Tender, chocolatey vegan chocolate cupcakes frosted with a sumptuous vegan chocolate buttercream are out-of-this-world good! This one-bowl recipe is made with easy pantry ingredients - everyone loves them!
Here's a reliable and easy recipe for chocolate cupcakes that just happen to be vegan. Even better? It's a one-bowl method that's kid and novice-friendly! Could you ask for anything more?
I'm not vegan, but I regularly make this recipe when I want to bake chocolate cupcakes because it's so quick to throw together, and if I'm out of eggs, no problem, I can still make it. I've included a recipe for a vegan chocolate buttercream, but feel free to use any kind of frosting you love. Also try my vegan chocolate cake and gluten free vegan chocolate cupcakes :)
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Why You'll Love Them
This is a delicious recipe that's beautiful in its simplicity. Here's why you'll love it:
- A simple one-bowl recipe. I truly love a recipe that needs just one bowl to whip it together. You just need a few minutes and some elbow grease to whisk the batter together.
- Easily made gluten-free. While this recipe is written as a classic baking recipe, it's beyond easy to make it gluten-free with a simple substitute of a gluten-free baking flour blend.
- Sturdy crumb but a tender texture. There's a lot going on in these vegan cupcakes, from the tender yet sturdy crumb to the fluffy buttercream frosting. Trust me, you're going to love them!
What You'll Need
Here's what you'll need to make these delicious vegan chocolate cupcakes. The full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Whole wheat flour - I love whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour in chocolate cake recipes, and it adds texture and extra whole grains to this batch. Use all-purpose flour if needed.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Cocoa powder - Use unsweetened cocoa powder so that the cupcakes don't turn out overly sweet.
- Baking soda
- Salt - I use fine sea salt in all of my baking recipes, and table salt works, too.
- Oil - Any type of oil will work, including vegetable oil, olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
- Vanilla extract - Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Vinegar - I used apple cider vinegar, and distilled white vinegar is also fine! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cupcakes rise.
- Water - For a richer flavor, sub your favorite non-dairy milk for the water. Or try coffee.
- Frosting - Semisweet (vegan) chocolate chips, powdered sugar (choose vegan powdered sugar if needed), non-dairy butter, and non-dairy milk.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Follow along with the photos below to get an idea of how quickly this recipe comes together:
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 2: Now stir in the oil, water, and vinegar until smooth.
Step 3: Divide the batter between a 12-cup lined cupcake tin.
Step 4: Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Recipe Notes
- Make these gluten-free. For easy gluten-free vegan cupcakes, swap 1 ¾ cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour for the wheat flour.
- Make these refined sugar-free. Substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar for a natural sweetener option.
- Make a cake. This recipe bakes up beautifully into a 9-inch cake layer. Double the recipe for a double-layer cake.
- Top with other frosting: Use this vegan chocolate cupcake recipe as a base for all sorts of frosting! Try cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream, salted caramel frosting ... you get the idea.
- Or leave them plain. For a more muffin-y vibe, leave the cupcakes unfrosted, or dust them with a little sifted powdered sugar.
Storage Options
- Counter - Cover the plate of cupcakes or place them in an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Fridge - Store the frosted cupcakes tightly covered with foil or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Leave the cupcakes unfrosted and transfer them to a freezer-safe, airtight bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw completely in the fridge before frosting and serving.
If you tried this vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe please let me know! Or if you have any recipe questions, always feel free to reach out in comments or email. I hope you love it! ❤️
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together the 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, abd ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir in the ⅓ cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup water until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cups and let the batter rest while the oven heats. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Cool completely before frosting. Resist frosting any cake or cupcakes before they've fully cooled! Let these cupcakes come to room temperature or pop them in the fridge for a bit before adding the frosting.
- Add a little almond flour. To make these cupcakes extra-moist and fudgy, replace ¼ cup of the oat flour with almond flour.
- Try coffee. For a rich depth of flavor, similar to my oat flour chocolate cake recipe, swap the water for coffee.
- Refined sugar-free. Substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar for a natural sweetener option.
- Make it a cake. This recipe bakes up beautifully into an 8-inch cake layer. Double the recipe for a double-layer cake.
- How to finish: See frosting suggestions below, or leave them plain for a quick treat. You can also dust them with a little sifted powdered sugar.
Kate says
I would love to make these muffins -- and your berry whole grain muffins. I've been using brown rice flour and oat flour in waffles and pancakes, and it's a great combo. But I haven't yet had much experience with using flax seed in place of egg. I'll take your lead! PS: I have flourless to my sister in law for her birthday:)
Helen SPiridakis says
Oh...these sound great! I really like the way you encourage one to experiment with ingredients. It's very creative and also encourages one to think that there are no failures, just different results.