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These Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes are fluffy, light and delicious! I get a lot of requests for egg free recipes, so I thought a simple vanilla cupcake recipe would be a great one to share. Everyone loves a vanilla cupcake, and it's a great recipe to try if you're new to vegan or egg free baking. I do love how simple and easy vegan cupcakes are to make, but they are very different from regular cupcakes so make sure to read all my tips before you start baking!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- I used almond milk for the cupcakes, but you can use any plant milk that you prefer.
- I've found that the best dairy free butter for vegan buttercream is Flora Plant. Stork Baking Block is also very good. Using a block dairy free butter is much better for the buttercream. A margarine or spread style dairy free butter will make the buttercream too loose. I also like to add some vegan shortening, but this is optional.
- You can use a different type of oil besides vegetable oil. I'd recommend one that doesn't have a strong flavour, canola and sunflower oil would both work well.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence. You can also use a vanilla bean paste. I like to use the brand Nielsen Massey.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
In a mixing bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, dairy free milk, vanilla extract and cider vinegar. In a second mixing bowl, stir together self raising flour, caster sugar and baking powder.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk them together until combined and smooth. It's best to do this by hand with a whisk to avoid over mixing. Then divide the mixture between cupcake cases.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. To make the buttercream, mix the dairy free butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth.
What is the best dairy free butter to use for the buttercream?
My favourite dairy free butter to use for vegan buttercream is Flora Plant. The Stork baking block is great too (the one wrapped in foil is vegan, not the tub as that contains milk). Block style dairy free butters give the vegan buttercream and better texture. Using a spread or margarine style dairy free butter will make the buttercream much looser. If you only have a spread or margarine style dairy free butter, you don't need to add as much or any plant milk to the buttercream.
How can you decorate the vegan cupcakes?
Fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries would be a lovely way to decorate these cupcakes. As would freeze dried fruit. Sprinkles like I have used are a fun and colourful option. If using sprinkles and serving these cupcakes to vegans, make sure to check the sprinkles are vegan. Many sprinkles use animal products for colour, and confectioners glaze is a common ingredient in sprinkles that is not vegan because it comes from insects.
Who are the cupcakes suitable for?
These cupcakes are dairy free and egg free, they are also suitable for vegans. They can also be adapted to be gluten free.
How long do the cupcakes last and can they be frozen?
The cupcakes will last for 3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the cupcakes well in cling film or put them in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. To freeze them decorated, freeze the cupcakes on a plate until frozen solid, then carefully wrap in cling film. Remove the clingfilm when you take the cupcakes out of the freezer to defrost, as if they defrost with it still on it could damage the buttercream.
Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?
Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cupcake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
Yes, you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additonal baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture.
More tips for making the Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes:
- Always pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients when making these cupcakes. It is the best way to avoid a lumpy batter
- To pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, I used a Wilton 2D piping nozzle
- You do not need to use an electric mixer for this recipe, mix by hand with a whisk for the best results
- You do need to add the vinegar to this recipe to get a good rise - it reacts with the baking powder to create air bubbles. Cider vinegar is the best vinegar to use, but white vinegar would be a suitable replacement. Balsamic or malt vinegar (the kind you put on your chips) will not work. And don't worry - you can't taste the vinegar in the cupcake!
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- Mixing bowls
- Cupcake tin
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Piping bags
- Wilton 2D Piping nozzle
- Vanilla extract
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More vegan recipes...
- Vegan Biscoff Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Vegan Oreo Brownies
- Vegan Carrot Cake Baked Donuts
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
- Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Light and fluffy cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, dairy free, egg free and vegan
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Author: thebakingexplorer
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 75 ml Vegetable oil
- 225 ml Dairy free milk I used unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp Cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 150 g Caster sugar
- 250 g Self raising flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
For the buttercream
- 150 g Dairy free butter block softened, I prefer Flora Plant
- 50 g Vegan shortening I used Crisp n Dry. This is optional, replace with the same amount of dairy free butter if you don't want to use it
- 400 g Icing sugar
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp Dairy free milk
Metric - US Customary
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake cases
In a mixing bowl, or a large jug, whisk together the vegetable oil, milk, vanilla extract and vinegar
In another mixing bowl, stir together the caster sugar, self raising flour and baking powder
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, and pour in the oil and milk mixture, whisk them together gently with a hand whisk until smooth
Divide the mixture between the 12 cupcake cases. I find it easier to put the mixture into a jug or piping bag to do this as it's quite a wet batter
Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until they are risen and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack
Make the buttercream by first mixing together the dairy free spread and vegan shortening until combined and smooth. Then add the icing sugar, plant milk and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth. You can do this by hand or for best results use an electric mixer. If the buttercream is too stift, you can add more plant milk
Spread or pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes, and decorate with sprinkles if you like
Store in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days
Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!
Video
Notes
- I used almond milk for the cupcakes, but you can use any plant milk that you prefer.
- I've found that the best dairy free butter for vegan buttercream is Flora Plant. Stork Baking Block is also very good. Using a block dairy free butter is much better for the buttercream. A margarine or spread style dairy free butter will make the buttercream too loose. I also like to add some vegan shortening, but this is optional.
- You can use a different type of oil besides vegetable oil. I'd recommend one that doesn't have a strong flavour, canola and sunflower oil would both work well.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence. You can also use a vanilla bean paste. I like to use the brand Nielsen Massey.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Nutrition
Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
If you like this, check out more of my Cupcake recipes!
Or, you might like my Vegan recipes!
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