• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Loving It Vegan

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    Published: Jul 13, 2017 Updated: Jul 19, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    These vegan coffee cupcakes are fluffy, moist, coffee flavored and totally divine. Topped with a vegan coffee buttercream frosting.

    Vegan coffee cupcakes on a wooden board.

    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

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add light brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix together.
    • Then mix some instant coffee with hot water into a paste and whisk that into soy milk.
    • Make a flax egg by mixing one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of hot water and allowing it to sit for a minute to become gloopy. 
    • Add the coffee and soy milk mix, flax egg, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix into a batter.  
    • Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners.
    Vegan coffee cupcakes ready to go into the oven.
    • Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. 
    Freshly baked vegan coffee cupcakes in a cupcake tray.
    • Let the cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    Vegan coffee cupcakes on a wire cooling rack.

    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.

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

    Baker’s Tips

    1. Measure the flour correctly. Weigh the flour for accuracy or make sure to use the correct method for measuring flour which is the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. 
    2. Flax egg. An alternative to the flax egg is to use 3 Tablespoons of applesauce. 
    3. 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 and cinnamon.

    Storing and Freezing

    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 for up to 3 months, frosted or unfrosted.

    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.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan coffee cupcakes topped with coffee buttercream frosting.

    Vegan Coffee Cupcakes

    These vegan coffee cupcakes are fluffy, moist, coffee flavored and totally divine. Topped with a coffee buttercream frosting.
    4.76 from 25 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cupcakes, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 377kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Coffee Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
    • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
    • 3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Powder
    • 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
    • 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or other non-dairy milk
    • 1 Flax Egg 1 Tablespoon Ground Flaxseed Meal + 3 Tablespoons Hot Water
    • ⅓ cup Canola Oil (80ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

    Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

    • 3 cups Powdered Sugar (360g)
    • ⅓ cup Vegan Butter (75g)
    • 1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee Powder
    • 1-2 Tablespoons Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

    Decoration:

    • Sprinkle Cinnamon
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Cupcakes:

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
    • Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add light brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix in.
    • Mix the instant coffee with the 2 Tablespoons of Hot Water into a thick paste and then mix that into the soy milk (or other non-dairy milk).
    • Prepare the flax egg by mixing 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 Tablespoons of Hot Water and allowing to sit for a minute to become gloopy.
    • Add the coffee and soy milk mix, the flax egg, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and mix into a batter. Don't overmix.
    • Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners and place into the oven to bake for 20-22 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.

    Frosting:

    • Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar and vegan butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix the instant coffee with 1 Tablespoon of soy milk into a paste and add this in along with the vanilla extract.
    • Starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until the frosting is thick and smooth. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of soy milk if needed.
    • Frost the cupcakes and decorate with a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional).

    Notes

    1. Measure the flour correctly. Weigh the flour for accuracy or make sure to use the correct method for measuring flour which is the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. 
    2. Flax egg. An alternative to the flax egg is to use 3 Tablespoons of applesauce.
    3. 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.  
    4. Storing: 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. 
    5. Freezing: They are freezer friendly (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 3 months. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 246mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 322IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!
    « Vegan Chocolate Fudge (Old Fashioned)
    Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie »
    43.6K shares

    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.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. CC says

      November 17, 2022 at 7:47 pm

      These cupcakes are very light in coffee flavor. Can I double the espresso mix for a more intense flavor?4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 18, 2022 at 11:12 am

        You could double the coffee powder, but not the water that you mix it in, so more coffee, same amount of water.

        Reply
    2. Nikki Dennis says

      April 30, 2022 at 11:44 pm

      Phenomenal!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 03, 2022 at 10:03 am

        Thanks Nikki!

        Reply
    3. Nicole says

      March 15, 2022 at 3:30 pm

      Can I use egg to replace the flax egg mix please, and if so how many eggs?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 17, 2022 at 9:33 am

        The flax egg in this recipe is equivalent to one regular egg.

        Reply
    4. El says

      November 05, 2021 at 7:36 pm

      Hi, could I use half a banana instead of the flax seed (it’s pretty hard to get hold of where I am)? Also, what is the purpose of the vinegar?

      Am planning on topping the frosting with a little sprinkle of sugary cinnamon 😋
      Many thanks! El

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 06, 2021 at 12:00 pm

        You could use banana but you would need to use 3 tablespoons mashed banana. You can also use applesauce. Vinegar reacts with the baking soda causing the rise.

        Reply
    5. Kelsie says

      October 18, 2021 at 9:51 pm

      I noticed that the biggest difference between this recipe and your vegan coffee cake is that this one includes a flax egg, and the other recipe does not. I’m not sure which recipe to try first, and would love a bit more insight on the difference that the flax egg adds! Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 20, 2021 at 10:59 am

        Hi Kelsie, honestly it just depends on whether you want a cake or cupcakes, because this recipe is for a perfect 12 cupcakes whereas the other recipe is larger. I sometimes use flax eggs and sometimes not. When I don’t, it’s because I’ve increased another ingredient. So, in these cupcakes, it is needed.

        Reply
    6. Mo says

      September 16, 2021 at 3:56 am

      Another 5 star rating from me! This was my first time making vegan buttercream after a couple of years of making not-so-great vegan cake toppings using cashews/dates/coconut oil etc. they were ok but I never found a keeper recipe. I’m unable to buy vegan butter where I live so discovering your vegan butter recipe was a game changer. I used that in this recipe and it was a winner! Thanks for the keeper recipe! For the cake I had to make it gluten free so I used a combination of cassava flour and oat flour (50:50) and the texture was perfect. So light and fluffy! Undetectably gluten free I was told! Thanks again!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 16, 2021 at 12:02 pm

        Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review!

        Reply
    7. Pallavi 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!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison 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
    8. Chloe 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 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:00 am

        Thanks so much Chloe!

        Reply
    9. Vanessa 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.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 28, 2020 at 10:17 am

        Awesome Vanessa! Thanks so much!

        Reply
    10. Michaela 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??4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison 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. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Colleen 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!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison 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
    12. Michelle 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!!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 08, 2020 at 11:12 am

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

        Reply
    13. Carolina 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 🙂

      Reply
      • Alison 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
        • Carolina 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 Andrews says

            June 29, 2020 at 11:39 am

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

    14. Hannah says

      June 15, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Hi 🙂 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 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
    « Older Comments

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    Leave A Comment & Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    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!

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Popular Posts

    • Vegan tuna on an open faced sandwich on a wooden board.
      Vegan Tuna
    • Serving spoonful of vegan mac and cheese.
      The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese (Classic, Baked)
    • Vegan burritos stacked up on top of each other.
      Vegan Burrito
    • Vegan tofu scramble with sliced avocado and fried tomatoes on a white plate.
      Super Eggy Vegan Tofu Scramble
    • Thick slice of cashew cheese on a wooden board.
      Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    • Homemade vegan butter in a glass butter dish with a knife.
      Homemade Vegan Butter

    Veganuary

    • Slices of grilled vegan halloumi on a gray plate.
      Vegan Halloumi
    • Vegan stuffed mushrooms on a white plate.
      Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Vegan stuffed peppers in a white baking dish.
      Vegan Stuffed Peppers
    • Vegan granola on a baking sheet with a wooden spoon.
      Vegan Granola
    • Powdered sugar sprinkling down over a stack of waffles.
      The Best Vegan Waffles
    • Vegan salmon on a gray plate with vegan tartar sauce and chopped cilantro.
      Vegan Salmon

    See all Veganuary Recipes →


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As Seen In

    Press logos black and white

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Loving It Vegan

    Get 10 fabulous dinner recipes!
    Absolutely free! Sign up below!
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!