Buttery, moist, cinnamon coffee cake swirled with a spiced-sugary filling, topped with crunchy streusel, and sprinkled with a plot twist? NO butter, NO refined sugar, and grain free. Yes, friend! This Healthy Starbucks Coffee Cake recipe is made with good for you, natural ingredients like almond flour, greek yogurt, avocado oil, eggs, and cozy natural sweeteners like cinnamon and maple syrup!
This is by far one of YOUR most requested recipes ever, and I was so excited to recreate it for us. But I couldn’t bring you the best copycat Starbucks recipe on the internet without loading it with health benefits for our blood sugar, heart, and gut health! Make this healthy Starbucks coffee cake recipe for protein-packed on-the-go breakfasts, for brunch recipe ideas, and for the perfect healthy dessert to bring to parties that will have your friends fighting over the last piece.
Warning: this post includes many uses of the “m” word…. (moist!!)

Somehow, I’d never actually tried this Starbucks coffee cake (or pretty much any Starbucks baked goods), but from the amount of requests I was getting from you all on Instagram to make a healthy version, I knew it had to be done. So, I trekked my way to my local Starbucks and WOW. It is DELICIOUS. But I wasn’t surprised– you all have great taste.
My initial thought: Starbucks’ coffee cake is one of the most ~moist~ coffee cakes I’ve ever had. It’s got a warm, buttery flavor, which was the challenge— in addition to, of course, making it WAY more blood sugar friendly, so that you have actual energy after eating it; instead of the spike and crash that typically happens with baked goods. Being blood sugar friendly also helps with health things like hormone balance, weight loss, and energy, which we talk in-depth about on this Healthier Together Podcast episode with the Glucose Goddess!
But, I stood corrected. THIS Healthy Starbucks Coffee Cake Recipe is the most moist (yet fluffy) buttery (yet butter-free) coffee cake you will ever have. I can’t wait for you to try it!
What’s in this incredibly moist Starbucks coffee cake recipe?
This cinnamon coffee cake is totally gluten free, grain free and filled with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It can easily be made dairy free by subbing greek yogurt for avocado oil (details for this easy ingredient swap are below!).
To make this healthy breakfast recipe, you’ll need these simple ingredients:
- Almond flour: whether you’re gluten-free or not, almond flour is such a great ingredient for making baked goods tender and moist while packing in fiber.
- Baking powder and baking soda: these give the cake a fluffy texture as it rises.
- Fine grain sea salt: essential to making every flavor stand out.
- Cinnamon: for coziness.
- Eggs: cage-free and pasture-raised.
- Maple syrup and coconut sugar: antioxidant-rich and unrefined sweeteners are wonderful to use in healthy baking recipes.
- Avocado oil: this heart-healthy oil gives this coffee cake its rich flavor and (bonus!) anti-inflammatory benefits.

What makes this Starbucks coffee cake so healthy?
Science says….
- It’s good for your heart. This coffee cake recipe gets its heart-healthy benefits from two simple ingredients, almond flour and avocado oil. Almond flour is literally just ground up almonds, which are shown to have amazing cardiovascular benefits. And avocado oil is researched as a cholesterol-lowering food that lowers the risk of heart disease!
- It’ll make your skin glow. According to science and our biochemist friend Jessie Inchauspé, when you eat sugar with protein and fiber, it will create a flatter curve in your glucose levels which benefits your skin health.
- It’s great for gut health. I’m not saying this coffee cake will instantly give you miraculous poops, but it DOES contain probiotics from greek yogurt which help with digestion!
- All the anti-inflammatory benefits. I’m still obsessed with the fact that, in France, avocado oil is actually prescribed for knee and hip osteoarthritis. This oil is so powerful for repairing cartilage!
Make this coffee cake dairy-free
I wanted to use greek yogurt in this recipe mostly because it’s probiotic and high in protein, but also because it makes the cake SO moist and fluffy. However, some of us just can’t vibe with diary and I totally respect that. So, I made sure this coffee cake recipe could easily be made without it!
To make this recipe dairy free, I recommend substituting the 1/2 cup of greek yogurt in the cake for 1/4 cup of avocado oil.
Here are some other hot tips for making a mind-blowing coffee cake:
- Line your loaf pan. Use parchment paper in your 9×9 baking pan so the cake comes out nice and even. No crumble left behind!
- Use room temperature ingredients. This will help the batter blend evenly. For the eggs, set them in a bowl of warm water 3 minutes before using.
- Don’t let it burn. You can test when the cake is done by sliding a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean and the cake doesn’t jiggle, it’s cooked. However, if it needs more time and the top is starting to brown, just cover it loosely with foil!
- Cool, then slice. Let the coffee cake cool completely before slicing it into squares, at least 30 minutes.
Storing & saving tips
This coffee cake recipe will stay fresh for 4-5 days! Just wrap the cake well in foil or plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat.
More healthy breakfast recipes to try
Healthy Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf
Healthy Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
Healthy Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf
Healthy Cranberry Orange Pancake Bread
I hope you enjoy, and tag me if you make this Healthy Starbucks Coffee Cake on Instagram (@lizmoody)— I can’t wait to see!
Print
Healthy Starbucks Coffee Cake Recipe (grain free + a dairy free option!)
Ingredients
For the crumble:
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 tablespoons avocado oil
For the cake:
2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 eggs
2/3 cup maple syrup
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup greek yogurt (sub 1/4 cup olive oil, if dairy free)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a 9×9″ baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add all of the crumble ingredients to a medium bowl. Use your hands to clump the ingredients together until a wet, sand-like texture forms. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add all cake ingredients (except greek yogurt!) until very smooth. Then, fold in the greek yogurt to the batter.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle on a layer of crumble. Layer in the remaining half of the batter, then finish the top with the remaining crumble mixture.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick slid through the center comes out clean and it no longer jiggles.
- Let cool completely before slicing. Serve and enjoy!
Do you know the net carbs gor this recipe please
★★★★★
Hey Maria,
We don’t count carbs here but because it’s made with almond flour, it’ll be a lower carb choice than a coffee cake made with regular flour.
xo, Liz
I love the recipe, all family loved , thsnkyou
Hey Maria,
I’m so glad you and your family loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
xo, Liz
Wow, is this good! It smelled so good while it was baking that I couldn’t wait until it was completely cool. My streusel seemed to disappear into the cake, but the taste is exceptional. I was looking for a cake to make during Passover, and this was perfect.
★★★★★
Hey Marlene,
I’m so glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing
xo, Liz
Hi! Is it possible to substitute the maple syrup with honey?
Hey Kayla,
I haven’t tried that substitution in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure. Because maple syrup and honey are different consistencies, it might turn out a little different.
xo, Liz
Sounds like a wonderful recipe! Need something egg free or at least just egg whites. Do you think flax egg sub would work? Any other subs for the 4 eggs?
Hey Teresa,
I haven’t tried this recipe with flax eggs or egg substitutes, so I can’t say for sure. But I feel like the flax eggs could be a fine substitute. Please let me know if you try it so I can share with other readers!
xo, Liz
How many calories is 1 serving do we think?
Hey Lauren,
We don’t count our calories here, but you can rest assured that this recipe is designed to be blood sugar balancing and promotional of a healthy body!
xo, Liz
Delicious recipe! How many servings does this cake make?
★★★★★
Hey Jaline,
In the 9×9 baking pan, this will yield 9-16 servings based off of how large you cut your cake slices!
xo, Liz
I baked mine in a 9″ round pie plate and it cooked beautifully in 35 minutes. Was eaten by my bf and his guests in one day. Moist and delicious. The almond flour gives it a great texture, almost like a moist corn bread. I used Himalayan salt instead of sea salt – yummy salty-sweet recipe.
★★★★★
Hey Millie,
I’m so glad you all loved this recipe as much as I do. Thanks for sharing!
xo, Liz
Could you use coconut oil instead of avocado oil?
Hey Erin,
I haven’t tried using coconut oil in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure. It’s possible, it would just affect the flavor and possibly the consistency.
xo, Liz
I plan to make this coffee cake recipe for our homeschool moms and would like a substitute for the almond flour. I have Coconut flour or Einkorn Flour. Would you recommend one over the other? Thanks in advance, Pamela!
Hey Pamela,
I love that! I can only recommend subbing oat flour 1:1 for almond flour here. If you want them to be gluten free, just make sure you buy gluten free oat flour or make your own at home by blending gluten free rolled oats until it turns into a fine powder! I hope everyone enjoys them.
xo, Liz
I loved this recipe! It was absolutely delicious and had the perfect amount of sweetness for my taste. Love the added health benefits using this combo of ingredients. Thank you!
Hey Lisa,
I’m so glad you love the recipe!
xo, Liz
Turned out great! Subbed sugar for the coconut sugar, since that’s what we had. Looks beautiful too.
★★★★★
Hey Natalie,
I’m so glad you loved the recipe and were able to use ingredients on hand.
xo, Liz
Hey there! Been trying a bunch of recipes and loving them. I was planning to test this recipe but there doesn’t seem to be any coffee in the ingredients list, am I missing something?
Hey AnneMichaela,
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes so far! You’re going to love this coffee cake, it’s one of my favorites. Funny enough – coffee cake doesn’t actually contain any coffee. It’s just widely called coffee cake because it’s traditionally enjoyed with coffee! I’m excited for you to give it a try!
xo, Liz
Super tasty! I have made a bunch of Liz’s recipes for my friends and this is their favorite so far.
★★★★★
Hey Margaux,
I’m so happy to hear you love the recipe.
xo, Liz