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    Home » Desserts

    Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

    Published: May 26, 2016 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

    Gorgeously light and fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy strawberry vanilla frosting. Perfect little packages of yum!

    Vegan vanilla cupcakes on a white cake stand.

    Ever since making our vegan chocolate cupcakes I’ve had cupcakes on my mind!

    Big time!

    I couldn’t wait to make more. So I decided to make these gorgeous vegan vanilla cupcakes with strawberry vanilla frosting.

    And they came out so well.

    I was especially thrilled with the frosting. I wasn’t sure how it would work out to use strawberry flavoring, but it did the job incredibly well and provided the most beautiful pale pink color, and the flavor was awesome. It reminded Jaye of a strawberry milkshake.

    You’ll love these cupcakes for their beautiful color, light and fluffy texture and lovely blend of flavors.

    Vegan vanilla cupcakes with strawberry vanilla frosting and fresh strawberry pieces.

    Cupcakes are so easy they’re my new favorite thing. So much easier than full cakes (though I love making cakes!), because they bake in less time and you don’t have to cut out parchment paper for the cake pans. 

    Cupcake batter in a cupcake tray ready to bake.

    The only tricky part for me was in transferring the batter to the cupcake liners, my first batch of cupcakes was very messy, until I figured out that the best method was to transfer the batter to a jug with a pouring nozzle and pour it neatly into each cupcake liner.

    Messiness problem solved.

    Freshly baked cupcakes in a cupcake tray.

    The great thing about these cupcakes is that the flavors are so mild and blend so beautifully together. You’ve got the light flavors of vanilla blending with the sweet scented flavors of strawberries.

    Frosting in a stand mixer.

    The texture of these vanilla cupcakes is also perfectly light and spongey.

    Vegan vanilla cupcakes with strawberry vanilla frosting and fresh strawberry pieces on a white cake stand.

    Decorating

    Decorate them with some fresh chopped strawberries if you’re serving them right away. If you want to keep them (they keep very well in a covered cake container in the fridge for up to a week), then don’t use fresh fruit for decoration as the strawberries will run and the cakes will become soggy.

    Alternatively decorate with vegan sprinkles or dried coconut.

    Vegan vanilla cupcakes with strawberry vanilla frosting and fresh strawberry decoration.

    Make Them Gluten-Free

    For a gluten-free version of these cupcakes, check out our vegan gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.

    Make A Layer Cake

    This recipe can adapt to a three layer 6-inch cake. Bake time is 20 minutes.

    Vanilla cupcakes topped with frosting and fresh strawberries.

    Storing and Freezing

    These cupcakes keep very well in a covered container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

    They can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted, but don’t add any fresh strawberry decoration if you’re freezing them) for up to 3 months.

    Vegan vanilla cupcakes with strawberry vanilla frosting and fresh strawberry decoration.

    More Delicious Vegan Cupcakes

    1. Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
    2. Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
    3. Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
    4. Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
    5. Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
    6. Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
    Vegan vanilla cupcake with a bite out of it.

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

    Vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with frosting and sliced strawberries.

    Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

    Gorgeously light and fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy strawberry vanilla frosting. Perfect little packages of yum!
    4.93 from 162 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cake, Cupcakes, Dessert
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 357kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes:

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

    Strawberry Vanilla Frosting

    • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
    • 3 cups Powdered Sugar (360g)
    • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 2 tsp Strawberry Extract

    Decoration:

    • Fresh Sliced Strawberries optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
    • Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt.
    • Then add the soy milk, vanilla extract, oil and white vinegar.
    • Mix until just mixed, using a hand whisk to get rid of any big lumps. Don’t overmix, tiny lumps are fine.
    • Pour the batter into a jug that allows for easy pouring and pour evenly into the 12 cupcake liners, ensuring that all the batter is used up.
    • Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check the cupcakes at 20 minutes and if a toothpick inserted into the center doesn’t come out clean, then put them back in for a further 5 minutes.
    • Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool thoroughly before frosting.
    • Prepare the frosting by adding the vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and strawberry flavoring to an electric mixer bowl. Begin mixing on low speed, gradually increasing speed until you have perfectly smooth frosting.
    • Decorate with fresh strawberry slices before serving (optional).

    Video

    Notes

    1. We have also made these with a light olive oil (as in the video) and they worked great! But for more consistent results across brands canola oil or vegetable oil is a better option.
    2. These cupcakes keep very well in a covered container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
    3. They can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted, but don’t add any fresh strawberry decoration if you’re freezing them) for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 62.6g | Protein: 2.4g | Fat: 10.8g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Sodium: 274mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 47.9g
    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. Susan says

      January 06, 2023 at 2:14 am

      I have a cupcake business and this is the recipe I use when a customer requests Vegan cupcakes. It is simple and delicious. The key is to not overmix the batter as they can be rubbery and dense if overmixed.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 13, 2023 at 2:57 pm

        Thanks for the awesome review Susan! And totally agree about not overmixing! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Brooke says

      December 24, 2022 at 8:09 am

      hi, I am making these for someone who is lactose free only. can I substitute the non dairy milk for lactose free milk?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 29, 2022 at 9:46 am

        Sure!

        Reply
    3. Jess says

      December 14, 2022 at 2:21 am

      Hi! I love this recipe so much but was going to make for someone that has lots of allergies. Could you sub water for the plant milk you think?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 20, 2022 at 10:20 am

        Yes you can!

        Reply
    4. Amy says

      December 03, 2022 at 8:33 pm

      Recently have had to cut out dairy and eggs for my breastfed baby. It’s been so hard to find any sweets like cakes or cookies, and this is the second time I’m using this recipe. The first time I used the cake version. This is so good, my husband who does eat dairy and eggs said he would have never guessed they are vegan!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 05, 2022 at 11:54 am

        So glad you enjoyed them Amy!

        Reply
    5. Ann H. says

      November 23, 2022 at 7:45 pm

      By far, these are my family’s favorite vanilla cupcakes (I have two adult daughters, one who is a strict vegan along with her fiancé.) I’ve made them several times, and I use coconut oil and unsweetened coconut milk in the cupcake batter. A couple times I have used vanilla almond milk, and I think those turned out the best! Thanks for the great recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 25, 2022 at 10:52 am

        Thanks so much for the awesome review Ann!

        Reply
    6. Netsanet says

      November 19, 2022 at 10:37 am

      Thank you for this lovely recipe Alison. I used a little less than 3/4cup sugar and milk instead of strawberry essence in the frosting (as you suggested).. My 2 year old granddaughter helped me decorate them with one teaspoon of frosting per cupcake and grated dark chocolate..Delicious!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 19, 2022 at 1:26 pm

        Wonderful! Thanks for the awesome review!

        Reply
    7. Roxy says

      October 14, 2022 at 3:27 am

      I gave this four stars for many reasons some of which are, it was easy, ingredients were not difficult to find or expensive. However I didn’t really love the flavour. Now, being realistic…. everyone else did and I’ve even made dozens for a cake sale. I use lots of recipes from this site and I will continue to. I have also read comments of variations I’m gonna try. Thanks.4 stars

      Reply
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