Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Fluffy and moist vegan red velvet cupcakes with a tangy cream cheese frosting. They come together in one bowl and use only common pantry ingredients. I’ve included options to make these gluten-free and without food dye, just like my vegan red velvet cake!
Why you’ll love these cupcakes
DIFFICULTY: Easy to make and ideal for beginners to vegan baking!
OCCASION: The perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or the holiday season!
Ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Vegan-friendly red food coloring OR beetroot powder. If using red food dye, avoid one that includes carmine (which is made from crushed beetles). Some brands include AmeriColor, Wilton, and Queen Fine Foods (Australia). For a natural option, you can use natural liquid food coloring or beetroot powder.
Dairy-free milk. I prefer using creamier varieties such as soy milk or oat milk as they add more flavor to the cupcakes. However, any dairy-free milk will work.
Apple cider vinegar reacts with non-dairy milk to make vegan buttermilk and makes these cupcakes more tender. Alternatively, you can use white vinegar or lemon juice.
Cocoa powder gives the cupcakes a lighter crumb and a hint of chocolate flavor!
Making the cupcake batter
The cupcake batter is easy to make as you’re just mixing the dry and wet ingredients in one bowl until combined. Here are a few tips for the best results:
- Measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale. If you pack too much flour into your measuring cup, your cupcakes will be denser.
- Add most (or all) of your food coloring when you add the wet ingredients. When you mix it in early, you’ll be less likely to overmix the batter.
- Don’t overmix your final batter! Some lumps are fine, as long as they aren’t lumps of flour.
Tips for assembling and baking the cupcakes
I recommend using a cookie or ice cream scoop to divide your cupcake batter. It’s easier and neater than using spoons.
Each cupcake cavity should be filled by around two-thirds for the cupcakes to rise to the top but not overflow. I used all of my cupcake batter and it nicely filled a standard USA Pan Muffin Pan.
Finally, make sure you don’t overbake your cupcakes. If your toothpick comes out with wet batter, they aren’t done. If your toothpick has a few crumbs but no batter, the cupcakes are ready! The cupcakes will continue baking when you remove them from the oven. If your toothpick is completely clean, they might be overbaked.
Decorating the cupcakes
These cupcakes are delicious with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Alternatively, you can top the cupcakes with:
- Vanilla buttercream. I suggest adding lemon juice so it mimics the tanginess of cream cheese frosting.
- Dairy-free whipped cream
- Strawberry frosting
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting
For something extra special, you can also top your cupcakes with:
- red velvet cake crumbs
- red or pink sprinkles
- candy love hearts
- dairy-free chocolate chips
Alternatively, check out my layered vegan red velvet cake.
Expert Tips
Yes, beetroot powder works for these vegan red velvet cupcakes! However, beetroot powder has varying results and can fade or darken when baked. This depends hugely on the brand of your powder and how old it is. I recommend adding more beetroot powder than you think you’ll need. It’ll also make the cupcakes pink-brown rather than red in color.
Yes! I tested a few ratios and types of gluten-free flour and my top recommendation is to use 50% gluten-free all-purpose flour and 50% almond flour. The cupcakes rise well and aren’t gummy or dry. I also tried the recipe with Bob Red Mills 1:1 flour but the cupcakes were flat and slightly gummy.
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Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (220g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled, (note 1 for gluten free)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons (9g) cocoa powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk
- ⅓ cup (80g) neutral flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ~1 teaspoon vegan red food coloring gel, or 3 tablespoons beetroot powder, as needed (note 2)
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (note 3 for tips and alternatives)
- ¾ cup (190g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup (170g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (400g) powdered sugar / icing sugar, (note 4)
- 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:
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. If desired, add more food coloring or beetroot powder and gently mix until the batter is your desired color. Keep in mind that the color may fade when baked.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to divide the batter between your cupcake liners. Each cupcake cavity should be two-thirds 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 wire rack.
Make the frosting:
- Add the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or stand mixer (with the whisk or paddle attachment). Beat until just combined. Add the sugar and beat until just combined. If you overmix the frosting, it will become loose and may not hold up. Add more powdered sugar for a firmer frosting. Chill until needed.
- When the cupcakes have fully cooled, use a spatula or piping bag to frost the cupcakes. Decorate as desired.
- Serve the cupcakes immediately. Alternatively, store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. The cupcakes can be frozen up to 1 month but it's easiest to freeze the cupcake seperately from the frosting. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving.
Video
Notes
- For gluten-free cupcakes, replace the flour with 1 cup (160g) gluten-free all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup (75g) almond flour. Some 1:1 gluten-free flour blends will work but I don’t recommend using Bob Red Mills 1:1 flour by itself because it makes these cupcakes gummy.
- All brands of food coloring and beetroot powder vary in color and intensity so you may need to adjust accordingly. If you use liquid food coloring (not gel), you’ll need around 1-2 tablespoons. If you use beetroot powder, add it with the dry ingredients rather than the wet ingredients.
- If you don’t have vegan cream cheese, I recommend making a classic buttercream. Simply omit the cream cheese and add some lemon juice to taste. The lemon flavor mimics the tanginess of the cream cheese.
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Hi! Can I use beetroot juice for coloring and can I make them with the filling? Like marmalade? Does the amount of flour change anything?
Thank you!
Hi Micu, unfortunately beetroot juice loses most of its color when it’s baked. You could experiment and use an extremely concentrated beetroot juice (for example, 5 cups of beetroot juice reduced to 1 tablespoon) but it will change the flavor and composition of the cupcakes. If you add any liquid, I would use it instead of some of the milk. Do you mean you want to make a marmalade filling? I think this would be lovely, but it’s best to add the filling after you baked the cupcakes. Hope that helps!