Whether you follow a vegan diet or need to bring a plant-based dessert to a potluck, these vegan chocolate cupcakes reimagine your favorite treat. They don’t contain butter, eggs or dairy milk, but you’d never guess it! Featuring a few easy swaps, this may be the best vegan chocolate cupcake recipe—and a yummy addition to our favorite vegan-friendly desserts.
How do you make chocolate cupcakes without dairy?
Chocolate cupcakes typically have butter, eggs and buttermilk, so we’ve swapped them out to make this recipe vegan-friendly. The vinegar in our recipe reacts to the coconut milk to create a non-dairy buttermilk substitute, and it combines with the baking soda to help the cupcakes rise. Keep the vegan chocolate desserts coming with our favorite vegan chocolate chip cookies and vegan chocolate cake!
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking cocoa
- Baking soda
- Unsweetened coconut milk
- Sugar
- Canola oil
- Cider vinegar
- Vanilla extract
Frosting:
- Dairy-free margarine
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Baking cocoa
- Vanilla extract
Directions
Step 1: Mix the ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk the coconut milk, sugar, oil, vinegar and vanilla.
Editor’s Tip: Let the small bowl sit a few minutes so that the milk starts to curdle. This produces our non-dairy buttermilk alternative, which helps keep the cupcakes moist.
Step 2: Combine the batter
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened. It’s fine if there are some small lumps in the batter.
Step 3: Fill and bake
Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake the cupcakes about 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Step 4: Frost the cupcakes
To make the frosting, beat the margarine in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Sift the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa to remove any lumps. Beat sugar mixture, milk and vanilla into the margarine. Frost cupcakes once they’re cool.
Can you freeze vegan cupcakes?
Yes! Vegan cupcakes can be frozen for up to six months. Before freezing, individually wrap the cupcakes and put them in an airtight container. Don’t freeze frosted cupcakes.
We recommended thawing the cupcakes on a cooling rack to ensure they thaw evenly. It could take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours.
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Tips
How long do vegan cupcakes last?
Vegan cupcakes can last up to two days on the counter, seven days in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer. Be sure to keep them in an airtight container!
Are chocolate vegan cupcakes healthy?
While a vegan cupcake contains fewer saturated fats than a traditional cupcake, it’s still a dessert with high-calorie ingredients, including sugar and coconut milk. Getting too many calories from a vegan cupcake can still contribute to weight gain and heart disease.
