These Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes are ultra-moist, oh-so-decadent, and decorated with luscious chocolate buttercream frosting. Quick, easy, and made in 1 bowl!
Looking for more classic vegan cupcake recipes? You’ll also love my Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes, my Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes, and my Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes.
Get ready to try the best chocolate cupcakes you’ve ever tasted! My Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and don’t skimp on the chocolate. No one will ever guess they’re vegan.
I adapted this recipe from my ridiculously popular Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe. With over 2,000 reader reviews, that cake is my go-to whenever I need to impress a crowd—and in cupcake form, it’s even easier to share with friends and family at birthday parties, holidays, or as a sweet weekend treat.
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“These cupcakes are amazing, so delicious – I think my husband’s soul almost left his body when he taste-tested one for me.” – Kelly
Why these are the best vegan chocolate cupcakes
- Adapted from a fan-favorite – I made these cupcakes almost the same way as my famous New York Times-featured Vegan Chocolate Cake, so you already know they’re amazing.
- Decadent & moist – The ultimate treat for chocolate lovers—moist, fluffy, light, and topped with a mouthwatering chocolate frosting.
- Easy 1-bowl dessert – This recipe makes a small batch of about 12 cupcakes. The batter is easy to make in one bowl with just a whisk and a spoon (no hand mixer needed).
How to make vegan chocolate cupcakes
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, and milk/vinegar mixture to the bowl with the mixed dry ingredients. Stir gently to combine.
Divide the cupcake batter between the cupcake liners. Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Set the cupcakes aside to cool while you make a batch of my Vegan Chocolate Frosting, my Vegan Chocolate Ganache, or this Vegan Whipped Cream.
Pipe or spread the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes, then serve and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, this recipe makes enough batter for one 8-inch square cake or one 9-inch round cake. If you want more, I’d suggest just making the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake instead.
If you use this recipe to make a cake, bake it for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
Sure! Use a mini cupcake/muffin pan with liners or grease the pan well. Fill the cups half full and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
It’s normal for these cupcakes to sink a little bit after coming out of the oven. I don’t mind—I just cover the tops with frosting anyway!
If they sank more than expected, it’s likely because the measurements were slightly off, the humidity where you live, and/or other small, finicky things. You can try adding a few extra tablespoons of flour if you really want domed tops, but I’d rather have moist cupcakes than dry, dome-topped cupcakes.
Use an equal amount of mashed banana or vegan yogurt as a substitute. 1 flax egg or another vegan egg replacer will also work.
Sure. For gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes, use gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
I wouldn’t make them too far in advance, but a day or two should be fine (they’ll start to dry out if they sit too long). Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature before frosting and serving.
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter softened
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: In a glass measuring cup, combine the unsweetened soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes to curdle (this is your vegan buttermilk).
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients and Mix Batter: To the bowl with the dry ingredients, add the vegetable oil, applesauce, vanilla, and vegan buttermilk. Stir with a large spoon until well-combined, but do not over mix.
- Bake Cupcakes: Fill the liners about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean with no wet batter. Avoid opening the oven as they bake, or they may deflate.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
- Make Chocolate Frosting: Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer), beat the vegan butter until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Sift in the cocoa powder and 2 cups of the powdered sugar, if clumpy. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of milk, and start mixing on low speed, then increasing to high and beat for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if it seems too runny, or a little more milk if it's too thick.
- Decorate and Serve: Use a piping bag and tip to pipe frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, or simply spread frosting on thick using a butter knife. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten-Free: Substitute a quality gluten-free flour mix, such as King Arthur’s or Bob’s Red Mill.
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Mini-Cupcakes: Use a mini muffin pan and liners, fill half full, and bake for 10-12 minutes.
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This recipe can also be used for an 8-inch square single cake, or 9-inch round cake. Bake for around 30 minutes.
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If you only want a little frosting on each cupcake, you may cut the frosting recipe ingredients in half.
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Storage: Store leftover cupcakes in a container on the counter for around 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze them for longer.
These were so light, chocolately, moist and delicious! I know this will be in my frequent rotation for baking. I was careful to not over mix and they were seriously fluffy ? Thank you for all the incredible recipes you provide here!
Every time I bake these cupcakes I get rave reviews. The best part is that the recipe is so simple!
Thanks for sharing your review, Suzanne! I love simple and delicious!
Hi my cupcakes were hard on the top…and I was wondering why? I made sure I had the correct measurements, so can you please tell me what i can do to take away the hardness??? Thank you!!!??
If they were hard you probably just baked them too long. Also make sure you don’t fill the cups more than half full and bake in the center rack of your oven for even baking. Hope that helps!
I’ve made these 2 weeks in a row for family birthdays..last week topped with your icing, caramel dollop and diced pecans. Today, your icing with sliced almonds on some, a tiny peppermint patty on some and sand sugar metallic colors on some.
DELECTABLE, so easy to make!!
I substituted unsweetened, plain, soy yogurt for egg.
Both times my recipe yielded a thick batter. ???
Hi Shannon. I’m glad the cupcakes have turned out delicious for your birthday events! Thank you for sharing!
I found these were really rich, moist and delicious – just like the chocolate cake recipe which I love! But I think I prefer the chocolate cake form rather than as cupcakes. I found these fell apart really easily when taking them out of the cupcake liners which made them difficult to eat.
I followed the recipe almost exactly but found I had to add a splash more soy milk at the end because the batter was really thick and nothing like the pic – so maybe that had some effect?
Still really good though!
Hi Stephy. I wonder is something went wrong when making them, because the batter here is quite runny and similar to the cake. Are you sure you measured everything correctly and didn’t make any substitutions? The cupcakes taste almost identical to my cake recipe, but they are a bit more sturdy.
We made these tonight and they were hella good! Used coconut milk instead of soy, not sure if it curdled but it worked fine. Also used pumpkin purée instead of applesauce. We also used cannabis infused oil. The batter was definitely hella thick so we added a few splashes of almond milk to thin it out. Made a chocolate PB frosting & topped with a fresh raspberry. Loved this straight forward recipe and they came out simply amazing >:)
Hi KJ. Thanks for sharing your delicious ideas! I’m so glad the chocolate cupcakes worked out for you. Thank you!
Absolutely love these cupcakes, they are delicious! Nobody can tell they aren’t Vegan which is great for all my non-vegan friends.
Question – If I wanted to make these more of a mocha taste, would I just substitute the soy milk for brewed coffee? Or maybe even just add in some instant coffee. What are your thoughts? Thanks so much
I would add in some instant coffee for flavor. Thanks, glad you enjoy them!
I absolutely LOVE these vegan cupcakes! I am the only vegan in my family and make these and your delicious chocolate cake for all our birthdays. It is my kid’s favourite chocolate cupcake/cake. You really are a genius! Thanks so much!
Aw thank you so much!
Excellent
Your recipes are wonderful I started vegan 40 days ago my son told about your sit because his son is allergic to so many things I love the site
That’s so great! Thanks so much!
Cupcakes are delicious.. But I have no idea what’s going on, I’m following your recipe as is, but when my cupcakes comes out of the oven, they sink.. Have any idea of what I’m doing wrong??
Make sure you are measuring the flour correctly, as well as checking to make sure they are done before taking them out of the oven.
My cupcakes have done the same thing all 3 times I have made this recipe. I love everything about it except I can’t seem to get the cupcakes to not sink.
I wanted to double check what you thought would cause that, too little flour or too much? I substituted King Arthur GF flour each time and I do not pack the flour but scoop it out of the bag with a spoon and then into the measuring cup gently. Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Colleen. While a gluten free mix works, it may be the issue here with sinking cupcakes. I might try to add a bit more flour, cupcakes sink from too little flour often. You might also try making my Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, but as cupcakes. I adjusted the recipe to be much better for gluten free. Hope that helps! Your measuring sounds accurate, but after scooping the flour I level it off with a knife.
Hi Nora! I’ve used so many of your recipes and love them all, except I have tried this recipe with gluten free flour (one you recommended) FOUR TIMES, and every single time if collapses. I tried different cocoa powder, I bought new powder and soda, I didn’t over mix. I don’t know what else the problem is! Please help!!
Perhaps try adding just a little more gluten free flour, like 1/4 cup. But if it just sinks a little in the middle, that’s not really a big deal as long as it still tastes good!
Can I use self rising flour?
I haven’t tried it but it would probably work.
Hi! In the past when baking, I’ve used an equal amount of water instead of milk (even when I used to use dairy milk) sometimes. I haven’t really had issues with that, and I think for vegan recipes it works especially well because alternative milks are mostly water anyway, so it doesn’t make a huge diference in terms of richness. but in this recipe, I realize that the milk is supposed to act as a buttermilk because of the vinegar. so, do you think it would be ok to use water substituted for the milk (and still adding in the vinegar)? or do you think it would change the results? I love all your recipes and don’t want to tweak things too much if it wont work.
It’s hard to say as I haven’t tested it, but I don’t think it will work the same at all using water and vinegar. The vinegar won’t curdle the water. That said, to use only water if you need to might not ruin the cupcakes, but I don’t think they will be as good. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora! I finally got around to baking these! and I did end up using water instead of milk and it worked. Unfortunately I didn’t have applesauce either, so I used a flax egg in its place but that also worked. I wanted to compare your recipe to another one, so I only made a very small batch but those substitutions worked out! I then made a batch of Depression/crazy/wacky chocolate cupcakes and had my family test to see which one they liked more. Everyone liked your recipe more, as they were more chocolatey. Also when I made them, the centers were a tad flatter, but I don’t think that has to do with the substitutions but overmixing the batter.
I would leave a rating, but again I only made a small batch and made substitutions, so I don’t know if it be accurate/fair. Overall I can definitely see myself making these again, possibly the cake version and not cupcake, and will hopefully have all the ingredients then!
I wanted Ron make this recipe but I don’t get applesauce anywhere in my area. I live in India. Is there any substitute I could use instead of applesauce ?
A couple of flax eggs would probably work instead. Or some sort of yogurt, mashed banana even.
Your vegan chocolate cake calls for hot water, why doesn’t your cupcake recipe?
You certainly can make the cake recipe into cupcakes, they will just be quite delicate and moist. I wanted a cupcake recipe that was still moist, but a little more sturdy. They rise better as cupcakes this way as well. I do a ton of recipe testing, so this is what I found worked best for the cupcakes. 🙂
I just made both recipes last night (used the chocolate cake recipes as cupcake) and I must say Nora is right on the money. The flavor and moisture level of both cupcakes is perfect, and leaving out the water gives you a much more structurally sound cupcake.
I took a pic of both after 24 hours, and the cupcake made from the cake recipe could not hold the weight of the frosting and collapsed. Stick to this recipe for cupcakes – works perfectly and the same flavor!
Thanks so much for the great comment!!
I substituted a Gluten Free flour which I blend myself and they turned out GREAT!!!! Everything else I kept the same.
I made these tonight. Subbed coconut oil for canola as canola is very unhealthy. Cut the sugar to 1/4 cup as I felt 3/4 was too much. I reduced apple sauce and oil content but I found the batter too thick so I added in the reduced amount. It was still thick batter so I added oat milk until the texture was thinner (not quite like your picture, but definitely not thick). The cake portion is perfect for my taste. And very moist. But it only made 8 cupcakes. I topped with your frosting which I used only 1/2 cup of vegan butter and 2 cups powdered sugar with 1/3 cup of unsweetened Dutch cocoa and 1 tsp vanilla. I found it plenty sweet but I’m not a fan of overly sweet. I prefer a more rich flavor. Thanks for the recipe. I will say your chocolate cake recipe is better imo. I might make that next time and try to turn it into cupcakes! ?
Also, you have become my go-to website for vegan baked good recipes. So thanks for that!
You’re welcome!
I just had to leave a review because these cupcakes are addicting!! I love this recipe, definitely making these again. Although I was weary to try because I did not have baking soda (lol) only baking powder they still turned out great!
Glad you love them!
Hi!
I made these cupcakes, and the taste was SO good!
I had one problem: they fell apart really easily, almost in to crumbles.
Any idea what i could do to fix that?
Thank you!
I’m not sure why your cupcakes fell apart, that is a bit strange. My best tips would be to NOT over mix the batter, and lightly spray the cupcake liners with oil. If they were a bit too moist, you can add a few extra tablespoons of flour, but it will make them drier.
My daughter has egg allergy so I tried your recipe for her school birthday party. I made them into mini cupcakes. It tastes so great and it is moist. The only problem is that when I tried to get it out of the paper, it crumbles- wondering if more apple sauce would help. Any advice?
I don’t think more applesauce would help, no. Simply spray the inside of the liners with oil next time and they will come right off. 🙂
Thank you soooooooo much for sharing your Vegan ? recipes!!! OMG these cupcakes are AH-MAZING!!! My tastebuds went CRAZY when I took my first bite. My parents LOVED them and my Mom can’t have dairy so she is ecstatic about my newfound interest in Veganism lol.
Wow, that’s fantastic! Thanks so much for the comment!
Hi
Could I substitute all purpose flour with almond flour?
Any hint or tips using almond or oat flour ?
Thanks
No, almond flour can not be substituted here. Oat flour might work, but I’m not sure. Almond flour does not work the same way, it doesn’t absorb liquid the same so you will have cupcakes that never bake fully.
Absolutely delicious and easy to make. Made these for my husband’s birthday and he absolutely loves them. I did substitute the canola oil with vegan butter. I used a different vegan frosting that didnt call for powdered sugar. I will make them again for sure.
So glad you liked it!
My son allergic to egg so I used this recipe for his birthday. They were delicious! I received multiple comments that they were the best cupcakes people had ever tasted. I substituted almond milk for soy.
Wow, what a great comment! I’m glad they turned out great for your son’s birthday!
Omg I’ve made these so many times and they are truly amazing! One thing I always do though is swap the apple sauce for coconut yogurt… different but one day it was all I had on hand and wow… makes these even more fudgey and yummy. Thank you so much!! This is my go-to.
Hi there- I actually made your “Best Vegan Chocolate Cake” recipe and baked them as cupcakes. Since I needed a lot of cupcakes I went with that one instead of this cupcake recipe. While they were moist and delicious they stuck a lot to the wrappers. I noticed this cupcake specific version omits the boiling water, and wanted to ask about that. Do you think the lower water content of this version would solve the sticking issue or do you think I should’ve sprayed the cupcake liners? Thanks and I really love your site! Great work.
These are soooo good! My daughter made them today and we just enjoyed one after dinner. I also bought your ebook and it is also amazing! I have been vegan for quite a few years, but I felt I was in a cooking rut. The menus in the ebook are all organized and ready for a months worth of meals.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, and thank you for buying my ebook! I’m so happy it is helpful.