Moist and flavorful low carb zucchini spice cake cupcakes are gluten free with no sugar added. Each is topped with a sugar free cream cheese frosting.
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I was at a small grocery store in the next town over buying a birthday cake for my husband. The bakery in that store is directly across from the produce. As I was waiting for the lady to customize the cake, I turned and got a glance of some lovely zucchini and the idea hit me to make myself a low carb spice cake out of zucchini.
Carrot cake is a favorite of mine and I have not yet attempted a sugar free one, but I knew I could achieve a similar taste using zucchini. All of the baked goods I’ve made in the past with zucchini have come out moist so I was eager to try a gluten free zucchini cake.
I looked at several recipes for zucchini spice cake to come up with a recipe for these low carb spice cake cupcakes. To make the cake gluten free, I used a mix of almond flour and coconut flour.
It’s best to sift the almond and coconut flour before using in baked goods to get out any lumps. Below is a picture of the flour and spice mixture. The texture isn’t far off from what a regular flour mix would look like since the low carb flours were sifted first.
The grated zucchini is mixed in with the liquids just before adding the flour mixture. I used one small zucchini which yielded about one and a half cups of packed grated zucchini.
This zucchini spice cake cupcakes recipe gave me an opportunity to use my new favorite kitchen gadget, a nut chopper. I’m not sure how I got by all these years without having this nifty tool. It’s so much better than the Pampered Chef manual food chopper that I used to use which was way more expensive.
The cupcake batter gets really thick after adding the flour mixture. This is because the coconut flour absorbs so much liquid. I debated whether or should add more liquid at this point, but decided to keep it as is. The reason was that my garlic coconut flour bagel batter was similar and those came out just fine after baking.
Because the batter was so thick, I needed to press it into each cupcake liner. I used chopped walnuts so if you choose to leave the nuts out, the batter may not fill up each liner quite as much. Although you don’t have to, I find smoothing out the tops with your finger or the back of a spoon will give a nicer looking top after baked.
When the zucchini spice cake cupcakes begin to brown and firm up is when you want to take them out of the oven. For me, this was about 25-30 minutes of baking.
The cupcakes are pretty delicious as-is without the sugar free cream cheese frosting (basically muffins). So go ahead and leave them unfrosted if you’d like to cut back on calories.
Adding the low carb cream cheese frosting adds no additional net carbs because you can subtract the sugar alcohol erythritol which isn’t digestible. You can always cut back on the frosting or only frost half the cupcakes.
You can pass these yummy spiced zucchini cupcakes off to your non-lowcarbing friends and family. I guarantee they will eat them up without complaints with or without frosting.
Although zucchini spice cupcakes are something I’d typically make in the summer while we are getting zucchini fresh out of the garden, there is no reason not to make these delicious mini cakes in the middle of winter.
You could easily bake this into a delicious spice cake instead of cupcakes. I don’t have the baking times for baking this cake in a 9-inch round, but it would likely be about 10 minutes more.
To make a double layer 9-inch cake, you’ll want to double this recipe. Doubling the recipe would also produce enough batter for a 9×13-inch baking pan sheet cake.
These cupcakes are absolutely delicious! The low carb sweetener has only a very slight coolness from the erythritol and no bitter aftertaste when the right amount is used.
I found that if you accidentally add too much of any stevia sweetener, you will get a nasty aftertaste so it’s best to be light on the sweetener and add a little at a time until you get the right amount. Otherwise, you’ll have to dilute the sweetness by adding more of the other ingredients.
For those who prefer a chocolate, be sure to check out my low carb chocolate cake. Grated zucchini is the secret to making all your low carb cakes moist and spongy when using coconut flour!
Low Carb Zucchini Spice Cake Cupcakes Recipe
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Zucchini Spice Cupcakes – Gluten Free
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Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 cup almond flour sifted (about 100 grams)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup coconut flour sifted (I used 1/2, may want to use less)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup coconut oil liquified
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar free vanilla extract
- 1 cup low carb sugar substitute I like to only use 1/2 cup
- 1 1/2 cups packed grated zucchini about 295 grams
- 1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup low carb sugar substitute powdered
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Line muffin tins with 12 paper or foil liners.
- Stir together almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in medium bowl. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir in zucchini and Natvia sweetenr, then add flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in walnuts if using.
- Press batter evenly among cupcake liners. Smooth tops if necessary.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 to 35 minutes until lightly browned on top and cake is firm to touch.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting if desired.
- Store cupcakes in refrigerator or freezer. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Frosting:
- Powder the Natvia sweetener in NutriBullet type blender or a food processor.
- With electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined.
- Add powdered Natvia and whip into cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy.
- Beat in vanilla extract.
Notes
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Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Lisa MarcAurele has been creating keto friendly recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
June says
They taste great, but the baking time is not nearly long enough!!
Lisa MarcAurele says
It really depends on your oven and altitude, but I can note that in the recipe.
Kristi says
In the directions you mention eggs but the ingredient list does not have eggs listed. Are there eggs in the recipe?
Lisa MarcAurele says
Read it again. There are eggs listed as ingredients and in the instructions.
Nichole says
This recipe is absolutely amazing! All I did differently was add some cinnamon to the buttercream icing. Best keto cake yet!! Thank you so much!!!
Kristy says
Made these tonight with leftover squash pulp I had from juicing. I added a little of the squash juice back in. I also substituted pumpkin pie spice for the clover and nutmeg cause I’m not a huge fan. They are so good!
Annette says
How much Stevia would you recommend for the batter and frosting, in place of the sweetener in the original recipe? Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele says
It depends on the brand. You can use my sugar substitute conversion chart to figure out how much to use.
Astrid says
The batter is super thick and i can’t seem to get them to cook all the way through.. what am i doing wrong?
Lisa MarcAurele says
It is a thick batter. But, if needed, you can add a little oil or water to thin it out.
Betty Lee says
These cupcakes are absolutely delicious! My whole family loves them, even the ones that don’t do low carb. I have made them 3 times and everyone is asking for me to make more. The recipe is easy. I highly recommend them!!!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Sounds like a hit!
Emily says
These are seriously delicious! Definitely the best sugar free/gluten free cupcakes I’ve ever had.
Jurgita says
Do you think recipe would work if I make zucchini bread instead ? Or it would be too heavy and dense .
Lisa says
It should be fine for zucchini bread.
Kely says
This recipe looks amazing but I’m curious if the nutritional information includes the icing and the nuts? I wouldn’t addin either if I made these so just wondering if I need to re-do the nutrition information.
Lisa says
It includes the frosting but not the nuts.
Jaebea says
Your recipe was in my FB feed today and since I had a couple of zuchinnis, thought I would try it out. I subbed out a 1/4 c of oat fiber and used 3/4 almond flour just to take the recipe down a carb or two. I didn’t have any cloves so I ended up just using a heaping tsp of pumpkin pie spice. My sweetner was Lakanto. Omgosh, the person who said they are tasteless must have a tastebud problem because these muffins are WONDERFUL!! I had one for breakfast this morning at work and it’s a good thing I only brought one! THEN, this evening, I thought I would add a bit of brown butter glaze. Well, that took these wonderful muffins to another level of flavor explosion!! This recipe will be used many more times in my household!
Lisa says
Thanks for writing in Jaebea and letting us know how much you enjoyed the muffins! These are a favorite with my family too.
Collette says
I used sunflower flour in place of almond flour. They tasted great but…..the insides were green. Rather odd. Any thoughts on this?
Lisa says
It turns out that sunflowers—including the seeds—contain chlorophyll, also known as chlorogenic acid. This acid reacts with the baking powder/soda in a recipe when heated and once the product cools, it turns green
Fancithat says
It’s the aluminum in in the baking powder. Try to find it without. It will happen in bread making too!
Kristin says
How much more almond flour would I need to substitute it for the coconut flour, if possible? Thanks!
Lisa says
For this recipe, it should be close to a 1-for-1 substitute.
Karen says
Is it required to squeeze excess liquid from zucchini after grating?
Lisa says
No. I never do that. It’s best to keep the liquid to make the cupcakes moist.
Sarah says
These were delicious! Have you, by chance, tried ripe bananas or even apples in place of the zucchini? I wonder if they would turn out similar?
Lisa says
I doubt they would be the same. They are a lot more starchy and don’t have the same amount of moisture.
Danielle Medley says
I made for the first time today. My youngest son started asking about them when the house started smelling like heaven. We all loved them. I didn’t tell my boys or husband that the had zucchini in them until after they tasted them. I used 1/2 cup Swerve in the batter and 1/4 cup powdered Swerve in the frosting. Other than that, I followed your recipe. My only issue was that they stuck to the liners. Should I spray the liners next time? Did I do something wrong to cause that? They were cheap paper liners. Thanks so much for this recipe. I will be using this often!
Lisa says
Use the foil liners or silicone ones. Everything sticks to the paper liners.
martine says
Do you think replacing the coconut with butter would work? I am not liking the taste of coconut in the recipe
Lisa says
It does use coconut flour, but the oil can certainly be replaced with butter.
Jennifer says
What can I use as a substitute for the natvia?
Lisa says
Any one for one sugar replacer works. Swerve is a popular one.
Susan says
This recipe is amazing! I made it as written, but I used 1/3 cup Pyure for the sweetener. So delicious. I do grind up Pyure before I put it in a container.
Lisa says
Pyure is one of my favorite sweeteners and I love that it’s organic. Good idea keeping it stored ground as I do like the finer texture best.
Marlene says
Did not work out for me. I usually make chocolate zucchini muffins & they come out perfect but I think the coconut flour makes it heavy, hence the adding of xatham gum which I don’t love. They were tasteless as if most of ingredients were overpowered by the almond & coconut flour. I would like another option for the coconut oil
Syndee says
I can’t wait to make these! Do you measure the sweetener before or after you powder it? Thanks!
Lisa says
After! It compacts down when powdered.
Barbara says
Can I use butter in place of the Coconut oil
Lisa says
It should work okay, but I haven’t tested it.
Rene' says
These were amazing and husband approved! I used butter and Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener. Thank you so much for this recipe, it was such a wonderful treat! 🙂
Lisa says
You’re welcome Rene!
Rachel Jones says
Just made this as my first Low Carb Yum recipe. I made this as a loaf rather than the cupcakes. It took FOREVER to bake. I baked it at 325 for about an hour. I’m glad I left in there as long as I did because it came out perfectly. Anyway, the texture is nice and the flavor is amazing. Can’t wait to make more Low Carb Yum recipes! Thanks!
Lisa says
As a quick bread, it likely will take an hour or so to fully cook. I’m baking the cupcakes tonight to take to a party this weekend. I’m glad the recipe worked out!
Sylvia says
I baked them for almost an hour and they still turned out WET in the middle. I did not squeeze the zucchini, but I think I should have?
Lisa MarcAurele says
It could have been the coconut flour used as well as it can vary in absorbency. Typically, allowing the batter to sit for a bit before baking thickens it up.
Jamie says
Is there any way to make these almond-free? In allergic but this recipe looks incredible!!!
Lisa says
You could replace the almond flour with finely ground sunflower seeds. I use a coffee grinder to grind seeds.
xeladc says
Thank you for this recipe.
Instead of the gum can we add an extra egg or just leave out altogether?
Lisa says
You can just leave it out. It’s not an essential ingredient.
Aisha says
can I get away with not adding Xanthan gum!
Lisa says
For this recipe, yes. It should be fine without the xanthan gum.
judy a fitzsimonds says
Oh my goodness! These are great! I like them better with just cream cheese instead of icing. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Lisa says
I do like the idea of just topping them off with cream cheese. Sweeteners are overrated!
Sharon says
These were perfect. I used Swerve because I didn’t have Nativa and it tastes great, even without the icing. I had originally thought to make these for our home group for the next night, but they’re going a different route. They are traveling with us on vacation instead. We’re not sharing this time … maybe next time. ?
Lisa says
They make great cake muffins without the frosting!
Theresa says
Just ate my first one; really tasty!
I used 1/2 cup granulated swerve in the batter and 2 tbl powdered swerve in the icing. From experience I know that’s the right amount of sweetener for me.
I think I may have used too much zucchini (300g) as they are VERY moist. I prefer when recipes give weight as well as measurements as weight is more accurate. It did come to just over 1.5 cups packed.
Did you squeeze any water out of the zucchini? I did, still super moist.
Nice recipe.
Lisa says
I did not squeeze water out of the zucchini. It is difficult to judge shredded zucchini by cup measurements. Weight is much more accurate.
Sam says
I’ve made these twice now and they are incredibly delicious! I would like to try adding pumpkin puree to these but am not sure how to do it without destroying the texture. Do you have any suggestions for how to do this?
Lisa says
You could like add pumpkin in place of some or all of the zucchini. You’d have to experiment a little.
Inez says
Made these tonight. I threw in some hemp seeds, oat fiber and ground flax and added a little baking soda and yogurt to counter the extra dry ingredients. I reduced the sweetener some, as we’ll be using these for breakfasts.
Please don’t be offended that I altered the recipe, as you gave me a great jumping off point! I will make these as cupcakes with frosting another day.
Love your recipes, most of which I don’t go so far off the reservation to make.
Thanks!
alison pyle says
I had my doubts with this recipe when the batter was so thick but these are incredibly moist and delicious .
Lisa says
The moisture comes from the zucchini!
Katie says
Absolutely fantastic! Bring on the zucchinis! Now I know I will be using them up all summer! Thank you for the response, I used 1/2cup Swerve and just a dab of stevia glycerite and these turned out perfectly?
Mari says
I made these last night and cannot thank you enough for a wonderful recipe! So moist, so tasty, so yum! I substituted the sweetener for 1/4 cup plus 1/8th cup erythritol, and 1/4 cup splenda. I love working with erythritol, and adding some splenda in my recipes takes away that ‘cool’ taste that everyone talks about. I did not frost them, they were delicious warm with butter on the top! Thanks again!
Lisa says
My pleasure! Great tip on the sweetener! I like to blend sweeteners as well.
Megan says
“Nutrition per cupcake: 244 calories, 23.1g fat, 217mg sodium, 21g carbs, 3.7g fiber, 13.8g erythritol, 3.5g net carbs, 4.9g protein”
I don’t understand how there can only be 3.5 net carbs? 21 carbs minus 3.7 fiber would still equal quite a few net carbs, right? Am I missing something? If so, please educate me because I am seriously craving zucchini bread and would love to make these.
Thanks, Megan
Lisa says
It’s because erythritol is included in the total count. You need to subtract that too as it has barely any impact.
Ros says
Wow. All I can say is this is the best recipe out there for zucchini muffins that I’ve tried to date. After three years of counting carbs and a newly converted gluten-free fanatic I am so grateful for all these dedicated bakers helping me get back to my old favs. I substituted olive oil for coconut oil only to see if I could get even closer to the old oil recipes, doubled the cinnamon and used xylitol only because it is my sweetener of choice. Oh my goodness. Lisa I knew just from the picture they would be great, but it is beyond heaven. I use http://www.caloriecounter.com and it is still spot on for carbs. I’m pinning, yumming and mass emailing this to everyone I know. Thanks
Lisa says
I am thrilled that you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Ros says
Correction: I use http://www.caloriecount.com (not caloriecounter.com as stated above) for nutritional information on everything I make.
Jenifer says
It was late by the time I was finished making these, but I couldn’t resist scarfing one down since they smelled so good! They taste just as good as they smell! I loved them. Thanks for the recipe.
Lisa says
They are pretty hard to resist. Glad you liked them!
Jenifer says
Ahh, add the sweetener in the instructions. I’m making these right now and almost forgot because it isn’t there. Good thing I tasted the batter.
Lisa says
Wow! Can’t believe I forgot to put the sweetener in the instructions. Thanks!
debbi says
I don’t have natvia do you have the portions of stevia and eur ?
Lisa says
For the cupcakes, you’ll need 1 cup sugar equivalent. The frosting requires about 1 cup of a powdered sweetener so if you powder a granular use only 1/2 cup before grinding to a powder. I’d say try 1/2 cup erythritol with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of stevia extract for the cupcake batter. May need to taste test to get the right sweetness. No need to frost because the plain cupcakes are fantastic.
Katie says
If using Swerve in the cupcake batter, would you recommend the full 1 cup?
Lisa says
If your taste for sweet has diminished, I’d recommend reducing the sweetener to anywhere from 3/4 to 1/2 cup.