Gorgeously light and fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy strawberry vanilla frosting. Perfect little packages of yum!
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.
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.
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.
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.
The texture of these vanilla cupcakes is also perfectly light and spongey.
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.
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.
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.
More Delicious Vegan Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
- Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
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
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
- 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.
- 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.
Gila says
These were delicious with a great texture. I was skeptical since the recipe skips the typical baking steps like mixing wet and dry ingredients in two different bowls, but these actually came out better. It’s a great basic recipe to add to – my kids each got to mix in things they like – coconut, cinnamon, etc
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Gila!
Sheena says
The best vegan cupcake I’ve tried so far!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Sheena!
Ruth says
This recipe works perfectly. I used lemon zest in the batter and the icing.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome, thanks Ruth!
Katherine Salter says
I am just wondering if I can add strawberry jam to the frosting? Any help would be greatly appreciated
Alison Andrews says
Yes you can, especially if it’s a small amount. I would add it a teaspoon at a time and mix in and see how it goes with your consistency.
Katherine Salter says
Thank you!!
Amber says
Can I use mild olive oil instead?
Alison Andrews says
Yes you can!
Chanel says
Can I use self raising flour as I’m in the UK? Or should I still use plain flour with the baking powder?
Alison Andrews says
Plain flour would work best as you can make the recipe as written. 🙂
Sylvia Tomasovich says
Hi, is it ok to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Kirkland brand) and omit the vanilla extract, or will it change the consistency?
Also, how can I make the frosting less sweet without changing the consistency? Thank you in advance for your tips.
Alison Andrews says
I would still use vanilla extract even if the almond milk is vanilla flavored. You can always omit the frosting or try something like a vegan cream cheese frosting.
Cherl says
O.M.G. New family favorite. New go to cupcake recipe. We added a few fresh strawberries and dehydrated strawberries to the frosting. These were so delicious! Best cupcakes I’ve ever made! Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Cherl!
farah says
the recipe is good i like it so much its very helpful
Edel says
Hi Alison, im looking online for strawberry flavouring as local shops not stocked, what one would you suggest please
Alison Andrews says
Hi Edel, McCormick is a good brand and they have it. If you can’t get it though, then just replace it with a non dairy milk for a plain vanilla frosting.
Lena says
The cupcakes turned out fabulous! I had leftover chocolate frosting so I used that instead. I coconut oil and 3/4 c of sugar, which turned out to be the perfect amount of sweetness for me. I tried making mini cupcakes too but it turned out a little dry. How long do you recommend when making minis? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lena, so glad you enjoyed them! I haven’t tried making mini’s but if I was to guess I’d probably say 12-15 minutes bake time.
Emily says
Can I use a whisk for the frosting or is it required? ????❤️????
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily, I assume you mean a hand whisk instead of electric? I think you can. It would just need more arm power. Sift the powdered sugar and make sure your vegan butter is very soft to make it as easy as possible.
Anna says
Tried this recipe for the first time and it was amazing! My slight changes:
– used olive oil instead of canola oil
– used ACV instead of white vinegar
It was my first time making cupcakes and I was so surprised at how easy it was. I’ve only ever made muffins before and was scared of cupcakes due to the more delicate batter and icing. Will definitely be using this recipe again
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for the wonderful review Anna!
Tanga says
Would this work with gf flour ?
Alison Andrews says
We do have a gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe, it’s a little different.
Debbie says
Hello! I’m wanting to make these for my daughters 2nd birthday. She’s not huge on Strawberries so I was wondering if I could add almond extract. Have you tried that? If you think it would work, would you use the same measurement of 2 tsp?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Debbie, almond extract is super strong so I wouldn’t use it in that quantity. Usually a couple of drops is enough to get the flavor. You could also just use a different frosting altogether like our vegan buttercream frosting. 🙂