Tender and fluffy, these Keto Strawberry Cupcakes taste absolutely heavenly. They are filled with fresh berries and topped with a creamy sugar free strawberry frosting. Bursting with summer flavor!
Fresh local strawberries make me incredibly happy. I look forward to the season every year, and I haunt my farmer’s markets every weekend. And then I buy way too many because I simply can’t resist.
We love to eat them as is but I also get excited to bake with them. I simply adore desserts like Keto Strawberry Shortcake and Strawberry Lemon Blondies.
I have been dreaming of these keto strawberry cupcakes for a good few months now. But I wanted to wait until good local berries were in season because they have so much flavor. And they were totally with the wait.
Why you will love this recipe
These keto cupcakes are moist, perfectly sweet, and bursting with fresh berry flavor. I used the same basic batter as my Chocolate Chip Keto Muffins, because sour cream makes almond flour cake so unbelievably tender.
I’ve had trouble making keto strawberry frosting before, as it often ends up too goopy unless you use copious amounts of powdered sweetener. So I tried a different approach this time and cooked the strawberry puree down to thicken it up.
This method has the added advantage of concentrating the flavor too. So you get even more bang for your buck.
Ingredients you need
For the cupcakes
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- Strawberries: Chop the berries finely so that you get good distribution throughout the cupcake batter.
- Almond flour: Good fine almond flour works best here. I tried some with coconut flour and it just wasn’t as good. The berries made the cupcakes too wet and hard to cook through.
- Sour cream: You can also sub full fat Greek Yogurt.
- Eggs: I used one full egg and two egg whites to make the batter even fluffier.
- Sweetener: You can use sweetener here but it’s important to point out that allulose will make the cupcakes brown too quickly. I used Swerve Granular.
- Protein powder: I use unflavored whey protein isolate to help the cakes rise properly and hold their shape.
- Pantry staples: Baking powder, salt, vanilla.
For the frosting
- Strawberries: Chop the strawberries, the measure out a cup and puree them.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the frosting, and then add just a pinch of salt to help bring out flavor.
- Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese helps give the frosting some structure without adding insane amounts of sweetener.
- Whipping cream: Whip the cream to stiff peaks for more volume in the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: You can also add a bit of strawberry extract to really amp up the flavor.
Step by Step Directions
1. Make the strawberry puree: Blend the strawberries in a blender until smooth. Place in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring very frequently, until reduced by about half. Let cool completely.
2. Prepare the cupcake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Add the sweetener and whisk until well combined. Add the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt and stir until well mixed.
3. Bake the cupcakes: Carefully fold in the chopped strawberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffins cups. Bake at 350ºF 18 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
4. Combine the frosting ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener and salt until well combined, then beat in the strawberry puree.
5. Fold in the whipped cream: In another bowl, beat the whipped cream with the vanilla extract until it holds stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the frosting until no streaks remain.
6. Frost the cupcakes: Pipe or spread on the cooled cupcakes and top each with a fresh strawberry.
Expert Tips
Use silicone or parchment liners ONLY. See the pretty gingham ones I used in some of these photos? They stuck to the cupcakes badly, even though they were greaseproof! Thankfully, I baked some of them in silicone as well.
Use fresh, firm berries for the cupcakes and chop them finely. Overly juicy berries make the batter more wet and harder to bake through. And frozen strawberries leak much more juice than fresh berries.
And yes, you can make mini cupcakes too! They are great for parties. You will get about 36 mini cupcakes from this recipe.
Sweetener Options
I don’t recommend using an allulose sweetener for the cupcakes, as it can make them overly brown. But you can use almost any other sweetener, as they don’t rely on it for consistency.
For the frosting, any good powdered sweetener should be fine. You can add more sweetener to taste, but don’t cut back too much on it as the keto strawberry frosting does rely on it for structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
As with any fruit, it’s best to consume strawberries in moderation on a keto diet. A cup of strawberry halves have 11.7g of carbs and 3g of fiber. I recommend sticking with half a cup or less.
These keto strawberry cupcakes have 7.2g of carbs and 2.6g of fiber per serving. That’s a net carb count of 4.6g of carbs per cupcake with frosting.
These keto cupcakes should be stored in the fridge in a covered container to maintain freshness and consistency. They will last up to 5 days. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before serving.
You can freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2 months.
Other delicious cupcake recipes
Keto Chocolate Cupcakes
These Keto Chocolate Cupcakes are going to blow your mind. You won’t believe that anything made with coconut flour can be this tender and delicious. The perfect sugar-free and gluten-free cupcake recipe!
Keto Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
These Keto Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes are like the best part of the pumpkin pie. All creamy pumpkin pie filling and sweet whipped cream topping! A perfect low carb dessert for your healthy holidays. And only 5g total carbs per serving!
Keto Turtle Cupcakes
Keto Turtle Cupcakes feature tender pecan flour chocolate cake with sugar-free caramel frosting and toasted pecans. Heavenly low carb and grain-free dessert for pecan turtle lovers!
Keto Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- 1 cup (144 g) chopped strawberries
Cupcakes
- 1/3 cup (76.67 g) sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Granular
- 2 cups (220 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavored whey protein powder, can sub egg white protein
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1 cup (144 g) finely chopped strawberries
Strawberry Frosting
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (144 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) salt
- Strawberry Puree , (see above)
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions
Strawberry Puree
- Blend the strawberries in a blender until smooth. Place in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Cook, stirring very frequently, until reduced by about half. Let cool completely.
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard metal muffin pan with 12 parchment paper liners. You can also use silicone liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Add the sweetener and whisk until well combined. Add the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt and stir until well mixed.
- Carefully fold in the chopped strawberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffins cups. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool in the pan.
Strawberry Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener and salt until well combined, then beat in the strawberry puree.
- In another bowl, beat the whipped cream with the vanilla extract until it holds stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the frosting until no streaks remain.
- Pipe or spread on the cooled cupcakes and top each with a fresh strawberry.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I’m a huge fan of Strawberry Shortcake. It used to be a regular during the Summer at Cracker Barrel. I ate three of these over the first day. I couldn’t resist. The cupcakes were a little too wet for my husband. He’s not a fan, like me, of Tres Leches Cake. Okay by me if I need to finish all 12 on my own. Thank you Carolyn for paying it forward to all of us.
This recipe was fantastic- a crowd favourite
Thanks so much!
Dear Carolyn: Can you tell me how many total carbs are in the frosting without the cupcakes? thanks!
Sorry! I see there was another comment like mine. I’m going to try this recipe soon. Thank you
Carolyn, could I make this into two 8” cake pans for a birthday cake? Do you think it would work? Thank you for all your recipes!