This Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes recipe is so light and fluffy that nobody would guess that they're eggless and dairy free! It's a super easy 1-bowl recipe that's light, moist and delicious. You only need 7 ingredients and 20 minutes.
Ever since I made my vegan chocolate cake a few years ago and it turned out AMAZING, I've been obsessed with creating the best vegan cake recipes.
But as much as I love cake, I love cupcakes too!
These vegan vanilla cupcakes are light, moist, fluffy, soft and sooo easy to make!
You only need 7 ingredients and 20 minutes!
It's an easy one-bowl recipe that never ever fails me.
I've made these babies many many times and they're always a HUGE hit.
I've decorated these ones with an easy vegan vanilla frosting and some sprinkles!
They're perfect for a birthday, party or treat.
Vegan Cupcakes
Often people think that making vegan cakes and cupcakes might be difficult or you'll need unusual ingredients.
But, NO!
I've been tweaking my vegan cake and cupcakes recipes to make the best ones and you don't need any flax, chia, egg replacers or anything like that!
Instead, I make a 'buttermilk' by souring vegan milk with lemon juice or vinegar.
That reacts with the leavening agents in the baking powder and makes them soft, fluffy and delicious!
Dairy free cupcakes
These vegan vanilla cupcakes are so fluffy that nobody would guess that they're vegan.
That means they're perfect if you don't actually need a vegan cake recipe, but are looking for one that's dairy free.
You can use any type of dairy free milk: soy, almond, coconut, cashew, oat etc...
They all work perfectly!
Eggless cupcakes
According to the old saying, 'if you want to make a cake, you have to crack some eggs'.
Nope!
And you don't even need any of the usual egg replacements like flax eggs, chia seeds, banana etc... Trust me.
These eggless cupcakes still have the same great structure, fluffy texture and nobody would guess that they're egg-free.
How to make vegan vanilla cupcakes - step by step
Here are the step by step picture instructions for these cupcakes. You only need 1-bowl, 7 ingredients and 20 minutes!
Scroll down for the full recipe in the recipe card.
1. Stir the vinegar (or lemon juice) into the dairy free milk, then set aside for 3 minutes to create vegan ‘buttermilk’.
2. Add sugar, oil and vanilla.
3. Beat until the sugar dissolves.
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Gently stir the dry ingredients the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Take care not to overmix, but ensure there’s no visible flour.
6. Spoon or pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray to fill each cup ¾ full.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Tips and Tricks
- As with all cakes, once you add the dry ingredients, you need to mix gently so you don't beat out all the air.
- If you're using sprinkles on your eggless cupcakes, be sure to check that they're vegan.
- Looking for fancy frosting techniques? Check these out.
- For lower calorie vegan cupcakes, replace half the oil with applesauce or vegan yogurt.
- Try them with some chai spice, pumpkin spice or other flavourings!
Vegan Cupcake Recipes
Looking for more vegan cupcakes? Try these!
vegan red velvet cupcakes
Chocolate cupcakes vegan
Vegan Cake Recipes
Or how about vegan cake recipes?
vegan black forest cake
vegan chocolate cake
vanilla cake (vegan)
vegan lemon cake
vegan carrot cake
banana bread (vegan)
Get the recipe
Check out the Veggie Desserts + Cakes cookbook on Amazon
📖 Recipe
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250ml) soy milk (or other dairy free milk)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or white vinegar
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- ½ cup (125ml) vegetable oil (such as sunflower or rapeseed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (175g) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Vegan Vanilla Frosting
- ½ cup (100g) vegan butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (325g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy milk or other dairy free milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175C / 350F and line a muffin tray with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dairy free milk and stir in the vinegar, then set aside for 3 minutes to create vegan ‘buttermilk’. It may curdle slightly depending on the dairy free milk used, and this is absolutely fine.
- Using a whisk or electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil and vanilla into the buttermilk for a couple of minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and gently stir it into the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Take care not to overmix, but ensure there’s no visible flour.
- Spoon or pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray to fill each cup ¾ full.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the tray then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the vegan vanilla frosting
- (Note, to be truly one-bowl, just give the mixing bowl a quick clean for the frosting.)
- Beat the softened butter/margarin with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Sift in the powdered sugar, about ½ a cup at a time, beating well between each addition. You’ll probably need to scrape the sides of the bowl down periodically.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- If the frosting is too thin, add a little more powdered icing sugar (a tablespoon at a time). If it’s too thick, add dairy free milk a tablespoon at a time.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and frost the completely cooled cupcakes as desired (or just spread it onto them with a spoon).
Notes
- These vegan vanilla cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Un-frosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition calculated without frosting or sprinkles.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Alicia
BEST.CUPCAKES.EVER!!! Oh
Thank you so much for creating this recipe❤️
Constance
Hi want to make these mini . Have you tried them in a mini cupcake pan , and if so how long should I bake them?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I'd check them after about 10 minutes. Let me know how they work!
Surinder Kaur
Best cupcakes ever! I’m not vegan but this is the go to recipe from now onI used olive oil spread as had no oil. Almond milk. No salt had none. I made rainbow cupcakes with fresh strawberry icing. Can’t wait to try other recipes. 😁
Darlene D
Delicious! Everyone in my family love them, which is very rare. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I made them four times now and each time they are a success. Thank you!!
Tash
Thank you for this amazing recipe! The sponge was very light and moist! I made with Alpro Vanilla Soya Milk and it left a slight soya taste in the sponge, so I think in future I'll use Oat Milk as it's very creamy with no after taste! As for the icing, I found I needed a quarter the amount of icing sugar to make the perfect buttercream consistency. I'll definitely be trying again with these amendements and report back! Thank you! X
Sam
I’ve tried so many vegan vanilla cupcake recip, yet they always failed, yet these were absolutely perfect!
Rob
Thanks for the super tasty recipe. Just one question, mine came out quite dense even though I followed the recipe. I did have to mix a while though to remove the lumps from the flour. Would an electric whisk be better to get more air into them to prevent this ? Thanks again
Kiki
My best friend has an egg allergy and has never had fun getting cupcakes! For her birthday I tried this recipe and it truly tastes like regular cupcakes. I used coconut milk and apple cider vinegar, regular non-vegan butter and it worked perfectly. Well done!! Thank you for sharing!!
Dina
I made these and they came out so good! In half of the batch I added a few drops of orange extract and they came out delicious too! I kept them all plain without the frosting. The top was sticky though, do you know why this could be? Thanks for the recipe!
Katriene
Incredible! Worked so well. Best vegan cupcake recipe I've tried.
Hannah
Taste yum and fluffy!
Lea
These were just gorgeous, thank you for a great recipe! I used rice milk. I did have to use my electric hand mixer though as otherwise it would’ve been lumpy, they turned our super. I also added currants and I sprinkled coconut sugar on top before going in the oven, they didn’t need any icing at all 😋
Mandi
The most delicious cupcake recipe I have ever tried!!! A huge hit in my home!!! This is our new favorite recipe!!!!!
Rakhi Patel
Hi could I use self raising flour instead or plain?
Ashley
These came out perfectly! I only used the cake portion of the recipe and just used dairy-free store-bought icing, but they were a huge hit at my daughter’s first birthday party and so simple to make!
Stephanie
These cupcakes turned out perfect! However my frosting was a complete fail. It was just small chunks and then basically formed into a dough. Never reached a ‘frosting texture’. Help??
Kate Hackworthy
HI Stephanie, that's such a shame about the frosting. It must be down to the vegan 'butter' you used. What brand was it?
Rebecca
Just made these today. Super tasty, moist and fluffy, and the family loved them too! The frosting in particular was amazing. Beautiful recipe ☺️
Lina
Just finished baking these this morning. So true! They are so light and fluffy! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! 🙂
Ramiswary Ramdass
Tried today... Simply superb... Moist and fluffy
Emily
Great recipe! I can't believe it's vegan!
Cindy Gordon
100% yes to these vegan cupcakes! Seriously,yum!
Kelly Anthony
What a great vegan alternative to everyone's favorite dessert! I'm also loving that I can make these in one bowl!
Mary Bostow
These cupcakes look so simplistic and classic, Kate! I love a good vanilla cupcake with classic buttercream. One of my biggest weaknesses! Pinned!
Chris Collins
These look so delicious! Thanks for the step by step photos too, super helpful!
wilhelmina
These cuppies are so fluffy and fabulous!
alyssa
These are so good and taste legit!