This best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes recipe creates fluffy easy vegan cupcakes with LOTS of chocolate flavor! Vegan cupcakes are perfect for parties and celebrations of all kinds. Chocolate cupcakes should be moist, delicious, and hassle-free! See post tips for making cupcakes ahead and gluten-free cupcakes too.
There’s something pretty special about cupcakes. You can decorate them however you like and they come perfectly portioned for one serving. How great is that!
I’m happy to share with you that it’s easy to make chocolate cupcakes vegan! It may seem difficult to bake with eggs or dairy, but my tips today should help pave the way for the best egg and dairy free cupcakes ever!
Do you love pics of cupcakes on Instagram? Me too! They’re so…pretty! That’s why I had to add some sprinkles to make these simple vegan cupcakes stand out a little. No one puts cupcakes in a corner!
How to Make Vegan Cupcakes
I’ve noticed several vegan cupcake recipes looking kind of complicated. That seems antithetical to the whole idea of a cupcake. They should be easy. Fun. Simple, even! So, I’m happy to announce that it’s easy to make this best vegan cupcake recipe. Woohoo!
Cupcake Ingredients
This is a super simple cupcake recipe so no need to break out the mixer. But don’t worry, it will taste like you pulled out all the stops! Here are the list of ingredients for these best chocolate cupcakes: all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, vegetable oil, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
Step One: Mix the dry Ingredients
This recipe requires to mix these together in a mixing bowl: all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and cornstarch.
Step Two: mix the wet ingredients
In a separate bowl combine the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Give it a stir.
Before you pour this in with the dry ingredients, STOP! Ask yourself these questions:
- Is the oven preheated to 350°F?
- Are the cupcake muffin compartments prepared? You can either paper them or grease them.
If you can’t answer a resounding YES to BOTH of these questions, then take a chill pill. Seriously. Do not mix the wet and the dry ingredients until you’re ready to bake. Why? Because we want to take advantage of the chemical reaction that occurs when combining baking soda with the vinegar.
That’s not the only roll vinegar plays in this recipe, but it’s one of them. And it’s important!
Step Three: Distribute Batter into Cupcakes Compartments + Bake
Once you’re ready to bake, go ahead and pour the water mixture over the flour mixture and stir to combine. I like to get a whisk and give it a few stirs until most of the flour bumps are gone. You don’t want to overmix, but you also don’t want a bunch of those pesky flour bumps either.
I love using a cookie dough dispenser to distribute the cupcake batter evenly between the cupcake compartments. Be sure to fill your compartments between 1/2 and 1/3 full.
Best Vegan Cupcakes Frosting
Now that your cupcakes are done and you’re itching to eat them (of course!), let’s talk about frosting. Of course, you can use my Vegan Chocolate Frosting! That’s what I’ve used in the photos for this post. Delicious!
However, you can also use Vegan Vanilla Frosting. I think Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting would be great too!
I love using colorful sprinkles too! You’ll see I used a Wilton 1M tip to make that beautiful frosting tip.
This vegan cupcakes recipe is not complete without some creamy frosting on top!
Of course, if you’re wanting to make healthy chocolate cupcakes, you could go a little lighter on the frosting.
Are vegan cupcakes healthy?
A vegan cupcake may be healthier than a standard cupcake because it’s cholesterol free and possibly lower in saturated fats. It also is healthier for the environment because it’s free of animal products. However, a vegan cupcake is still an indulgent dessert and should be consumed in moderation.
How long do vegan cupcakes last?
A vegan cupcake has the same shelf life as a non-vegan, traditional cupcake. A vegan cupcake, when stored in an airtight container, will keep about 3 – 4 days at room temperature and up to 10 days in the fridge. They can even be frozen for up to 3 months when stored properly.
Are Betty Crocker cakes vegan?
Many Betty Crocker cake mixes are made without milk or eggs and therefore are safe for vegans to eat. Simply substitute a flax egg for the eggs called for on the back of the package and you’ll have a very simple, easy vegan cake!
More Vegan Chocolate Cake!
Sure, you love easy vegan chocolate cupcakes recipes. I mean, who doesn’t! But it’s good to expand your horizons and try some new recipes too. Check these out:
- This Vegan Chocolate Cake is both beautiful and delicious
- I’m in love with this slightly chocolate Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- This easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is perfect for parties
- Make this simple Chocolate Pudding Cake for its simplicity, serve it for the amazing flavor
- Talk about tasty, Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes are so easy and so flavorful
- For more cupcakes, be sure to try these Chocolate Stout Cupcakes, especially if a certain Irish holiday is happening soon!
That’s it for these chocolate vegan cupcakes.
I hope you love this recipe as we do! Have you tried it? Be sure and leave a comment and a rating of this recipe below and then take a quick photo and share it with me using #namelymarly on Instagram. I love seeing your creations!
Vegan Chocolate Cupcake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, not dutch-process)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 batch Vegan Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two muffin pan compartments with cupcake papers. Or spray each compartment with vegetable spray.
- Combine in a large mixing bowl the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt baking soda, and cornstarch. Stir to combine.
- In a smaller bowl combine the vegetable oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Hi there! This is Marly! I’ve tested this recipe multiple times and taste tested it with non-vegans who loved it! One taster said it was one of the most moist and delicious cupcakes she’d ever had!