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If you want an easy bake which is sweet and tangy, these Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes are perfect! Delicious, gluten free lemon cupcakes with a zesty syrup drizzle to keep them moist and a swirl of marbled, lemon buttercream.
Why I Love These Lemon Cupcakes
These gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes are a citrus-lovers dream and perfect for baking some sunshine into your life.
They are made using basic storecupboard ingredients, and the marbled buttercream looks super professional – but it’s SO easy to do.
Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake is one of my FAVE ever cakes, so it made sense to convert it into cupcake form. We make these a lot at home, so I know they’re good!
Plus I’ve updated this post for 2026 with new photos, step-by-step images and all the info you need on ingredients swaps – including making these dairy free!
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card below for these gluten free lemon cupcakes with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps.
- Sugar: I use caster sugar (baker’s sugar) for the cupcakes, and icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) for the frosting.
- Butter: To make these dairy free, use a vegan margarine instead. I find Stork best for the cakes, and a harder vegan butter alternative for the buttercream works well.
- Gluten Free Flour: I usually use the FREEE self-raising gluten free flour. If you only have a plain gluten free flour, add 1 tsp gluten free baking powder per 100g flour to make your own self-rising gluten free flour.
- Eggs: To make egg-free cupcakes I recommend following my gluten free vegan cupcakes recipe as a base, and adding in the extra lemon zest.
- Lemon: Use the lemon zest in the sponge, and the juice in the drizzle and frosting.
- Xanthan Gum: You can omit this if your flour blend already contains it, but it doesn’t hurt to add the small amount in the recipe if you have it, to improve the texture.
- Milk: Swap for a dairy free milk of choice if needed.
How to Make Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes are to make.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: These lemon drizzle cupcakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
TO FREEZE: You can freeze these cupcakes before or after frosting. Defrost at room temperature to eat (or decorate, if freezing without the frosting!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this easy lemon cupcakes recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
To make marbled buttercream, first make up your frosting, and then divide it between two bowls.
Mix yellow food colouring into one of the bowls. Then, alternating between the two colours, place one spoonful at a time in random blobs in the piping bag.
When you pipe the icing, it will swirl the two colours together and each cupcake will look individual and beautiful!
I use the FREEE Gluten Free Self Raising Flour and I add the extra xanthan gum, even though the flour already contains it. However, you could omit it if you don’t want to add it – it won’t drastically effect the texture of the finished bake.
If you use a flour blend that does not contain xanthan gum, I definitely recommend adding it, as otherwise the bake may come out crumbly.
Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 2 large eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 125 g self-raising gluten free flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp milk
For the drizzle:
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 60 g caster sugar
For the buttercream frosting:
- 175 g unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
- 350 g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- Yellow food colouring, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180’C (170’C fan) / Gas 4. Fill a 12-hole baking tin with cupcake cases and set aside while you make the cake batter.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. (TIP: If the butter is hard, zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before adding it to the mixing bowl to make it easier!)
- Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl and add the lemon zest. Beat again for 30 seconds to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula.
- Sift in the self-raising gluten free flour and xantham gum, add the milk, and then beat together with the electric whisk until everything is fully combined. You want a fairly thick batter which looks light and fluffy.
- Spoon the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases and then place in the centre of an oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they are well-risen, golden on top, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Add the caster sugar and lemon juice for the drizzle into a saucepan and heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Spoon evenly over the warm cupcakes. Cool the cakes in the tray for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the tray to cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- Add the butter, icing sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk on a low speed until it becomes a smooth, pale buttercream. (TIP: To avoid an icing-sugar dust cloud I tend to ‘mash’ the mixture with a fork until it starts to come together, then use the electric whisk).
- If the mixture is too thick, add a little extra lemon juice at a time – you should need no more than 3 tbsp which is approx one large lemon. To make marbled icing, spoon half of the icing into a separate bowl and mix with yellow food colouring. When adding to the piping bag, spoon the frosting in, alternating between the yellow and white icing.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, decorate them with a swirl of buttercream. Finish with some extra lemon zest.
Notes
Nutrition
More Gluten Free Cupcake Recipes
If you like this lemon gluten free cupcakes recipe then make sure you check out these other gluten free cupcake recipes too…
- Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Oreo Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
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If my Self Raising Flour already had Xanthan gum should i leave it out?