Featured Comment
From Wendy: “I’ve made this cake and my boys could not tell the difference from my non GF recipe. ★★★★★”
From Kristina: “This truly is the BEST GF red velvet cake!! The recipe is perfect … Thank you for sharing ★★★★★”
From Virgie: “Made this several times even as a two tier and cup cakes. No alterations! Love it! And so does everyone else! Thank you! ★★★★★”
Recipe Overview
⏱️ Time to Taste: 55 minutes
✨ Texture: Light, fluffy, and velvety with a tender crumb and creamy frosting
🥣 Ease: Easy
🌾 Flour Used: Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour
🎂 Equipment Needed: Two 8-inch round cake pans (or one 9×13-inch pan) and a stand mixer or hand mixer
🎉 Best For: Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, holidays, and special celebrations
❤️ Why You’ll Love It: Sour cream, oil, and a thoroughly whipped batter create a fool-proof red velvet cake with bakery-style texture that turns out beautifully every time.
There’s a reason red velvet cake has endured the test of time. This classic Southern dessert is the perfect combination of tangy, buttery cream cheese frosting and sweet, fluffy cake with the perfect hint of chocolate. Plus, the red appearance makes for a true show-stopper.
Naturally, I was set on making a gluten-free red velvet cake that could truly live up to the original version’s glory. And I’m proud to say I’ve finally achieved my goal!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free red velvet cake. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: This cake turns out best when you use a high-quality measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum so that it has the structure it needs. This is my favorite brand for this recipe.
- Cocoa powder: It’s best to use natural cocoa powder like Guittard or Ghiradelli for red velvet cake. The lighter brown color results in a more vibrant red cake, and the higher acidity reacts with the baking powder to create a more tender crumb.
- Red food coloring: If you want an intensely red cake, you’ll want to use gel food coloring, rather than natural or liquid food coloring. I use Americolor “red red” or “super red”). You can also use 1 oz liquid red food coloring, but I prefer gel.
- Sour cream/oil: The best trick for soft, tender gluten-free cake is to use a combination of sour cream and oil for moisture and richness. Butterfat causes gluten-free flour to clump up and makes a denser crumb. I also use this combo in my gluten-free vanilla cake and gluten-free chocolate sheet cake.
How to Make Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
I mix all of the dry ingredients first so that they blend evenly when added to the batter later on. I prefer to use my stand mixer to whip the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy so plenty of air gets incorporated into the batter.
I add the oil, followed by the vanilla and food coloring, slowly so that the batter stays light. Don’t forget the food coloring! Without it, the cake will be a pale brown, instead of the classic red velvet color.
I alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients into the egg mixture. This helps the gluten-free flour absorb the moisture evenly for a softer crumb. It also helps the batter come together smoothly without overmixing.
I always use a toothpick to make sure the cake is fully baked. I usually make the frosting while the cake is baking so that I have everything I need to frost and assemble the cake once it’s completely cool.
The finished cake should be soft, fluffy, and sturdy enough to slice cleanly while maintaining its signature velvety texture. This gluten-free red velvet cake is one of my all-time favorites!
What Does Red Velvet Cake Taste Like? Can You Taste The Food Coloring?
Red velvet cake has a mild cocoa flavor with subtle tanginess from the sour cream and cream cheese frosting. It’s less chocolatey than traditional chocolate cake and has a uniquely soft, velvety crumb.
The food coloring affects the appearance of the cake, but not the flavor.
Can I Make This As Cupcakes Or As A Sheet Cake?
For cupcakes, I recommend using my Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe for best results.
This recipe can be made in a 9×13-inch pan. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: Let the cake cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw before frosting. The frosting can be made 1 up to day ahead and refrigerated. I like to let it soften at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, then rewhip it so it’s smooth and fluffy when I frost the cake.
To Store: Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For the best texture, I let slices sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before serving.
To Freeze: Freezing unfrosted cake works best, but leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Gluten-Free German Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Gluten-Free Coconut Cake
- Gluten-Free Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
Video
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (300g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1/3 cup (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Other Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (120ml) neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon red food dye (or 1 ounce red food coloring)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream
- 1 cup (240ml) 2% milk
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 oz (454g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (226g) butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 5-6 cups (600-720g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round pans with cooking spray, line with parchment paper rounds, then spray the parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat together the sugar, eggs, oil, red food dye and vanilla until fully combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and beat until well-combined.
- With the mixer running on low, add ½ of the dry ingredients, followed by ½ of the milk. Mix to combine. Add the remaining ½ dry ingredients and ½ milk, then mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in their pans for 15 minutes. Remove each cake from its pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and sour cream on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add 5 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and whip for 2 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if needed to get a thick but spreadable consistency. Frost the cake as desired.
If I want to make this recipe with 3 7” pans how long would I need to bake it? Thank you!
Hi Mackenzie, using three 7″ round pans will create thinner layers. They will still bake at 350°F, but the baking time will most likely need to be reduced by 10-15 minutes. It’s best to monitor the cakes closely and use a toothpick to check for doneness to get the timing just right since they will be thinner. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I was wondering if there was an egg substitute I could use because my niece is allergic to eggs
Hi Melinda, we don’t typically bake with egg replacers, but other readers have shared their successes making this cake with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. We hope you all enjoy the recipe!
Oh my!!! This is by far the best I’ve ever made. I substituted the red dye for about 1 cup of cooked pureed beets (2 medium sized) and omitted the milk. I baked it all in. An 8 inch springform pan for about 60 minutes. Super delicious!!!
Hi Agnes, we’re so glad you loved the recipe! It’s good to know that the beets worked as a sub for the red food dye and milk. Thank you for sharing!
Hello!
I have made your gluten-free sugar cookies and love them… And I know you recommend Forager dairy free sour cream for that recipe. I have some Forager sour cream left over, but wondering if the Kite Hill sour cream brand that you recommend for this red velvet recipe is essential for the cake to turn out?
DELISH!
Thank you, Michelle! We’re so glad you loved the recipe!
This was a grand success. I made this cake for my sister‘s birthday. She is gluten-free and she loved it, but everyone else did too, which doesn’t always happen. My brother who just detests gluten-free desserts loved this cake and had a second helping. It was not gritty at all. It was moist and delicious. It rose very high, and I was very pleased with it. It was not as red as I would like, but I guess I did not add enough of the red food colouring. I will add more next time and yes, there will be many more next times for this recipe. Thank you.
Wow, thank you for such a rave review, Margie! We’re so happy to hear the cake was such a hit and even won your brother over! We appreciate you taking the time to share with us. Happy baking!
Can I use buttermilk in place of regular milk? And if so, what alterations do you think need to be made to the rest of the recipe to compensate for it? Would I remove the lemon juice? Would the sour cream amount stay the same?
Hi Maddie, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but it should work! We’d recommend replacing both the milk and lemon juice with the buttermilk. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Could I use beet root powder and buttermilk instead of the red food coloring? If so, do you recommend certain amounts?
Hi Dyanna, thank you for your question! We haven’t tried that food coloring substitution in this recipe before. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Can I exchange butter for oil?
Hi Sheila, we recommend the oil and sour cream combo, over using butter, to achieve this cake’s light, fluffy texture. We hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Bake at what temperature ?
Hi William, the recipe calls for the cake to be baked at 350°F. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made this several times even as a two tier and cup cakes. No alterations! Love it! And so does everyone else!Thank you!
That’s great to hear, Virgie! We’re so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I replaced the milk and lemon juice with buttermilk, split it into 3 x 6″ tins, cooked it lower n slower and it turned out perfect. This recipe is a keeper and cant wait to try your other recipes 🙂
Thanks for sharing your tips, Wendy! We appreciate you coming back to comment. We think the red velvet cake is a keeper, too!
I would love to hear more detail of your “lower and slower” baking. As I would love to make the same size cake.
I would love to hear about the temperatures and heats you used!
it’s ridiculous how good this is: the first gluten free cake i’ve ever had that retained moisture and volume!
Could you make this as Bundt? And if so, would you increase or decrease the cooking time? Thanks!
Professional baker here. I would just like to thank you for including the gram measurements in your recipe. I followed those measurements exactly except for the food coloring. I know exactly how intense the red food coloring gel is so I used 2 tsp instead of a tablespoon. Great gluten free recipe. It’s nice to have more options as far as gluten-free desserts are concerned.
Can I use buttermilk in place of sour milk & milk
I think that should work great!
I just made 1/2 of this cake as a test cake for an upcoming wedding cake. The only thing I changed was I subbed white vinegar for the lemon juice. It turned out delicious. I do have a question, could I use buttermilk in place of the regular milk? I’d like the recipe to be as close to a traditional red velvet cake as possible. Thank you
I’ll be making your chocolate cake next.
I think buttermilk would work great! You can probably omit the lemon juice if you use buttermilk in place of the milk. Let me know how it goes for you! 🙂
Well, I made the cake, 3 – 13 inch round cakes and something went haywire. Actually, I made them twice. The first time they were dry, I may have over baked them, but it took over 40 minutes to bake, and I used buttermilk.The second time, I used milk. The second time they took 41 to 45 minutes to bake but were super, super moist inside, almost to the point of being doughy. Both times the cakes didn’t rise very much. The GF chocolate ones rose great. I’m hoping they will be ok. I’m so bummed though at the waste of time and ingredients. The wedding is this Saturday so I’m in panic mode. It’s really weird, when I made one 8 inch cake it turned out great. I guess making a recipe and a half or doubling the recipe doesn’t work.
Oh no! I’m sorry the recipe gave you trouble when doubling it. I wish I could have been in your kitchen to see what went wrong!
When baking any cake over 10 inches you should be sure to use a baking heating rod in the center to insure an even bake throughout. (Looks like an upside down flower nail.) That may have been the issue with the second cake. The first may have gotten too much dry ingredients and/or overbaked. Just a guess though.