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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.
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.
Table of Contents
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
- 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 Life, Trader 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.
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.
Other gluten-free cookies you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Gluten-free Red Velvet Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp tapioca flour
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbs coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbs beet juice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips, Soy-free, nut-free, dairy-free chocolate
- optional- sea salt
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The flavor and color both sound amazing but I’m just dying over that fantastic looking texture in the shot of the middle of the cookie! Holy yum! Looks so good!
First of all, yum! Secondly, paleo?!? I love these, and am going to give them a try soon.
I didn’t know you could make paleo cookies. I’m impressed with how great they turned out and the color is beautiful. We drink our beet juice every day — it’s so good for you. I’ll have to attempt to make these cookies.
These sound awesome! I love red velvet and we eat grain free so these are perfect for us!
Paleo desserts can be so hard to make and look unappetizing but you are the exception ! I might actually attempt to make these for my paleo friends !!
That would be so nice of you!
Like Elaine, I had no idea that baking powder wasn’t Paleo friendly. I love the color of these cookies. (I love red velvet because of the color.) I also appreciate that these cookies were colored with beet juice instead of some strange red dye. I also love that these are gluten free. They would make a great gift for a gluten free friend. Great recipe.
Thanks!! Yes, I’m not a fan of food dyes. Beet juice is such a beautiful color, why not use it?!
I had no idea that baking powder wasn’t paleo! But with that said, I want to say that I want to shove some of these paleo red velvet cookies into my mouth. If only I could reach through the computer screen! They look fudgy, moist and delicious!! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
hahah I wish it was that easy! 🙂
These look incredibly delicious. The colour is just perfect for Valentine’s day and you’re right. There’s nothing more fun than baking for loved ones
It’s the best! <3
Red Velvet is one of my favourite cakes….and flavour. I have some friends that will love these. I will have to take them some next time we visit.
Yes! Let me know how you guys like them!
I am impressed! The texture of these looks freakin’ perfect – I would never guess they’re paleo. Cannot wait to try these.
Thank you!! 🙂