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)
Has anyone tried making this recipe into a cake rather than cupcake? I noticed the question has come up but hasn’t been answered yet. Looks like another great recipe, would love trying to make it into a double layer cake! Maybe double the recipe and increase baking time?
Thank you!
Just in case you still need a cake version, we finally have one: https://lett-trim.today/vegan-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Just tried these for Easter using Sprouted Buckwheat Flour to help them fit into our low-glycemic diet, and although the taste was wonderful, they were very dense. So, I’d stick with Katie’s options for flour. My kids loved them, so we will be saving the recipe and having them again, though.
Awesome cupcakes! They worked great and even rose at altitude (6,500 feet). We were blown away, so soft, moist, and simple to make. We added sprinkles to make them funfetti. Thank you for sharing! Now we are able to make yummy cupcakes for my son’s birthday who is allergic to eggs.
So happy they worked out even at a high elevation (always tricky haha) 🙂
These were a huge hit! Made with coconut oil and maple syrup
Yumm yumm lots of requests for more
Katie, this is the best non-dairy vanilla cake recipe I have ever tried! Second time making it. I have tried it with every flour and prefer it with regular cake flour. I have also made it with half oat flour half regular cake flour and it was awesome. It did not taste good with the King Arthur Gluten Free blend but perhaps I try Bob’s next. I used Nutiva Shortening for frosting with half Confectioners sugar and half Swerve confectioners. Looks and tastes great.
Thank you so much for trying them!
Has anyone tried this recipe with oat flour? And if so did you have to adjust the leavening agents at all?
Can this be made into cake layers?
It can! Here is the vegan cake version: https://lett-trim.today/vegan-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
When I bake I love using a vanilla extract from Madagascar. and I make my own! at home!
Hello! Can this be made into a layered cake? Also, which combination of oils and dairy free milk is your favorite that you recommend? Thanks!
Cake version: https://lett-trim.today/vegan-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
We usually use sunflower oil and almond milk for baking, just because it’s what Katie usually has on hand!
Have you tried this with rice milk or coconut milk? We have a nut allergy in the house and can’t use almond milk. Thanks!
Coconut milk works! We’ve heard that rice milk isn’t the best for vegan baked goods that call for vinegar (because it doesn’t turn into buttermilk like other nondairy milks do). But we have never tried it here, so there’s a chance it might work too.
How would I make this into a cake?
Cake: https://lett-trim.today/vegan-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E