Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
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Simply the best Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes! Tender, fluffy and perfect for birthdays and other celebrations. Easy to make in 1 bowl.
This is my favorite recipe for vanilla cupcakes. They are the fluffiest cupcakes, not to mention soft, buttery and sweet with the perfect vanilla flavor. You definitely don’t need eggs, butter or milk to make delicious cupcakes, I promise!
What I love about this recipe
- The cupcakes are made in 1 bowl, with a minimal list of simple ingredients.
- You don’t need a hand mixer (except for the frosting!)
- Cake flour makes the cupcakes incredibly fluffy, soft and moist. I made a batch with all purpose flour and the cupcakes were fine but drier and not nearly as fluffy and light.
- They are so easy to make; you will be eating cupcakes in no time!
How to make Vanilla Cupcakes in 1 Bowl
- In a measuring cup, combine soy milk (or another non-dairy milk) and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle (this is vegan buttermilk).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Pour in milk/vinegar mixture, oil and vanilla extract.
- Whisk or stir until smooth and well combined. You could also use a hand mixer if desired.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full; I filled mine quite full for tall cupcakes.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
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Frosting Cupcakes
To truly make these cupcakes in 1 bowl, simply wipe or rinse out the cupcake batter bowl and use it for the frosting. OR if you are feeling really lazy, you could pick up a container of Duncan Hines Vanilla Frosting, which happens to be vegan. I recommend making your own, it tastes way better! But I’m not here to judge. 😉
Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting with Vegan Vanilla Frosting. You could also use Chocolate Frosting, if desired. I use this simple piping kit for decorating cupcakes, but you could simply spread the frosting on with a butter knife.
Want More Vegan Cupcakes?
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 Bowl Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Funfetti Vegan Cupcakes
- Vegan Mint Oreo Chocolate Cupcakes
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk, (or use another non-dairy milk)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour*
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Recipe Vegan Vanilla Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. I usually spray the liners with a little oil as well to prevent sticking.
- Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup or bowl, give a little stir and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.
- Now pour in the milk/vinegar mixture, canola oil and vanilla. Stir with the whisk, large spoon or a hand mixer until well combined. There may be a few small lumps, but you don't want any large lumps in the batter.
- Fill the liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Carefully transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack, then place new liners in the pan (probably about 6 more) and bake the rest of the cupcakes until you have used all the batter.
- Cool completely, then pipe on Vegan Vanilla Frosting or Vegan Chocolate Frosting.
Notes
- Instead of canola oil, you could substitute melted coconut oil. The cupcakes may be a bit denser and less fluffy though.
- I tested a batch with all purpose flour, and cake flour definitely produced fluffier, softer cupcakes. But in a pinch, you can use regular flour.
- Nutrition information is an estimate only, and was calculated using my Vegan Vanilla Frosting.
- One batch of vanilla frosting was enough for me to frost all 18 cupcakes, but if you want a LOT of frosting on each one, you may want to double the frosting.
Nutrition
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126 Comments on “Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes”
Hi Nora! I’d like to make this batter and use it in this new train mold pan I bought for my sons bday. Do you think they’d do ok? There’s a lot of intricacies In the pan so I’m hoping it won’t stick. Btw-I’ve never made a recipe of yours that my family didn’t LOVE!!! Thank you for all you do!!!
That sounds super fun! I would just grease that pan super well so nothing sticks. Then pop it out while still semi-warm. I’ve found if you wait for the cake to cool in a pan, it’s harder to get it out. I’m so happy you and your family are loving my recipes, thank you so much!
These are very yummy. It’s great to have a vegan option for cupcakes; however, I think it did something wrong. I put them in for 18 minutes. The top of cupcake is a firmer/ crunchier texture and it appears the bottoms broke off. It almost looks like the oil and liquid settled at the bottom. Any idea what I may have done wrong? Or is this kinda the texture?
No, they should not be wet at the bottom and crunchy on the top. Something is definitely off there. Did you make any substitutions at all, like using a different flour? Did you measure everything accurately?
I used King Arthur cake flour and earth balance sticks. I’m pretty sure everything was measured correctly. I’m not sure where it went wrong. It was almost corn muffiny in texture. I’ll have to give it another go. Thanks for the reply.
Hi Nora! I’m a huge fan of your recipes, from appetizers to dessert! I’ve made all of them with great success, including this one, but I did find the amount of salt to be way too much. The second time I made them, I only put a pinch and I felt it balanced the taste. They were noticably salty the first time around.
These cupcakes are AMAZING and so easy to make! I have been a vegetarian for 30+ years but a vegan for only a couple of years. Before I found your site–I struggled with finding recipes for really good vegan baked goods. I was thrilled when I found your recipes. Nora, this is my first review, but I have made several of your recipes–all are delicious.
Hi Tamra. Thank you for taking your time to share your wonderful review! I am glad that you loved the cupcakes, and that you are enjoying my recipes! There are lots to choose from, and I hope you enjoy your journey through them! Happy cooking!
At the top, you talk about filling 12 cupcake liners, then at the bottom, you refer to “all eighteen” cupcakes.
I had left over batter after filling 12 so you might want to mention that at the top.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, if you have two muffin pans you can simply cook two trays at once. I only have one, so I take them out, remove them to cool, and use the rest of the batter up. I will make a note about that. Hope you enjoyed the cupcakes!