Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes [+VIDEO]

These simple vegan chocolate cupcakes are soft, delicate and filled with a chocolatey depth of flavor, thanks to a secret (not so secret) ingredient! Some of the most delicious treats you’ll ever make! They’re made with just 12 ingredients and they’ll be ready to enjoy in no time!

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes:

• unsweetened almond milk – I always tend to have unsweetened almond milk on hand but if you don’t, feel free to substitute with your favorite unsweetened plant milk like soy or oat.
• white vinegar – you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to make your vegan buttermilk mixture. Either is fine!
• all- purpose flour – Though I haven’t tried it personally, you should be able to make this Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes recipe gluten-free by substituting with a gluten-free all purpose 1:1 flour option.
• unsweetened cocoa powder – a quality powder is always good for the best overall flavor!
• organic cane sugar
• baking powder, baking soda – these rising agents will help you to create perfectly fluffy and bouncy cupcakes!
• vegan butter – no vegan butter? Feel free to also substitute with vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil instead.
• vanilla extract – this will give your cupcakes the vanilla flavor you’re looking for, but if you want to spice things up a bit, try an alternative like almond extract for something new.
• unsweetened applesauce
• ground espresso powder – Don’t skip this ingredient! I know it seems like a pointless ingredient in a vegan chocolate cupcake recipe, but it gives the recipe an amazing depth of flavor you won’t want to miss!
• vegan sprinkles (optional) – while these are totally optional, they add some decoration to your Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes! No sprinkles? You can also opt for fresh fruit slices or coconut flakes instead.
• organic powdered sugar

How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes:

To make these Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, the first thing you’ll want to do is gather up all of your ingredients. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe only to realize that you’re missing an ingredient or two.

Once everything is gathered, you’ll want to begin by preheating your oven to 400°. Create the vegan buttermilk mixture by combining your plant-based milk with the vinegar of your choice. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar work well. Stir the two together to combine, then set aside for later use.

In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk these ingredients together until they’re combined. In a measuring cup combine the espresso powder and boiling water and set aside.

In the bowl with the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients – melted vegan butter, vegan buttermilk mixture, vanilla extract, unsweetened applesauce, and espresso mixture. Use the whisk to continue mixing all of the ingredients together until the mixture is mostly smooth. It’s okay for there to be a few lumps still present, but careful not to over-mix or it might result in dense cupcakes.

Now that the batter is formed, you can begin dispersing the batter amongst a cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners. Place them in your preheated oven and allow them to bake until done. For me this took about 20 minutes, but everyone’s oven is different, so be sure to keep an eye on yours and cook them until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back up after gently pressing them down.

Once the cupcakes are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely. While the cupcakes are cooling, begin making your vegan chocolate frosting by adding all of the frosting ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer (or a standing mixer) until the frosting is light and fluffy. Set aside until needed.

After the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost your vegan chocolate cupcakes however you’d like and garnish with sprinkles if desired. Prepare to enjoy your new favorite cupcakes!

Tips for Making the Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes:

• Don’t over mix your batter. Over mixing your batter will certainly alter the texture of the cupcakes. Mixing the batter too much will create more dense, less fluffy results. As mentioned previously, it’s okay if there are a few lumps in the batter, as long as the larger ones have been removed. You can also opt to sift your dry ingredients to mitigate the possibility of a lumpy batter.
• Use a cookie scoop to evenly disperse the batter. Doing this makes the process much easier and less messy!
• Don’t over bake! As mentioned previously it’s important to keep an eye on your cupcakes while baking. While my oven produced perfect results at 21 minutes, your oven might be slightly different and may require a few minutes more or a few minutes less. After about 18 minutes, begin checking on the progress of your cupcakes by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean or gently press down on them to see if they bounce back up.
• Use a sifter. While this is completely optional and it is possible to make great cupcakes without, using a sifter will help save a bit of time. You can sift your dry ingredients for the cupcake batter to mitigate against any lumps that may be produced, and you can also opt to shift your powdered sugar for the frosting to produce a truly smooth frosting mixture.
• Allow your cupcakes the time to cool before frosting. As exciting as it may be to bake your own cupcakes, it’s a rookie move to apply the frosting too early. If your cupcakes are still warm after coming out of the oven and you apply the frosting, there’s a good chance that the frosting will melt and slide right off the top! Trust me, I’ve had this happen before and it was a mess! If you’re in a rush, you could transfer the cupcakes to the freezer to hurry the cooling process, but don’t leave them in there for too long or else of course they will freeze. 
  Use quality cocoa powder. Quality ingredients are always a good idea, but especially if you want to make the most delicious vegan cupcakes of your life! I purchase this cocoa powder often and get great results.
• Don’t skip the espresso powder! I know it seems like a pointless ingredient in a vegan chocolate cupcake recipe, but it gives the recipe an amazing depth of flavor you won’t want to miss!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes FAQ:

I know you’ll love these Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes! They can be made in one bowl and require simple ingredients to produce the most delicious, classic treat. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below!