The most amazing and easy Vegan Red Velvet Cake! Moist, fluffy layers of red cake with a hint of chocolate. Sweet, tangy vegan cream cheese frosting. Simply incredible!
Why I love this red velvet cake
Red Velvet Cake is not just a chocolate or vanilla cake with a red hue. It has a hint of chocolate flavor that is very mild, and is typically made with buttermilk and a little bit of vinegar as well for the perfect blend of acidity and sweetness. It has a flavor like no other cake, and it is absolutely divine!
This particular recipe has been tested and perfected over the years to be perfectly fluffy, flavorful and unbelievably vegan. And it’s incredibly easy to make!
Want more cakes that no one would guess are made without eggs or dairy? Check out my Vegan Hummingbird Cake, Vegan Chocolate Cake or Vegan Carrot Cake.
How to make vegan red velvet cake
Complete instructions are in the recipe card below.
Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Now add all the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix the batter.
Divide the cakes evenly between two round 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
While the cakes are baking, make a double batch of Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. If you don’t want to mess with vegan cream cheese or can’t find it, you can use this cream cheese-like frosting from my Pumpkin Cake recipe, or just go with Vegan Buttercream instead.
Is red food coloring vegan?
A lot of red food coloring is NOT vegan. This one is, so if you can find that you should be safe. But if you want a more natural red food coloring, try this beet powder. It won’t be as bright as my cakes are, but it should work quite well! You could add more, or less depending on how colorful you want the cakes to be.
How to store red velvet cake
This is one cake you’ll want to store in the refrigerator, as the cream cheese frosting will soften after a while. If you live somewhere cold, you can probably keep it at room temperature for a day or two. Cover if possible to prevent drying out.
The cake can also be frozen.
Variations
- 9×13 inch cake – Pour into a 9×13 inch pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.
- Sheet cake – Pout into an 11-17 inch pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Cupcakes – Go make my Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes, which are nearly identical to this recipe.
- Gluten free? You can try using a quality gluten free flour, like Better Batter. I haven’t made this cake gluten free yet.
Want even more incredible cake recipes?
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
- Vegan Coconut Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- The Best Vegan Cheesecake
Vegan Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 teaspoons vegan red gel food coloring or more if using liquid or beet powder
Frosting
- Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting double if you want a lot for piping
Instructions
- Prepare – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray two round 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Place a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each pan, for easy removal of the cakes.
- Make the cake batter – In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Now add all the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, but do not over mix. Add a little more food dye until the batter is quite red – it will fade in the oven, so you need more than you think for a rich, red cake.
- Bake the cakes – Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool – Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Crumbles – If your cakes have domes, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the top. Crumble and use for decorating the top of the cake, if desired.
- Frost and serve – Prepare the frosting. Once the cake has cooled completely (this is essential, or your cake will slip and break!), spread a layer of frosting on the first cake layer. Place the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides, piping additional frosting on as desired. Sprinkle crumbles on top for decoration. Serve immediately, or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator until serving.
Notes
- You may use another milk if needed, such as oat, almond or coconut.
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You may use all purpose flour if needed, but cake flour will result in a much lighter, fluffier cake.
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Gluten free – Replace all purpose flour with a quality gluten free flour. It might be rather gummy gluten free, but this will depend on the brand of flour you use. I like Better Batter.
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Storing the cake – This cake should be stored in the refrigerator (for up to 3-4 days). Though before serving, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can also freeze the cake.
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Red food dyes vary a lot in terms of color and how much you need. With gel, you will need much less to achieve a deep red. If you don’t want to use food dye, you can use about 3 tablespoons beetroot powder, but the cake still won’t be as red.
Nutrition
*I’ve updated the recipe Feb. 2024 after several rounds of testing. The new recipe is much better tasting and easier to make!
Hi Nora! Thanks so
Much for all the delicious recipes:) I wanted to ask about the food dye. I have used the Watkins food coloring and the red definitely didn’t give me the same vibrant red that you achieved. Is there a different food dye that you recommend?
Hi Tawnya. My cake definitely turned out very red. I used a red gel like food coloring, which adds a lot of red. I also used natural cocoa powder, which is not as dark as some cocoa powders, so maybe that made a difference as well. I have made with with less red coloring and it’s turned out with more of a brownish color with slightly red undertones. I am glad you are enjoying my recipes! Thank you!
Hi Nora, I want to try out this cake, I was wondering if the butter can be replaced with additional canola oil or coconut oil?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Nora! I’m planning on making this cake for Christmas. For the icing, I’m wondering if Violife cream cheese would work?
Violife seems to work pretty well in frosting, but it does melt pretty easily so you’ll want to keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve. And whatever you do, make sure the cakes are completely cooled before frosting. Hope everyone enjoys it!
I was wondering, what is the red stuff you added on top of the finished cake? Thanks in advance!
It’s actually just some crumbles from the cakes! It’s a fun way to decorate red velvet.
I will be attempting this cake for my best friend’s bday, and will have to travel with it. Would it be okay to bake the cake the night before, store it in Tupperware and ice it the day of? You’re a goddess and I adore all your recipes, thanks in advance!
Yes, that’s perfectly fine. Thank you so much Constance! Hope your friend (and you) enjoy the cake!
Can coconut oil be used instead of canola ?
Maybe, but coconut oil can make cakes quite dense. I prefer a different oil in most cake recipes.
Can aquafaba be used instead of applesauce? If so, how much? Thanks
Hi Melanie. I would try 1/2 cup of whipped aquafaba. Hope that helps!
Have you cooked this in a bundt pan. If so, the cook time?
I made this cake for my friend’s birthday (who is a red velvet lover) and she claims it was the best red velvet cake she’s ever had! The entire party were huge fans – it was super moist and tasty.
I made this cake in advance by freezing it after it had cooled and it did not disappoint
I appreciate you taking your time to share your great review and comments! I’m glad the cake was a hit!
I made the cake as a bundt. It tastes fine but has a very hard crust. I baked it at 140C fan forced.
Any ideas how to get it without a hard crust? Thanks
I think it probably has something to do with the oven you are using. The original recipe calls for the oven to be at 350 degrees F, which is higher than 140C. Also, making it in a bundt pan changes things, you are more likely to get hard edges. Though I have made it in a bundt pan with no issues. Make sure to bake in the center of your oven, using the correct temperature, and do not over bake. Cover the cake with foil, loosely, if you can tell the edges are getting too hard in the oven but it’s not done in the middle yet.
I needed a red velvet cake recipe and I basically went “hey I’ve used a bunch of recipes from this site so I’ll just use this, I don’t feel like analyzing Google”
And it’s in the oven right now and is rising perfectly and looks great. The batter tasted really good. I like that this site has pretty reliable recipes. I’m literally jumping over to the cornbread recipe right now.
Hi Kristin. Thank you for using my recipes, and for sharing your comments! I’m glad that you are enjoying them! Keep me posted on how they go for you! Happy cooking!
Im making this for my best friend for her birthday day. And I thought the first place I was going to look for this recipe, was your page, I use your recipes ALL THE TIME. I was wondering how many people would you say this cake servers it’s a very tiny party but I need to know to make more or keep it the same measurements.
Hi Cici. The recipe as written yields 16 servings, or about 24 cupcakes. It all depends on how big a slice people want! Thank you for using my recipes! I’m so glad you are enjoying them! Happy birthday to your friend!
Hi Nora,
I really like the flavor of this cake, and it cooked in exactly the time you specified. But I am wondering if there is something I may have done wrong because the texture came out very dense and moist. Is this how the texture is supposed to be? If not, do you have a suggestion for what would make this recipe come out more light and fluffy?
Hi there! A few things can lead to a dense cake. Over mixing the batter, baking for too long, etc. It should be lighter, not dense but fluffy. You can also use cake flour instead of regular flour for an even lighter cake with a fine crumb. Hope that helps!
This cake was too vinegary, it had an off taste. When making it I thought about the quantities of some of the ingredients but against my better judgement I followed the recipe. Maybe eliminating the teaspoon of vinegar?
Most red velvet cakes contain vinegar, but you could eliminate if you want, it will probably still work. Sorry you did not like the cake, it’s one of my favorites!
Sounds delicious! Any possible way I could leave out the oil or substitute for more applesauce or something? My stomach doesn’t handle oil well, I’m afraid…
Lots of love
Mary xo
It will taste different without any fat (oil) but you might be able to sub more applesauce or mashed banana I suppose. Haven’t tried it though, sorry!
Can I substitute the apple sauce for flax seed? If so how much?
I would try 2 flax eggs, so 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds plus 5 tablespoons water. Thanks!
Hi Nora! I love, love, love, all of your recipes, thank you for sharing them! I made this recipe in a Bundt pan, and it did not work out, really crispy and not baked all the way on the inside, do you think decreasing the temp would work? Or any other tricks to help ? I’ve made your other cake recipes and they have all turned out perfectly!
It sounds like your oven may run hot, so maybe try decreasing the heat just a little and bake for longer, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I have made this recipe in a bundt cake and it worked well, it did not get crispy on the outside. Also, make sure to bake it in the center rack of your oven. It will take longer to bake though, more like 50-60 minutes. Hope that helps!
Can I use actual buttermilk if I want and would it be same amount? Thanks !
I’m not sure as I’ve never tested it, but probably.
Once again you’ve provided me with an amazing recipe! So good. I also added chocolate chips, per my toddlers request 🙂 so good. Thank you!
Hi Elisa. How fun! I’m glad you like my cake recipe! Thank you for using my recipes!
ive used oat for the mi;lk and it didnt curdle. i switched to soy and it worked perfectly!
Hi Christina. I’m so glad the cake worked for you! Thank you!
My cake did not turn out red like yours in the picture. It was more maroon.. I’m wondering how you got it to be red like this? I followed directions precisely.
My cake definitely turned out very red. I used a red gel like food coloring, perhaps it added a lot more red than yours. I also used natural cocoa powder, which is not as dark as some cocoa powders, so maybe that made a difference as well. I have made with with less red coloring and it’s turned out with more of a brownish color with slightly red undertones, but either way is fine. I hope it tasted good!
Hi Nora,
If I’m not making a double layer cake should I halve the recipe? Or keep it as is and just use a larger pan?
Thank you!
You could make it in a 9 x 13 inch pan without cutting it in half, or if you want to make one 8 or 9 inch round cake, simply cut the recipe in half. Hope that helps!
Hi, I need a dairy free cake but I can have eggs, do you know how many eggs I can use to replace the applesauce? Thank you.
Probably 2 eggs. Thanks!
Is applesauce needed for this? Did you try the recipe with other egg replacers? Aquafaba, flax/chia egg, or bob’s eff replacer? Just wanted to know. Thanks!
I haven’t tried another replacement, but something else would likely work quite well.
Update. Used Bob’s egg replacer and applesauce in two different batches. Both had very similar tastes and textures. Nothing frosting wouldn’t help. On its own, the applesauce one seemed dryer, but not noticeably. The Bob’s was a bit more moist. (I was testing for making one this weekend and didn’t want to waste frosting on testers) But overall amazing either way!
Thank you for the feedback, that is great to know!
Thank you for the update!
I always have this question and no one comes back and gives an update! Lol
Did u try it with aquafaba too?
Nora, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe out. We’ve loved every one of your recipes we’ve tried! My question is about the photos you include with this cake on the website. I’d love to replicate your “cake crumbles” (or so they appear) on top. Any advice on how to end up with extra cake to use for the crumbles? My other presentation question – do you have any cake design sites you’d recommend to try to replicate the dollops of frosting you have around the edges of the cake? My versions of your recipes always TASTE great, but I’d love this one to look as great as yours, too!
Yes, those are cake crumbles. I just sliced off a tiny thin layer off the top of one of the cakes, and used crumbs from it. Works great! 🙂 I’m not really an expert cake decorator so I keep it pretty simple. I don’t have a specific site in mind but I’m sure a short google search would find a lot of ideas. A simple piping bag and tip set can go a long way! I hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi Nora!
Can we use gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour?
I haven’t tried it myself, but it usually works quite well. Make sure to use a gluten free flour you trust. I like King Arthur brand or Bob’s Red Mill.
Hello, do you think I could put in cake flour instead of regular in this recipe?
Yes, i think it will work with cake flour.