The best Vegan Coffee Cake ever, and it’s SO easy to make! Perfect for holiday celebrations or weekend breakfasts.
Along with my 1 Hour Vegan Cinnamon Rolls and Vegan French Toast Casserole, this Vegan Coffee Cake should be at the top of your list to make for holiday mornings!
It’s such an easy recipe with no fuss at all! It’s moist, fluffy and full of cinnamon streusel goodness.
How to make vegan coffee cake
The full recipe is at the bottom of the post, but let me show you how easy it is.
- Make the coffee cake batter, and pour half into a lightly greased cake pan. It doesn’t have to be exactly half, just estimate half.
- Make the streusel (it’s just combining cinnamon and brown sugar). Sprinkle half of it on the batter, then pour the rest of the cake batter on top. It won’t cover the streusel completely, and that’s okay.
- Sprinkle the rest of the streusel on top.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted vegan butter on top of the streusel, then bake for 40-45 minutes.
That’s it! The vegan butter may still look wet, but it will get crunchy with the brown sugar/cinnamon in just a couple of minutes of cooling. Serve warm with a cup of coffee!
Special Tips & Substitutions
- This recipe makes a lot (about 16 servings) so if you don’t want that much, cut the ingredients in half and make it in an 8 x 8 inch pan.
- Oil free option: Replace the oil with applesauce in the cake, and leave out the vegan butter drizzle.
- Whole grain: Use white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour.
- Gluten free: Use a quality gluten free all purpose flour blend.
Want more vegan holiday breakfast ideas?
- 1 Hour Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Caramel Monkey Bread
- Vegan Blueberry Scones
- Easy Vegan Quiche
- Vegan French Toast Casserole
- Cinnamon Sugar Vegan Donuts
- Best Ever Vegan Waffles
Vegan Coffee Cake
The best Vegan Coffee Cake ever, and it’s SO easy to make! Perfect for holiday celebrations or weekend breakfasts.
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil OR melted coconut or avocado oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For drizzling on top
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
- Combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir a little, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar with a large spoon until well combined.
- To the bowl with the dry ingredients, pour in the milk/vinegar mixture, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour half of the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Make the Cinnamon Streusel: In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon streusel over the batter in the pan, then pour the rest of the cake batter on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the streusel.
- Drizzle with melted vegan butter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The vegan butter may still look wet in places, but it will harden as it cools and add a nice crunch to the cake.
- Serve with a cup of coffee, if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- May substitute a different milk such as coconut, almond, cashew or oat milk.
- This recipe makes enough for a crowd, so feel free to cut the ingredients in half and make it in a 8 x 8 inch pan if you'd like.
- Oil free: I don't think it tastes great with no oil at all, but if you must you could use all applesauce in place of the oil, and leave out the vegan butter drizzle on top.
- Gluten free: I haven't tried it, but I think a quality gluten free all purpose flour should work quite well. Simply subbing almond or coconut flour will not work.
Nutrition
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 106IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Hi, I’m new to cake making but just wanted to ask why isn’t there any coffee in it. As I love coffee cake. 😅
Coffee cake does not usually contain coffee, it is supposed to be enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee.
Absolutely hit the spot this morning! Thank you for a great recipe and clear directions – I halved the recipe and it is perfect. I bet it’ll be even better this afternoon with a hot cuppa by the fire. Thank you!
This is my FAVE coffee cake. I make it for our Christmas brunch every year!
Hi Nora, I’ve made this recipe a few times and love it! I was wondering if it was possible to make into muffins? I was going to surprise my husbands work friends with secret vegan treats and thought muffins would be easier to put into a gift box. If not no worries
Hi! Looking to make this for Christmas morning. Two questions! Can you use olive oil? And, for leftovers, best way to store and reheat before serving again? Thank you so much!
You could probably use olive oil though you may taste it in the cake. I just store it covered on the counter, you can reheat leftovers in an air fryer if you have one, or the oven for just a few minutes to warm if you want.
Thank you so much! Merry Christmas!
Hi, everyone —
Does the milk have to be soy milk, or can it be any non-dairy milk. We normally use oat milk.
Thanks!
No, it does not have to be soy milk. You can use any non-dairy milk you want. This is almost always the case, I use them interchangeably. Though for baking I prefer something creamier, like soy milk, oat milk or even creamy almond/cashew milk. Enjoy!
Made this deliciousness this morning to share at yoga. So easy to whip up and that cinnamon aroma is just aahhhh ☺️ Thanks for another great recipe Nora!
You bet, Karen! Sounds like a yummy morning! Thanks for your wonderful review and feedback!
So tasty!
hi i haven’t made it yet but do you think i could use melted vegan butter instead of the oil?
Yes, you can use melted vegan butter. Enjoy!
Nora, thank you again for this recipe. It’s always a success! Love your cinnamon rolls too!
You are welcome, Patrick! I’m so glad loved the coffee cake! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback! Happy cooking!
Can I use a bunt cake pan for this?
You probably could, but I haven’t tried it myself. The bake time may be a little different, it might need a little longer in the oven.
Delicious! I agree that the batter is quite thick and can be challenging to spread (I did not use coconut oil), but just trust the process, because the outcome is amazing. Brought it to a fundraiser at work and everyone loved it/would have never guessed that it was vegan 🙂
(I also subbed vegan sour cream for the applesauce & didn’t use all the cinnamon sugar because it just looked like too much)
Hi Adelaide. Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and stellar review! I’m really glad the cake turned out wonderful and was a hit at the fundraiser! Wishing you happy cooking!
Would love to give this a try for my partner’s birthday this weekend – has anyone tried baking ahead of time and freezing it? TIA! X
Hi Mary. Happy birthday to your partner! Yes, this cake freezes well! Enjoy!
Question can I add fresh apple pieces and if so what would be the best approach? For example cook the apples first or can I just dice them and add them in uncooked?
Thank you so much 😊
Hi Alina. I think that that would work. Just dice the apples and add them. No need to cook them first. You may also enjoy my apple cake recipe. Wishing you a happy cooking!
I have made this recipe too many times to count. As I write this, I am making it right now. I’ll even halve it, so I can just make it for myself. The better can be thick for me sometimes, no coconut oil, but I just use a spatula to spread it out and it always works out. Such an easy recipe and always is a big hit!
Hi Shelby, I’m so glad you love the coffee cake! Thank you for taking time to share your recipe experience and stellar review! Wishing you a happy cooking!
We added sprinkles for fun. So delicious. The batter was thick, but I just used my hands to spread it out and it was fine. The cake is so fluffy and cinnamony.
Hi Nora! I just read your response to another comment where the reviewer mentioned the batter was very thick and difficult to spread. You said if the milk is cold and you use coconut oil, the cold temp of the milk can cause the coconut oil to firm up again – I think this is exactly what happened to me! It seems so obvious now, but I was confused at first!
I used our homemade almond milk we keep in the fridge for coffee, and coconut oil because we were out of canola. The batter did get super thick, but in the end everything tasted great, as usual with your recipes!
Next time I’m definitely going to use a room temp milk fresh out of a box with canola oil and see if that makes a difference.
PS – my husband and I love your recipes and anytime we try something new that turns out great we say “another Nora hit!” You’re our go-to gal for any dish that we know needs to be a crowd pleaser. Appreciate you!!
Hi Carina. I am so encouraged by your kind words! I appreciate you supporting me by using my recipes! I’m thrilled that you loved the vegan coffee cake! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you lots and lots of happy cooking!
This batter was way too thick to spread into 2 layers (and no, I did not use coconut oil). I was able to manipulate the batter to cover the bottom layer but the top layer ended up in little mounds. Pretty disappointing.
Hi! I want to make this for my daughter’s birthday this weekend. Can I make it a day ahead or is it best day of? I’m planning to keep the recipe as is, using coconut oil and spelt flour maybe because I like it a lot. Thought? Thank you!
It should work okay with those, but it might be thicker or a different consistency. If you like it, then you should enjoy the coffee cake with spelt flour. Enjoy!
This looks amazing!
Can you substitute pumpkin with the applesauce ? Also, what type of plant butter is your favorite for this? Thx!
Sure! I use a variety of brands, not one in particular. Earth Balance, Country Crock, Miyokos most often.
Any other great substitutions for applesauce?
JUST Egg liquid, Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, vegan yogurt all work well. Or a few flax eggs.
This is a wonderful recipe. I am often disappointed with the time and effort put into vegan baking, but this is a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved the coffee cake, Brenda! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback!
Subbed Forager yogurt for applesauce & it was SO GOOD. Brought this to dance and everyone raved & wanted me to double the recipe!
Hi Caraline. How thrilling that the cake a hit! Thanks for sharing your stellar review! Very fun!
I just made this with gluten free flour and it was absolutely delicious! My 4 year old says it’s better than the bakery we usually go to. That’s a definite win!!
I also just made it with gluten free flour tonight! I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 in the blue bag I think. It came out so good! It doesn’t have that “gluten free texture” that is hard to avoid sometimes.
This was delicious! The batter was thicker than I expected and wasn’t really pourable so I spread it to the edges of the pan and wasn’t able to cover as much of the pan with the second layer and didn’t use all the sugar mixture because it seemed like too much for the amount of batter I had. I was a little worried but shouldn’t have been because your desserts are always the best. Seriously so good! Everyone (vegan and non) loved it.
Hi Melissa. I’m so glad the cake turned out wonderful for you even though it sounds like the batter was thicker than it should be! I wonder if you happened to use coconut oil? Sometimes if your non-dairy milk is really cold even if you melt coconut oil it will firm up when mixed with the milk and thicken the batter. I’m not sure why else it would be really thick unless your measurements were off somewhere? As you experienced, the top layer doesn’t need to be perfect for it to turn out! Thanks for sharing your glowing review and recipe experience!
I made this multiple times for my coworkers & it’s always well received & doesn’t last long! Nothing makes me happier than impressing a group of non vegans with a killer vegan dessert!
Hi Amy. This is a well loved coffee cake, and I’m glad your co-workers love it as well. Thanks for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you happy baking!