This vegan vanilla cupcake recipe made with vanilla bean paste simply bursts with the warming flavors and aroma of vanilla! It's perfect for all types of special occasions such as birthdays or baby showers but they also make a delightful sweet treat to enjoy any time of year for no reason in particular!
Baking for my friends and family is my favorite kind of present to give. I love making cookies, pies, muffins, you name it. But when it comes to birthdays in particular, my favorite dessert to bake are definitely these fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes. It doesn't get more festive than that!
Over the years and with lots of practice, I've discovered how easy it to make vegan cupcakes that taste just as good (or maybe even better) than a regular cupcakes. These are a definite winner with their fluffy texture and delicate vanilla flavor.
If you love baking cupcake recipes, you've got to try my gingerbread cupcakes or these light and bright lemon cupcakes.
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What You Need to Make the Best Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Here's a look at what you need to make this vegan cupcake recipe. The list may look pretty long but it mostly consists of many basic items which you may already have in the kitchen.
- All-purpose flour and Sugar: Use your favorite vegan brand of sugar and a good brand of flour that's great for baking.
- Leavening: These cupcakes use a combination of baking powder and baking soda so they get plenty of lift.
- Salt: Even your sweets need some salt added to balance all the flavors.
- Dairy-free milk: Oat milk, soy milk, rice milk, and cashew milk all work but you can use your favorite. Try to stay away from plant milk with a strong flavor and milk with a flavor or sweetener added, such as vanilla almond milk.
- Apple cider vinegar: This is added to the milk to turn it into a vegan buttermilk. This mixture will activate the baking soda to create nice, fluffy cupcakes and also makes a more tender cake.
- Vegan yogurt: Use your favorite brand of plain vegan yogurt. This ingredient is serving as our replacement for the eggs and butter in these eggless cupcakes giving them a bit of richness and moisture.
- Neutral oil: Use your favorite for baking!
- Vanilla: I prefer using vanilla bean paste for it's superior flavor and it also gives the cupcakes and frosting little speckles much like when you use real vanilla bean. You can also use vanilla extract.
- Powdered sugar: Makes a creamier frosting since it easily mixes and dissolves into the other ingredients.
- Vegan butter and cream cheese: These two ingredients provide the creamy base for the vanilla frosting while also creating a flavorful frosting that's sweet, rich, and tangy.
- Sprinkles: Choose your favorite to match your occasion or mood!
Be sure to check the recipe card for the full ingredient list for both the cupcakes and frosting as well as the quantities of each.
How to Make Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Are you ready to get baking? Gather all your ingredients and let's get started.
- Make the Vegan Buttermilk. Combine the dairy-free milk with the vinegar and whisk them together and then let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. Combine all of the yogurt, oil, and vanilla in a bowl along with the sugar and buttermilk, and whisk together.
- Combine with the Dry Ingredients. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ad salt to the wet ingredients and mix together.
- Prep for the Oven. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each muffin cup about three-quarters of the way up with batter.
- Bake the Cupcakes. In a preheated over until they're done, about 18-20 minutes.
- Make the Frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. Add the vanilla and then slowly add in the powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time.
- Frost Your Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a tip and pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Finish and Serve. Add your favorite sprinkles on top of the frosting and then serve them up and enjoy!
How to Store Vegan Cupcakes
Store leftover eggless vanilla cupcakes for up to 24 hours at room temperature in an airtight container. After that I recommend storing them in the fridge. They will last up to four days in the fridge.
Since the frosting is made using vegan cream cheese and butter I don't recommend freezing them. However, you can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to three months.
Expert Tips
- Use vanilla bean paste for the best flavor and most delicious cupcake. But in a pinch pure vanilla extract will work wonderfully as well.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting otherwise it will melt and slide off.
- Don't over mix or over bake your cupcakes. Mix just to combine the batter otherwise your cupcakes may turn out tough.
- No pastry bag? You can use a ziplock bag and cut off a corner or simply spread the frosting with a knife or off-set spatula
- Allow the butter and cream to sit at room temperature before mixing. This make it easier for them to blend up nice and creamy.
FAQs
Yes, you can! Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. It's important to use a cup for cup substitute as these blends have other ingredients added to the flour to help it bake and taste more like regular flour. Note that the texture may be slightly different when you use gluten-free flour.
Yes, sure thing! Split the cake up into two 8 inch cake pans and extend the baking time until they have golden edges and a toothpick comes out clean when you stick it in the middle.
More Vegan Cakes and Cupcakes Recipes
Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Equipment
- hand mixer
- muffin pan
- muffin liners
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 g
- 1 cup sugar 200 g
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Vegan Vanilla Frosting Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar 390 g
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese
- 3 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
Topping
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Combine the dairy-free milk with the vinegar and whisk to create the vegan buttermilk. Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients together, along with the sugar and buttermilk. Whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix.
- Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way up with batter. You will get about 15 cupcakes.
- Bake the cupcakes at 350*F/ 175*C for 18-20 minutes.
- To create the frosting, use a stand mixer or an electric mixer to beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, then slowly add in the powdered sugar, about a few tablespoons at a time.
- Once the cupcakes have *fully* cooled off, transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a tip, then pipe it on top of each cupcake and add sprinkles.
Video
Notes
- Use vanilla bean paste for the best flavor. But in a pinch pure vanilla extract will work.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting otherwise it will melt and slide off.
- Don't over mix or over bake your cupcakes. Mix just to combine the batter otherwise your cupcakes may turn out tough.
- No pastry bag? You can use a ziplock bag and cut off a corner or simply spread the frosting with a knife or off-set spatula
- Allow the butter and cream to sit at room temperature before mixing. This make it easier for them to blend up nice and creamy.
[…] Click here the vegan cupcake recipe that accompanies these cupcakes! […]