Easy Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes | Simplest Fresh Lemon Glaze

4.97 from 26 votes

Prep Time : 15 minutes

Cook Time : 20 minutes

These gluten free lemon cupcakes have the moist, tender crumb of the best yellow cake, with tons of natural lemon flavor, topped with the simplest lemon glaze. So easy, they're made in one bowl!

Jump to Recipe

These gluten free lemon cupcakes have the tender crumb of the best vanilla cake, and they're packed with lemon flavor. For lemon lovers only!

Tips for making these gluten free lemon cupcakes the best ever

Cream the butter and sugar first

Creaming the butter and sugar in this cupcake batter is essential to making a tender cake that is light, and never greasy. You want to whip them together until the color is pale yellow, and then again after adding the eggs.

That way, you'll create just enough air bubbles in the batter, and the cupcakes will hold onto them during and after baking. When making cookies, I rarely cream the butter and sugar, since I typically want my cookies to be at least somewhat chewy.

Always use fresh lemon juice and zest

There's no substitute for fresh lemon juice, especially in baking as whatever flavors you use will intensify in the oven. Even the best bottled lemon juice simply tastes different, and usually at least somewhat bitter. You should only need one whole lemon, but you'll use nearly all of it, including the zest.

Pick the right gluten free flour blend, and measure properly

We're lucky that there are so many all purpose gluten free flour blends available on the market. Unfortunately, though, many of the most readily available ones are just not well-balanced, and have gritty rice flour in the mix.

I bake mostly with Better Batter classic blend, and Cup4Cup is also great (but much higher in starch). Please click through for details, choose carefully, and measure by weight!

How to make a proper simple lemon glaze

Rather than frosting, these gluten free lemon cupcakes have a simple lemon sugar glaze instead thick frosting. The glaze helps to seal in the moisture in the cupcakes, and easily adds a really nice punch of lemon flavor.

Most of the time that you see a glaze on cupcakes and cakes, it's made with confectioners' sugar, and a liquid. But there are a couple secrets to ensuring that the glaze stays thick, rather than disappearing into whatever cake it's served on.

First, your baked goods must be completely cool before glazing them. Any residual heat in the cake or cupcakes will melt the glaze. By the time everything cools, the glaze will have slipped right off.

Second, add your liquid very, very slowly. Begin with just enough liquid to make a paste that's hard to stir. Then, add more liquid by the drop, mixing vigorously to combine.

You will be amazed by how much of a difference a bit of liquid makes. You want a very slowly, thickly pourable glaze. If you add too much liquid, you can add more confectioners' sugar to thicken but it's much harder than slowly thinning a paste.

Gluten free lemon cupcakes flavor variations

These gf lemon cupcakes are relatively similar to vanilla cupcakes with lemon flavor, but they're not just a version of the same recipe. Their tender crumb is important, but the flavor is what's most prominent.

If you'd like to try them with a different flavor, I recommend trying a different type of citrus. I think they'd be great with lime zest and lime juice, too. I might use a bit less, though, since lime zest tends to be a bit more bitter than lemon zest.

You could also try using blood oranges or navel oranges. Resist the urge to use anything other than fresh-squeezed juice, though. Baking intensifies flavors, and you want your citrus flavors to be bright, not bitter.

Gluten free lemon cupcakes: Ingredients and substitutions

Gluten free dairy free lemon cupcakes

To replace the dairy in these cupcakes, you'll need a substitute for both the butter and the sour cream. I think you can do both, but I haven't tried so these are just educated guesses.

In place of the butter, I recommend either Melt brand or Miyoko's Kitchen brand vegan butter. They will become fluffy like dairy butter when beaten with sugar. Earth Balance buttery sticks might work, but they have a lot of moisture.

In place of the sour cream, you can use your favorite brand of dairy-free sour cream. If you can't find dairy-free sour cream, try using dairy-free plain yogurt. Daiya brand is really good.

Gluten free egg free lemon cupcakes

Since there are two eggs in this recipe, you should be able to use an egg replacer for each. My favorite is a “chia egg.” For each, place 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon lukewarm water in a bowl, mix and allow to sit until it gels.

Gluten free vegan lemon cupcakes

If you follow the instructions for replacing the dairy and the eggs, your lemon cupcakes will basically be vegan. Just watch the sugars that you use, as some are made with bone char so they're not vegan.

How to make gluten free lemon cupcakes, with a simple lemon glaze

Print Pin SaveSaved!

Easy Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes | Simple Lemon Glaze

These gluten free lemon cupcakes have the moist, tender crumb of the best yellow cake, with tons of natural lemon flavor, topped with the simplest lemon glaze. So easy, they're made in one bowl!

Course: Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Author: Nicole Hunn

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Handheld mixer

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for details on appropriate blends)
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon reserve 1 tablespoon juice for the glaze
• ½ cup (113 g) sour cream at room temperature
• 1 cup (115 g) confectioner’s sugar
• More lemon zest for sprinkling optional

Instructions

Make the cupcakes.

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line the wells of a standard 12 cup muffin tin and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the butter and sugar, and beat with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice (reserving the final 1 tablespoons of juice for the glaze), and beat to combine.
• Add the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt, and mix to combine. Add the sour cream to the batter and mix until just combined. The batter will be light and fluffy, but not thin.
• Divide mixture evenly among the muffin cups and shake into an even layer in each well of the pan.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze.

• Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium-size bowl and add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the reserved lemon juice. Mix until you have a very smooth, thick paste.
• Add more lemon juice until you have a very thickly pourable glaze. Add the liquid slowly, because it’s much easier to thin it than to thicken if once you’ve added too much liquid.
• Pour or spoon the glaze over the cooled cupcakes, or dip the tops in the glaze.
• Sprinkle with the optional additional zest, and allow to set at room temperature.

Notes

Recipe originally published on the blog in 2009 (!). In 2020, all photos, video, text new, and recipe instructions rewritten for clarity.

Print Pin SaveSaved!

Easy Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes | Simple Lemon Glaze

These gluten free lemon cupcakes have the moist, tender crumb of the best yellow cake, with tons of natural lemon flavor, topped with the simplest lemon glaze. So easy, they're made in one bowl!

Course: Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Author: Nicole Hunn

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Handheld mixer

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for details on appropriate blends)
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon reserve 1 tablespoon juice for the glaze
• ½ cup (113 g) sour cream at room temperature
• 1 cup (115 g) confectioner’s sugar
• More lemon zest for sprinkling optional

Instructions

Make the cupcakes.

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line the wells of a standard 12 cup muffin tin and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, place the butter and sugar, and beat with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and juice (reserving the final 1 tablespoons of juice for the glaze), and beat to combine.
• Add the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt, and mix to combine. Add the sour cream to the batter and mix until just combined. The batter will be light and fluffy, but not thin.
• Divide mixture evenly among the muffin cups and shake into an even layer in each well of the pan.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze.

• Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium-size bowl and add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the reserved lemon juice. Mix until you have a very smooth, thick paste.
• Add more lemon juice until you have a very thickly pourable glaze. Add the liquid slowly, because it’s much easier to thin it than to thicken if once you’ve added too much liquid.
• Pour or spoon the glaze over the cooled cupcakes, or dip the tops in the glaze.
• Sprinkle with the optional additional zest, and allow to set at room temperature.

Notes

Recipe originally published on the blog in 2009 (!). In 2020, all photos, video, text new, and recipe instructions rewritten for clarity.