Name: Homemade Hostess Cupcakes (Easy! + Healthy Copycat)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 flax egg (1 Tbs. ground flax + 2 Tbs. water. Let thicken for 5 minutes.) or 1 regular egg; ½ cup pure maple syrup or honey; ¼ cup granulated monk fruit sweetener (coconut sugar or organic cane sugar will also work); ¼ cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil; ¼ cup non-dairy yogurt or plain non-fat Greek yogurt; ¾ cup plant-based milk or milk of choice; 1½ tsp. vanilla extract; 1 cup gluten-free oat flour (I make my own in 3 steps); ½ cup gluten-free flour blend *must contain xanthan gum (I use King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour); ⅓ cup cacao powder; ⅛ tsp. pink Himalayan salt; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1½ cups vegan Truwhip whipped topping (or coconut whipped cream); ½ cup Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Semisweet Mini Chocolate Chips; flesh of ½ a medium ripe avocado OR ¼ cup nut or seed butter of choice; 2-4 Tbs. pure maple syrup; ⅓ cup Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Mini White Chocolate Chips

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These homemade hostess cupcakes are so delicious! They’re easy to make and extremely fluffy and moist. All you need is one bowl and some very simple ingredients. You can make them mini cupcakes to serve at social gatherings or for your kids too. Diary-free, nut-free, with a vegan option!

The Best Healthy Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

If you love a nice moist, fluffy chocolate cupcake, this is the recipe for you. Just like my Healthy Lemon Poppyseed muffins recipe, or my Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin muffins, these cupcakes are secretly healthy, but you would never know. They are perfectly sweetened and absolutely delicious and you can make them mini-size!

Gluten-Free Hostess Cupcakes

I love creating gluten-free secretly healthy recipes here at the Secretly Healthy Home. You know it’s my jam. And if you know me, you know that I LOVE chocolate everything. So you’re in the right place for gluten-free and chocolate. If you’ve tried my healthy chocolate sauce, dairy-free chocolate pudding, zucchini brownies, or gluten-free chocolate lava cakes, you know what I’m talking about. This gluten-free hostess cupcake recipe is no different, my friends!

How To Make Vegan Hostess Cupcakes

Like I said before, you only need one bowl for this healthy hostess cupcake recipe. I hate using multiple bowls for baking. If you feel the same way, then you definitely need to check out my Healthy Baking Course. I teach you all the simple tips and tricks to make healthy baking easy! To make these homemade hostess cupcakes you simply mix all the wet ingredients and then all the dry. Fill up your cupcake tins and bake! Full instructions are in the recipe card 🙂

Can I Make These Homemade Hostess Cupcakes Mini Size?

Absolutely you can make these hostess cupcakes mini-size! Just use a mini cupcake pan. This is my favorite one from amazon! I’m obsessed with it and I didn’t think I would use it as much as I do. Honestly, I like making these cupcakes mini more than regular ones. They’re the perfect kid snack, treat when friends come over, or dessert! The baking time will vary on the smaller cupcakes. Bake them for 10-12 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Gluten-Free Homemade Hostess Cupcakes Recipe

I love making gluten-free recipes for all my gluten-intolerant friends. I am not gluten-free, but creating secretly healthy recipes usually ends in a gluten-free recipe, and I’m not mad about that. I use a combination of oat flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour in this recipe to make the perfect homemade hostess cupcake. This “flour” combination gives the cupcakes fluff and also gives them moisture and a very tender texture. This also makes the hostess cupcakes totally nut-free too! School friendly… YAY! I’m sure you’re going to love them!

Healthy Chocolate Vegan Hostess Cupcakes

Making these hostess cupcakes with a flax egg world perfectly. 1 flax egg (1 Tbs. ground flax + 2 Tbs. water. Let thicken for 5 minutes). You can also use a regular egg if that’s what you have on hand and don’t need these cupcakes to be egg-free. Let me know if you try this! I’d love to know how they turn out. And if you’re looking for more healthy vegan recipes, definitely check out my Homemade Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Fudgy Zucchini Brownies, and so many more!

Reasons To Love These Gluten-Free Homemade Hostess Cupcakes?

Ridiculously easy to make! Just pop everything into a mixing bowl, mix it up, then bake and enjoy!
Perfect amount of fluff and moisture. These gluten-free hostess cupcakes are fluffy without being too dry or dense. They are perfectly moist and allergy friendly.
Flavor explosion. The chocolate flavor in these cupcakes really take them to a whole new level.
Super healthy and filling. Since these cupcakes have healthy ingredients in them, they will keep you fuller longer and won’t spike your blood sugar as badly!
High in fiber. Ya gotta love oats for being such an amazing source of complex carbs and fiber. The perfect way to kick start any day!
There are limitless add-ins for these chocolate cupcakes! Before baking these healthy chocolate cupcakes, you can add in shredded coconut, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, or whatever your heart desires!
Toddler and kid-friendly! Kids absolutely love these cupcakes, especially if you make them mini. They are the perfect size for kids and adults alike!

I cannot wait for you to give these easy homemade hostess cupcakes a try! Please snap a picture and share it with me! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day and encourages me to keep creating new recipes for you!

More Healthy Chocolate Recipes

Healthy Vegan Chocolate Sauce

Dairy-Free Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (gluten-free!)

Vegan Hot Chocolate

Fudgy Zucchini Brownies

PIN FOR LATER

Yield: 12 medium or 43 mini cupcakes

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes (Easy! + Healthy Copycat)

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Wet

1 flax egg (1 Tbs. ground flax + 2 Tbs. water. Let thicken for 5 minutes.) or 1 regular egg
½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
¼ cup granulated monk fruit sweetener (coconut sugar or organic cane sugar will also work)
¼ cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil
¼ cup non-dairy yogurt or plain non-fat Greek yogurt
¾ cup plant-based milk or milk of choice
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Dry

1 cup gluten-free oat flour (I make my own in 3 steps)
½ cup gluten-free flour blend *must contain xanthan gum (I use King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour)
⅓ cup cacao powder
⅛ tsp. pink Himalayan salt
2 tsp. baking powder

Buttercream Filling

1½ cups vegan Truwhip whipped topping (or coconut whipped cream)

Chocolate Frosting

½ cup Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Semisweet Mini Chocolate Chips
flesh of ½ a medium ripe avocado OR ¼ cup nut or seed butter of choice
2-4 Tbs. pure maple syrup
⅓ cup Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Mini White Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. and grease 9 cupcake tins or 43 mini cupcake tins with oil. You may also use paper cupcake liners or silicone cupcake liners.

2. In a medium bowl add all wet cupcake ingredients and mix until smooth. Add in all the dry cupcake ingredients except baking powder and mix until combined. Then gently fold in the baking powder until combined.

3. Fill 9 cupcake tins (or 43 mini cupcake tins) ¾ full with batter. Bake at 350 F. for 14-16 minutes for regular-size cupcakes or 10-12 minutes for mini cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in cupcake tins. Then carefully twist cupcakes to loosen them and transfer to a large plate or cooling rack. Cool completely.

4. Make the chocolate frosting by melting the chocolate chips until smooth. Then add in the smashed avocado or nut butter and maple syrup. Beat until very smooth.

5. Use a knife to cut a ¾ inch hole in the center of each cupcake (cutting down as far as possible without going through bottom) and discard excess cake. Spoon cream filling into each cupcake. Then add chocolate frosting on top in an even layer.

5. Melt the white chocolate chips and place in a resealable plastic bag or piping bag. Cut off a small portion of the resealable bag’s corner. Pipe a wavey line vertically across the top of a cupcake. Then pipe another wavey line right next to it, crossing over the previous line, making a lattice shape. Repeat until all cupcakes have this design. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.