. To thaw, simply leave them at room temperature until they thaw completely.
More Keto Cupcakes
If you love this keto cupcake recipe, you might also like some of these other low carb cupcake recipes:
- Sugar-Free Vanilla Cupcakes – The best gluten free keto cupcakes to make all spring and summer long – especially when the raspberries are perfect!
- Keto Chocolate Mug Cake – When you don’t have time to make this low carb chocolate cupcakes recipe, try my easy mug cake version that’s ready in a few minutes. It’s a faster version to keto cake.
- Piña Colada Cupcakes – This keto cupcake recipe is exclusive to the Wholesome Yum app, available for free on iPhone or Android.
Recommended Tools
- Hand Mixer – These keto cupcakes with almond flour are whipped up in a flash when you use an electric mixer. This is the one I have and I love it.
- Cupcake Liners – Cupcake liners are a must when making this low carb cupcakes recipe. These are the ones I use and love.
- Cupcake Pan – Obviously a must for my keto cupcake recipe. These pans are my favorite and I have each and every one.
Keto Cupcakes (Easy, Moist & Chocolaty)
By
This chocolate keto cupcakes recipe is super moist, rich, and sweet… all with simple ingredients like almond flour, butter and cocoa powder.
Instructions
[ See step photos ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Line 10 cups in a muffin tin with paper liners.
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In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat butter and sweetener together, until fluffy.
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Beat in almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt.
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Beat in eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
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Allow muffins to cool completely, then frost with keto chocolate frosting (about 2 tablespoons frosting per cupcake).
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 keto cupcake
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Low Carb Keto Cupcakes Recipe
121 Comments
Dinengdeng
0Hi Can I use Cacao powder instead of cocoa? Thanks
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dinegdeng, Yes, cacao powder would be a good substitute.
Phyllis
0Yummy cupcakes. I made these today and frosted with low carb peanut butter frosting. Delish!!!
Elizabeth
0Hello do you have this recipe in UK measurements please. We don’t use cups. Thanks
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Elizabeth, Just above the recipe you can toggle between cups and metric measurements.
Emmett
0Howdy! one of my best friends does keto and I want to make these for her bday but she is severely allergic to almonds. Could I replace it with coconut flour? Would the measurements change? Thank you!!!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Emmett, Unfortunately, coconut flour and almond flour are not interchangeable. The recipe would need to be completely reworked if you wanted to use coconut flour. I have several other coconut flour recipes that may work for you. Here are Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins and Coconut Flour Sugar Cookies. Both can be made dairy-free.
Betsy
0I scrolled and scrolled looking for the “print recipe ” button. I could not find it. Would you put one in? I am lactose intolerant so I substitute soy products for the cow products.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Betsy, The print recipe button is located on the recipe card. Use the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of the page, and it will take you to the correct location of the card. The print button is on the right-hand side. I hope this helps!
fabi
0hi! they have an amazing texture but i just made them with extra brute cocoa (barry) and they were super bitter. any cocoa recommendations?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Fabi, I used dutch processed cocoa powder. Using a natural cocoa powder could result in bitter cupcakes.
KD
0Can I substitute the butter with oil (not coconut oil) to make it Dairy free?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi KD, Coconut oil is the best replacement for butter. It can be replaced 1:1 with butter and has similar qualities being solid at room temperature. I have not experimented with using other oils in the recipe, so I’m not sure if it would turn out the same.
Debbie
0Could I use unsweetened coconut milk instead of the almond?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Debbie, Yes that will work great! I recommend using carton coconut milk, not canned for this recipe. Enjoy!
Charleane
0If you don’t have sea salt can you use Kosher salt or table salt? If so is it the same amount? Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Charleane, Yes, kosher or table salt will work fine in the same amounts. Enjoy!
Lorie
0Cupcakes turned out great! Took 30 minutes to cook, so a little longer than what your recipe called for. They really tasted delicious. I love your website!
Weegie
0FANTABULOUS!!!! I topped mine with homemade whipped cream, a few raspberries and a dusting of powdered swerve.
Andie
0These were easy to make and the flavor was there but mine turned out very dry and very dense. I know that some of this is to be expected because it is a keto recipe but is there a way to make these more moist/less dense?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Andie, If you wish to add more moisture, you can split the liquid to add more fat. Try 1/4 cup almond milk and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream. Also, be sure to check for doneness. They may have been done baking before you pulled them from the oven. It can be difficult to visually see doneness in chocolate baked goods.
Elaine C
0HELP! I’ve been following your site for quite a while now and I like your recipes. I’m having an issue with which flour to use most of the time. I’ve got several brands on my shelf these days. Do you have a flour comparison sheet somewhere? I’ve got the regular almond flour and it’s my coarsest. I’ve got Nature’s Eats super fine blanched almond flour. And finally, I’ve got the Honeyville Ultimate Grind. How do I know which one to use and when?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elaine, I always recommend super fine blanched almond flour for all my recipes – it makes a big difference in the end result. This is one of the reasons I created my own brand of keto ingredients, to ensure the best quality for baking. Some of the other brands you listed are not as fine and might be gritty when baking. You can find my Wholesome Yum Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour here – it’s the finest texture I’ve seen anywhere and it’s what I use to test all my recipes. Hope you’ll give it a try!
Beth Preston-Stewart
0Hey!
Is there a version of this that I could do with whole nuts ( like the original flatbread recipe, in the food processor)… or with almond butter instead of flour? Do you know the quantities? Otherwise I might play around with what I’ve got in the fridge and see how it comes out!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Beth, For best results with keto or low carb baking, use finely milled and blanched almond flour. When using whole nuts and a food processor, the nuts don’t break down to a small enough texture for baking. I have not tried making these with almond butter in place of flour, so I don’t know if the recipe would turn out. Please let us know how your results turn out if you decide to experiment!
Beth
0Thanks for the response, I chickened out with the nut butter! Haha… I might try it someday though !! looking forward to trying your recipe as is!
Sherra
0Hi, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. However, in my country almond flour is very expensive. I was wondering if I can do half with coconut flour?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sherra, I’m sorry, using half coconut flour would make this recipe too dry.
Rita U.
0I’m really struggling with the calories per serving: 479 Is that really correct? What makes it SO high, – is it the frosting? If so, what it would be without frosting? I made these twice and the second patch came out really tasty but if I’m inhaling almost 500 calories per cake …. 🙁
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Rita, Yes, omitting the frosting will change the calorie count – you’d have to look at the separate keto chocolate frosting recipe and subtract 2 tablespoons of that. Or, feel free to enter this recipe into an online recipe calculator to get the revised macros without the frosting.
Marissa Behunaik
0Tried the recipe. Baked up nice without collapsing and have a good texture. The reason I gave it two stars is because they do not taste good. They are almost completely tasteless, but what flavor they do have is bitter. They look good though. I’d call them a good base though. Adding SF-chocolate chips and maybe more extract.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Marissa, I’m sorry these cupcakes didn’t turn out as you expected. It sounds like the bitterness may be from the cocoa powder. If the cocoa powder was too bitter in these cupcakes for you, then I suggest making them with dutch processed cocoa powder, which is much milder on the palate.
Tristen
0This recipe is delicious! I didn’t use the frosting recipe as I have a great sugar free peanut butter icing that I wanted to use, but the cake is very tasty! I will be making this again
Brittany
0These were good and a nice sweet treat for Keto. I followed the instructions exact except used Swerve sweetner instead of the Besti sweetner brand in the recipe. They came out a little dense rather than fluffy. Any suggestions to correct this next time? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Brittany, These cupcakes are a bit denser than a traditional wheat flour cupcake, but check your baking powder – did they rise?
Roxie F
0Love your recipes, Maya – I’m wondering what the baking time difference would be to make a cake in 13×9” pan would be?
Thank you!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Roxie, Since this recipe only makes 10 cupcakes, you will probably need to double the recipe to have it fit a 13×9″ pan. I would start checking for doneness around the 30-minute mark.
Kristin
0I had high hopes, but mine sunk a bit after coming out of the oven. I had to do them the whole 25 minutes. And I had to fill 12 liners. 10 would’ve been completely overflowing! I followed the recipe to a Tee, and my baking powder was brand new. I’m a seasoned baker,… actually own my own cake business..(though admittedly not a keto pro) but not sure where these went wrong. I also had to use the full amount of sweetener. I tested the batter before, and yuck!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kristin, Sorry to hear you had issues with them. If they sunk, it sounds like they needed to bake a bit longer, that can happen if they didn’t bake all the way through. I would not expect the batter to taste great before baking, due to the baking powder.
Kristin
0Thanks Maya, I’ll try to tweak them a bit, and try again! 🙂
Avon Carey
0The muffins are so so good. So smooth and delicious!!! I can have my cake and eat it too – guilty pleasures! My husband had two muffins, he was so satisfied to the point of not wanting dinner.