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These gluten-free red velvet cookies are delicious chocolate flavored cookies made with healthy ingredients like almond flour, olive oil, beet juice, and maple syrup.

Gluten-free red velvet cookies on a drying rack.

When I’m looking for a nice chocolate cookie recipe made with grain-free ingredients and that is red in color, I make these healthy red velvet cookies. They are fudgy and delicious and made with clean ingredients, making them naturally Paleo, Gluten-free, and Dairy-free.

For other healthy chocolate dessert recipes, try my Almond Flour Chocolate Cherry Lava Cakes or my Gluten-free Molten Chocolate Espresso Lava Cakes.

A bite taken out of a gluten-free red velvet cookie.

What makes this recipe great?

  • These cookies have a beautiful deep red color thanks to beet juice.
  • They are made with healthier ingredients than your traditional red velvet cookies.
  • They are great for those following a gluten-free, dairy-free, or Paleo diet.
  • There is no food dye! Just beet juice.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients to make gluten-free Paleo red velvet cookies.
  • Olive oil– any good quality olive oil works here.
  • Baking soda, cream of tartar, tapioca flour– these are used to make a homemade baking powder.
  • Vanilla– vanilla extract adds a nice flavor to the cookies.
  • Almond flour– make sure to use blanched almond flour because it is more refined in texture.
  • Coconut flour– this is mixed with the almond flour for texture.
  • Egg– this helps binds the cookies together.
  • Cocoa powder– make sure to use one without added sugar.
  • Maple syrup– pure maple syrup is best.
  • Fresh beet– or purchased beet juice.
  • Dairy-free chocolate– I like using Enjoy LifeTrader Joes, or Hu chocolate because they are all dairy-free and gluten-free. Hu chocolate is Paleo.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Step by step instructions

Step 1: Make your own baking powder by mixing baking soda, cream of tartar and tapioca flour together.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the baking powder mixture, almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, and salt together in a bowl.

Step 3: In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients. This includes the egg, vanilla, beet juice, maple syrup, olive oil, and lemon juice.

Step 4: Mix the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and fold in chocolate chips.

Step 5: Refrigerate your cookie dough.

Step 6: School cooled dough onto cookie sheet and bake.

Gluten-free red velvet cookies fresh out of the oven.

Expert tips

  • To keep the cookies red when using beet juice, you need acidity in the recipe.
    • If the batter oxidizes, then the baked good turns brown.
    • This is where the homemade baking powder comes into play made of baking powder, cream of tartar, and tapioca flour. Along with the lemon juice.
  • Add a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the cookies.
  • To store: keep cookies on the kitchen counter on a plate and cover the plate with cling wrap or a towel. They can last 3-4 days like this.
Gluten-free red velvet cookies freshly baked.

Other gluten-free cookies you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

5 from 6 votes

Gluten-free Red Velvet Cookies

Servings: 18 cookies
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 57 minutes
Gluten-free red velvet cookies on a drying rack.
These Red Velvet Cookies are fudgy chocolate cookies that have a beautiful deep red color thanks to beet juice. 

Ingredients 

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Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, mix baking soda, cream of tartar and tapioca flour together to create paleo baking powder. 
  • In a large bowl, add the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, salt, and pre-made paleo baking powder ( the baking soda, cream of tartar, tapioca flour mix from instruction 1). Mix together with a fork until well mixed.
  • In a medium bowl, add the egg, vanilla, beet juice, maple syrup, olive oil, and lemon juice, and whisk together until the mixture thickens.
  • Then, add the liquid bowl to the dry bowl and mix until everything is completely mixed.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Put the mixture into the fridge for 60 minutes.
  • While the mixture is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with a silicone cookie sheet liner or parchment paper.
  • Then take the cookie batter out of the fridge, scoop out 1 Tbs sized spoonfuls of it, and roll the batter into the shape of a ball with your hands. Note: if the batter is too sticky, wet your hands with water before rolling the batter into balls in between your hands. Place the balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. 
  • Note: There should be enough batter to yield 18-20 cookies.
  • Bake for 11-12 minutes and remove the cookies from the oven. Let the cookies sit on the pan for about one minute, then remove the cookies from the pan with a spatula and place them onto a cooling rack.

Notes

Note: For the beet juice, you can juice a beet using a juicer, or put a beet into your blender and strain the juice from the mixture, or you can buy beet juice from a store. 

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @perchancetocook or tag #perchancetocook!
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5 from 6 votes

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17 Comments

  1. These cookies look so scrumptious!!! It is hard to make paleo cookies and I really would love to try your recipe!)