These scrumptious vegan vanilla cupcakes are soft as a cloud and topped with gobs of ultra-creamy vegan vanilla buttercream.
Everyone needs a great vanilla cupcake recipe for dessert with family and friends, birthday parties, PTA meetings or just because. Here's the ultimate vegan vanilla cupcake recipe to wow everyone you serve it to (although you might want to keep them all for yourself!).
These vegan cupcakes really are scrumptious. They are soft and delicious with the perfect amount of vanilla in each bite. The buttercream is so smooth, so creamy, and it complements the tender cake perfectly.
The recipe makes a perfect dozen, although you can double or even triple it for larger crowds. Happy baking!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious cupcakes! Who can resist a cupcake, and these vegan vanilla cupcakes just have it all. They have the perfect vanilla flavor and the smooth vanilla buttercream makes them all the more irresistible.
- Easy to make. This vegan vanilla cupcake recipe is ultra simple. The batter comes together in minutes and the vegan vanilla buttercream is just as easy. All you need to pull off this recipe are pantry ingredients.
- Kids and adults will love them. The recipe is soy-free and nut-free, so most people can eat them!
Ingredients
- Unbleached all purpose flour. No need to sift the flour, but be careful and measure out exact amounts.
- Cornstarch. You can use tapioca starch as a substitute.
- Leavening. Baking powder and baking soda.
- Sugar. You can use any sugar of choice although if you want to maintain the white color of the cupcakes you should choose granulated white sugar. Unrefined sugar can add a brown color to the cupcakes.
- Vegan yogurt. I use my cultured vegan cashew yogurt. Use any vegan yogurt of your choice.
- Non-dairy milk. Use any dairy-free milk, including oat milk, cashew milk, almond milk or soy milk.
- Neutral oil. I use avocado oil for most of my baking. You can use any neutral vegetable oil, including grape seed oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil.
- Pure vanilla extract. This is the only flavoring ingredient in these vanilla cupcakes, so make sure you use the real thing.
- Apple cider vinegar. Just a tiny bit to help activate the baking soda and give the cupcakes added tenderness. The yogurt also helps with this so you can leave out the vinegar if you don't have any.
- Vegan butter sticks. Make sure these are at room temperature when you begin making the frosting.
- Non-dairy heavy cream or creamer. This is for making the frosting extra-smooth. You can also use non-dairy milk.
- Powdered sugar. The amount you will use might vary depending on your tastebuds. I don't like the frosting overly sweet so I use about three cups in my recipe. You can add up to four or even five cups if you have a very sweet tooth.
How to make vegan vanilla cupcakes
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.
2. In another bowl whisk the vegan yogurt with non-dairy milk, oil, sugar, pure vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar, if using.
3. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. Mix with a spatula just until you have a smooth batter.
5. Prepare a cupcake pan by lining it with paper cupcake liners. Divide the batter equally among the 12 cupcake tins.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 22 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside on a wire rack to cool thoroughly before frosting.
7. Place the vegan butter sticks, vanilla and a cup of powdered sugar in a bowl.
8. Beat with an electric hand mixed until all the sugar has incorporated and the buttercream is fluffy. Continue adding sugar, half a cup at a time, and beating it in for a few seconds each time until incorporated.
9. Once you've added all the sugar, mix in the vegan cream or milk. Beat once more until very smooth and creamy.
10. Use a wooden ladle to mix the buttercream and get any air bubbles out.
11. Frost the cupcakes and dig in! You can scatter some rainbow sprinkles or chocolate sprinkles over the frosting for a bit of color.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I've paired this vanilla buttercream with my vegan chocolate cupcakes and vegan carrot cake cupcakes, and it is amazing with those. You can also use it to frost vegan cinnamon buns or vegan cakes, like this vegan chocolate cake and vegan white chocolate raspberry cake.
To bake these vanilla cupcakes with a sweetener like stevia or erythritol, follow directions for substitution amounts and add ½ cup more nondairy milk to the cupcake batter. For the frosting just replace the sugar with the sweetener. Add more milk only if the frosting feels too stiff.
I use three cups of powdered sugar in this frosting, which is on the low side; most cupcake frostings have four or even five cups of powdered sugar in the frosting. So yes, you can add more sugar to the frosting if you like it very sweet. I find that three cups works perfectly for me.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Place the frosted cupcakes side by side in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freeze: Store the frosted cupcakes side by side in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw completely before eating.
More yummy vegan cake recipes
If you love these vegan vanilla cupcakes, check out more vegan dessert recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Equipment
- Bowls
- 12-cup cupcake pan
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Dry ingredients for cupcakes
- 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- ½ cup non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
- ½ cup neutral oil (I used avocado oil)
Ingredients for vegan buttercream frosting
- 2 sticks vegan butter (16 tablespoons or 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons vegan cream (or nondairy milk. Cream will yield a creamier frosting)
Instructions
Make cupcakes
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.
- In another bowl whisk the vegan yogurt with the non-dairy milk, oil, sugar, pure vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar, if using.
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Mix with a spatula just until you have a smooth batter.
- Divide the batter equally among 12 cupcake tins.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit/175 degree Celsius oven for 22 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside on a wire rack to cool thoroughly before frosting.
Make vegan buttercream frosting
- Place the vegan butter sticks, vanilla and a cup of powdered sugar in a bowl.
- Beat with an electric beater until all the sugar has incorporated and the buttercream is fluffy. Continue adding sugar, half a cup at a time, and beating it in for a few seconds each time until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula frequently.
- Once you've added all the sugar, mix in the vegan cream or milk. Beat once more until very smooth and creamy.
- Use a wooden ladle to mix the buttercream and get any air bubbles out.
- Frost the cupcakes and serve!
Recipe notes
- To bake these vanilla cupcakes with a sweetener like stevia or erythritol, follow directions for substitution amounts and add ½ cup more nondairy milk to the cupcake batter. For the frosting just replace the sugar with the sweetener. Add more milk only if the frosting feels too stiff.
- I use three cups of powdered sugar in this frosting, which is on the low side; most cupcake frostings have four or even five cups of powdered sugar in the frosting. So yes, you can add more sugar to the frosting if you like it very sweet. I find that three cups works perfectly for me.
- Refrigerate: Place the frosted cupcakes side by side in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freeze: Store the frosted cupcakes side by side in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw completely before eating.
Vaishali
Prajna, use 2 tbsp of cornstarch and reduce 1 tbsp of flour from the recipe. That should help. Let me know how it goes.
Prajna
I am unable to find Egg replacer powder, can you suggest a different alternative?
Asha
Perfectly smooth icing on the cup cakes, looks delicious. Enjoy! :))
TBC
I love the addition of balsamic vinegar. It's such a nice touch.
Your cupcakes look gorgeous! It must have been such a nice treat for your husband.:)
Rajani
hi vaishali i am really curious about using cornflour in cakes? i don't know where to get egg replacer powder, it maybe available but because cornflour is more widely available i will be more interested in using it.the cupcakes do look very nice.i noticed you have some more vegan cupcake recipes up i'll be back for some.
Curry Leaf
Belated Birthday wishes to your hubby.I am yet to try energ.These are perfect and love the balsamic touch you have added.I am yet to make choc cupcakes.
Vaishali
Karma, LG, Thanks ladies.
Madhuram, Thanks. About the vinegar-soy milk question, I use only about a tsp of vinegar to about a cup of soy/almond milk, and usually go with balsamic or apple cider which taste less acidic and are less harsh-smelling, in my opinion, than regular vinegar. As for the almond/soy-milk question, I just use what I have on hand and I don't see any discernible difference in the final results.
Vij, Thanks very much: that's really kind of you.
Vibaas, Cham, Shreya, Priya, Sunshinemom, Happy, Gita, Vidhas, Soma: Thanks very much!
Chitra, Thanks, and welcome!
Chitra
Oh,fantastic cup cakes!!Want to taste it now:)do visit my blog at ur free time:)will feel happy..
Soma
Happy Birthda! . & what lovely cupcakes, esp. becoz. its right from the heart:-)
vidhas
Looks awesome and i have grabbed one for me 😉
Gita's Kitchen
The cupcakes look gorgeous, chocolate ganache frosting, yum!
Happy cook
You do make such fabulous vegan cakes and this one just looks super delicious.
Sunshinemom
The ganache looks too good to be left on screen!! I am sure one cupcake was happy about the other:)
Priya
Gorgeous Cupcakes..love the delicious frosting over them...
Shreya
hi Vaishali, they are so beautiful. Such a lovely birthday gift, belated wishes to Desi! Perfect entries for the events:-)
Cham
I baked some vanilla cupcake yest but not vegan , it love ur gorgeous frosting!
Vibaas
they look so pretty 🙂
Vij
Tempting cupcakes!
Trail back girlie! i have somethin for ya in my blog.
Madhuram
My oh my! I'm going to try these ASAP. Last week I tried 2 vegan vanilla cake recipes and I was not at all satisfied. For one I was able to smell vinegar and soy milk and it was gooey.
Vaishali have you experienced this gooey thing with soy milk? I have not baked with almond milk. Is it preferable than soy?
Thank you very much for the sweet entry.
LG
Oh my! those cup cakes look gorgeous
DJ Karma
I really want a cupcake right now!! 🙂