These vegan coffee cupcakes are deliciously coffee flavored and topped with a coffee buttercream frosting. Perfectly moist and and totally divine!
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!
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 25 minutes at 350Ā°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
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.
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.
More Vegan Cupcakes!
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
Vegan Coffee Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 12
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) 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 (375g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
- 1/3 cup (75g) Vegan Butter
- 1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder
- 2 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
To Decorate:
- Sprinkle Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F (180Ā°C) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix in.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before moving the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- 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.*
- 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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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!
★★★★★
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!
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!!!
★★★★★
So happy it was a success Michelle! Thanks so much for sharing!
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 š
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.
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
Hi Carolina, as long as it’s finely ground it should be okay!
Hi š 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
Hi Hannah, I think it would work, but it would be a much longer bake time, probably 50 minutes or longer.
Hi Alison
Made your carrot cake at the weekend for my daughterās birthday and it was amazing so thank you!
Iāve had a request now for coffee and walnut so thought I would adapt this recipe. Could I add chopped walnuts to the batter do you think or would they be better just sprinkled on top?
Congratulations on your recent and well-deserved awards success. You are my go-to site every time for vegan baking.
Thanks again!
Best wishes Catherine šš±
Hi Catherine! Thank you so much we are thrilled about the awards! I definitely think chopped walnuts can go into the batter, that would be divine! All the best!
I was worried my coffee powder wasn’t strong enough, because the cakes smell and taste of cinnamon and don’t have much coffee taste. Then when it came to the buttercream recipe I thought now that can’t be right, because I’m used to a 1:2 butter to icing sugar. But I took a deep breath and went with and it OF COURSE you know better than I do! š And boom, there’s the coffee taste.
I don’t even like coffee flavoured things and I think this is lovely š
★★★★★
Haha so glad it worked out in the end Cindy! Thanks for the great review! š
Another recipe that deserves way more than 5 stars! These were SO yummy…beyond my expectations – as usual! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe….you are my hero! ā„
★★★★★
Thank you so much Robyn!
I’m planning on making these this week for my husband’s birthday, but don’t have any white vinegar ā would lemon juice work as a substitute? Or apple cider vinegar?
Thanks; I love your website and have made loads of your recipes before, always with great success.
Hi Sam, yes apple cider vinegar definitely works! Lemon juice too, but apple cider vinegar would be my first choice! So happy you like the recipes, thanks so much! š
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Made the recipe subbing white vinegar for apple cider vinegar and it turned out perfectly. Delicious, and so so easy. I adore your recipes š <3
★★★★★
Yay! So happy to hear. Thanks for updating us Sam!
Hi Alison,
Should I use the same amount of espresso powder instead of the instant coffee?
I only have espresso powder.
Thanks š
Hmmm, it might be that you would need less, you could try using half the amount and seeing if you get enough coffee flavor from that. š
Can this recipe by any chance be used to make a cake instead of cupcakes? Say three 6 inch pans or two 8 inch pans? I want to make a cake! Thanks!
Hi Jen, it would make a 2-layer 7-inch cake or a slightly fatter 2-layer 6-inch cake or possibly also a 3-layer 6-inch cake. We do also have a coffee cake recipe with a kahlua frosting if you want to check it out! š
Delicious cupcakes! Very moist and spongey, and keep just as great even after quite a few days. I tried to use instant coffee granules instead of powder which did not dissolve well in the amount of water so the coffee flavour wasn’t as strong in the cake, but even still were very tasty. Next time I’ll use brewed coffee. I also used your Kahlua icing recipe instead which was delicious and worked perfectly with these cupcakes (I halved the quantities used for the whole coffee cake). Will definitely make these again, thank you for the fantastic recipe!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much for the great review Rose. š
Could this be made with regular coffee grounds? Really want to bake something coffee flavored but all the recipes seem to reuqire instant but Iād rather use what i have!
Hi Amanda, I’m sure it would work! š
I made these cupcakes for a work potluck. Now everyone wants me to make these cupcakes every time we have a potluck. The best compliment is that no one can believe they are vegan! These are the perfect cupcakes if you love coffee, moist and so delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe.
★★★★★
That is so awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful rating! š
Hi! I was just wondering what could be used in place of a flax egg? I have been looking for ground flax meal everywhere but can’t seem to find it in any stores. These cupcakes look so delicious and I would love to try it out. Thanks!
Hi Amy, you can replace a flax egg with 3 Tbsp of applesauce. For ground flax seeds though you can also just buy whole flaxseeds and then put them in the blender to make ground flaxseed, this is what I often do. š
I am going to have to give this recipe another go when I can find flax seeds/flax meal for flax egg instead of the applesauce substitution. Not sure if that substitution affected the overall texture or not but my batter didn’t turn out as thin as yours in the pictures, which I am guessing why they became more dense. The coffee buttercream also didn’t hold well. It started separating and melted off the cupcake after a few hours or so once they were piped on. The cupcakes were definitely cooled because I made them the night before. Any ideas on what could have happened there? Thanks in advanced for any tips!
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Hi Amy, my guess would actually be using too much flour. I recommend to weigh that on a food scale, or make sure you’re using the correct spoon and level method for measuring flour. For the frosting, different brands of vegan butters can have a different water content, so it’s best to add the liquid slowly as you may not need all of it. But even if it does end up too thin, this can be fixed by adding more powdered sugar.
These cupcakes are nothing short of DELICIOUS! I have always been a sucker for coffee anything, and these cupcakes are the best coffee dessert I may have ever had in my life! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for the great review! xo