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unwrapped red velvet cupcakes with more in back
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4.91 stars (22 ratings)

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

Classic Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes are soft, moist and fluffy with a hint of cocoa. Made in 1 bowl, they are easy to whip up any day of the week!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 cupcakes
Calories: 340kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

Vegan Buttermilk

  • 1 cup soy milk
  • 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar

Dry Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

Frosting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
  • In a measuring cup, combine the soy milk and vinegar. Let sit a few minutes until it curdles (this is your vegan buttermilk).
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  • To the bowl with the dry ingredients, add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, red food coloring and milk/vinegar mixture. Stir well with a large spoon or spatula until smooth and well combined. I used 2 tablespoons of red food coloring.
  • Fill the liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
  • Make the Frosting: Using a hand mixer, beat the softened vegan butter for 1-2 minutes until creamy, then add the powdered sugar, apple cider vinegar and vanilla and beat everything together until smooth and creamy, adding a tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time as needed. If you add too much milk and it gets runny, you will need to add more powdered sugar.
  • Once the cupcakes are cooled completely, frost as desired and serve. If you are going to pipe a lot of frosting on each cupcake, you may want to double the frosting.

Video

Notes

  1. May substitute another non-dairy milk for the soy milk, such as almond, oat, coconut or cashew.
  2. The flour + cornstarch helps the cupcakes be light and fluffy like using cake flour. You could use all cake flour instead for similar results.
  3. You could likely use another oil if you don't want to use canola, such as refined coconut oil (melted), avocado oil, maybe even olive oil.
  4. If you can't find a vegan friendly red food coloring, you can always use a few tablespoons of beetroot powder instead. The cupcakes won't be nearly as bright and colorful.

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 379IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg