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    Home » Desserts

    Vegan Lemon Cupcakes (Moist and Perfect)

    Published: May 25, 2017 Updated: Oct 23, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Vegan Lemon Cupcakes

    Light and fluffy vegan lemon cupcakes with a lemon buttercream frosting. Moist, packed with lemon flavor and super simple to make. 

    Vegan lemon cupcakes topped with lemon frosting.

    These vegan lemon cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting are so divine, they are my latest favorite cupcake in the whole entire world.

    Well, of course that is until I bake one of my other absolute favorites in the entire world – such as – any of the other cupcakes on this site. Love them all I must admit. But there is really something special about the tangy, sunshine flavor of lemon.

    These cupcakes were super good and I’m a huge fan. As is everyone else who ate them. And they’re super easy to make too.

    The perfect lemon flavor

    The perfect lemon flavor in these cupcakes comes from lemon zest and lemon extract. The vegan lemon buttercream frosting is made with lemon juice and lemon extract and the flavors REALLY pop.

    I adapted this recipe from my vegan vanilla cupcakes which is just the best recipe! Perfectly moist with a light and fluffy texture.

    And if you love lemon like I do then you’ll also love our vegan lemon cake, vegan lemon cookies, vegan lemon pound cake and vegan lemon pie.

    Ingredients You’ll Need To Make These Cupcakes:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan lemon cupcakes.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Soy milk – you can use soy milk or any other non-dairy milk that you have on hand.
    • Lemon zest – we used 1 tablespoon of lemon zest in this recipe, which is usually what you’d get from 1 medium sized lemon.
    • Lemon extract – this really pops the lemon flavor! If you can’t get hold of it, you could just use lemon juice but it won’t be nearly as flavorful.
    • Canola oil – can be replaced with vegetable oil.
    • White vinegar – distilled white vinegar reacts with the baking soda (called bicarbonate of soda in some countries) in this recipe and creates the beautiful rise. You could replace this with apple cider vinegar.
    Vegan lemon cupcakes topped with lemon frosting.

    How To Make Vegan Lemon 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 white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed together.
    • Add soy milk, canola oil, white vinegar, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest. Mix into a batter. Don’t overmix.
    Two photo collage showing wet ingredients added to bowl and mixed into a batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners.
    • Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    Two photo collage showing cupcakes before and after baking.
    • Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
    • When they are completely cool, frost them with vegan lemon buttercream frosting.
    Two photo collage showing cupcakes cooling on a wire cooling rack and then frosted.

    Recipe Tips

    Measure the flour correctly. For the perfect light and fluffy cupcakes it’s crucial that you don’t accidentally use too much flour. So it’s perfect if you weigh out your flour on a food scale. If you don’t have a food scale though then the next best thing is to use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.

    Don’t overmix the batter. Mix it until just mixed and then stop mixing. Over-mixing can affect the texture and rise of your cupcakes.

    Bake right away. As soon as the batter has been divided between your cupcake liners, bake them right away. Letting the batter sit too long can also affect the texture and rise of your cupcakes.

    Gluten-free. If you’d like to make these cupcakes gluten-free then the best thing would be to use a gluten-free all purpose baking blend to replace the regular flour.

    Decorate. If you want to decorate these cupcakes then a sprinkle of lemon zest on top (as in our video) works great.

    Vegan lemon cupcakes topped with lemon frosting.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep them covered at room temperature where they will stay fresh for 2-3 days, or keep them in the fridge (covered) where they will last up to a week.

    They are also freezer friendly (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.

    Vegan lemon cupcake with the liner pulled down.

    More Vegan Cupcakes

    1. Classic Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
    2. Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
    3. Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
    4. Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
    5. Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
    6. Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
    Vegan lemon cupcake cut in half.

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

    Vegan lemon cupcakes topped with lemon frosting.

    Vegan Lemon Cupcakes

    Light and fluffy vegan lemon cupcakes with a lemon buttercream frosting. Moist, packed with lemon flavor and super simple to make.
    4.99 from 54 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Baking, Cupcakes, Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 407kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour (220g)
    • 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or other non-dairy milk
    • ⅓ cup Canola Oil (80ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
    • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest

    Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

    • 4 cups Powdered Sugar (480g)
    • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
    • 2 teaspoons Lemon Extract
    • 2-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • 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 white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix together.
    • Add soy milk, canola oil, white vinegar, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest. Mix into a batter. Don't overmix.
    • Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners.
    • Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    • Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    • Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vegan butter, lemon extract and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start at slow speed and gradually increase speed until smooth and thick. If it's too thick, add the remaining lemon juice a drop at a time until you reach the right consistency.
    • When the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe on the frosting and serve.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Measure the flour correctly. For the perfect light and fluffy cupcakes it’s crucial that you don’t accidentally use too much flour. So it’s perfect if you weigh out your flour on a food scale. If you don’t have a food scale though then the next best thing is to use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.
    2. Lemon extract – this really pops the lemon flavor! If you can’t get hold of it, you could just use lemon juice but it won’t be nearly as flavorful.
    3. Lemon zest – we used 1 tablespoon of lemon zest in this recipe, which is usually what you’d get from 1 medium sized lemon.
    4. Don’t overmix the batter. Mix it until just mixed and then stop mixing. Over-mixing can affect the texture and rise of your cupcakes.
    5. Bake right away. As soon as the batter has been divided between your cupcake liners, bake them right away. Letting the batter sit too long can also affect the texture and rise of your cupcakes.
    6. Gluten-free: To make these cupcakes gluten-free the best thing would be to use a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in place of the regular flour. 
    7. Storing and freezing: Keep them covered at room temperature where they will stay fresh for 2-3 days, or keep them in the fridge (covered) where they will last up to a week. They are also freezer friendly (frosted or unfrosted) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
    8. This recipe has been updated with new photos and extra tips but the recipe itself is the same. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 437IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 32mg | 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
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    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. Emily says

      June 26, 2022 at 1:52 am

      These were excellent! Big hit5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 27, 2022 at 11:03 am

        Thanks Emily!

        Reply
    2. Sara says

      June 06, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      Thank you so much for the excellent recipe. Providing the measurements by weight was so helpful and I believe the reason for this recipe to be foolproof. Turned them into mini cupcakes (each batch made 30, but the extra that didn’t fit in the pan did well in the fridge during the 9-10 mins the first batch was in the oven.) Added one more teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter and used cake batter. They were so fluffy and the instructions to let them rest in the pan outside the oven first, then on a cooling rack was crucial. Put them in the fridge and the next morn did not stick to the wrapper as was happening right out the oven. Thank you so much!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 08, 2022 at 11:18 am

        So happy the mini cupcakes were a success! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review Sara!

        Reply
    3. Cynthia says

      May 19, 2022 at 3:33 pm

      These are amazing!!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 20, 2022 at 12:18 pm

        Thanks so much Cynthia!

        Reply
    4. Andrea TLV says

      May 06, 2022 at 9:35 am

      I’ve made these a couple of times now; a great go to recipe. I use lemon juice as the acid instead of vinegar in the soymilk for extra lemoniness. (That is definitely a word.) Thanks!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 06, 2022 at 11:12 am

        It’s absolutely a word. 🙂 Thanks so much for the great review Andrea!

        Reply
    5. Athina Antoniou says

      April 03, 2022 at 4:23 pm

      Just made these lemon cupcakes and they are absolutely delicious. Thank you Allison.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 04, 2022 at 11:29 am

        Awesome! Thanks so much Athina!

        Reply
    6. Cailin says

      January 27, 2022 at 2:57 am

      I made these cupcakes with my friend and we absolutely loved them! Is there a way to make it into a cake? What would the baking alterations be?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 27, 2022 at 9:08 am

        Hi Cailin, so happy you loved them! This recipe as is would make a three layer 6-inch cake. Bake time would be 20 minutes. Alternatively you can take a look at our vegan lemon cake recipe.

        Reply
    7. Tre says

      January 21, 2022 at 4:47 pm

      Can I use avocado oil or evoo?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 21, 2022 at 8:44 pm

        Hi Tre, yes you can. I have often baked with extra virgin olive oil but it should be mild tasting so that it doesn’t end up tasting like olive oil in the end result.

        Reply
    8. Melody says

      January 09, 2022 at 1:27 am

      These Classic Lemon cupcakes are my go-to for birthdays and special occasions. The recipe turns out perfect every single time and the lemon frosting is very lemony and delicious!
      The Classic Chocolate cupcake recipe is just as amazing! Thank you!!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 11, 2022 at 11:43 am

        Thanks so much Melody!

        Reply
    9. Amelia says

      October 13, 2021 at 4:39 pm

      I make these all the time and love them! However I’ve got home and realised I don’t have any vegetable oil left! Can I use vegan butter?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 13, 2021 at 9:07 pm

        Hi Amelia, melted vegan butter should work fine! They might not be quite as moist as with the oil but it will work!

        Reply
    10. Tahira Akhtar says

      October 04, 2021 at 10:36 am

      Will these work without lemon extract and just use the lemon zest? Thanks

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 04, 2021 at 11:15 am

        Yes it will work, but the lemon flavor will be much more subtle.

        Reply
    11. BJ Mitchell says

      August 01, 2021 at 6:18 pm

      I was at a birthday party today where these cupcakes were served – oh my goodness they were heavenly! My niece gave me the link to your recipe and I have it printed out and ready to go once I get some fresh lemons. Although I’m not vegan myself, I think these will definitely replace my non-vegan cupcakes.. Thank you.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 02, 2021 at 12:23 pm

        So happy to hear that! Thanks for the amazing review!

        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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