Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

4.83 from 34 votes

These pretty pink vegan strawberry cupcakes are deliciously moist and packed with strawberry flavor! Topped with strawberry frosting.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 454kcal

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Add fresh strawberries to the food processor (see notes*) and purée. Set aside.
Add all purpose flour, white granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Add the strawberry purée, 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 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.
Prepare the frosting. Add powdered sugar, vegan butter, strawberry extract and 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée 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 purée.
When the cupcakes have cooled completely pipe on the frosting and serve.

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.
Strawberry purée. To make strawberry purée add strawberries to the food processor (leaves cut off) and purée. Around 10.5oz (300g) of strawberries puréed makes enough for the cupcakes and frosting.
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 purée on its own provides plenty of strawberry flavor.
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.
This recipe was first published in February 2018. It has been updated with new photos and a few small changes/improvements to the recipe.