These vegan coffee cupcakes are fluffy, moist, coffee flavored and totally divine. Topped with a vegan coffee buttercream frosting.
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
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.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Let the cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
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.
Baker’s Tips
- 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.
- Flax egg. An alternative to the flax egg is to use 3 Tablespoons of applesauce.
- 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.
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.
More Vegan Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Coffee Cupcakes
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
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
- 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.
- Flax egg. An alternative to the flax egg is to use 3 Tablespoons of applesauce.
- 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.
- 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.
- Freezing: They are freezer friendly (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 3 months.
Hi Alison
Made your carrot cake at the weekend for my daughter’s birthday and it was amazing so thank you!
I’ve 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 ????????
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! 😀 And boom, there’s the coffee taste.
I don’t even like coffee flavoured things and I think this is lovely 🙂
Haha so glad it worked out in the end Cindy! Thanks for the great review! 🙂
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! ♥
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 – 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! 🙂
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 🙂 <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 😀
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. 🙂
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! 🙂
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. 🙂
Could this be made with regular coffee grounds? Really want to bake something coffee flavored but all the recipes seem to reuqire instant but I’d rather use what i have!
Hi Amanda, I’m sure it would work! 🙂
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! 🙂
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. 🙂
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!
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
Made these yesterday – absolutely delicious! I used 3tblsps of ‘Camp Coffee’ in the batter rather than coffee powder and substituted 3 tblsps of apple sauce for the flax egg. I had run out of vanilla extract by the time I made the buttercream so just made it without – still delicious!
These are so quick and easy to make – not good for the diet but definitely good for the soul!
Loving your website – thank you!
Wonderful! So happy to hear they were a success. Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review. xo
I love this recipe! Do you have any suggestions for vegan butters that are more suited to icing? I find Vitalite/ Pure, all easily accessible butters to be far too soft, and I have to put them in the fridge to re-solidify the icing! Thank you!
Hi Ellie, if you reduce the amount of soy milk (possibly don’t even use any at all) does this still happen? I have found using different brands that sometimes if they have a higher water content (are very soft) then sometimes you don’t need to use any non-dairy milk at all. I have found that the firmer the vegan butter is when it’s in the tub at room temperature, the better it will hold up in a frosting, but even really soft ones can still do fine as long as you compensate by using less non-dairy milk
My 9-year-old daughter just made these for me.
Thanks for the super easy recipe. They made it on top of our list of favorite recipes!
That is so wonderful to hear! Thanks so much Anne! 🙂
I tried to make these and I never bake so I know I probably did something wrong. My cupcakes ended up collapsing and being a big puddle instead of baking properly. I don’t know what I did wrong. The only thing I can think of is that I replaced the regular flour with almond flour and I mixed the batter pretty well.
It would definitely be the almond flour, it is NOT interchangeable with all purpose flour. If you want to try making these gluten-free, then a gluten-free all purpose flour blend is the only thing that might work as a swap.
Hi Alison! Can I use coconut butter for the frosting?
Hi Anastasia, I have never tried it with coconut butter so I have no idea how that would work out, sorry. 🙂