There’s nothing like a tender, delicious cupcake with a swirl of frosting on top. These vegan vanilla cupcakes have a wonderful texture and are just perfect for a party! You can enjoy fluffy, tender cupcakes even without dairy and eggs!
Cupcakes are the perfect dessert for a birthday, or a graduation, or really any occasion. In my opinion, any day is cupcake day!
Before I had to eliminate eggs from our diet, I would have had a hard time believing you could make a good vanilla cake without eggs. But these vegan vanilla cupcakes are everything they should be: fluffy, sweet, tender, and with just the right amount of vanilla flavor.
If you’re new to baking without eggs or dairy, this is a great recipe to start with. It requires simple ingredients, and the result is excellent. These are practically foolproof! These cupcakes hold up well, and taste just like “regular” cupcakes. No one will guess that these are totally plant-based!
If you’re more of a chocolate person, try these vegan chocolate cupcakes or these gluten free chocolate frosted cupcakes.
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Ingredient Notes
- Flour – You can make these with either white spelt flour or all-purpose flour. Either one will work well.
- Egg Replacer – There’s no need to use a store bought egg replacer in this recipe. These cupcakes rise very nicely due to the chemical reaction from baking soda and vinegar. This results in a very light, fluffy cupcake. Read my post on egg replacers to find out more about vegan baking.
- Oil – You can use organic canola oil, melted coconut oil, or melted vegan buttery spread in this recipe. I have made these many times, and have used each of the above options.
- Powdered Sugar – We use Wholesome Sweeteners brand powdered sugar, which is vegan and corn-free.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – You will need vegan buttery spread to make the dairy free buttercream frosting. We like Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Spread, but you can probably use any brand that works for your dietary needs.
Step by Step Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients. Mix well with a spoon or an electric mixer.
- Spoon the batter into a cupcake pan that is lined with parchment paper liners.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
- Mix up the buttercream frosting.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag if you’d like to pipe it onto the cupcakes.
- Frost the cupcakes with a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip. You could also just spread the frosting onto the cupcakes.
Variations
This is a really versatile recipe. If you would like to skip the frosting, you can just dust these with powdered sugar. Or you can add about ½ cup of dairy free mini chocolate chips to the batter instead. You could also serve these with fresh fruit on the side.
To change the flavor of the frosting, try using citrus juice like lemon or lime instead of non-dairy milk. I think these would be delicious with a hint of lemon. You could also top these with chocolate frosting if you prefer.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make these cupcakes one day ahead of time. Just make sure they are tightly wrapped so they don’t dry out. If you wish, you can make the cupcakes the day before and then frost them just before serving.
Freezing
These cupcakes can be frozen with or without the frosting. Just store them in a freezer bag or airtight container. They should be fine in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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More Vegan Cupcake Recipes
See the video below to learn how to make the best dairy free buttercream frosting:
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1½ cups white spelt flour or all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold water
- ½ cup organic canola oil or melted coconut oil, or melted vegan buttery spread
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup vegan buttery spread
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
- 1-3 Tablespoons non-dairy milk or water
- sprinkles for topping if desired
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
- Put the dry ingredients in a bowl, and whisk with a fork. Add the wet ingredients and mix well by hand or with an electric mixer.
- Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes, until the cupcakes are nicely golden on top.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting:
- Mix the vegan buttery spread on medium speed. Add the powdered sugar and one tablespoon of non-dairy milk and continue to mix. If the frosting is too thick, add a little bit more non-dairy milk until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
- If you'd like to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, spoon the frosting into a piping bag that is fitted with an icing tip. I used a Wilton 1M tip. You can also spread the frosting onto the cupcakes with an offset spatula.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes, then top with sprinkles if desired.
D
These cupcakes are so good!
Louise
I love your recipes,so tasty! On the other hand,I have a hard time following them on your site,I am invaded by publicity that tries to overtake the hole page,I am sure a happy middle can be found?
Elizabeth Villegas
I made these this evening as my daughter’s bf has every possible food allergy you can think of, and they were fantastic! I have tried many vegan dessert recipes and this is by far the best!! I understand the science behind it but I had no idea just how delicious they were going to be. Followed the recipe exactly, Thank you!!
Julie
I’m so happy I stumbled upon your page and recipes! I used to love baking untill I discovered my daughter is allergic and sensitive to so many foods! I can’t wait to try these out, it’s so hard to find vegan baked goods that don’t contain nuts. Thanks for sharing them :)
Kelsi
Could you use a 1:1 gluten free flour instead of spelt or all-purpose?
Kay
These tasted great!I’m not sure if I over cooked them,or should have taken them out of the pan to cool, because they stuck to the cupcake liner?
Thoughts?
Kelly Roenicke
Did you use parchment paper liners? I find that sometimes regular liners are a little sticky.
Allison
I never need a reason to make cupcakes! These look incredible. I’ve have yet to make frosting with a vegan spread, but I think I should, because it looks scrumptious! I love the sugary crust that frosting gets when it hardens. Hope that isn’t weird :) hehe.
Olivia
I totally love those sprinkles on top. So cute ;-)
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
These are so, so pretty! And, ummmmm, nope – I sure don’t need a specific reason to make cupcakes (but now I’ve got one! :D ). Thanks for the fabulous recipe! Hope you’re having a really wonderful, relaxing Memorial Day weekend! :D
Kelly
Thank you so much! Glad I’m not the only one who jumps at the chance to make cupcakes! ;)
Sarah@WholeandHeavenlyOven
These cupcakes look so simplistic and classic, Kelly! I love a good vanilla cupcake with classic buttercream. One of my biggest weaknesses! And so perfect for Memorial Day weekend. Pinned!
Kelly
Thanks so much for pinning, Sarah! Have a great holiday weekend!
Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies
I don’t descriminate against cupcakes — can I say alllll cupcakes are my favorite cupcake? These look delicious. I actually have a cousin who (despite loving chocolate) hates chocolate cake, so it’s great to have nice vanilla cupcakes in my arsenal.
Kelly
Thank you so much! I know, my two year old doesn’t like chocolate cake, so having a good vanilla cake recipe is a must over here! I don’t know where he got his non chocolate loving genes from! ;) Not from me!
Louisa [Living Lou]
I need to try these cupcakes for a friend of mine who is vegan. I love how they don’t use any crazy ingredients I don’t already have in my pantry. Do you think they would work with all purpose flour?
Kelly
Yes, all purpose flour will work just fine!
Graham @ Glazed & Confused
There’s nothing better than a moist, simple vanilla cupcake!
These look 1) so delicious and 2) so beautiful.
I love those little sprinkles and that beautiful buttercream. The pastels remind me so much of Magnolia Bakery!
Kelly
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I agree, vanilla cupcakes are the best! :)
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum!
Nope, no reason to whip up a perfect cupcake needed! I could go for these no matter what season we’re happen to be in :). They look so yummy!
Kelly
Thanks, Kathi!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
No excuses needed to make some delicious cupcakes! Love those cute sprinkles on top. These look deeee-lish!
Kelly
Thanks, Natalie!