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    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

    Published: May 8, 2021 Updated: Jul 31, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

    Light and fluffy vegan red velvet cupcakes topped with a red velvet frosting. Perfectly moist, vibrantly red and crazy delicious!

    Vegan red velvet cupcakes in a row.

    Have you ever seen such gorgeousness as these vegan red velvet cupcakes? Or is that just me blowing my own trumpet since I made them and all.

    Well I was mighty impressed with how these turned out. 

    They are light, fluffy, moist and simply perfect!

    And if you love simply perfect cupcakes (who doesn’t?) then you’ll also love our vegan strawberry cupcakes, our vegan funfetti cupcakes and our vegan carrot cake cupcakes. Our vegan blue velvet cupcakes are just like these, but blue!

    And for more red velvet try our vegan red velvet cake and our vegan red velvet cookies.

    Ingredients You’ll Need:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan red velvet cupcakes.

    Ingredient Notes

    • White vinegar – distilled white vinegar reacts with the baking soda in these cupcakes causing them to rise. It also helps to strengthen their color.
    • Canola oil – can be replaced with any vegetable oil.
    • Vegan buttermilk – we make a homemade vegan buttermilk by mixing soy milk with lemon juice (full instructions in the recipe card). You can also use almond milk to make a vegan buttermilk but I prefer soy milk as it makes a thicker, richer buttermilk. Other non-dairy milks may not curdle, but you can still use them in this recipe.
    • Red gel food color – we initially made these cupcakes with liquid red food coloring but then moved to a red gel food coloring (we used Americolor brand) and it works so well and holds up beautifully in baking. So I highly recommend you use a gel color as well. It also means you can use much less as it’s more concentrated than a liquid food color. 

    The Frosting

    Photo of the ingredients to make vegan red velvet frosting.

    Frosting Ingredient Notes

    • Soy milk – can be replaced with any other non-dairy milk.
    • Red gel food coloring – we used Americolor brand. You only need to use a very small amount to get a strong color for the frosting.
    Vegan red velvet cupcakes on a white cake stand.

    How To Make Vegan Red Velvet 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 your mixing bowl and add white granulated sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed together.
    • Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it sit for a minute to curdle into buttermilk.
    • Add the vegan buttermilk, vanilla extract, oil, vinegar and red gel food coloring and mix into a batter. Don’t overmix.
    Two photo collage showing wet ingredients added to dry in mixing 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.
    • Let the cupcakes cool in the tray for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
    Collage of two photos showing red velvet cupcakes before and after baking.
    • Prepare your frosting by adding vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, soy milk and red gel food coloring to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start at slow speed, gradually increasing speed until the frosting is thick and smooth.
    Two photo collage showing frosting ingredients added to stand mixer and mixed into frosting.
    • When the cupcakes have cooled completely pipe on the frosting and serve.
    Two photo collage showing cupcakes on wire cooling rack and then frosted on a white cake stand.

    Recipe Success Tips

    Use the spoon and level method to measure the flour. The correct way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour or pack it into the cup. If you have a food scale then it’s best to weigh the flour on your food scale for perfect accuracy.

    Make them gluten-free. To make these cupcakes gluten-free simply swap the all purpose flour for a gluten free all purpose flour blend. We like the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour.

    Frosting. The red velvet frosting on these cupcakes complements them perfectly. It isn’t just frosting dyed red, it has that signature red velvet flavor with the hints of vanilla and chocolate.

    Other frosting options that would pair wonderfully with these cupcakes are our vegan buttercream frosting, our vegan chocolate buttercream frosting and our vegan cream cheese frosting.

    Vegan red velvet cupcakes.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep them covered at room temperature where they will stay perfect for 2-3 days, or covered in the fridge where they will last for up to a week, but they’re most delicious when fresh.

    They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. You can freeze them either frosted or unfrosted. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. 

    Vegan red velvet cupcake with the liner pulled down.

    More Vegan Cupcakes

    1. Classic Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
    2. Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
    3. Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
    4. Vegan Banana Cupcakes
    5. Vegan Blue Velvet Cupcakes
    6. Vegan Coffee Cupcakes
    Vegan red velvet cupcake cut in half.

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

    Vegan red velvet cupcakes in a row.

    Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

    Light and fluffy vegan red velvet cupcakes topped with a red velvet frosting. Perfectly moist, vibrantly red and crazy delicious!
    4.87 from 29 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: 448kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Red Velvet Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour (250g)
    • 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder Unsweetened
    • 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice + Soy Milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line
    • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
    • ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Red Gel Food Color

    For the Red Velvet Frosting:

    • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
    • 4 cups Powdered Sugar (480g)
    • 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder Unsweetened
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • ¼ teaspoon Red Gel Food Color *See Notes
    • 2-3 Tablespoons Soy Milk
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Set aside. 
    • Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and mix together.
    • Prepare the vegan buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice into a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line and allowing to sit for a minute to curdle into buttermilk.
    • Add the vegan buttermilk, vanilla extract, oil, vinegar and red gel food color to the mixing bowl and whisk briefly with a hand whisk to combine into a batter. Don’t over-mix. 
    • Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners.
    • Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    • Allow to cool completely before frosting.
    • Add vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, red gel food coloring and 2 Tbsp soy milk to the bowl of your stand mixer. Starting at slow speed, gradually increase speed until the frosting is thick and smooth. If needed, add the extra soy milk. 
    • Pipe the frosting on top of your completely cooled cupcakes and serve.

    Notes

    1. Measure the flour correctly. Either use the spoon and level method – spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off with a knife – don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup, or weigh it on a food scale.
    2. Vegan buttermilk. The homemade vegan buttermilk can also be made with almond milk. Other plant milks can also work for this, even if they don’t curdle as well as soy milk or almond milk.
    3. Red gel food coloring. We initially used liquid red food coloring for this recipe but have changed our recommendations to use a red gel food color. We used Americolor red gel which works wonderfully in this recipe. 
    4. Frosting color. If you want your frosting to be super red (as per our photos) then you’ll need ½ to 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring. For a more subtle dusky color (really gorgeous) use ¼ teaspoon. 
    5. Gluten-Free: If you want to make these cupcakes gluten-free simply swap the all purpose flour for a gluten free all purpose baking blend.
    6. Storing: Keep them covered at room temperature where they will stay perfect for 2-3 days, or covered in the fridge where they will last for up to a week, but they’re most delicious when fresh.
    7. Freezing: They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. You can freeze them either frosted or unfrosted. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. 
    8. This recipe was first published in September 2016. It has been updated with new photos and extra tips. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 447IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 36mg | 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. leona says

      March 18, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      These turned out amazing! So soft and fluffy and my sister who doesn’t like cake is obsessed!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 19, 2021 at 10:34 am

        Wonderful! Thanks so much Leona!

        Reply
    2. kerry viney says

      February 27, 2021 at 9:22 pm

      hi alison just checking someone else mentioned a flax egg and then you mentioned replace flax egg with apple sauce? but ingredients don’t mention either. can you confirm if your now leaving egg replacement out and why its not necessary? thank you Kerry

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 28, 2021 at 10:16 am

        We updated/simplified the recipe and it now no longer needs the flax egg.

        Reply
    3. Priyanka says

      February 14, 2021 at 7:03 am

      Hi Alison
      I have been making this recipe for valentine’s since a while now.
      I believe you removed the flax egg as was in the recipe in the beginning?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 15, 2021 at 11:23 am

        Hi Priyanka, yes the recipe was very slightly updated for simplicity.

        Reply
    4. Annya says

      February 11, 2021 at 9:03 pm

      hi, I’m really excited to make these but I’m just checking would distilled vinegar be okay to use and is the soya milk sweet or unsweet?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 12, 2021 at 10:12 am

        Distilled vinegar is the right vinegar to use. The soy milk can be either sweetened or unsweetened, I haven’t found a difference in the end result.

        Reply
    5. Irene says

      January 30, 2021 at 11:30 pm

      These cupcakes are a hit in the office!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 10:52 am

        Awesome! Thanks Irene!

        Reply
    6. Bailee says

      January 29, 2021 at 5:28 am

      Can I use vegetable oil? Thanks!4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:11 am

        Yes you can. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Amy says

      January 03, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      I just tried baking these lovely looking cupcakes and they’ve turned out brown. I’m guessing it’s because of the cocao powder? I did also end up adding more food colouring but that didn’t help.
      Any suggestions? I would love them to be a rich red colour!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 04, 2021 at 10:18 am

        Hi Amy, oh no sorry to hear that. Some brands of food coloring work better than others. I would just guess that the brand you’re using didn’t hold up too well to the baking process.

        Reply
    8. Samantha Hale says

      August 13, 2020 at 8:43 pm

      If I wanted to switch out the flour for buckwheat flour (GF) would the measurements remain the same? xoxo

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 14, 2020 at 9:54 am

        I don’t know at all if that will work, but yes it would be the same quantity.

        Reply
    9. Aditi says

      August 12, 2020 at 8:57 am

      Hello! They came out wonderful! I had a few questions though
      1) Can I use coconut or almond milk instead of soy milk? I don’t like the flavor of soy milk;
      2) Is there a substitute for vegan butter?

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 12, 2020 at 9:11 am

        Hi Aditi, yes you can really use any non-dairy milk. Vegan butter works best for frostings though some have commented that coconut oil can also work.

        Reply
        • Aditi says

          August 14, 2020 at 12:43 pm

          Okey dokes. Thanks!

          Reply
    10. Constance says

      June 28, 2020 at 4:01 pm

      Best vegan cupcakes ever! Simply perfect 😀 No one would say they are vegan. Thank you so much!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 29, 2020 at 11:58 am

        Thanks so much Constance!

        Reply
    11. alison zorraquin says

      May 14, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      Hi I thought they tasted great! Do you have a cream cheese frosting recipe?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 15, 2020 at 10:48 am

        Thanks Alison! Yes we do have a vegan cream cheese frosting! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Becca says

      April 21, 2020 at 2:57 pm

      Mine came out really dense so I don’t know if I did something wrong? The icing was nice though 🙂3 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 21, 2020 at 4:14 pm

        Hi Becca, sorry to hear they were dense! They are definitely not supposed to be. This can happen if you overmix the batter though. It’s very important to mix only until ‘just’ mixed. Hope that helps! 🙂

        Reply
    13. TG says

      February 12, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      I made these delightful cupcakes with frosting for my yoga mates who aren’t vegan by the way and it was awesome! I love you Alison Andrews and my family and I make your fantastic dishes all the time…thank you so much!!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 13, 2020 at 2:29 pm

        That’s so awesome! Thank you so much TG! xoxo

        Reply
    14. ella says

      December 31, 2019 at 4:22 pm

      Hi there! I was wondering if I could use almond milk instead of soy milk. If so, does it need to be unsweetened? Also, is there other alternatives to using ground flax seed meal ? (they are hard to find from where I live). Thanks so much! I’m excited to make these cupcakes 🙂

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 01, 2020 at 10:14 am

        Hi Ella, yes almond milk works great. You can use 3 Tbsp of applesauce instead of a flax egg if that is easier. 🙂

        Reply
    15. PAULETTE MARSHALL says

      December 21, 2019 at 11:44 am

      Thank you so much for the weight measurements.
      I’m sure the cupcakes will be tasty.

      Reply
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