These pretty pink vegan strawberry cupcakes are deliciously moist and packed with strawberry flavor! Topped with strawberry frosting.
These vegan strawberry cupcakes are so good. They are made with fresh strawberry purƩe and are just bursting with strawberry flavor.
They are also SO easy and quick with such a gorgeous color.
And if you love strawberries you’ll also love our vegan strawberry cake, our vegan strawberry shortcake and our vegan strawberry ice cream.
Ingredients You Need For The Cupcakes:
Ingredient Notes
- Distilled white vinegar – this reacts with the baking soda causing the cupcakes to rise. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Red gel food coloring – this just provides that lovely pink color. We only need to use a tiny bit in this recipe. Our favorite brand is Americolor. If you prefer to leave it out you can do so, but just keep in mind that the pink color of the batter usually won’t hold well when baked unless you add in the food coloring.
- Strawberry extract – this is great for intensifying the strawberry flavor. But if you can’t get hold of it you can just use vanilla extract. The strawberry purĆ©e on its own provides plenty of strawberry flavor.
- Fresh strawberries – these are purĆ©ed into strawberry purĆ©e and used in the batter.
- Canola oil – can be replaced with vegetable oil.
Ingredients You Need For The Frosting:
Ingredient Notes
- Strawberry extract – if you can’t get hold of it you can replace it with vanilla extract.
- Strawberry purĆ©e – we make a little extra strawberry purĆ©e than what is needed for the cake batter and use the leftovers in the frosting. This provides all the strawberry flavor and pretty pink color for the frosting.
How To Make Vegan Strawberry 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.
- Add fresh strawberries to the food processor and purƩe. Set aside.
- Add all purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add the strawberry purĆ©e, strawberry extract, canola oil, white vinegar and red gel food coloring and mix into a batter. Don’t over-mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake at 350Ā°F for 20-25 minutes.
- Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes. It should come out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the tray for a few minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool before frosting.
- Add powdered sugar, vegan butter, strawberry extract and strawberry purĆ©e to a stand mixer. Starting at slow speed gradually increase the speed until the frosting is thick and smooth. If it’s too thick, add more strawberry purĆ©e.
- When the cupcakes have cooled completely pipe on the frosting and serve.
Pro Recipe Tips
Measure the flour correctly. The best way to measure the flour if you’re using cups is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t pack the flour into the cup and don’t scoop the flour either. If you have a food scale then weigh the flour on your food scale for the best accuracy.
Don’t over-mix the batter. If you over-mix the batter it can cause your cupcakes to not rise properly and it can also affect the texture. So mix it until it’s mixed and then stop mixing.
Bake immediately. When your cupcake batter is mixed, divide it up between your cupcake liners and then bake immediately. If you let the batter sit for too long it can also cause the cupcakes to not rise properly.
Baking time. Check your cupcakes at 20 minutes and if they’re not done, then put them back in for another 5 minutes. Ours usually bake in 20 minutes but ovens can differ.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cupcakes covered at room temperature where they will last for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge where they will last for up to a week.
They are also freezer friendly if you want to freeze them.
More Vegan Cupcakes
- Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
- Vegan Banana Cupcakes
- Vegan Coffee Cupcakes
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Print
Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These pretty pink vegan strawberry cupcakes are deliciously moist and packed with strawberry flavor! Topped with strawberry frosting.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 2 cups (250g) All Purpose Flour*
- 1 cup (200g) White Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup (232g) Strawberry PurƩe*
- 2 tsp Strawberry Extract*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Canola Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
- 1/8 tsp Red Gel Food Coloring
For the Strawberry Frosting:
- 4 cups (480g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter
- 1 tsp Strawberry Extract
- 2–3 Tbsp Strawberry PurĆ©e
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F (180Ā°C) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Set aside.Ā
- Add fresh strawberries to the food processor (see notes*) and purĆ©e. Set aside.Ā
- Add all purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.Ā
- Add the strawberry purĆ©e, strawberry extract, canola oil, white vinegar and red gel food coloring and mix into a batter. Don’t over-mix.Ā
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes. It should come out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the tray for a few minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool before frosting.Ā
- Prepare the frosting. Add powdered sugar, vegan butter, strawberry extract and 2 tablespoons of strawberry purĆ©e to a stand mixer. Starting at slow speed gradually increase the speed until the frosting is thick and smooth. If it’s too thick, add more strawberry purĆ©e.Ā
- When the cupcakes have cooled completely pipe on the frosting and serve.
Notes
*Measure the flour correctly. The best way to measure the flour if you’re using cups is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t pack the flour into the cup and don’t scoop the flour either. If you have a food scale then weigh the flour on your food scale for the best accuracy.Ā
*Strawberry purĆ©e. To make strawberry purĆ©e add strawberries to the food processor (leaves cut off) and purĆ©e. Around 10.5oz (300g) of strawberries purĆ©ed makes enough for the cupcakes and frosting.Ā
*Strawberry extractĀ – this is great for intensifying the strawberry flavor. But if you can’t get hold of it you can just use vanilla extract. The strawberry purĆ©e on its own provides plenty of strawberry flavor.Ā
*Red gel food coloring – this just provides that lovely pink color. We only need to use a tiny bit in this recipe. Our favorite brand is Americolor. If you prefer to leave it out you can do so, but just keep in mind that the pink color of the batter usually won’t hold well when baked unless you also add in the food coloring.
*Storing and Freezing. Keep your cupcakes covered at room temperature where they will last for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge where they will last for up to a week. They are also freezer friendly if you want to freeze them.Ā
*This recipe was first published in February 2018. It has been updated with new photos and a few small changes/improvements to the recipe.Ā
- Category: Dessert, Cupcakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake (of 12)
- Calories: 454
- Sugar: 57.1g
- Sodium: 274mg
- Fat: 16.7g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7g
- Carbohydrates: 74.5g
- Fiber: 1.1g
- Protein: 2.3g
Keywords: vegan strawberry cupcakes
Tasted amazing! Texture was perfect! However, mine came out purple..? Any idea what went wrong?
★★★★
Hi Olivia, so glad the taste/texture was good! I have NO idea what made them come out purple though! So odd!
Hello Alison! I hope youāre doing well! I actually have a few questions about the cupcakes; 1) If replace the White Granulated Sugar with Organic Coconut Sugar, will I use the same measurements?; 2) Will the change in sugar I use make a difference in the texture/taste?; 3) If I donāt have proper measuring spoons available, how can I use normal eating spoons as my measurers?; 4) Can you suggest to me anything that I could use for the frosting instead of Vegan Butter?; 5) If I donāt have Powdered Confectionerās Sugar for the frosting, can I just grind Coconut Sugar/Brown Sugar to make it powdered and use that?; 6) I want my cupcakes to be as healthy as possible, so is it possible to use Coconut Oil instead of Canola Oil? (If yes, would I use the same measurements?); 7) If I use Self-Raising flour instead of All-Purpose flour I would have to use less Baking Soda, right? I apologize for too many questions but thank you so much for all the support! I am very excited to try out your recipe!
★★★★
Hi Camila, coconut sugar usually works okay as a swap for granulated sugar but the color is darker and it can be a bit more dry as well. I would highly recommend getting proper measuring spoons, they are usually easy and affordable to get hold of. I don’t have a good suggestion for something to replace the vegan butter in frosting though you can make your own homemade vegan butter. Grinding sugar to make it powdered usually results in a grainy texture, so it’s not recommended. Yes, you can use coconut oil, make sure it’s melted first though. If you use self raising you could probably reduce the baking soda by half but you would still need to use it. I don’t recommend making so many changes to this recipe though as I don’t know how it may turn out. All the best! š
Thank you so much Alison! Iāll try to get hold of the measuring spoons as soon as possible but for now Iāll have to use what I have. Iām also trying the homemade vegan butter later! Iāll write again later and see what disadvantages my changes had on my cupcake. Have a great rest of the day!
★★★★
Can you make cupcakes ahead of time and freeze? How long would the freeze for? Thanks
Yes you can. They can be frozen for 2-3 months.
Can you make this as a small cake instead?
Hi Owens, yes you can. It makes a two layer 8-inch cake (fairly thin layers, bake for 20 minutes) or a 7-inch cake (bake for 25 minutes) or a three layer 6-inch cake (bake for 20 minutes).
These were really tasty but came out more like a muffin to me. Either way, great recipe!
★★★★
Hi! I used this recipe a week ago and my kids raved Over it :))
Was wondering how to make it Gluten free? Could I just replace the flour with GF flour 1-1 ratio? This would be very helpful to know .
Thanks !
★★★★★
Hi Carolina, yes you can make it with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
Used this recipe to make 24 mini cupcakes and cooked them for 12.5 minutes and they came out great! When I make this next I will try using it with less sugar, as I like things a bit less sweet. But this would be a crowdpleaser for sure!
I also made my own strawberry lemonade icing using vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, strawberry puree, and lemon juice and it was the perfect tangy touch for this sweet strawberry cupcake!
★★★★★
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing Kirsten!
This was really amazing and tastes great ! I even added some chopped strawberries and they came out delicious. Only thing I will say is that the frosting might be suuuuper sweet for some. I tried to make the frosting thicker by adding more sugar but it didn’t turn out. Anyhow, thanks so much, great recipe!
★★★★
Hi! Alison. Iām going to cook these delicious cupcakes, but I just wonder that I have baking powder and no baking soda. Do you know if it is ok. Thanks!
Hi Eve! In this recipe the baking soda is quite crucial as it reacts with the vinegar to create the rise. Baking powder is not nearly so strong. You could possibly try it using 3 tsp of baking powder and in that case you could omit the vinegar.
Hi! I will be making these cupcakes today for my husbandās birthday. These look delicious and Iām looking forward to making them! I have one question. Do I add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients all in one bowl or do I need to do separate bowls and add the wet ingredients to the dry once each are ready? Does that make sense?
You add the wet ingredients to the dry and then mix everything into a batter. No need to use a separate bowl.
My batter was very thick compared to your photos. Mine donāt get a smooth rounded dome like yours because they are thick.
Hi Jennifer, if your batter is really thick (thicker than what you see in our photos) then it’s likely you are using a bit too much flour. Use the spoon and level technique for measuring flour, which is to spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it in.
These are everyone’s favourite cupcakes now, I just have to keep making them!
I never add food colouring though. They turn out super pink without any so I’ve never seen the need for it. And just as a note, they’re also delicious with raspberry extract — I ran out of strawberry and subbed for raspberry instead š
★★★★★
Wonderful Amanda! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is an exceptionally good recipe. Came out just beautiful! I was looking around for a cake recipe to use up some strawberries and this is the simplest one I found. The others required a strawberry reduction, fussy ingredients, creaming of butter, a stand mixer. This one uses just a bowl and spoon, the strawberries are simply pureed and it still comes out light, fluffy, deliciously strawberry-ish! It exceeded my expectations. I did use a measuring scale. I skipped the strawberry essence and the flavour is still full of strawberry. In fact I can’t imagine it being better if I had used strawberry essence. Thank you! This is going to be a staple in our house.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, thanks a million!
I will try to use juice from boiled beetroot for coloring. Hopefully it will work.
Hi Alison! What color do you think these will be without the food coloring? I’m trying to make mini strawberry bundt cakes just with a glaze of some sort, so I don’t think I want them bright pink. Haven’t found a recipe -specifically- for a vegan strawberry bundt cake that looks particularly great, so I may end up playing around and modifying a different vegan fruity cake thing, or a nonvegan strawberry bundt cake recipe, and if you have any suggestions for that from your blog I’d appreciate it too! Thanks (:
Hi Heather, without food coloring it’s more just like a vanilla cake in color with a subtle hint of pink. The color doesn’t come through very strongly without the food coloring.
Is there any way of using something other than strawberry extract because no place sells it around where I live.
You can leave it out or replace it with vanilla extract. š