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    Home Ā» Desserts Ā» Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    Published: Jul 13, 2017 Modified: Sep 30, 2019 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    42.3Kshares
    Vegan coffee cupcakes

    These vegan coffee cupcakes are deliciously coffee flavored and topped with a coffee buttercream frosting. Perfectly moist and and totally divine! 

    Coffee cupcakes topped with coffee buttercream frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

    Oh wow, these vegan coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream turned out better than I ever expected!

    And the color was a surprise! I was expecting the cupcakes themselves to have more of a light color, more like the color of the frosting. But no, this is a deep dark rich brown.

    I did use quite a lot of coffee in these though. Well, I don’t know if you’d agree that it was a lot. I used three tablespoons of a nice strong blend of instant coffee so I imagine each cupcake is around equal to a cup of instant coffee.

    And then I used another tablespoon of instant coffee in the frosting!

    So the coffee flavor is strong with these guys! But not too strong. I think it’s a perfect flavor blend. They’re unmistakably coffee flavored without being overpowering.

    And then I couldn’t tell you why, but the addition of coffee to the frosting seemed to make it super creamy! Like more creamy than frosting has ever been before.

    And it just worked so well as a topping for these cupcakes. Like coffee and cream!

    Vegan coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

    How To Make Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    • It’s so easy to make these cupcakes! 
    • Sift flour into a mixing bowl and add brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix together.
    • Then mix some instant coffee with some hot water into a paste and whisk that in with some soy milk before adding to the mixing bowl with some vanilla, oil and vinegar (the vinegar reacts with the baking soda causing the cupcakes to rise). 
    • Make a flax egg by mixing one tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of hot water and allowing it to sit for a minute to become gloopy. 
    • Add in the flax egg and then whisk everything together with a hand whisk to remove any lumps. Divide the batter between your 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. 

    Step by step process photo collage of making vegan coffee cupcakes.

    The Frosting!

    The frosting is a rich coffee flavored buttercream that pipes beautifully over these cupcakes. 

    There is a little cinnamon in the recipe and cinnamon goes well with coffee so I sprinkled a little on top of the cupcakes too.

    Vegan coffee cupcakes topped with coffee buttercream and cinnamon.

    How To Store Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    Keep them covered at room temperature where they will last for a few days or covered in the fridge where they will stay fresh for up to a week. They are also freezer friendly. 

    Can You Make These Coffee Cupcakes Gluten-Free?

    If you want to make these gluten-free then I would recommend using a gluten-free all purpose flour blend to replace the regular flour in this recipe. 

    Vegan coffee cupcakes topped with coffee buttercream frosting.

    More Vegan Cupcakes!

    1. Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
    2. Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
    3. Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
    4. Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
    5. Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
    6. Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

    Vegan coffee cupcake cut in half to show the center.

    Print
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    Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    Vegan Coffee Cupcakes


    ★★★★★

    4.7 from 17 reviews

    • Author: Alison Andrews
    • Prep Time: 20 mins
    • Cook Time: 25 mins
    • Total Time: 45 mins
    • Yield: 12
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    These vegan coffee cupcakes are deliciously coffee flavored and topped with a coffee buttercream frosting. Perfectly moist and and totally divine!


    Ingredients

    For the Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups (250g) All Purpose Flour*
    • 1 cup (200g) Light Brown Sugar
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1/2 tsp Salt
    • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
    • 3 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder
    • 2 Tbsp Hot Water
    • 1 cup (240ml) Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
    • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1/3 cup (80ml) Canola Oil*
    • 1 Tbsp White Vinegar
    • 1 Flax Egg (1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal + 3 Tbsp Hot Water)

    For the Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

    • 3 cups (360g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
    • 1/3 cup (75g) Vegan Butter
    • 1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder
    • 1–2 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

    To Decorate:

    • Sprinkle Cinnamon

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
    2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix in.
    3. Mix the instant coffee with the 2 Tbsp of Hot Water into a thick paste and then mix into the soy milk (or other non-dairy milk). Add to the mixing bowl along with the vanilla, oil and vinegar.
    4. Prepare the flax egg by mixing 1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp of Hot Water and allowing to sit for a minute to become gloopy and then add it in.
    5. Whisk the batter with a hand whisk briefly just to remove lumps. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners and place into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    6. Allow to cool for a few minutes before moving the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
    7. Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar and vegan butter to the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix the instant coffee with 1 Tbsp of soy milk and the vanilla until no lumps remain. Add this in. Starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until the frosting is thick and smooth. Add the remaining Tbsp of soy milk if needed. If your frosting is too thin add in more powdered sugar, if it is too thick, add in a little more soy milk a drop at a time until it reaches the right consistency. It should be very thick for best results.*
    8. Frost the cupcakes and decorate with a little cinnamon.

    Notes

    *Weigh the flour for accuracy or make sure to use the correct method for measuring flour which is the spoon and level method.

    *Canola oil can be replaced with vegetable oil.

    *Vegan butter products can have a lot of variety in water content, which is why the amount of soy milk added needs to be flexible. You may even need more than the amount specified or you may need less.

    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: Vegan

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 Cupcake (of 12)
    • Calories: 358
    • Sugar: 47.4g
    • Sodium: 260mg
    • Fat: 9.6g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.4g
    • Carbohydrates: 65.3g
    • Fiber: 0.9g
    • Protein: 3g

    Keywords: vegan coffee cupcakes

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    42.3Kshares
    Alison Andrews

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.
    Previous Post: « Vegan Chocolate Fudge
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. AvatarPallavi says

      February 11, 2021 at 3:31 am

      Hi Alison,
      I cannot wait to try this recipe. I was wondering if cocoa powder could be added to make it more like a mocha cupcake. If so, how much should be added? Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        February 11, 2021 at 10:04 am

        Hi there, you could try it. If you’re using a small amount (like 1 Tbsp) then just add it in and see how it goes. If you’re using a larger amount though then you would need to increase the wet ingredients of the recipe so that it stays balanced.

        Reply
    2. AvatarChloe says

      January 29, 2021 at 9:11 pm

      These are so good – I was pleasantly surprised by just how fluffy the texture of these cupcakes is!! Thank you so much šŸ™‚

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:00 am

        Thanks so much Chloe!

        Reply
    3. AvatarVanessa says

      December 27, 2020 at 7:58 am

      I’ve made these twice now and they are perfect. Second time, I added some coco to the mix and grated some vegan chocolate on top.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        December 28, 2020 at 10:17 am

        Awesome Vanessa! Thanks so much!

        Reply
    4. AvatarMichaela says

      November 02, 2020 at 4:08 am

      Hi allison!! i’m a huge fan of your recipes but i was wondering if i could replace the flaxseed egg with 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce??

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        November 02, 2020 at 12:14 pm

        Hi Michaela, thank you, so glad you like the recipes! In this case you can replace the flax egg with 3 Tbsp of applesauce. šŸ™‚

        Reply
    5. AvatarColleen says

      September 18, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      Hello! I saw that you said to someone that regular ground coffee could be used rather than instant. Would you brew the coffee and just add the liquid so the grinds aren’t in it? Also how would that work for the frosting? I do also have instant coffee granules if that would work better. Thank you so much, these look delicious and I’m hoping to make them for my boyfriend’s birthday!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        September 19, 2020 at 9:17 am

        Hi Colleen, I mean that you can use finely ground coffee granules. It would always be the granules. If you have instant coffee then that will work great!

        Reply
    6. AvatarMichelle says

      July 08, 2020 at 4:57 am

      Great recipe!!! I have had so many vegan cupcakes turn out terrible so when I find a good one it’s a Win!!! Thank you!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        July 08, 2020 at 11:12 am

        So happy it was a success Michelle! Thanks so much for sharing!

        Reply
    7. AvatarCarolina says

      June 25, 2020 at 3:39 am

      Hi! I absolutely love your recipes because they turn out well every single time!
      Would like to know how I can make this specific recipe GLUTEN FREE? Thank you šŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        June 25, 2020 at 10:25 am

        Hi Carolina, so glad you love the recipes, thank you! A gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the same quantity as the regular flour would be the best way.

        Reply
        • AvatarCarolina says

          June 27, 2020 at 11:48 am

          Thank you! Baking as I type and the odour from the oven is already mouthwatering! Could I use ground coffee beans in lieu of instant coffee for the buttercream? If yes, would I also dilute it in the milk in the same ratio? Thank you xxx

          Reply
          • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

            June 29, 2020 at 11:39 am

            Hi Carolina, as long as it’s finely ground it should be okay!

    8. AvatarHannah says

      June 15, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Hi šŸ™‚ I tried this recipe and it was so delicious!!!!! I was wondering, would this work if I baked in a loaf tin instead of singular cupcake holders?

      XX
      Hannah <3

      Reply
      • Alison AndrewsAlison Andrews says

        June 15, 2020 at 12:39 pm

        Hi Hannah, I think it would work, but it would be a much longer bake time, probably 50 minutes or longer.

        Reply
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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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