These Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and have just the right hint of chocolate, without any artificial food coloring. They are a delicious, naturally colored treat for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion. Made with oat milk, coconut oil, and cocoa powder, they’re a healthier twist on a classic red velvet cake recipe—and my family’s favorite way to enjoy a sweet treat without going overboard on refined sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Desserts aren’t an everyday thing in my house. I grew up without the habit of having something sweet after dinner, and since my kids are sensitive to refined sugar, we keep treats naturally sweetened like pumpkin cake with a cream cheese frosting sweetened with only maple syrup. But on holidays—especially Valentine’s Day—I love making something extra special, like a decadent molten lava chocolate cake or “Special Occasion” chicken pot pie, at home instead of heading to a crowded, over-priced restaurant.
My husband and son love red velvet anything, but I refuse to use artificial red food dye. When I found this vegan red velvet cake recipe in Candace Nelson’s Sprinkles Baking Book, I was intrigued. With a few tweaks (and a swap for natural food coloring), I created a soft, moist, chocolatey cupcake that’s just as delicious as the classic.
If the color isn’t as vibrant as traditional red velvet, adding a little extra red food coloring helps—or you can skip it entirely and enjoy them as vegan chocolate cupcakes. Either way, they’re perfect for birthdays, date nights, or just because! For a fun finishing touch, I love using crushed freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries instead of artificial sprinkles.
Ingredient Notes
- White Spelt Flour: A nutritious alternative to all-purpose flour, offering a light texture and mild flavor.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Provides a subtle chocolate flavor that complements the tanginess of the cupcakes.
- Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent to help the cupcakes rise.
- Fine Sea Salt: Enhances the overall flavor profile.
- Unsweetened Plain Oat Milk: Contributes to the moistness and tenderness of the cupcakes.
- Distilled White Vinegar: Reacts with the baking soda to create a light, airy texture. Also creates a similar tang in buttermilk without using dairy.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Adds depth and warmth to the flavor.
- Natural 100% Plant-Based Food Coloring: Offers a vibrant red hue without artificial additives.
- Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil: Provides moisture and a subtle coconut flavor.
- Coconut Palm Sugar: A natural sweetener with a lower glycemic index than regular sugar.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: Acts as a binder and adds moisture, replacing the need for eggs.
- Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting: Either store bought or see the recipe in the Notes section below.
- Organic Freeze-dried Raspberries and/or Strawberries: Crushed to be added on top for a natural alternative to sprinkles. Can also be blended with the cream cheese frosting to create a pink frosting.
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the printable recipe card below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners. This ensures the cupcakes don’t stick and makes for easy cleanup.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the white spelt flour (or all-purpose flour), cocoa powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt until evenly combined. In a small bowl, stir together the oat milk, distilled white vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes to create vegan buttermilk.
Step 3: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the coconut oil and coconut palm sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. This step helps create a tender crumb.
Step 4: Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the applesauce, beating for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture becomes creamy. Slowly add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the oat milk mixture, then the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until blended after each addition. Overmixing can lead to dense cupcakes, so stop once everything is incorporated.
Step 5: Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full to allow room for rising. Place the cupcake pan in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are dry to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Transfer the muffin tin to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
Step 7: Once cooled, frost with vegan cream cheese frosting and decorate with crushed freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries for a naturally colorful, festive touch. If you want to pipe the frosting, use a piping bag for the best results.
Expert Tips
- Using room temperature ingredients is key! If the coconut oil is too cold, it will solidify when mixed with non-dairy milk, making the batter lumpy. Let all your ingredients sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting.
- Sifting the cocoa powder, baking soda, and flour together removes any lumps and ensures an even, airy texture.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter – Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can lead to dense cupcakes instead of light and fluffy ones.
- Red food dye made from natural sources isn’t as vibrant as artificial dyes, so you may need to add extra for a richer red hue. Or skip it altogether for delicious vegan chocolate cupcakes!
- Once the baking soda is activated by the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, the batter will start to rise. For the best results, get your cupcakes into the oven right away.
Serving Tips
- These cupcakes are best topped with vegan cream cheese frosting for that classic red velvet taste, but you can also try a coconut milk whipped cream for a lighter option.
- While these are a Valentine’s Day favorite, they’re great for birthdays, weddings, or just because! Serve on a dessert table with mini strawberry swirl cheesecakes and carrot cake oatmeal cookies .
- Serve with a cup of tea or turmeric latte with almond milk for a cozy treat.
Storage Tips
If the cupcakes are unfrosted, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days to maintain their freshness. Once frosted, they should be refrigerated in a covered container for up to five days. Before serving, allow them to come to room temperature to restore their soft texture and best flavor.
If you’d like to make them ahead, unfrosted cupcakes freeze well—simply wrap each one in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe airtight container, and store them for up to two months. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature before adding frosting.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This recipe works well with all-purpose flour, cake flour, or white spelt flour for a lighter texture. Avoid whole wheat flour, as it can make the cupcakes too dense.
You can swap coconut oil for canola oil or melted vegan butter. This will change the texture slightly, but the cupcakes will still be delicious.
Yes! Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the best results. Avoid almond flour or coconut flour, as they absorb too much moisture.
Natural red food coloring isn’t as strong as artificial dyes, so you may need more than expected. You can also try beet powder or pomegranate juice for extra color.
No—once the baking soda reacts with the vinegar, the cupcakes need to be baked immediately. However, you can mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and store them in a large bowl until ready to use.
Use a mini muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness! To make a double layer cake, simply double the recipe and bake in two 8-inch cake pans at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
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The Best Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white spelt flour or Candace uses all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2/3 cup unsweetened plain oat milk, Candace uses soy milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 packet of natural 100% plant-based food coloring, I used Color Garden’s (the book recommended 3/4 teaspoon red gel-based food coloring, but that is not Pamela-approved!)
- 3/4 cup unrefined virgin coconut oil
- 1 1/4 cups coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- vegan cream cheese frosting, store-bought or recipe in notes
- organic freeze-dried raspberries and or strawberries, crunched up or blended in a spice grinder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and sea salt. In a small bowl, stir together the oat milk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the coconut oil and coconut palm sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the applesauce and beat until creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the oat milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition.
- Divide the batter evenly among the liners, and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting with vegan cream cheese frosting and decorating with freeze dried raspberries and or strawberries.*
Notes
- Using room temperature ingredients is key! If the coconut oil is too cold, it will solidify when mixed with non-dairy milk, making the batter lumpy. Let all your ingredients sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before starting.
- Sifting the cocoa powder, baking soda, and flour together removes any lumps and ensures an even, airy texture.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter – Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can lead to dense cupcakes instead of light and fluffy ones.
- Red food dye made from natural sources isn’t as vibrant as artificial dyes, so you may need to add extra for a richer red hue. Or skip it altogether for delicious vegan chocolate cupcakes!
- Once the baking soda is activated by the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, the batter will start to rise. For the best results, get your cupcakes into the oven right away.
- If the cupcakes are unfrosted, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days to maintain their freshness. Once frosted, they should be refrigerated in a covered container for up to five days. Before serving, allow them to come to room temperature to restore their soft texture and best flavor.
- If you’d like to make them ahead, unfrosted cupcakes freeze well—simply wrap each one in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe airtight container, and store them for up to two months. When ready to enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature before adding frosting.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
It looks really great. I want to do this. Thanks.
do you think substituting beet powder for the coloring would change the texture? thank you.
I do not think it will change the texture, but I cannot say for sure since I’ve never tried it. How much beet powder would be using?
Just enough beet powder to give it the red color so I am hoping that would not take a lot.
Seems like it would not change the texture. I can’t speak to the flavor though. I have used beet juice in baked goods and the flavor comes through a bit. I have a feeling powder would be less beet-y.
Will this recipe work with gluten free flour? Any suggestions? Thanks!
I haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour, but I have had a lot of success using Jovial Foods gluten-free pastry flour one for one with regular flour and I add a little extra xanthan gum. Another good GF flour is King Arthur Multi-purpose GF flour. Let me know if you try it.