As Thanksgiving approaches, I know all of you -- vegan or not-- are looking for great options to the same-old-same-old orange-colored dessert that typically graces your table. Well, I have one for you and every word of it is like a fresh, sweet, tropical kiss: Vegan Mango Cupcakes with Mango Buttercream Frosting.
You might also like these recipes for vegan mango cake and vegan mango bread.
Mmmm...As you already know, I love my vegan cupcakes, especially ultra-creamy, tender ones like these vegan vanilla cupcakes. After all, how can anyone not love portion-controlled indulgence?
And yes, I'll admit, these mango cupcakes are indulgent, and rich, although probably nowhere near as rich as a non-vegan version could be. Besides, all of us need a little indulgence every now and then, don't we? And what can be more comforting than a soft, fluffy cupcake covered with mounds of soft, fluffy frosting.
I use canned mango puree in these cupcakes because here in the United States, it's not easy for me to get my hands on the ultra-sweet and delicious Indian mangoes that these cupcakes so badly need. Try to use the puree of Alphonso mangoes (which is available at Indian stores) because this is by far the richest and most full-bodied and sweetest mango you'll ever taste, hands down. If you're lucky enough to live in India where mangoes are in season during the summer, use fresh mango puree by all means. Lucky you.
The mango buttercream for these vegan mango cupcakes is made with vegan butter (like Earth Balance) and shortening, with a dash of mango puree and trust me, one bite of this and you will feel like you've just died and gone to heaven. It's a beautiful, versatile icing and one that you can use to frost all kinds of cakes. You can leave out the frosting and still have a delicious cupcake, but why would you?
Here are the recipes for my Vegan Mango Cupcakes and Vegan Mango Buttercream Frosting. Enjoy, all!
More delicious mango recipes
Recipe card
Mango Cupcakes With Mango Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
For the Mango Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (use green cardamoms)
- 1 ½ cups mango puree
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or any neutral oil
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Mango Buttercream Frosting:
- 16 tablespoon vegan butter (like Earth Balance, softened at room temperature)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup mango puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make Mango Cupcakes:
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Mix in the green cardamom powder.
- In another bowl, beat together until well-mixed the mango puree, oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk just until you have a smooth batter. Do not overmix or overbeat.
- Divide the batter equally among 12 cups of a standard-sized muffin pan lined with cupcake liners. Smooth down the tops with the back of a spoon or spatula or you will have a lumpy top (it'll still taste delicious, though 🙂 )
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven about 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Make Mango Buttercream Frosting:
- Cream the butter with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Now add the mango puree and vanilla and half the sugar. Beat until mixed, then add the remaining sugar and beat until mixed. This should take no more than 2 minutes altogether.
- Frost the cupcakes after they've cooled completely.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Lakshmi says
Hi Vaishali,
Thanks for the very simple, yummy recipe. I made the following changes
Used whole wheat flour
Replaced white sugar with brown sugar
And used 1/3 cup applesauce and 2 tbsp oil ( instead of 1/3 cup oil).
The cupcakes turned out really great. Maybe next time will try using 1 cup wheat flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour.
I have a doubt - if baking the above recipe in 2 small pans,can I bake them together?
Lakshmi
Anonymous says
This recipe is amazing! I doubled the recipe and used a 9x13 pan to make it into a cake. It turned out very soft, moist, delicious and really changed my opinion about vegan cakes. I used less sugar as my store-bought Alphonso mango pulp was too sweet already. I received lots of compliments on the cake and will make it again. Thanks Vaishali!
- Priti
Melina says
OH MY GOD!!! These are sooooooooo yummy!!!! I've already had three (in a space of thirty minutes). I had very sweet frozen mangoes that I didn't know what to do with and I recalled bookmarking this recipe. I pureed them, but they didn't make quite enough so I used pineapple for the rest (just 1/4). Soooooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd gladly use more mango in the frosting next time! thanks so much.
AgnostiChica says
Thank you for this awesome recipe, Vaishali 🙂 I used fresh homemade mango pulp as we're still in the tail end of the mango season here in India. What a blast of flavor this was! Perfect deep gold cupcakes and no binder too. Thanks again!
Vaishali Honawar says
AgnostiChica, happy you liked them! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Sapana Behl says
Looks great!!I want to try this cake ! Can I post it with a link back of your space.
I am your new follower !
Keep blogging!
Anonymous says
Love your website. I baked these cupcakes, looked yummy.. tasted good too when i tried them hot but as soon as they cooled down ( I kept them in fridge after an hour of baking them).. they tasted bitter in the end. The bitter taste was only appearing at the very end, otherwise the initial taste was perfect.
There was no problem with the icing.
I dont know what went wrong . 🙁
Can you please suggest ?? Please help. I dont wanna go wrong next time.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hmmm, I wonder what could have caused it. In my experience there has been no bitter taste. Could it have been the mango pulp you used? I sometimes find that the canned mango has a bitter aftertaste, especially if it was sitting around in the store too long.
Anonymous says
So, my mom & I both were pretty skeptic but this turned out really good. I made mine with fresh mango instead of canned. I didn't have enough to make the icing, but next time I will be prepared! Love it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Anonymous says
Hi vaishali , is there any substitute for baking soda in this recipie ??
Im baking it right away but dont have baking soda in hand..
Vaishali Honawar says
No, you need to be precise while baking. You could leave it out but you won't get the right texture,
Anonymous says
Hey Vaishali,
What is vegetable shortening ? IS there any substitute for it ? I stay in India, hence where can i find it ?
Vaishali Honawar says
Vegetable shortening is the same as vanaspati.
Anonymous says
Holy Moly!!! I just finished eating one of these cupcakes. I am a semi-professional baker and this is one of the best cupcakes I've ever made. Why has vegan baking gotten such a bad rap over the years? These are so moist and full of mango flavor -- definitely going to become part of my home recipe rotation.
Instead of shortening, I decided to try extra virgin coconut oil which I always have on hand. I also added about 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice to the buttercream to boost the mango flavor. OMG!!! The next time I make this, I may add a bit of an acid such as non-dairy yogurt or vinegar to the batter to bring out even more mango flavor. I might have to adjust the baking powder and soda accordingly. Honestly, no adjustments are really required as the recipe stands.
It seems to me that vegan baking is much easier. This recipe came together so fast and effortlessly. Less mixing and clean up are required. Vaishali, you're right (as I'm sure you know)! Dairy and eggs really are not necessary for awesome baking. It's nice to have another perspective and open up a new world of possibilities. I love it!
Vaishali, did you ever know that you're my vegan hero? LOL! -Lisa
Vaishali Honawar says
Lisa, that is so sweet. Thank you!
Anonymous says
what is the preparation time for this? pls reply ASAP... thank you!
Vaishali says
Add about 15-20 minutes for the mixing etc. before the baking time and also add cooling time at the other end. The cooling time would vary based on where you are and the temperature in your home but let these cool thoroughly before frosting
Vaishali says
Hi Amanda, Green cardamom. As a rule of thumb, use the green cardamom for any sweet recipe, because the black cardamom is too strong-tasting. Usually that should only be used in savory curries, and that too only when it's specified. In India, the default cardamom is the green cardamom.
These instructions are for sweetened mango pulp, so yes. But if you prefer less sweet, by all means adjust to your tastebuds. You might want to check for doneness a minute or two earlier if using less sugar.
Amada_Tierra says
Hi Vaishali!
Great blog and great recipes! 😀
I have a couple of questions about the mango cupcakes:
1. Do you use black or green cardamom?
2. I've got sweetened mango pulp. Do I still need to use the same amount of sugar?
Thank you very much!! <3
Medeja says
This looks just too good not to try! I think I will be trying it really soon 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Vegan Magic says
This is tropical magic in cupcake form:) I made them a few times already and loved them to bits! Such delicate texture, moist and fluffy, and the taste divine. On one occasion I topped them with mango cream cheese frosting, they were good, but plain they are the best:) I've seen all the other amazing mango recipes on your blog, but this must be your signature dessert. Absolutely delicious and a breeze to make. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe:)
Julie {BuildSewReap} says
My baby boy will be eating one of these on his first birthday tomorrow. He's vegan and has a sensitive belly so I love the simplicity if thee, thank you!
Anonymous says
Hi Vaishali! I'm a new follower who was made a believer in your cooking style thanks to the chillas. Now I'm ready to try another recipe. I purchased the Alphonso mango puree from Patel Brothers in Hyattsville. That's generally where I go when I need ingredients for my Indian dishes. Can you recommend any other good grocers around the east side of the beltway between Silver Spring and Bowie, or thereabout? Thanks. -Lisa
Shraddha says
Hello there,
I tried your recipe today OMG awesomness... Aboslutely delish... cant even tell those r eggless...the moistness and taste were Perfect... I recently started a blog about where I share my experiences of life, cooking and baking. I have shared your recipe on my blog and my experience with the baking!!! If you want to check it out-
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying some more of your recipes.
newbie baker =)
Shraddha
Vaishali says
Shraddha, glad you liked them-- your cupcake covers are adorable. I tried leaving a message, but your spam protector seemed to be working overtime and wouldn't let me.
Anonymous says
Looks TERRIFICCCCC... How long this frosting can stay good at room temperature? .. Full day??
Vaishali says
Yes, it will be fine for a whole day at room temperature. On hot days though it might get droopy.
Amrita says
Hey Vaishali,
I have followed this recipe step by step by my cake turned out to be dense. It raised very well in oven and collapse as I took it out. It was yummy but dense.
-> I did not over beat the batter, it was still fluffy when I poured it in baking pan.
-> I baked it for 30 mins and checked, stick did not came out clean, so baked for another 7 mins.
-> I used pyrex bowls.
please suggest me what might go wrong, I love the taste and want to make this cake fluffy.
Vaishali says
Amrita, I wonder if it could have been your baking powder -- they do go bad quite easily and lose their raising power. I am guessing the pyrex bowls were larger than average cupcake tins? That would explain the added baking time you needed.
Vaishali says
Kathleen, yes, but if the strawberries are tart you might need more sugar. Also be careful about the consistency of the puree-- it shouldn't be too watery compared to the mango since that could throw off your baking time.
Happy birthday to your son! Glad he liked the mango cupcakes.
Kathleen says
Hi Vaishali! I've been scouring the Internet for eggless cake recipes since my almost two year old son has an egg allergy. We feel so bad when he's at parties and can't have any of the desserts. I made him a batch of your cupcakes and he absolutely loved them! This morning, he asked to have them for breakfast! I'm making them for his birthday party next week but also would like to make a batch of strawberry ones. Could I just substitute the mango for strawberry purée? I'll be using frozen strawberries. Thanks!
Anonymous says
GLUTEN FREE? What kind of flour would you use & what quantities for GLUTEN FREE?
FRESH MANGO? how would you use fresh mango? just chop it up? or use a blender? if so quantities please.
in stead of SUGAR? would it work to substitute? What would u suggest? and how much
would honey work? or Applesauce & honey, or agave ?
Anamika @ madcookingfusions says
Hey Vaishali, I tried your recipe for preparing Eggless Mango Cake, my kids loved it and it came out great... I will be sharing it in my space today...just wanted to drop a thank you note to you!
jan says
With this recipe I made cupcake as well as cake, so many times. Today I made with fresh Peach puree,cardamom, added extra sugar as peaches were not that sweet, it turned out very well
Amanda Bojoh says
I was just wondering how mangoy is the frosting? I've been looking for a good mango frosting to but on a different flavored cake but I really want to taste the mango!
Chitra Vivek says
I tried these cupcakes over the weekend and they were just perfect. I topped it with some cruchy Hazelnuts instead of buttercream frosting. Thanks for such a wonderful receipe.
Vaishali says
Hazelnuts would be delicious on this cake-- nice idea. Thanks for the feedback, Chitra. 🙂
Anonymous says
Hi dear, for the 1st part you listed as 1 Tsp Vanilla, is it Vanilla extract/essence? thanks hun.
Vaishali says
Always vanilla extract-- try and use the pure one. Good luck!
Preethi Sriram says
Wow, Nice recipe and eye catching representation.
Please do visit my blog and sure you'll like it.
Food Blog:
Art Blog:
veena mahesh says
hi
thanks a lot
its a wonderful recipe