These Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, tender, and decadently rich! Topped with a dairy-free chocolate frosting, they’re better than your local bakery!
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes!
We don’t call these the best vegan chocolate cupcakes for nothing! Made with a handful of baking staples, they just might be the softest, moistest, richest cupcakes you’ll ever taste.
Topped with a homemade fluffy frosting, your guests will never guess they’re vegan and gluten-free. Even better, they come together with minimal prep time, a quick cook time, and a total time of just over 30 minutes.
Plus, they store well so you can make a batch ahead of time for a big birthday party or simply to enjoy throughout the week. Mix and match your favorite frostings, and you have a go-to cupcake recipe for every holiday and celebration.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Below is an overview of the ingredients and recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour – If all-purpose gluten-free flour is all you have, add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. See the recipe card below for the complete details.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Make sure they’re fresh otherwise, your cupcakes won’t rise.
Pro-Tip – Use a baking powder that is aluminum-free to avoid any metallic taste!
- Salt – Just a pinch enhances the sweet, chocolate flavor.
- Cocoa Powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the best taste. Dark cocoa powder will also work if you prefer a richer chocolate taste.
- Granulated Sugar – Swap a monk fruit sweetener to keep these cupcakes lower in sugar.
- Pumpkin Puree – Make sure you use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling! This helps keep the cupcakes moist and tender. It also makes for a great egg replacer.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Oil – Use a neutral-tasting oil like refined coconut oil or refined avocado oil.
- Dairy-Free Buttermilk – For vegan buttermilk, mix room temperature non-dairy milk such as almond milk with 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes before adding it to the recipe.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Before you begin, preheat your oven, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. Whisk the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, oil, and buttermilk until smooth in a separate, larger bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Working slowly, add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until a thick, smooth batter forms.
- Portion. Spoon the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cavity ⅔ to ¾ of the way full.
Pro-Tip: Be careful not to overfill the cupcake pan, or the batter will overflow!
- Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake until your vegan cupcakes are puffy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly in the pan. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Top. Once cool, decorate your dairy-free chocolate cupcakes with frosting and toppings like sprinkles, coconut flakes, or chocolate shavings.
- ENJOY!
Can I Use This Recipe for a Cake?
Yes! Follow the instructions as normal, and pour the batter into a cake pan instead of a muffin tin. The baking time will be closer to 30 to 40 minutes. Or, if you can tolerate eggs, make our gluten-free chocolate cake instead!
How to Store Leftover Cupcakes
- Transfer frosted cupcakes to an airtight container with a lid. Store them at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to three months. To do so, arrange them on a baking sheet, and transfer them to the freezer until solid. Then, store them in a sealable bag.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight, prepare your icing, and enjoy!
Dairy-free Chocolate Frosting
You can use any store-bought or homemade frosting you like best such as vegan chocolate buttercream frosting. However, we prefer to top our vegan chocolate cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting!
Note– If you’re making the coconut whip frosting recipe, be sure to place 2 cans of coconut cream in the fridge at least 24 hours in advance.
Ingredients
- Coconut Cream – Make sure it has chilled in the back of your fridge!
- Powdered Sugar (or Sugar Substitute)
- Vanilla Extract
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat until fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and decorate your cupcakes!
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Cake & Cupcake Recipes
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 15–16 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan chocolate cupcakes are moist, fluffy, tender, and decadently chocolatey! Topped with a rich chocolate frosting they’re better than a bakery!
Ingredients
- 250 grams (1 ¾ – 2 cups) gluten free 1:1 flour (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (55-60 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup melted refined coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 ¾ cups dairy-free/vegan buttermilk , at room temperature (see notes)
- 13 ounce can coconut cream, chilled
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar or powdered sugar substitute
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Note– Be sure to place 2 cans of coconut cream in the fridge at least 24 hours in advance.
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar.
-
In another larger bowl combine the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, oil and buttermilk.
- Gently add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until a thick, smooth batter is formed.
- Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan until each cup is ⅔ to ¾ of the way full.
- Place the pan into the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the cupcakes come out clean with a toothpick.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let it cool completely before frosting. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting.
Frosting:
- Place the chilled can of coconut cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder into a bowl, and beat the ingredients until fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting in a piping bag, and decorate the cupcakes.
Notes
Substitute Tips – All purpose gluten free flour plus ½ teaspoon xanthan gum can be substituted for the 1:1 blend.
Prep Tips – For vegan buttermilk, use 1 ¾ cups non-dairy milk with 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes before adding it to the recipe.
Baking Tips – If you want to make a cake, the baking time is closer to 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake without frosting
- Calories: 202
- Sugar: 18.6 g
- Sodium: 216.1 mg
- Fat: 7.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.5 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Hi I want to make this recipe but with monk fruit instead of sugar . Is this something I can do? Thank you
Hi Connie! That should be fine, but keep in mind that it might be sweeter than regular sugar. Monk fruit sweetener can be up to three times sweeter than traditional sugar.
So glad to have found this recipe for my son! He’s allergic to eggs and gluten . These were perfect for his bday party.
Oh wonderful! Tell him happy belated bday! We are so glad he could enjoy it with allergy friendly cupcakes!