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Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowHere’s How My Sugar Free Cupcakes Turn Out So Moist & Fluffy
I first made these sugar free cupcakes years ago, with pink frosting for a breast cancer awareness project during October. Since then, I’ve tested and updated the recipe so many times to make the cupcakes softer, moister, and easier to make. Honestly, most people would never guess this is a sugar free cupcake recipe! Here’s why:
- Super moist, soft, and fluffy – Sugar free cupcakes are sometimes grainy or dry, but these have an ultra moist, tender crumb. It’s thanks to both the right sweetener, plenty of (grass-fed) butter, and the perfect wet/dry ingredient ratio.
- No weird aftertaste – These taste sweet and buttery like a regular vanilla cupcake, without that cooling or artificial aftertaste some sugar-free desserts can have. The flavor is a little nutty with plenty of vanilla.
- Better for you – Each cupcake has 7 grams of protein, a little fiber, and very low carbs. They’re gluten-free and keto friendly, too.
- Creamy sugar free frosting options – I originally made these cupcakes with raspberry frosting, and you still can. But these days, I usually make more classic vanilla buttercream because it’s easier and goes with everything. You can also swap in my sugar-free chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting.
If you need a sweet, portable dessert without the sugar, make these easy sugar free cupcakes with me and see why no one can tell the difference!
“I made these cupcakes this week, and I honestly can’t tell that they are gluten-free and low-carb!”
-Abi
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my sugar free cupcake recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – I always use it for these sugar free cupcakes because it’s super fine and gives them a soft, fluffy texture. Most brands of almond flour (and every brand of almond meal) are too coarse and can make the cupcakes grainy. If you prefer coconut flour, it’s not a 1:1 swap, so try my coconut flour muffins or browse my other coconut flour recipes instead.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Pretty much the only sweetener I recommend for these sugar free cupcakes! It keeps them soft and moist, without any gritty texture or aftertaste. You can check my sweetener conversion chart for other options, but granulated allulose is the only swap I’ve found that won’t make the cupcakes more dry.
- Eggs – For structure and a little lift. You can try an alternative, such as flax eggs, but the result turns out more dense.
- Butter – I used this salted butter, but you can use unsalted and add a pinch of salt. Just make sure it’s softened to room temperature, so it creams properly.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – Or any milk you like, but keep in mind that dairy milk has sugar (lactose). I recently updated this recipe to use a little more milk, which makes the cupcakes softer and less dense. If you want them even richer, you can reduce the almond milk to 1/3 cup and add 1/3 cup of sour cream instead.
- Baking Powder (for lift) & Vanilla Extract (for flavor)
- Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting – To make it, you’ll need more butter, Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend (the key for a smooth texture!), cream, and vanilla extract. I also add sugar-free sprinkles on top for a fun bakery-style finish!
How To Make Sugar Free Cupcakes
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, Besti, and baking powder.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, melted butter, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Fill the cupcake liners. Spoon the batter into a lined muffin pan, filling them about 3/4 of the way full. I like using a large cookie scoop here because it makes the cupcakes more even and less messy.
- Bake until golden. The sugar free cupcakes are ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let them cool. This helps improve the texture inside, so resist the urge to eat right away!
- Make my sugar-free buttercream frosting. Or any frosting you love — I mentioned a few of my other favorites in the first section of this post above.
- Frost and enjoy! Use a piping bag with a frosting tip to pipe the frosting over each cupcake. I’ve included a cut picture below so you can see the fluffy texture inside!
My Recipe Tips
- Line the muffin pan for easy removal. I used parchment liners for the photos, but if you bake muffins or cupcakes often, I also love these reusable silicone liners.
- Let the eggs and milk come to room temperature before mixing the batter. Cold ingredients can make the melted butter harden, leaving little pieces in your batter.
- This sugar free cupcake batter is supposed to be on the thicker side. You can check my photos above for reference.
- Use a measuring cup for easy pouring. I like to mix the batter in this jumbo measuring cup so I can pour it right into the muffin cups with less mess. A large cookie scoop works great too, which is what I did above.
- Tent the top with foil if needed. I usually don’t, but because Besti browns a little faster than other sweeteners, it can help to cover toward the end if you notice your cupcakes getting too dark.
- How much frosting you use is totally up to you! My buttercream frosting recipe yields about 2-3 tablespoons per cupcake, depending on how generously you frost them.
- Use piping tools for a bakery-style finish. I love this piping set because it comes with several classic frosting tips, and they aren’t too small like many cheaper sets. I use it with these couplers, which keep the tips in place and make it easy to switch frosting tips if you want to get fancy.
Sugar Free Cupcakes (Super Moist & Easy)
My sugar free cupcakes are extra moist and sweet, with rich vanilla flavor and buttercream frosting. No one can tell they're sugar free!
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
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In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, Besti, and baking powder.
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Add the eggs, melted butter, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
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Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups (a large cookie or ice cream scoop works well for this), filling them about 3/4 of the way.
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Bake the sugar-free vanilla cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.
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Meanwhile, make the sugar-free frosting. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping bag with a frosting tip to pipe the frosting over each cupcake.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 sugar free cupcake
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the perfect texture and make this recipe easier.
- Storage & meal prep: Store them in an airtight container in the pantry for 1-2 days if they’re unfrosted, or in the fridge for up to a week. You can frost them in advance if you like, but I like the frosting texture even more if it’s fresh.
- Freeze: You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months.
- Recipe update note: I updated it in 2026 to use classic buttercream. If you want my older sugar free cupcake recipe, the base is the same, but here’s how to make the raspberry frosting: Simmer fresh berries with a little water until soft, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Beat the raspberry liquid into your buttercream frosting instead of the milk, a little at a time, until smooth and creamy. Be careful not to add too much, so it doesn’t get watery.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Sugar Free Cupcakes
46 Comments
LisaMarie McEachran
0Can I use Truvia instead of your sugar substitute and what ratio 1:1 or different?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi LisaMarie, As I explain in the post, most sugar substitutes (including Truvia) will make the cupcakes more dry. You can still use it if you don’t mind them being more dry.
Melissa R.
0Hi! I was wondering if I can substitute coconut flour for the almond flour. Same with the almond milk, using coconut milk, instead. Thank you! 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melissa, You can use coconut milk beverage (the thin kind from a carton, not the thick kind from a can) instead of almond milk, but using coconut flour instead of almond flour won’t work.
Ana
0These are so delicious! My cupcakes came out dry though instead of moist. Will vegetable oil instead of butter help with the dryness and should I add more milk?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Ana, I don’t use vegetable oil but you could try coconut oil.
Ev
0Do the cupcakes need to cool before frosting? I’m assuming so. But it doesn’t say.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Ev, Yes, they need to cool down.
Abi
0I made these cupcakes this week and I honestly can’t tell that they are gluten free and low carb!
Marti Amado
0Hello! My son and I are trying to eat gluten-free I know that the almond flour is naturally gluten-free wondering if I could use half almond flour and half all purpose gluten-free baking flour blend in this recipe? If it would create it fluffier cupcake? Also, I followed the directions for the frosting exactly and it tasted way too buttery and greasy. When I added twice as much of the sugar substitute and a little almond milk came out much nicer my son ended up preferring chocolate baking powder being added to the frosting to cover up some of the butter taste.
Joanne
0I love this. It’s such a simple recipe and I just wanted to say, Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Just thought I’d tell you I have cancer and am on treatment at home and don’t have much energy due to the meds. I really appreciate simple keto recipes. I did though change yours slightly as I hate disposing of good fibres and flavour. So I added the strained solids into the batter for flavour. They turned out very yummy. A very nice treat as a medication chaser when meds require food. Thank you.
Kylie
0They are so easy to make, fluffy and taste absolutely delicious. Even my non-keto family loved them.
Melissa
0How many carbs does each cupcake have ?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Melissa, Each cupcake has 3 net carbs per serving! Enjoy!
Barbara
0Sounds amazing I will definitely try this very soon
Karen
0I love that these were so easy to put together. They baked beautifully. Good crumb. Taste…….meh. I do understand that people’s sweet meters very…..but when I eat something sweet I expect sweet. These had the very faintest sweetness to my palatte.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Karen, Feel free to increase the amount of sweetener to 3/4 cup without changing the ratios of the recipe. Also, did you use the same sweetener on the recipe card? If you used something else, sweetness levels can vary depending on the sweetener used.
Nikki
0I used stevia, and it seemed more like an eggy, pancake, not so cake, or sweet. It was good, just not what I expected..
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Nikki, I am sorry these didn’t turn out as expected. Did you use baking stevia or concentrated stevia? Without the bulk from the sweetener, the recipe likely did not turn out as intended.
Mistie Heiken
0How many carbs without the icing?
Thanks
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mistie, I’m not sure of the carb count without the icing. You can enter the recipe into an online recipe calculator (minus the frosting ingredients) to get an accurate carb count.
Theresa
0Can you make a whole round cake with this recipe, or only cupcakes?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Theresa, Yes this recipe can be made as a cake round. Bake time will roughly be the same. Start checking for doneness around 18 minutes.
Priya Lakshminarayan
0They are so delicious…I have been making them on repeat! Thank you
Nellie Tracy
0Such a good recipe! Love these cupcakes!
Allison
0I’m not sure which I like better, the cupcakes or frosting. Perfection!
Charlotte
0Just wondering: Do you ever use silicone cupcake liners? Why or why not? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Charlotte, Keto baked goods are more fragile than traditional foods. Silicone liners can work great if you buy them thin enough to easily flip the muffins out of. If the silicone liner is too thick, you are likely to break your muffin in half or lose a lot of it at the bottom of the liner. I hope this helps!
Preetha
0Hi Maya, can I use frozen raspberries to make the frosting? If yes, does the recipe remain the same. Thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Preetha, You can use frozen raspberries. I suggest thawing the berries before you use them.
Beth
0I am in love with this recipe! The rasberry frosting has me wanting to frost everything in sight! Delish!
Jane Saunders
0Your tips and all the additional info are fantastic. Posts like this really helps me understand the recipe before I begin baking.
Elena
0Delicious recipe!
Julie
0Hi, I made the frosting using a KitchenAid stand mixer and it came out extra hard and clumpy. The more almond milk I afforded, the more it got hard and the liquid wasn’t absorbed. What am I doing wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Julie, Was your butter cold? That would be a likely reason – it needs to be softened at room temperature.
Stephanie
0Looks so delicious! Could you substitute strawberries and use strawberry extract?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Stephanie, I haven’t tried that, but you probably could. Let me know how it goes for you!
Sharon
0How are these dairy-free? The recipe comes up under dairy-free recipes. Just wondering if I am missing something?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sharon, The only potential dairy in this recipe is butter, which is sometimes a gray area because many people with dairy allergies are still able to tolerate butter. If not, you can easily use ghee instead. I haven’t tried the frosting with ghee though, so the results may be a little different. The actual base of the cupcakes should be almost the same using ghee.
Taryn
0Beautiful! And delicious. Perfect combination.
Tasha
0I’m loving all the pink in this post! What a fun challenge for a great cause!
Sarah
0Oh, you had me at raspberry buttercream frosting! These are so adorable!
STACEY
0These are so adorable Maya, and match your site! Entering the giveaway.
Jennifer
0The 10,000 cupcake challenge is such a fun way to support the fight against breast cancer! Your cupcakes are beautiful!
Georgina
0Those cupcakes look gorgeous! And I entered the giveaway!
sugarfreelondoner
0Maya, your cupcakes look very pink and very delicious! It’s great that you are supporting the fight against breast cancer. I think most people have a loved one who has been affected by cancer and every little bit of support helps.