This easy vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe creates soft, moist cupcakes in just a few simple steps! Chocolate frosting is truly “icing on the cake” as it adds a luxurious topping to truly satisfy any chocolate-lover.
Whether you're new to baking, or simply looking to satisfy your chocolate cravings, this recipe is your ticket to a blissful dairy-free dessert.
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Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe uses basic ingredients that most people keep in their pantry. To create scrumptious cupcakes, you’ll need:
- Soy milk: Soy milk serves as the recipe’s dairy-free liquid base. Other plant-based milk options may work, but when mixed with vinegar, soy milk creates the richest, thickest vegan buttermilk alternative and is the best choice for this recipe.
- White vinegar: This unlikely ingredient interacts with the soy milk, creating a reaction that mimics buttermilk. It helps cupcakes rise and gives them a tender crumb.
- Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil ensures the cupcakes are wonderfully moist, soft and decadent. Select any neutral-tasting oil (olive oil and coconut oil are not recommended).
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract enhances the flavor profile of these cupcakes, boosting chocolate flavor in every bite.
- All-purpose flour: This flour provides structure and stability to the batter while keeping the cupcakes tender.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar creates the correct texture and sweetness in your cupcake batter. I haven’t tested this recipe with any other type of sugar, sugar substitute or sweetener.
- Cocoa powder: The star ingredient for rich, chocolatey goodness! Cocoa powder will give your cupcakes their irresistible flavor.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps the cupcakes rise and become fluffy.
- Baking soda: Baking soda, another leavening agent, reacts with vinegar to ensure a light and tender texture.
No cupcake is complete without frosting! To make a basic vegan chocolate icing, you’ll need:
- Vegan butter: This dairy-free frosting base provides a luscious, creamy texture.
- Icing sugar: Also known as powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar, this ingredient sweetens and thickens frosting.
- Cocoa powder: Of course, you’ll need more cocoa powder to create a rich and delectable chocolate frosting!
- Vanilla extract: Just a touch of vanilla extract enhances the frosting's overall taste and chocolatey flavor profile.
- Plant-based milk: Plant-based milk adds some moisture to create a spreadable, velvety frosting.
How to Make Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe truly is easy to make with just 3 simple steps and no expensive equipment! It follows the exact same process as my vegan vanilla cupcake recipe, which is also super delicious.
Step 1: Whisk Liquid Ingredients
Add soy milk and vinegar to a large mixing bowl. Whisk these ingredients, then let the mixture sit for 2 minutes.
Add vegetable oil and vanilla extract, then whisk to combine.
Step 2: Whisk in Dry Ingredients
Grab a large sieve and sift all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into the liquid ingredients.
Gently whisk your dry ingredients into the liquid mixture until there are no dry clumps of flour visible. Be careful not to overmix; a few small clumps are okay.
Step 3: Bake Cupcakes
Prepare a 12-slot muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners, then divide the batter evenly among the 12 slots (filling them about ¾ full).
Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C), on the center rack, for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Next, let the cupcakes cool in your pan for a minute or two before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Ensure the cupcakes cool fully before frosting.
Optional: Prepare Chocolate Frosting and Frost Cupcakes
You can top these cupcakes with any frosting you like, but for the ultimate chocolate experience, I like to make a basic vegan chocolate frosting.
In a large bowl, add room-temperature vegan butter and whip it (with an electric hand mixer) until the butter becomes light in color and appears fluffier. Scrape down the sides of your bowl to ensure even whipping.
Then add icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and some plant-based milk. Begin whipping on low speed until the sugar and cocoa powder are well mixed.
Gradually increase the speed to fully whip your frosting, scraping down the bowl’s edges a couple times as you go.
If needed, add extra plant-based milk in small increments (about ½ tablespoon at a time) and whip until the frosting reaches a firm but spreadable consistency. Keep in mind that the frosting will firm when chilled.
If desired, transfer your frosting to a piping bag to decorate the cupcakes. You can also spread the frosting onto each cupcake with a knife.
This frosting recipe makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes (as you see in the photos). It’s also enough to frost a small 2-layer cake.
How to Store Leftovers
To store leftover cupcakes, cool them to room temperature on a wire cooling rack.
You can keep unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two. For longer storage, or for frosted cupcakes, store in your fridge.
To maintain freshness, wrap leftover cupcakes in plastic wrap (but it’s always best to eat the cupcakes within a day).
You can also freeze cupcakes if they’re unfrosted. Cover each cupcake in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag or container for up to 2-3 months. When ready to eat, remove from your freezer and thaw in the fridge.
Freeze leftover frosting separately from the cupcakes if needed. Just place into a freezer-safe container and it should last if frozen for a few months. Again, thaw in your fridge (and bring up to room temperature on the counter before frosting).
If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-slot muffin/cupcake pan
- Sieve/ wire sifter
- Muffin/ cupcake liners
- Measuring cups (or kitchen scale)
- Measuring spoons
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup soy milk (250 mL)*
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (15 mL)**
- ½ cup vegetable oil (125 mL)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 mL)
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (190 g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- ½ cup cocoa powder (45 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Basic Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter , softened (115 grams)
- 2 ½ cups icing sugar (370 grams)*
- ½ cup cocoa powder (45 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 milliliters)
- 4-6 tablespoons plant-based milk (60 – 90 milliliters)
Instructions
Step 1: Whisk Liquid Ingredients
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together soy milk with vinegar. Let this sit for 2 minutes.1 cup soy milk, 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Whisk in vegetable oil and vanilla extract.½ cup vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step 2: Whisk in Dry Ingredients
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into your bowl of liquid ingredients.1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Then whisk the dry ingredients into your liquid ingredients until there’s no dry clumps of flour visible. Don’t overmix (stop whisking as soon as there’s no visible dry clumps of flour but small clumps that don’t easily break apart is fine).
Step 3: Bake Cupcakes
- Prepare a 12-slot muffin/ cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Evenly divide your batter into all 12 slots. The liners will be about ¾ filled.
- Bake in your preheated oven, on a center rack, for 23-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean when they’re done.
- Once out of the oven, let cool for a couple minutes in the pan before carefully transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cool the cupcakes fully before frosting them.
Optional: Prepare Chocolate Frosting and Frost Cupcakes
- Using and electric hand mixer, whip vegan butter until it’s light in color. You’ll need to scrape down the edges of the bowl a couple times to make sure all the butter is whipped.½ cup vegan butter
- Add icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of plant-based milk.2 ½ cups icing sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4-6 tablespoons plant-based milk
- Whip on low speed until the sugar and cocoa powder are well mixed through, then turn up the speed to fully whip the frosting.
- If needed, add extra plant-based milk in small increments (about ½ tablespoon at a time) and whip through before adding more. The frosting should be firm but soft enough to pipe/ spread. The frosting becomes firmer when cooled/ chilled.
Video
Notes
**Can substitute for apple cider vinegar. Nutrient analysis performed with vegan chocolate buttercream included. Serving your cupcakes without frosting will change this information. Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.
Nutrition
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About Nicole Stevens
Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.
She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.
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