These light, fluffy, and moist Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes are filled with colorful sprinkles and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. The perfect treat for birthday parties or any celebration!
Looking for even more vegan cupcake recipes? You’ll also love these Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, these Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes, and these 1 Bowl Vegan Lemon Cupcakes!
I’ve been baking cupcakes for birthday parties ever since my kids were little. From classic Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes to pinkalicious Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes, I’ve done it all.
But nothing screams “birthday party” quite like these Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes. After all, who can resist a fluffy vanilla cupcake exploding with rainbow sprinkles? 🌈
They’re 10 times better than anything you can get in a box, and they aren’t even that difficult to make. And thanks to my secret ingredient, whipped aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas), they have a lighter-than-air texture you and the kids will love. Grab your sprinkles and get baking!
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“Made these for my baby’s first birthday party and got a ‘best cupcake I’ve ever had’, so obviously a winner! Thanks Nora!” – Kelly
Why you’ll love these vegan sprinkle cupcakes
- Fun and festive! Who doesn’t love soft, fluffy cupcakes with colorful sprinkles in every bite? I’ve made these for many kids’ birthday parties, and they’re always a hit with the kids (and the adults)!
- Secret ingredient – A simple, everyday secret ingredient makes these cupcakes as moist, soft, and fluffy as my popular Vegan Vanilla Cake and my Vegan Lemon Cake.
- Better than a boxed mix – There may be a few extra steps, but that kiss of vanilla, the fun rainbow sprinkles, and their pillowy soft texture make these cupcakes so. much. better than any boxed mix.
How to make vegan funfetti cupcakes
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Pour the liquid from a can of chickpeas (the aquafaba) into a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until foamy.
Aquafaba 101
Canned chickpea brine (aquafaba) is the best vegan egg white substitute and the secret to baking bakery-style cakes and cupcakes.
For this recipe, whip the liquid for 1 to 2 minutes or until it’s light and foamy. Measure 6 tablespoons of the white foam for the cupcake batter, then save the rest in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! It’s perfect for making Eggless Brownies and Vegan Meringues.
Next, combine the milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup. Set it aside to curdle.
Beat the softened vegan butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until creamy and fluffy.
Add 6 tablespoons of whipped aquafaba and the vanilla to the bowl with the butter-sugar mixture, then mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients and gently mix until they’re just incorporated. Slowly pour in the vegan buttermilk and mix again until combined.
Lastly, use a spatula to gently fold the sprinkles into the batter.
Fill the cupcake liners with the funfetti batter and bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set them aside to cool.
Meanwhile, make a batch of my Vanilla Vegan Buttercream Frosting or my Vegan Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, then decorate with more sprinkles. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
You can replace the aquafaba with two flax eggs (2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds mixed with 5 tablespoons of water), but keep in mind they will make the cupcakes dense rather than light and fluffy.
Replace the cake flour with a quality all-purpose gluten-free flour, like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour or Better Batter.
Just to be on the safe side, I always use rainbow sprinkles or birthday party sprinkles that are labeled “vegan-friendly.” I buy mine from Sweetapolita, but you can also find some at Whole Foods.
Yes, but your cupcakes won’t be as soft or fluffy. Instead, you can easily make your own DIY cake flour! Measure 2 cups of AP flour, then scoop out 4 tablespoons. Replace them with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, then sift the mixture together.
I’m sure you could bake the cupcake batter in two round 8- or 9-inch cake pans instead, but I haven’t tested it. For the best results, stick with my Vegan Funfetti Cake recipe.
The cupcakes should last for about 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Or, store them in the fridge to keep them fresh for about 5 days.
They do! Store the baked and unfrosted cupcakes in a sealed freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before frosting and serving.
Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
Funfetti Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba *measured AFTER whipping
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk or other plant milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups cake flour*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles, plus a few tablespoons for topping
- 1 Recipe Vanilla Vegan Frosting
Instructions
Funfetti Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Spray inside the liners with oil, to prevent cupcakes from sticking.
- Prepare aquafaba: Add the liquid from a can of chickpeas to a small-medium bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until foamy, about 1-2 minutes. It doesn't have to have stiff peaks, but it should be quite foamy. This is your egg replacement. When ready to use, you will measure 6 tablespoons of the foamy white part.
- Make vegan buttermilk: Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl and stir a little. Set aside to curdle for a few minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened vegan butter and sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until creamed together, about 2 minutes.
- Now add in the 6 tablespoons whipped aquafaba and vanilla. Mix on medium speed again until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop the mixer for a moment and add the dry ingredients in this order: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix on low speed until just incorporated, then slowly pour in the milk/vinegar mixture, and continue to mix until smooth and well combined. Fold in 1/2 cup of sprinkles gently with a spoon.
- Fill the liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Completely cool the cupcakes before frosting.
- Frost generously with Vanilla Vegan Frosting. Top with more sprinkles.
Notes
- If needed, you can substitute softened coconut oil instead of vegan butter.
- You can substitute all purpose flour for the cake flour if you must, but cake flour will yield fluffier/softer results.
- For gluten free, use a quality gluten free flour mix, NOT almond flour. It will not work.
- Sweetapolita is probably my favorite place to order vegan sprinkles. Whole Foods also has vegan sprinkles. Some other brands are vegan friendly as well.
Hi, can I use white vinegar instead of ACV? Or lemon juice? Thanks
Yes, either would be fine.
These were easy to make and so good! Thank you!
You’re so welcome!! I’m so glad they were good!
Made these for my daughter-in-love’s birthday and they were a hit. Brought back youthful memories and had a great taste and texture. Will definitely make again.
So glad to hear that!
Absolutely Amazing! These did not last long in our house! Your recipes are always fantastic. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I’m excited to make these for my daughter’s 3rd birthday this weekend! I’ve never used Aquafaba but ordered the powder online. Am I able to use that rather than the canned liquid? If so, do I still need to whip it or just measure once I mix the powder in water?
Thanks!!
I didn’t even know aquafaba powder existed! That’s cool. I would follow whatever the package says, hopefully it works the same way. I’m really not sure as I’ve never tried it.
Nora, you’ve done it again! Your recipes are fantastic! I made this with my kids last night and we are loved them!! You’re amazing. Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
can i use coconut oil to make these cupcakes? making them for a vegan friend this sunday and wanted to make sure those were okay!! very excited to bake!!
Yes, coconut oil should work quite well. Enjoy!
Good strong recipe. I have a few notes which people may find helpful. The aquafaba/chickpea liquid should be fairly stiff, with little to no liquid left. I found that scraping down the beaters and the bowl frequently got all the bits of curdled milk and flour to incorporate really well. I also found it can’t be over beaten, the longer you beat the foamier and lighter they will bake up. My oven may need to be calibrated but it took a full 5 minutes longer than the recommended bake time. All that being said, my vegan niece got these in a care package at college and she loved them!
If I’m opening a can of chickpeas today but don’t want to make the cupcakes until a couple days later, will the juice save in a sealed container?
Yes, it will save for a couple of days no problem. I do this all the time.
Hi,
Can I replace the chickpea juice for apple sauce?
What about the butter, can I replace it with oil?
Hi there! I think applesauce would be an okay substitute for the aquafaba, but it will affect the flavor and texture a bit. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but I think subbing oil would be okay! Thanks.
How many cupcakes does your recipe yield?
I got about 18 cupcakes from this recipe.
Hi Nora
Could you use this recipe for a bundt cake?
Hmmm I’m not sure as I’ve never tried it! It would probably work though!
Hi, can you suggest an alternative to the almond milk?
Sure, any non-dairy milk will work here. Soy, cashew, coconut, hemp, etc. Thanks!
Can I turn this recipe into cake instead of cupcakes? If so, what should I set the oven to instead?? Thanks in advanced!
I have a recipe for vegan funfetti cupcakes if you want to try it: https://www.noracooks.com/funfetti-vegan-cupcakes/
Delicious! I did half granulated sugar and half coconut sugar, which definitely made them less aesthetically pleasing, but they’re still very good. I’ll definitely be making them again, and I think next time I’ll try coconut oil instead of butter.
I did have one question, maybe it’s obvious, but I need very specific instructions. Lol! When adding the aquafaba, am I supposed to add tablespoons of the foamy part or the liquid below? I did about half of each because I wasn’t sure. They still turned out great, but I’d like to know for next time!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! So for the aquafaba, I try to use mostly the foamy part. Ideally, it will all be quite foamy in the bowl. But a little of the liquid is fine in the measurement. Thank you!
Hi! These sound perfect for my son who is anaphylactic to dairy, eggs, and nuts. However, we also suspect a sensitivity to peas. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute for the aquafaba?
Hi Ashley! Yes, you can omit the aquafaba and increase the non-dairy milk to 1 1/4 cup. They will turn out just fine this way. I really hope your son can enjoy these cupcakes! Thanks.
Just discovered your site and I am THRILLED! Question about the flour — would I be able to use Oat flour instead?
I’m so glad! Unfortunately, I don’t think oat flour would work too well here. Whole wheat pastry flour would work pretty well, or even a gluten free flour mix. Thank you! Hope you find many recipes to enjoy!
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe. My toddler has an egg allergy and it has been a struggle to find egg-free recipes for baked goods that don’t feel like you’re sacrificing quality. I’ve tried so many different substitutes and they’re all so unpredictable. I’ve experimented with aquafaba, but never had much success with it in other recipes. But THIS CAKE, this cake has made me a believer in baking once more. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This cake turned out beautifully, and with the most perfect light and moist crumb. It helped us celebrate a family birthday and I am so grateful I could serve this to everyone.
My ultimate go-to recipe for my little possum who is dairy, egg and soy free. YUMMY!!!!!
Aw that’s so great! My little ones love these cupcakes, too! 🙂
Hey! Your recipe sounds great and super easy! I am going to try to make these for my daughter’s class because one child is vegan and another allergic to dairy! I don’t have apple cider vinegar, can I substitute lemon juice? Also, can I make ahead, un-iced, freeze them then take out the night before and frost?
Hi there! Yes, you can sub lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar. And you could freeze them, yes. Enjoy!
Instead of using aquafaba, can I use flax seeds as a binder to replace eggs?
You could, but they will be a bit different. Aquafaba makes them light, fluffy and moist. Flax seeds make them a bit denser and less fluffy. It will work though. I would make flax eggs. For this recipe, replace the aquafaba with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds mixed with 5 tablespoons water.
Can you make a cake with the recipe instead of cupcakes?
You could, yes. I would double the recipe for a double layer cake, baked in 2 9-inch pans. You will also need to bake it for longer, more like 35-40 minutes, just watch to make sure it’s set on top and test with a toothpick.
I’m testing these out for my sons 2nd birthday. I used coconut palm sugar and searched 4 different stores for vegan sprinkles – I ultimately found some although they are the round kind it still worked out…..1 issue I’m having. My buttercream frosting. Seemed perfect but after it sat for a few minutes it started to melt and separate….my cupcakes were at room temp. I even placed them in the fridge and it’s separating still ?
Hi Paige! Sorry I didn’t see this to help sooner! Sometimes I don’t get to the comments for a few days. For Vegan Sprinkles, this is a good place to get beautiful ones (in the future, glad you were able to find some!): Sweetapolita. So about the frosting, I’m so sorry it started to melt! I have not had that problem. What brand of vegan butter did you use? I always use earth balance brand, sticks work the best. It sounds like maybe your vegan butter got too soft, it should be just softened to room temperature. Also, if it was warm in the room, it’s possible they could melt. But I’m thinking the problem may be the brand of butter, or it was too warm when you started. I’m sorry, it’s kind of hard to tell without being right there with you in the kitchen!
Do you measure the aquafaba before or after you whip it? Also, how did you measure your flour? I just made this and the top of the cupcakes don’t look quite the same as yours.. they have tiny holes or bubbles so I feel like I did something wrong but they were still delicious. What I did was measure the aquafaba before whipping and measured the flour by gently scooping it with a spoon into the measuring cup and leveling of with a knife. Love your recipes by the way.
Hmm interesting! I’m glad they still tasted good! So, I measured the aquafaba AFTER I whipped it, because I found it easier to do so. Perhaps I should clarify that in the recipe! It sounds like maybe they were a little more “wet” than mine, so maybe that was the problem. It’s really no worry; I tested it 3 times and even the wetter versions were delicious, they just tend to fall apart easier and with kids I didn’t want that! I hope that helps, and thank you! 🙂
It really would help if you clarified that in the recipe. I have made these once and used 6 tbs prior to whipping. Now that I am about to make them again, I see I should have measured after. But I would not have known that unless I browsed the comments.
Thanks Ashley, I have just clarified this in the instructions. I appreciate the comment, and I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
I need dairy free for my baby, but eggs are okay for us. If I use egg whites instead of the pea juice, how many whites would it be and would it change anything else in the recipe? My husband will tolerate dairy substitutes but said no to the pea juice. Lol
No worries! 🙂 You would replace it with 3 egg whites (2 tablespoons chickpea juice = 1 egg white). Enjoy!
Yum!! They look perfect! Nicely done (:
Thanks so much!