Healthy Cake Pops (Gluten Free)

This healthy cake pops recipe uses a combination of arrowroot powder and almond flour, so it’s naturally gluten-free. It’s a healthy recipe that kids love!

Easy Cake Pops

Whether you have kids at home or are a kid at heart, these cake pops make a fun snack. In fact, they are my favorite thing to serve at parties. Since you never know if someone might have a gluten intolerance or allergy, I like to make gluten-free desserts, just in case.

Not only are these cake pops naturally gluten-free, but they are pretty healthy too. If you have a sweet tooth, then these are the perfect thing for you. Almond flour and cream cheese both have lots of protein, so you can enjoy a cake pop – or two – guilt-free.

Keep reading and I’ll even show you how to make these cake pops keto-friendly too!

Whole Ingredients In Gluten-Free Cake Pops

These cake pops are made completely from scratch. There aren’t any cake mixes or shortcuts here. The good news is that they are still super-easy to make. Here is what I used in my cake pops:

• Almond Flour: Use almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal will make your cake pops taste grainy. You’ll need about 2 cups.
• Arrowroot Powder: You can also use tapioca starch. Use 1/4 cup.
• Baking Soda: This is what gives the cake pops the spongy cake-like texture. You only need 1 teaspoon.
• Salt: I just used a small dash, which is about 1/4 teaspoon.
• Eggs: You need 3 eggs – they are very important because they add structure to the cake.
• Coconut Oil: This is really good for you, full of healthy fats. You only need 1/3 cup.
• Maple Syrup: It naturally sweetens the cake batter. Use 1/2 cup.
• Vanilla: Use 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.
• Lemon Juice: Use the juice of 1/2 a lemon, or about one teaspoon.
• Cream Cheese: I prefer to use full-fat cream cheese – you need 1/3 block.
• White Chocolate: This is going to be the coating on the outside of the cake pops, so you need about a cup.
• Food Coloring: The food coloring is optional, but I think it’s fun to add color to the cake pops.
• Sprinkles: Again, this is an optional topping, but oh, so much fun!

Kitchen Tools Required For The Cake Pops

In order to make the cake pops, you’ll need a few baking supplies. Here is what I used:

• 8×8 Cake Pan
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Rack
• Microwave-Safe Bowl
• Cake Pop Sticks

For measuring, you will need 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and teaspoon.

How To Make Healthy Cake Pops

All of the steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Always start by preheating your oven and preparing the cake pan with non-stick spray. This way, they will be ready when your batter is made.

To make the cake batter, combine the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set it aside and mix the wet ingredients – the eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon juice – in a smaller bowl.

Then, add the wet ingredients to dry ones and stir it all together until combined. Pour the batter into and 8×8 pan.

Then, bake your cake uncovered for about 24 minutes, or until it is lightly golden, but not brown.

Let the cake cool down for about 5 minutes, then scoop out the soft insides (and the top is okay to scoop out to) of the cake, leaving the hard brown outsides. You want the actual cake part. Leave the edges and save them for snacking.

Pour the soft cake crumbs you just made into a bowl and add the cream cheese. Use your hands to mix, it will be hot but the cream cheese should chill it enough to handle.

Roll this mixture into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking rack. Set this aside.

Next, melt your chocolate by microwaving in increments for 30 seconds until it is completely smooth.

Dip the end of the cake pop stick into white chocolate and then into the cake ball. This helps hold the stick in place. Place the cake pops into the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.

Melt chocolate and add food coloring to your preference. Take balls out of the freezer and coat completely in chocolate. Dip them into some sprinkles if desired.

Place the cake pops on a cookie cooling rack over top of baking sheet to prevent puddles of chocolate at the bottom.

Refrigerate the cake pops for at least 10 minutes before eating them.

Below are a few cake pop questions. Don’t see the answer you are looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!

How do you add different flavors to the cake pops?

This is the fun part of baking. There are lots of different flavors of cake pops you can make and lots of different ingredients you can mix into them. Here are a few of my favorite ingredients, but get in the kitchen and try a few out. I’d love to hear what you make.

• Chocolate Chips
• Peppermint Extract
• Top with crushed peppermint candies instead of sprinkles
• Dust with cinnamon

You can also use my paleo chocolate cake recipe to make chocolate cake pops. Just make the chocolate cake and then follow the instructions here for making the balls and covering them in melted chocolate.

How do you make these cake pops low-carb?

It’s really easy to make this recipe keto-friendly. All you have to do is use sugar-free maple-syrup substitute and sugar-free white chocolate. Everything else in the recipe is already low-carb.

Does this recipe work with a cake pop machine?

I have not tried to make it in a cake pop machine, so I’m not sure. In theory, it should work just fine. The only thing a cake pop machine does is bake the cake into balls. It cuts out the step of baking the cake and then making the balls afterwards.

I prefer to do it all by hand because it is so fun to get my hands into the batter and mix it together. You can tell by all my dessert recipes how much I love to bake!

The best way to store leftover cake pops is in the refrigerator. That way, they won’t melt. Just place them in a container with a lid and they will stay fresh and edible for up to 2 weeks.

If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Want To Try These!

• Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake
• Gluten-Free Banana Cake
• Healthy Zucchini Cake
• Healthy Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
• Healthy Gingerbread Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Erin Morrissey + Photos by The Mindful Hapa