Soft, light, and oh-so fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes…
Egg Free
Dairy Free
Easy To Make
Just 8 Ingredients
This classic vanilla cupcake recipe is so simple, you probably already have all of the ingredients in your pantry to make them.
You might also like: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies – NO crazy ingredients
Easy Vegan Cupcake Recipe
If you don’t already have a go-to vegan cupcake recipe, well now you do!
Everyone should have a basic cupcake recipe in their repertoire, because cupcakes are perfect for so many occasions.
They’re quick to whip up any time you’re asked to provide a dessert last-minute for work or school, and you can keep all of the ingredients on hand to ensure you’re always prepared.
Cupcake Frosting Ideas
I frosted these with the homemade vegan cream cheese frosting from my Pumpkin Cupcakes recipe.
The best thing about vanilla cupcakes is that they’re a blank canvas, meaning you can change up the frosting to turn them into any flavor you wish. Chocolate frosting, buttercream, coconut frosting, peanut butter, raspberry jelly, whipped cream, chocolate ganache… the choice is completely yours. If you don’t want to bother with frosting, they’re also good plain!
If you do opt for the frosted route, my favorite icing tip is this 1M star tip by Wilton.
It’s my simple trick to effortlessly transform any basic cupcake recipe into something that looks so professional, people always think they must have come from a bakery. And yet, the entire process of frosting the cupcakes takes less than five minutes.
I also had a lot of fun with these photos. They kind of remind me of The Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh, just with cupcakes instead of houses.
If only all houses were cupcakes.
Also be sure to try these Vegan Donuts – 5 new flavors
The vegan vanilla cupcakes can be:
Whole Grain
Gluten Free
Soy Free
Refined Sugar Free
Oddly enough, the recipe was adapted from my Healthy Blueberry Muffins.
And if you’ve read the above statement and are now wondering, Does this mean you can add blueberries to batter of today’s cupcake recipe too? happily the answer is YES, you can.
Feel free to stir half a cup of fresh or thawed frozen berries into the batter—very carefully at the end, so they don’t break—and then proceed with the recipe as usual.
The blueberry version is especially good topped with homemade coconut butter.
The cupcakes turn out light and fluffy without any eggs. I used a gluten-free all-purpose mix for the vegan cupcakes in the pictures because I was taking them to an event where I knew some of the attendees were gluten-free.
I’ve also tested the recipe successfully with white, spelt, and oat flours, so those are all options here as well.
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1 1/2 tsp white or cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave
- 3 1/2 tbsp oil, or applesauce for fat-free
- 1 cup white, spelt, or bob’s gf flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- optional pinch cardamom or cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk first 5 ingredients. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin. In a large bowl, stir all remaining ingredients, then add wet and stir just enough to form a batter. Portion into the liners about 2/3 up, because they will rise. Bake 10-12 minutes or until risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. (While I’m not personally a fan of the applesauce version, numerous readers have written in to say they tried and like it, so I’ve included the option here.)View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Party Desserts
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Vegan Cheesecake – NO Cashews
(Reader Favorite Recipe)
Can these be made into a cake round?
Did you make these as a cake? Wanting to try for a bday cake
A little late in replying (sorry!) but here is a cake version if you still need one! https://lett-trim.today/vegan-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
AMAZING recipe.
I do have a question though; I would like to substitute buttermilk for oil and I was wondering, would it affect the cupcakes, for instance the texture/structure?
Thank you, in advance, for answering my question.
Also, would additional baking soda/ powder be needed?
We haven’t tried so can’t say, but be sure to report back if you experiment!
Made these cupcakes coconut cupcakes by subbing 1/4 cup flour for sweetened shredded coconut, using canned coconut milk and extra 1/4 cup water, leaving out the oil/applesauce. I also only used 2 tbsp sugar and they came out amazing! Thank you
Thank you Katie
Thanks for this delicious recipe! It’s the only one I could find that was vegan and refined sugar free (and the perfect amount of sweetness!) I needed to find something for a group of two year olds and this was perfect, although I enjoy them quite a bit! I used oat flour as FYI.
I’ll be topping these with coconut cream frosting dyed purple using purple carrot juice (since we avoid artificial dyes in our house.) Thanks again!
Can the recipe be doubled? Or will the proportions be off? It’s a small amount in your recipies
Honestly, sometimes baked goods work out doubled and sometimes it just doesn’t work at all! If you try this one doubled before we do, be sure to report back!
Jason (media relations)
Is it ok to use oat flour for this recipe?
In the article, she actually says she tried it with oat, spelt and white flour. Just thought I would point that out.
I was also wondering if you could double it and make it into a round cake as another person mentioned. If anyone else has tried it, I would like to see the amounts used or I may just wing it and see what happens.
Katie, these were delicious! Made these today and frosted with your chocolate cream cheese frosting. Yummy!
My hubby and I are trying to clean up our diets a bit but both of us have a sweet tooth. Whenever I am in the mood to bake, I always check your website first.
I want to sub sugar instead of using maple syrup or agave. How much sugar would you recommend? 1/3 cup as well?
Hi, how long will these last in the fridge in an air tight container? About a week?
Doubled the recipe and they came out perfectly fluffy and delicious! I used white flour and oil for mine.