These vegan vanilla cupcakes feature a perfect balance of flavors and textures that will satisfy you with every scrumptious mouthful. The moist and flavorful base and luscious vanilla frosting pair perfectly together for an ultra-rich, bakery-quality snack or dessert.
Ideal for celebrations, parties, or simply to treat yourself, these cupcakes are simple to make and come together in less than an hour. The light and fluffy cupcake topped with creamy and vanilla-infused frosting is so delectable, you’ll always want seconds!
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Vegan Vanilla Cupcake Ingredients
To create these ultra-satisfying cupcakes, you’ll need to whip up a vanilla-infused batter. I also like to top my baked cupcakes with a simple vanilla frosting. All the ingredients you need for these components are listed below.
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Butter: The key to a moist and tender cupcake, some butter adds richness and creaminess.
- Granulated Sugar: This baking staple offers sweetness and contributes to the cupcake's soft and tender texture.
- Vanilla Extract: The star of the show, vanilla extract infuses your cupcakes with a delightful aroma and distinct taste.
- Soy Milk: Of all plant-based milks, I find that soy milk is the best for vegan baking. It offers the protein and fat content necessary for an exceptional vegan buttermilk, which is the base for your cupcake batter. Other plant-based milks would likely work but have not been tested.
- White Vinegar: Combined with soy milk to form a vegan buttermilk, this enhances the cupcake's tenderness and contributing to its delightful rise.
- All-Purpose Flour: This flour gives these cupcakes their light and fluffy texture while holding all the flavors together.
- Corn Starch: Some starch adds tenderness to the cupcakes, ensuring a delicate crumb that melts in your mouth with every bite.
- Baking Powder: The leavening agent responsible for the cupcakes' rise, baking powder creates a perfectly airy and soft interior.
- Salt: A small pinch of salt balances sweetness and elevates the overall flavors, preventing your cupcakes from being overly sugary.
Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting (Optional)
- Vegan Butter: The base of this heavenly frosting, butter offers a smooth and creamy texture that spreads easily over the cupcakes.
- Icing Sugar: The sweet star of the show, icing sugar (also called powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar) gives the frosting its luscious sweetness and thickens it to achieve the perfect piping consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: This elevates the cupcake with even more delightful vanilla aroma and flavor, creating a harmonious consistency between the cupcake and frosting on top.
- Plant-based Milk: Thinning the frosting to your desired consistency, soy milk makes it easy to spread without sacrificing a creamy, delicious flavor.
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes Vegan
It’s super easy to make a delectable vanilla cupcake using all vegan ingredients! Just follow the steps below and you’ll get to enjoy these yummy treats in as little as 40 minutes.
Step 1: Prep Vegan Buttermilk
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C).
To start, create a vegan buttermilk by whisking together soy milk and vinegar in a small mixing bowl.
Let this mixture sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in some vanilla extract and set it aside.
The mixture will thicken and slightly curdle, which is normal and essential for the cupcakes' texture.
Step 2: Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your cupcake batter dry ingredients, including all-purpose flour, corn starch, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Set this dry mixture aside.
Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar
In another large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and light in color. You can use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for this step.
Be sure to stop mixing occasionally to scrape down the edges of the bowl. I typically stop and scrape 2-3 times to ensure even whipping.
Step 4: Combine Batter
Next, add about one third of the flour mixture to your whipped butter and mix on low speed until it’s just combined. Then, add half of the prepared buttermilk, whipping this through on low speed until just combined.
Repeat this process again, adding half of your remaining flour mixture and whipping before adding the rest of the buttermilk and whipping it through.
Finally, complete the batter mixture by adding the remaining third of your flour mix and mix this in, trying not to over-mix (stop when there are no pockets of butter, flour or buttermilk remaining).
Step 5: Bake, Cool and Serve
Line a muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners and evenly divide the batter into all 12 slots. Use a spatula to scrape all the batter from the bowl.
Then, when your oven is up to temperature, bake the cupcakes for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes rest for a minute or two before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Step 6: Prep Vanilla Frosting and Frost Cupcakes (Optional)
If you choose to create a simple vanilla frosting for your cupcakes, start by whipping vegan butter until it turns light in color. Use whatever method you used for the cupcake batter, either electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to make sure all the butter gets whipped nicely!
Once the butter is fluffy, add icing sugar, vanilla extract, and plant-based milk. Begin whipping at a low speed and increase it once the sugar starts to blend in.
If you find the frosting too thick, add a little plant-based milk (about 1 teaspoon at a time) until you get the consistency you want. This frosting will firm up when you refrigerate it, but for now, it should be somewhat soft and creamy for easy piping.
When your cupcakes have cooled down completely, it's time to give them a delightful topping! Fill a piping bag your vanilla frosting and pipe it evenly onto all 12 cupcakes.
How to Store Leftover Cupcakes
Since this recipe makes 12 cupcakes, it’s likely you’ll have leftovers (unless serving to a large group). If this is the case, let your cupcakes cool fully before storing them in an airtight container.
Refrigerate leftover cupcakes for up to 4-5 days.
The cupcakes and frosting can be frozen. If freezing, it’s best to keep the cupcakes and frosting separate. Simply allow the cupcakes and frosting to thaw to room temperature before frosting and serving.
If you’re only looking for a taste of vanilla cake and don’t want to make a full batch, I also have a vegan vanilla mug cake recipe. It’s great for single servings and times where you don’t want to heat up your house with a hot oven.
If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
- Large mixing bowls
- Electric beater
- Measuring cups (or kitchen scale)
- Measuring spoons
- 12-slot muffin/cupcake pan
- Muffin/ cupcake liners
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- ½ cup vegan butter , room temperature (115 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (145 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (15 milliliters)*
- 1 cup soy milk (250 milliliters)**
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (15 milliliters)***
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (225 grams)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch (20 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter , room temperature (115 grams)
- 2 ½ cups icing sugar (370 grams)****
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 milliliters)
- 2-3 tablespoons plant-based milk , I use soy milk (30-45 milliliters)
Instructions
Step 1: Prep Vegan Buttermilk
- Whisk soy milk and vinegar together in a small mixing bowl. Let this mixture sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in vanilla extract.1 cup soy milk, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Set aside this vanilla-flavored vegan buttermilk.
Step 2: Whisk Dry Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 pinch of salt
- Set this mixture of dry ingredients aside.
Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugar
- In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter and granulated sugar. You can use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment.½ cup vegan butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Whip until the butter-sugar mixture looks fluffy and is light in color, scraping down the edges of the bowl 2-3 times to get everything evenly whipped.
Step 4: Combine Batter
- Add about a third of your flour mixture to the whipped butter and mix this through (using a low-speed setting).
- Once combined, add about half of the soy milk mixture and mix this through until combined.
- Then add another third of the flour mixture (at this point, it will be half of what’s left). Mix this through (still on a low-speed setting) until just mixed.
- Add the rest of your vegan buttermilk and whip this through until just mixed.
- Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and whip this through until it’s just mixed.
Step 5: Bake, Cool and Serve
- Line a muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Evenly divide the batter into all 12 slots, making sure to scrape the bowl with a spatula to get all the batter. The liners will be about ⅔ filled.
- Bake on the center rack in an oven preheated to 350 °F (175 °C) for 22-24 minutes.
- They’re cooked when a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Let the cooked cupcakes rest for a minute or two before carefully transferring to a cooling rack.
- Cool completely before topping with frosting.
Step 6: Prep Vanilla Frosting and Frost Cupcakes (Optional)
- You can use any type of frosting for these vanilla cupcakes. If preparing a basic vanilla frosting, start by whipping vegan butter until it’s light in color. Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment.½ cup vegan butter
- You’ll need to scrape down the bowl’s edges a couple times to make sure all the butter becomes whipped.
- Then add icing sugar, vanilla extract and plant-based milk. Whip, starting on a low speed (and increasing speed once the sugar is incorporated).2 ½ cups icing sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2-3 tablespoons plant-based milk
- Add extra plant-based milk in small amounts if needed (about 1 teaspoon at a time), until you reach your desired consistency. Keep in mind this frosting will firm when refrigerated but should be somewhat soft for piping.
- Once cupcakes are fully cooled, fill a piping bag with the frosting and pipe evenly onto all 12 cupcakes.
Video
Notes
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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