Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

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.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Vegan

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings or more cupcakes

Calories 233

Author Anthea

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 pan. If you'd like to make the above recipe gluten-free, replace the all-purpose flour with 175g (1 3/4 cups) almond flour, 165g (1 1/2 cups) potato starch and 35g (1/3 cup) cornstarch. All the other ingredients/steps remain the same. Even though we're using more flour, the batter will be runnier. You'll ~14-16 cupcakes that are flatter than the original. This recipe does not work well with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour.

Nutrition