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    Home » All Recipes » Vegan Cakes + Cupcakes

    Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

    Published: Feb 7, 2020 · Modified: Feb 8, 2022 by Megan · This post may contain affiliate links.

    1.0K shares
    Jump to Recipe
    red velvet cupcake in open cupcake liner with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles

    The perfect Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes are here just in time for Valentine's Day. Sweet and slightly chocolatey cupcakes topped with a homemade vegan cream cheese frosting are the perfect dairy-free & eggless red velvet dessert.

    red velvet cupcake in open cupcake liner with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles

    What is a traditional red velvet cake?

    Fun fact, but the original red velvet cakes developed years ago were actually more dark red/maroon in color and the color was all due to food science!

    Essentially, traditional red velvet cake was made with buttermilk, which is fermented milk that produces lactic acid.  It was then mixed with vinegar and cocoa powder. The mixing of buttermilk and vinegar causes a chemical reaction that brings out the anthocyanin in cocoa powder to produce a red color!

    Since these cupcakes are vegan, we are using red food coloring, but beet powder is another option to give these vegan red velvet cakes that traditional color.

    red velvet cupcakes with frosting in a muffin tin

    How to make vegan red velvet cupcakes:

    This eggless & dairy-free red velvet cupcake recipe is actually super easy, contains only 11 ingredients, and it can be made in ONE BOWL!

    Make the vegan buttermilk

    This is done by mixing plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar together and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the milk starts to curdle. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, it can also be replaced 1:1 for lemon juice in this recipe!

    Mix ingredients into red velvet cake batter

    Next, add the wet ingredients including the oil, sugar, and vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.

    Then, use a flour sifter to add in the dry ingredients including the pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.

    I HIGHLY recommend sifting any recipe that calls for cocoa powder or else you may end up with chunks of chocolate in your cupcakes. Believe me, sifting it is worth it!

    Add optional red food coloring

    I add between 12-16 drops of red food coloring to make my cupcakes bright red in color. Remember, the cupcakes will dull down quite a bit during baking so make the batter redder than you would actually want!

    mixing vegan red velvet cupcake batter in bowl

    Bake the cupcakes

    Spoon the eggless red velvet cupcake batter into each cupcake tin until it is about ¾ cup full. Do not fill the muffin tins all the way or your cupcakes will explode over the tops of the liner and they will be harder to frost.

    Then, bake the red velvet cupcakes for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean but the cupcakes are still moist in the center!

    cupcake tin getting filled with red velvet cupcake batter

    Vegan cream cheese frosting

    While the baked red velvet cupcakes are cooling, it's time to make the best 4-ingredient vegan cream cheese frosting!

    For this recipe, I used Kite Hill vegan cream cheese, but any vegan cream cheese brand will work.

    The best way to whip vegan frosting:

    I like to start by whipping the butter solo. I do this to make sure to get rid of ALL the chunks in the butter. Once that's done, I add in the vegan cream cheese & vanilla and whip until smooth. Then, I'll turn down the speed of my mixer and gradually add in the powdered sugar ⅓ cup at a time.

    I will say, this frosting gets pretty soft after being whipped, so I like to add it to my piping bag and then place my piping bag full of frosting in the fridge to firm up. This helps the frosting firm up so you can pipe those perfect swirls onto your vegan red velvet cakes!

    baked red velvet cupcakes in muffin tin being frosted

    FAQ & Tips:

    How long does vegan cream frosting last?

    Cream cheese frosting can last up to 1 week stored in the fridge in a closed container. Simply scoop it out and add it to a piping bag when you are ready to frost your cupcakes or cake!

    How do I store red velvet cupcakes?

    Cupcakes are best stored at room temperature for 1-2 days (unfrosted and wrapped in plastic wrap or in a closed container) OR if frosted, in the freezer. As a food blogger, my freezer is 90% frosted cupcakes or cakes, so I can truly recommend this method.

    I like to store my cupcakes in a tall closed container (so I don't smush the frosting) in the freezer for up to 1 month. When I'm craving a cupcake, I just remove them from the freezer about 1 hour prior to serving it to defrost.

    What makes vegan red velvet cupcakes RED?

    Traditional red velvet cupcakes are made red from the chemical reaction between buttermilk (which is acidic) and cocoa powder.

    However, since we are making these cupcakes vegan, I used natural food coloring from Supernatural to color the cupcakes. Make sure to double-check the red food coloring you use, as not every brand is vegan.

    Also, I do want to note the red food coloring is just for appearance, so if you don't want to use any food coloring, it won't affect the taste of these cupcakes!

    red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting with a bite taken out

    These Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes have the perfect hint of cocoa, a moist and delicious crumb, and are paired with vegan cream cheese frosting for the perfect treat. Enjoy!

    -TSG

    More vegan cupcake & cake recipes you will love:

    • Vegan Cardamom Rose Cupcakes
    • Vegan Chocolate Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
    • Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
    • Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes

    If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star review on the recipe card. I always appreciate your feedback and support! You can also follow along on my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest, or sign up for our newsletter!

    red velvet cupcake in open cupcake liner with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles

    Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

    Perfectly moist vegan red velvet cupcakes topped with a homemade vegan cream cheese frosting! Doesn't get better than this for a fun Valentine's Day treat.
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Vegan Cakes + Cupcakes
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 24 minutes
    Total Time: 34 minutes
    Servings: 6 cupcakes
    Author: Megan Horowitch

    Ingredients 
    US Customary - Metric

    Red Velvet Cupcakes:

    • ½ cup oat milk
    • ½ Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
    • ¾ cup pastry flour
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • red food coloring amount varies based on brand

    Cream Cheese Frosting:

    • ½ cup vegan butter
    • ½ cup vegan cream cheese
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 ½- 1 ⅔ cup organic powdered sugar

    Instructions

    Firt, make the red velvet cupcakes:

    • Preheat the oven to 350F and fill a muffin tin with 6 cupcake liners. Start by adding the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar to a large mixing bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the milk begins to separate and curdle. Then, add in the rest of the wet ingredients including the  sugar, oil, and vanilla. Gently whisk everything together.
    • Next, use a flour sifter to add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl including the pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Gently whisk until a smooth cupcake batter forms.
    • Next, add in the red food coloring until the cupcake batter is bright red in color. It will dull down in color while baking, so make the batter more red than you want the cupcakes to be.
    • Add the cupcake batter to the cupcake liners until each is about ¾ full. Then, add to the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes until the cupcakes are fluffy and cooked through.
    • Remove the cupcakes and let cool before frosting.

    Making cream cheese frosting:

    • While the red velvet cupcakes are cooling, make the vegan cream cheese frosting. First, add the cold vegan butter to a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to whip until creamed and no chunks remain. Then, add in the cream cheese and vanilla and whip together until smooth. As a final step, turn down the speed and gradually whip in the powdered sugar ⅓ cup at a time.
    • The cream cheese frosting will be very soft at this point. Add the frosting to a piping bag and then place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes until firm. Then, remove and frost the cooled red velvet cupcakes. Top with sprinkles and serve!

    Notes

    • Cupcakes are best stored at room temperature for 1-2 days (unfrosted and wrapped in plastic wrap or in a closed container) OR if frosted, in the freezer.
    • Store frosted cupcakes in a tall closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Remove cupcakes from the freezer about 1 hour prior to serving to defrost.
    • If you are storing unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer, follow the same steps or wrap them in plastic wrap for the best storage.
    • I recommend these cupcake liners.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake with frosting | Calories: 571kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 3g | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 76g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @shortgirltallorder or tag #sgtoeats!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelli Dillings says

      October 16, 2021 at 5:28 pm

      Is cake flour the same as pastry flour? I noticed in the other comment you mention how to make your own using AP flour and cornstarch. Thank you! I plan to make these next week.
      Also can this be made into a cake instead of cupcakes?

      Reply
      • Megan says

        October 17, 2021 at 3:48 pm

        From my understanding cake flour has even less protein in it than pastry flour, which means you'll have an even lighter end product from less gluten being formed. But it can likely be used 1:1 in this recipe :). The batter definitely could be used to make a cake, however, I'm not sure what size pan you'd need or the exact baking time for a cake. If making a cake make sure the cake pan is filled at least 2/3 full of batter or the cake will be too thin. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    2. ruby says

      November 05, 2020 at 9:55 pm

      hello.. pastry flour and all purpose flour are they the same?cause i dont have pastry flour

      Reply
      • Megan Horowitch says

        November 06, 2020 at 12:01 am

        They are not the same- pastry flour has less protein and leads to a better cupcake! You can make your own pastry flour at home by swapping 1 Tbsp flour for 1 Tbsp cornstarch for every cup of flour used. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Jacob says

      July 04, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      5 stars

      Reply
    4. Jenny says

      February 13, 2020 at 8:57 am

      Absolutely amazing cupcakes. Soft, tasty, moist and delicious! I used beetroot powder to colour these and ‘00’ flour. Stunning results.

      Reply
      • ShortGirlTallOrder says

        February 13, 2020 at 4:41 pm

        Thank you for the feedback Jenny I'm so so happy you loved them!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Megan! I believe eating plant-based food can be enjoyable for everyone. Eating plants doesn't have to be hard and it certainly shouldn't be boring. I am here to help you on your journey to eating food you actually feel good about and to make cooking at home fun again! 

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