Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Light and fluffy vegan lemon cupcakes that use fresh lemon juice and zest for the best flavor! The cupcakes are made with simple pantry ingredients, come together in one bowl and are perfectly paired with a zesty lemon buttercream.
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients notes and substitutions
Fresh lemon zest and juice instead of lemon extract, for the best flavor! Too much lemon juice in a cake can actually make it deflate, but rather than skimping on flavor, I used LOTS of lemon zest.
Dairy-free milk. I love soy milk as it’s higher in protein which makes cakes softer. However, you can use any milk such as oat milk or almond milk.
Granulated sugar for the lightest and fluffiest lemon cupcakes. You may use coconut sugar however, it will make your cupcakes light brown and they will taste like lemon caramel.
Any neutral oil or a light olive oil. Olive oil makes the cupcakes more yellow, like my vegan lemon olive oil cake.
Tips for making the batter
The batter for these vegan lemon cupcakes is easy to make! Simply mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and mix until combined.
My biggest tips for making the batter are:
- First, rub the sugar with the lemon zest with your fingertips. This will release the natural lemon oil which enhances the lemon flavor in the cupcakes!
- Accurately measure the flour, because adding too much flour will make the cupcakes dry. If you’re using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method. Alternatively, use an electronic scale to weigh the flour.
- Avoid overmixing the batter as this can make the cupcakes dense. Some lumps in your batter are fine, as long as the lumps aren’t floury.
Baking the vegan lemon cupcakes
I love using an ice cream scoop to divide any cupcake batter – it evenly portions the batter and is easier than using a spoon!
For a nice dome, I recommend filling each cup around three-quarters full. I used a USA Pan Muffin Pan but all cupcake tins are different so your cupcakes may bake a little differently.
To get even taller cupcakes, fill every other cup in your muffin pan (shown below). This allows more oven heat to circulate each cupcake so they rise more. So, if you have a 12-cup cupcake pan, you’ll need to bake 6 cupcakes at a time, in 2 lots.
Decoration suggestions
These lemon cupcakes are perfect with a vegan lemon frosting! Alternatively, you can top your cupcakes with:
- Simple lemon icing from my lemon olive oil cake recipe
- Vegan cream cheese frosting from my carrot cupcake recipe. Feel free to add some lemon zest to the frosting for extra flavor!
- Strawberry frosting or strawberry cream cheese frosting. Or check out my small-batch strawberry lemonade cake!
Customizing these vegan cupcakes
- Make lemon drizzle cupcakes for even more flavor and moisture. You can make a simple lemon syrup with granulated sugar and lemon juice and drizzle it on the cupcakes. See my vegan lemon drizzle cake for a guide.
- Add vegan lemon curd to the center of the cupcakes (remove the core first). I recommend using the curd from my lemon cheesecake recipe but increasing the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons.
- Add blueberries or raspberries to the cupcakes. Make sure you coat them in all-purpose flour before adding them, otherwise they may sink.
- For something special, add chopped white chocolate to the lemon cupcake batter.
Don’t forget to check out my other vegan cupcake recipes, such as my strawberry cupcakes or red velvet cupcakes.
More vegan lemon desserts
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Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose plain flour, spooned and leveled (note 1)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, (note 2)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk
- ⅓ cup (80g) neutral flavored oil
- 3 tablespoons (45g) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting (note 3 for alternatives)
- ¾ cup (170g) vegan butter, room temperature (or chilled vegan margarine)
- 4 cups (400g) powdered sugar / icing sugar, to taste
- 1-3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Make the cupcakes:
- Optional: Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to rub them together until fragrant.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined and there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to divide the batter between your cupcake liners. Each cupcake cavity should be three-quarters full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. They are ready when you insert a toothpick in the center of a cupcake and it comes out with no wet batter on it (a few crumbs are fine).
- Cool the cupcakes in the tray for 5 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Make the frosting:
- Add the butter to a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and beat until just combined. Taste the frosting and adjust if needed. If the frosting is too thin, add more sugar and beat or add more lemon juice or non-dairy milk if it's too thick.
- When the cupcakes have fully cooled, use a spatula or piping bag to frost the cupcakes. Decorate as desired.
- Serve the cupcakes immediately. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your cupcakes are frosting, keep them at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow the cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving. The cupcakes freeze well but I recommend storing them separately from the frosting.
Notes
- Make sure you accurately measure the flour, otherwise your cupcakes may be dry. Fluff up the flour in its container, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Using your measuring cup to scoop flour out of the container will pack too much flour into the cup, and result in drier cupcakes. For the best results, use the grams measurements.
- You’ll need 3-4 medium lemons for the amount of zest and juice in the recipe. When you zest the lemons, try to avoid getting any of the white lemon rind otherwise your cupcakes may be slightly bitter.
- Alternatively, top your cupcakes with a simple lemon icing from my lemon olive oil cake recipe, or cream cheese frosting from my carrot cupcake recipe.
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Fantastic recipe! I made it with orange zest and juice. The texture was amazing as well as the flavor. Thank you!
Hi Blanca, I’m thrilled that you loved these cupcakes! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
Unfortunately it’s too much baking powder (and you don’t really get a rise anyhow), makes it taste metallic-y. I’d reduce it by half.
If you could taste the baking powder, it sounds like your dry ingredients weren’t mixed enough. That would also explain why your cupcakes didn’t rise much. Self-rising flour contains 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of flour which is exactly what is used in this recipe.
I have now made these cupcakes several times and your strawberry one as well. Both have been such a hit with friends and I really love them.
That’s wonderful, and I’m so glad to hear that!! Thanks so much for letting me know :).
10/10 – most fluffy, light, moist and lemony cupcakes. We have tried a lot of vegan recipes and these are up there with the best! Highly recommend. We made this recipe for someone’s birthday and added a lemon curd to the centre to make them extra special!
Aw, that’s amazing, and what a compliment!! I’m over the moon that you loved these cupcakes, and lemon curd would have been a delicious addition too. Thanks sooo much for your wonderful feedback!!
Ok, so. My husband is vegan and I am constantly trying new recipes (like, for over 5 years). I have never found a vegan cake recipe that wasn’t the wrong texture, flavor, or just didn’t taste quite right. This cupcake recipe is PERFECT. It is light and fluffy and taste just like a non-vegan cupcake. I did weigh the flour. The frosting turned out ok – but I I think it really depends on which vegan butter you use. I added lemon zest to the frosting as well. Honestly – this cake recipe is now written and posted in my kitchen to use regularly. THANK YOU!
I’m soo thrilled that you and your husband loved these cupcakes, and that they were comparable to non-vegan cupcakes!!! And I’m honored that the recipe a keeper for you, and that it lives in your kitchen! I think you’re right about the vegan butter too. Thanks sooo much for your wonderful feedback and your time with leaving a comment!
Have you colored vegan lemon frosting before? If so how did it turn out color and taste wise?
Hi Ali, yes I have! If using regular food dye, the frosting tasted exactly the same as non-dyed. All food dyes have different intensities so the color can vary from being pale yellow to fluorescent. I normally add only a couple of drops at a time as it’s easier to add more color rather than to remove it. I’ve also used tumeric but found that you need quite a lot to change the color of the frosting and the taste was noticeable. There are some tricks to intensifying the color of turmeric without adding more, but it takes more time.
You are amazing! As a pastry chef, I’m always looking into what my peers are doing, and the way I describe your recipes are “simple ingredients, big taste” and these cupcakes were no exception.
Cheers
Ley
Hi Leyla, aw that’s the sweetest compliment, thank you so much! And I’m so glad that you enjoyed these cupcakes!
What type of vegan butter do you use to make the buttercream icing? I live in Australia and which type would you recommend, assuming that you live here too.
Hi Shamani, yes I live in Australia! I used Naturli’s block butter which I get from IGAs. It’s a little tricky to find in some areas so a spreadable vegan butter (such as Nuttelex) will still work – the buttercream will just be a little softer. Hope that helps!
I don’t normally leave reviews but just wanted to say these were absolutely perfect. I halved the recipe using the slider tool (note for others – only the cup measurements, not the grams, will halve!) and made about 18 mini cupcakes, baking time of 11 minutes. The cupcakes have the perfect light texture and amount of lemon flavour. Thank you!
Hi Sophie, oh I’m so thrilled that you loved these cupcakes!! Thanks for the tips about making smaller cupcakes and thanks for taking the time to leave a review here – I appreciate it a lot!