Easy vegan strawberry cupcakes packed with 3 cups of fresh strawberries for the best flavor (no strawberry essence needed)! These cupcakes are soft and fluffy and come together in one bowl using common ingredients.
These pretty pink cupcakes are the perfect dessert for birthday parties, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or any special occasion!
Ingredients you'll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Strawberries, either fresh or frozen. Make sure you use strawberries that are sweet and flavorful as it's the main flavor of the cupcakes. Bland strawberries will give you bland cupcakes.
Pink/red food coloring or beetroot powder. Food coloring provides the most reliable and consistent results. Beetroot powder varies a lot depending on the brand and age. Sometimes, the color of beetroot powder doesn't 'stick' during baking and the cupcakes will turn brown/orange. If you make these cupcakes with no added color, they will be a pale pink color.
Baking powder and soda. We're using double raising agents to ensure these cupcakes are FLUFFY and to counteract the high amount of fruit.
Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (not pictured). When an acid is combined with dairy-free milk, it creates vegan buttermilk which gives the cupcakes a more tender crumb.
How to make vegan strawberry cupcakes
First, puree your strawberries in a food processor or blender. If you have a stick blender, you can add them to your mixing bowl and blend.
TIP: If you have a large blender, it can be tricky blending the strawberries by themselves. If so, blend the berries with the milk and rest of the wet ingredients.
To make the cupcake batter, mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. We don't want any lumps of baking powder/soda in the cupcakes! Then the wet ingredients until just combined. Some lumps are fine but make sure there are no lumps of flour.
The cake batter will be bubbly from the high amount of raising agents. Don't whisk out the bubbles or let the batter sit around. Just quickly transfer the batter to the cupcake tin.
If you're using beetroot powder, the results can vary a lot, so here are some tips:
- Start with around 2-3 teaspoons of beetroot powder and add it to your dry ingredients. Towards the end of mixing, add more if you prefer a stronger color. However, avoid overmixing your batter.
- Beetroot powder fades during baking, so add more than you think you'll need.
Baking and decorating the cupcakes
I always prefer using ice cream scoop to divide cupcake batter as it's easier and less messy.
These vegan strawberry cupcakes are wonderful with my strawberry buttercream frosting or strawberry cream cheese frosting. You can also top these cupcakes with:
- Whipped dairy-free cream
- Chocolate ganache
- Vanilla buttercream
- Dusting of powdered sugar
Do I need to reduce the fresh strawberry puree on the stovetop?
No, you don't need to reduce the strawberries for these cupcakes.
Some strawberry cake recipes ask you to make a strawberry reduction to remove excess water from the strawberries. However, I tested this method and it doesn't make enough of a difference for the amount of effort. You're removing water from the strawberries but adding it back to the cupcakes through dairy-free milk.
However, a strawberry reduction is useful for recipes that need less moisture, such as my vegan strawberry cheesecake.
Customizing these vegan strawberry cupcakes
For the easiest vegan gluten-free strawberry cupcakes, I recommend baking my vegan gluten-free strawberry cake in a cupcake pan.
The below recipe can be made gluten-free, but only by using a higher quantity and combination of gluten-free flours. I tested the recipe using some 1:1 gluten-free flours (including Bob's Red Mill) and it results in dense and doughy cupcakes.
Even though we're using significantly more gluten-free flour, the batter is runnier than the regular batter. The gluten-free cupcakes are also flatter than the original cupcakes. Cupcakes that domed had a thicker batter but were very dry on the second day.
This recipe bakes differently in a larger pan. Instead, check out my vegan strawberry cake and double strawberry muffins recipes!
More vegan strawberry desserts
If you love easy vegan cupcakes, check out my vegan red velvet cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes or coconut lime cupcakes.
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Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose plain flour, spooned and leveled (note 1)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt, optional
Wet ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) ripe strawberries, fresh or frozen then defrosted (weighed after stems have been removed)
- ⅓ cup (85g) dairy-free milk
- ⅓ cup (85g) neutral flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- Few drops of pink or red food coloring, or 3 teaspoons beetroot powder
To decorate
- 1 quantity Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, OR
- 1 quantity Vegan Strawberry Frosting
- Fresh strawberries
- Freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 1-2 cupcake trays with liners.
Making the vegan strawberry cupcakes:
- Add all your strawberries to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined and there are no big lumps. If you're using beetroot powder, mix it with the dry ingredients.
- Add the strawberry puree and the rest of the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl. If you're using food dye, add it at the same time. Fold the mixture until just combined. The batter should be thick and slightly bubbly. Some lumps in the batter are fine, as long as they aren't lumps of flour. Avoid overmixing the batter, otherwise your cupcakes will be dense.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to divide the batter between your cupcake liners. Each cupcake cavity should be around two-thirds full. You will get anywhere from 12 to 16 cupcakes, depending on the size of your cupcake pan.
Baking the cupcakes:
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick into one of the middle cupcakes and it comes out clean. The baking time will depend on the size of your cupcakes.
- Cool the cupcakes in the tray for 5 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack. These cupcakes may brown underneath which is normal. If you eat the cupcakes immediately, they may stick a little to the liners and will be very moist (this is due to the high amount of strawberries in the recipe). However, when the cupcakes cool, they'll peel away from the liners more easily and the texture will change.
Decorating and serving the vegan strawberry cupcakes:
- Prepare the frosting of your choice.
- When the cupcakes are completely cool, use a piping bag or spatula to decorate the cupcakes, as desired. Top the cupcakes with fresh strawberries and freeze-dried strawberries/raspberries if desired. Serve immediately.
- Store the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
- For the best results, use the grams measurements. If you're using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method to measure the flour. To do this, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Do not use the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container as too much flour will result in dense cupcakes.
For gluten-free cupcakes, it's easiest to bake my gluten-free strawberry cake in a cupcake tin. If you'd like to make the above recipe gluten-free, replace the all-purpose plain flour with 175g (1 ¾ cups) almond flour, 165g (1 ½ cups) potato starch and 35g (⅓ cup) cornstarch. All the other ingredients/steps are the same. Even though we're using more flour, the batter will be runnier. You'll ~14-16 cupcakes which are flatter than the original. This recipe does not work well with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in January 2017 and updated a few times since then with step-by-step pictures and more useful information.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
I made this yesterday and they were a hit! I used fresh strawberries and didn't use food coloring.
Wow! I was surprised by how flavorful they are! I didn't expect this much strawberry flavor to come through! This amount of fruttiness in cupcakes is certainly a new experience for me 🙂 And they're really moist and fluffy, I think the vinegar is a great addition for the texture. Thank you for this recipe, it helped me save overripe strawberries from being wasted! 🙂
Had anyone tried this at a higher altitude? Any adjustments suggestions? High altitude baking is sometimes a little funny and things don't rise. 🙂
Hi Sara, I'm not sure if anyone's baked these cupcakes at a higher altitude but the recipe is similar to my vegan strawberry cake and one reader said it worked at a higher altitude without changes :).
The recipe is spot on!
Aw, I'm glad you enjoyed these cupcakes Joy!
Soft and fluffy as you promised!!! I had hibiscus powder in my pantry so I swapped beetroot powder with it. But I added a little bit too much and my cupcakes went purple. But still really delicious and beautiful! Thank you for recipe!
I´ve made a version with Xylitol instead of sugar, spelt flour and the cream cheese frosting and they were an absolute delight! Fluffy, fruity, creamy, everything you can hope for in a cupcake! Thank you, Anthea, for this wonderful recipe! These will surely baked on a regular basis <3
I'm so glad these worked with xylitol and spelt flour for you! I'm drooling just reading your comment haha. Thanks so much for your feedback Theresa x
This recipe was easy, quick and delish! I used a regular size muffin tin with papers, cooked them a little longer for crumbiness, cut them horizontally and made mini strawberry shortcakes! AMAZING, Next time I'm going to try the strawberry buttercream frosting on mini cupcake bites! Thanks so much!
That sounds amazing Lisa! I'm still obsessed with the idea of strawberry shortcakes and love that you just had to bake them for longer. Thanks so much for your comment! x
Would whole wheat all purpose flour work?
I haven't tried it myself so can't vouch for results but I'd imagine it would work!
SO GOOD! They turned out perfectly, and everyone I shared them with loved them. I had never tried strawberry cupcakes before, and I was far from disappointed. What a fun Valentine's Day dessert!
https://www.hippiefantasy.com/blog-1/last-minute-valentines-day-the-vegan-way
Aw I'm so glad you loved these! Thanks for mentioning the cupcakes in your blog post too - they look wonderful 🙂
Hey! I wanna make a cake with this recipe. What do you recommend for temp and time? 9” round
Hey Ruby, I recommend making my vegan strawberry cake instead! Hope that helps :).
Hi. It was almost great. The flavor is so great. The sweetness is just enough - a little bit sour probably due to type of strawberry we used. However, I am so sad that it was so dense more like bread to me than cupcake. It's like a bread with liner. 🙁 I followed all the ingredients using g as unit as I don't trust measuring cups. I am new to vegan baking so I don't know how to troubleshoot this. How do cupcake become dense anyway? I googled and some says if there is buttermilk there should be baking soda? But some says it is fine. Or did I overmix it? Did too much gluten form? My batter is thick but I can't seem to compare it to your picture, I think mine was too thick - could this be the reason why it was so dense? I used frozen strawberry but I defrost it and weigh it, then use handblender since we do not have any other blender. Please help ㅠㅠ thank you in advance
Thanks for your feedback Gel! It's great that you followed the grams but they aren't meant to be bready. From experience, it can be from overmixing. It's okay if there are a few lumps in your batter! Alternatively, if your batter was thicker than the images above, it could be an ingredient issue for example if the ingredients weren't at room temperature. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help! Or if you have any pictures, you're welcome to email me :).
How many boxes of strawberries should I use e.g. if I’m buying regular Driscoll’s strawberries ?
I'm not sure where you're based as Driscoll's strawberry punnets are a different weight internationally. Here, the punnets are 125g each so this recipe will need 3 punnets minus 1-2 strawberries.
I really love the flavor of these cupcakes! Mine ended up very gummy and dense though. Any thoughts on what maybe could have happened? Also, did you measure the strawberries whole, or cut? I don't have a means to weigh the igredients out. I really want to try making them again and get it right!
Glad you enjoyed the flavour of these cupcakes! I'm sorry they ended up gummy - that usually that happens from too much fruit :(. I weighed my strawberries whole (with the green part cut off). If you're measuring the strawberries by cups, there should be a lot of space in each cup. If you absolutely can't weigh the ingredients, try adding a little less strawberry puree (just enough to create a very thick batter) or adding more flour to create a thick batter. I hope that helps!
Wow!!! I am a new plant based foodie, I was skeptic but these did not disappoint! Definitely keeping this recipe, it satisfied my craving. Thank you!
Aw that's so lovely to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed these cupcakes and thanks for the feedback :). Let me know if there's anything I can help with for your plant based journey!
I tried the recipe with raspberry and pitaya powder, it worked wonderfully. Very moist and fluffy. It's a 1000 stars recipe
That sounds so so amazing and I absolutely love the picture you sent me on Instagram! Thanks so so much for taking the time to leave a comment x
I made this recipe and used gluten free flour and vegan cream cheese. It turned out to be one of my best creation thanks to Anthea. My friends went crazy over it when they tried it. It's hands down one of the best recipes ever. It's healthy, gluten-free, vegan and hella delicious. What more would anyone need? 😛
Aw that's so sweet! I'm so glad these worked with your GF flour and your friends loved them too! Thanks so much for the lovely comment Graciela!
These cupcakes are so moist! The ratio of wet ingredients to dry ingredients has perfectly taken into account the strawberries. So packed with real strawberry flavour which beats artificial strawberry flavours!
Aw I'm so glad you enjoyed these cupcakes! Totally agree - real strawberries are so much better! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
This is so easy & the flavour is amazing!
I turned this into a cake instead of muffins & just adjusted the baking time to be 30 mins. It was perfect, light, fluffy.
I made it for a birthday and everyone loved it. Couldn’t tell it was vegan! Great recipe as always RN ❤️
Forgot to say that I made this GF. Just used all the same measurements. Was absolutely perfect 👍🏽
Oh that's amazing that it worked GF *and* in a cake for you! I'm sooo happy that you and everyone enjoyed this cake! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a kind comment, I really appreciate it! x