This was a labor of love and experiments trying to make and adapt a green velvet cupcake to a low fodmap recipe! It can be so hard to find ways to dye foods naturally without that sneaky high fodmap corn syrup. Corn syrup is in so many things, especially food coloring. After many failed attempts, I finally found the recipe that was a winner for St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes. While the cupcake itself didn’t turn out green (like I was originally imagining) the icing did and it was a winner in this house! And I finally found the low fodmap way of making a St. Patrick’s Day cupcake green and found food coloring that is still low fodmap!

How to have green without FODMAPS?

So I tried several different versions before finding the one that was the winner. And let me tell you that middle try was a sure failure! The only one that liked them was my youngest, but we all enjoyed the icing and chocolatey treat on top.

So what did I try to make green? After much searching for natural green dyes I stumbled across the use of 1.)spinach and water and 2.) Matcha powder. On the first attempt I didn’t have Matcha powder so I tried spinach and water.

First attempt with natural green color

I took 1/4 cup spinach and additional 1/4 cup water and blended to liquify. I then added this to my basic cupcake recipe to try to turn it green. Well fail…. it just turned into a light brown instead. The cupcakes were still very tasty though and so moist. And bonus you didn’t taste the spinach so a great way to sneak some veggies in without the kids knowing into their dessert 😁

For the icing rather than spinach and water I did end up getting and trying Matcha powder. I made my typical vanilla buttercream frosting and added 2 tsp Matcha powder to make green icing. This cupcake was pretty tasty (which the whole family and a rare adults-only dinner party that we went to also agreed) and I may make it again, but it didn’t quite give me that St. Patty’s day green I was going for.

Second (failed) attempt at natural green cupcakes

For my second batch, I thought I had success with getting the cupcake icing on the first batch to be green with Matcha Powder so I thought I would try using Matcha Powder in the green velvet recipe… Let’s just say I had to keep adding powder ~ 9 tsps+ later my batter did turn green (a swampy green) pre-cooked!

But no such luck when they came out cooked, they reverted back to brown. My youngest daughter Maddie informed me “mommy they look like they poop” and they sure did!

I soldiered on though because when you make cupcakes you can’t throw them away! So I made my vanilla buttercream frosting and then made cute four-leaf clovers out of chocolate to put on top to make them St. Patrick’s Day-like. Well, these were not tasty, it was way too much Matcha powder and they tasted very earthy! Maddie was the only one that liked the cupcake. I shouldn’t be surprised as she is also my little coffee drinker and eats coffee beans whole. We did eventually throw them away after my kids, husband and I enjoyed just the frosting and chocolate clover off several of them!

The winning St. Patrick’s Day cupcake!

For the winning cupcake, I took the basic recipe for my green velvet cupcake. I tried adding some natural green food dye to the batter, it helped turn it a lighter green, so I gave up on green cupcakes. But the icing was the perfect green color with the use of natural green food dye. I found this natural dye originally from Amazon but have also seen it in grocery stores and Target. I like it because it’s not the usual corn syrups that make up traditional food dyes. So now I don’t have to worry about fodmaps when I want to have colored things! This is such huge news as I haven’t had the pleasure of dyed sugar cookie/cake frosting since going low fodmap for this reason!

Ingredients for Low Fodmap St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes

2 cups + 2 TBS GF Flour (Bob Red Mills 1 to 1 GF flour)
1 1/2 cup Dextrose (sugar substitute)
1 tsp GF Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS cocoa powder
4 TBS cornstarch
3 eggs
3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup Fairlife milk (milk substitute)

Green Icing Ingredients

2 sticks butter softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBS vanilla extract
1-2 TBS milk substitute (as needed to reach desired consistency of icing)
Watkins Natural Food Coloring Green

How to Make

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In your stand mixer combine butter and Dextrose (sugar) combine until well blended. Add eggs one a time until fully combined. Add vanilla extract and milk and stir to combine.
Add baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, cocoa powder and flour to mixture and mix until combined. (I also added food coloring here, but it only changed it to a lighter brown feel free to omit this step if you prefer.
Fill lined or sprayed muffin tins with mixture until 3/4 way filled. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove to cooling rack and cool completely.
While cupcakes or cooling, make icing.
Place butter in stand mixture and stir on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
Slowly add powdered sugar until well combined.
Add Vanilla Extract and stir until combined, add additional milk substitute 1 TBS at a time to icing until reach desired consistency. Stir on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and light.
Place in icing bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

While these were not the original green cupcake bottom like I was originally thinking of, these still tasted amazing! A cupcake with slight chocolate notes and a delicious vanilla buttercream frosting. Next time to achieve a true green cupcake I will attempt a vanilla cupcake turned green. Stay tuned for future recipes! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Check out other St. Patricks Day Recipes:

Best Corned Beef Brisket

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St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes – Low Fodmap/Gluten Free

A yummy green treat to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy these slightly chocolatey cupcakes with delicious vanilla buttercream to celebrate!

Course Dessert

Servings 12 cupcakes

Author Fodmap Foodie LLC

Ingredients

2 cups + 2 TBS GF flour (Bob Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour)
1 1/2 cups dextrose (sugar or sugar substitute)
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 TBS cornstarch
3/4 cup butter
2 TBS cocoa powder
1 cup Fairlife milk (milk substitute)
Natural Green Food Coloring if desired

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

2 sticks butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 TBS vanilla extract
1-2 TBS fairlife milk (milk substitute)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Ready 12 piece cupcake pan(s) with liners or using cooking spray
In stand mixture combine 3/4 cup softened butter with 1 1/2 cups dextrose (sugar or sugar substitute) until combined.
Add 3 eggs one at a time until well combined. Add vanilla extract after the eggs are thoroughly combined. Add 1 cup of milk substitute and stir until combined.
Add 2 cups and 2 TBS GF flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 4 TBS cornstarch, and 2 TBS cocoa powder and stir until combined fully. (Add food coloring as desired)
Spoon mixture into prepared cupcake tins until 3/4 way filled. Cook in 350 degrees preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove to cooling rack and cool completely
While cupcakes cooling, make icing

Vanilla Buttercream ingredients

In the stand mixture place 2 sticks of room temperature butter. Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, and 2 TBS of vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Add additional milk substitute 1 TBS at a time until reach desired consistency. Add natural green food coloring several drops at a time until you reach wanted green color.
Stir on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy. Place into a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.