Hello friends, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, happy New Year and a lovely Pongal! I know that I went missing again but back with a decadent vegan red velvet cake recipe! As I have mentioned before I'm trying to cut back on baking to get back on a healthy lifestyle. I have to do this because I completely lack self-control when it comes to sweets. So I have decided to cut it at the source itself!
During Christmastime I got an order to bake some cupcakes. Initially, I was requested to make egg free red velvet cupcakes but I told them that I haven't tried it so far and will stick to vanilla and chocolate itself. Actually, I have been avoiding the red velvet cupcakes all these days because I'm not comfortable using food colors and that too this particular recipe uses so much of it.
Also, it is quite difficult to find a vegetarian red food color. But being the baking enthusiast that I am, I did not want to miss the opportunity to try something new. So I started searching the web for a vegan red velvet cupcake recipe and found this in Food.com.
The recipe is all over the internet and supposedly has featured in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World too. This recipe is quite similar to the vegan chocolate cake recipe I have posted earlier, except that it does not use as much cocoa powder. These vegan red velvet cupcakes were crimson in color instead of bright red and looked more like beet cupcakes. When I try this recipe the next time for my family I'm going to use pureed beets instead of the food color.
This red velvet vegan cupcake recipe can also be used to make vegan red velvet cake. You can bake two layered cake. The recipe should be good enough to bake two 8 or 9 inch round cakes. What special way than to celebrate your special occasion with a vegan red velvet cake with vegan cream cheese frosting! Another interesting idea is to bake them in a mini muffin tin to make cute little red velvet vegan cupcakes. This size will be perfect if you are baking it for small children especially.
Recipe
Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almond Milk (Non Dairy milk)
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- â…“ cup Oil
- 2 tablespoons Red Food Coloring (make sure that it's vegan)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and grease it lightly.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar allowing it to curdle. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar too.
- Once the milk has curdled, stir in the oil, food color and the extracts. Whisk it well to combine.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly add the wet ingredients to it, stirring it until all the ingredients come together. Small lumps are okay. Take care to see that you do not over mix it otherwise you will not get fluffy cupcakes.
- Fill each muffin tin ¾ths full of the batter.
- Bake it for about 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean or with very little crumbs is okay too. Mine were done after 17 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it remain there for 5 minutes. After that remove the cupcakes from the pan and let it cool completely before you can frost it.
My Notes
Taste & Texture
Nutrition
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Dharrini says
Hi,
Could I make this into a 2 layer cake instead of cupcakes? Thank you.
Madhuram says
Yes Dharini. The baking time will vary though.
Dharrini says
Hi,
If I were to bake this into a 2 layer cake instead of cupcakes, what would the baking time be and at what temperature? Thank you.
Madhuram says
If it's a 9-inch cake, I would check around 20-22 minutes and little more for an 8-inch cake. The temperature would be the same. Do the toothpick test.
Meera says
Hi Madhuram ,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It absolutely worked wonders! Turned out exactly as what the recipe says 🙂 I made this for family get together and every one loved it and couldn't stop talking how good it was 🙂 Cupcake turned out really soft. Now I’m going to try all the other recipe on this website. Simply the best recipe and it truly works
Thank you !!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Meera.
Trilok says
Could you please write the recipe for the Red Velvet Frosting and the eggless cake separately. Just a curious question but are eggless cakes very nice, and have the normal flavour like the egg cakes normally have!
Madhuram says
There is a link to the frosting recipe in the cucpake recipe itself. Not all cakes with eggs can be made egg free. But the recipes I have posted here have been actually tested by me and tasted/tried by my friends/family and I get wonderful comments. So yes, you can make good egg free cakes.
jacqueline says
Just did this velvet it was awesome shared it with other, one lady say it looks as beets i say you say that when it is finish baking, will be sharing this and telling all my friends about this site, thank you now I can bake for my friends who cannot use egg ever regret the day I found this page, going and make the butter frosting now
Madhuram says
Thanks Jacqueline.
Payal says
Hi madhuram,
I made this cake and it was super hit..thanks a lot.Do u hav any cookies recipe for diabetic people.
Payal
Madhuram says
Thanks Payal.
pauline says
I made a batch of these for my vegan niece. So far everyone that has tried them thinks they are divine, including myself. Nice and moist and yummy.
Madhuram says
Thanks Pauline.
shivangi says
Hey , I really liked your recipe. I Just wanted to confirm that can we use microwave for this ?
Madhuram says
I guess it should work, but I don't know how long you should cook it.
Arimbi says
No, I used Happy Call double sided pan, u can search in on google. But I think u can use pressure cooker
Madhuram says
Thanks Arimbi, I`ll check it out right away.
Arimbi says
yes, it does work for me by using the rice flour
I also replaced the sugar with brown sugar. Maybe it doesn't sweet like using the granulated sugar. but it's ok
since I only have them on hand
and I didn't bake the cake, I steamed them. the texture is fine and moist 🙂
I steamed them for 15-20 minutes
Madhuram says
Thanks Arimbi. It's interesting to know that you steamed the cake. Did you use a pressure cooker?
arimbi says
I tried this recipe, taste so gooood. I replace the all purpose flour with rice flour and replace the sugar with palm sugar. It works well. Thanks for the eggless red velvet cupcake this recipe help me a lot when the egg's price increase :))
Madhuram says
Wow! Does it really work with rice flour? Did you make any other changes?
Yan says
This recipe was perfect. The cupcakes were delicious, made them for some friends and almost ate all of them after the test taster. Only problem was I only got 9 instead of 12. Please if you could tell me what I might of done wrong. I followed the recipe to the T.
Madhuram says
Do you think you overfilled the batter in the muffin tin?
Alice Kumar says
Hi Madhuram
Just made this awesome eggless red velvet cake but used whole milk and it was just beautiful very tasty and had a very good texture too. The boys loved it and had no idea it was eggless.
Thanks Madhuram, and now I am ready to try this using a big jumbo size cup cake. Wish me luck.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Alice. Do share with us your feedback after you try the jumbo cupcake.
Jaspreet says
Hi Madhuram,
Thanks for the cake pan measurements. Do you know for how long I should bake it (in 8 inch pans)?
Thanks
Madhuram says
I would guess somewhere between 20-30 minutes.
Reiazsas says
Hi Maduram, can I use this recipe to make a whole cake ?
Madhuram says
Yes, it should be fine. I think you can bake a 2 layered 8-inch cake with this recipe.
Alice Kumar says
Hi Madhuram,
Would like to bake this eggless Red velvet cake in a gaint cup cake. How can I up size this receipe.
Madhuram says
Can you tell me the size of the pan you want to use?
Alice Kumar says
Hi Madhuram
Thanks, my measurement for the pan is
15 1/2 in. x 8 1/4 in. x 3 3/4 in.; 10 cup capacity
Madhuram says
Hi Alice, I checked the Wilton's website and saw the pan you are talking about. There was also a recipe for that pan, a chocolate pound cake. Based on those measurements I think the closest you can get is by doubling this recipe. This is just a guess. I wouldn't know for sure unless I try the recipe.
reham says
Can I use evaporated milk?
Madhuram says
Yes, you can use evaporated milk or just plain dairy milk too.
Misa says
If I use buttermilk as a substitute for non-dairy milk, can i still add the vinegar?
Madhuram says
You could still use the apple cider vinegar (not anything else) because I recently came to know that ACV is added in red velvet cupcakes even which is made with eggs because it increases the color.
leemz says
Tried these cupcakes today and they are light, fluffy and have that perfect moist crumb, loving them. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
May Allah be pleased with you.
Hastha says
Hi! i was wondering why use a non diary milk? and which is a good brand for a non diary milk. I have been wanting to try out eggless red velvet cupcakes! with your recipe i just cant wait!
Madhuram says
Non-dairy milk is used to make it vegan. Vegans do not consume any dairy products. I prefer almond milk and rice milk. You will have to try a couple of brands to decided which is your favorite. If you are not a vegan, then you could use dairy milk itself. The vinegar is used to mimic buttermilk. So maybe you could try using buttermilk directly.
Shubha Satish says
Thanks for the easy recipe. I made this as a cake for my hubby's birthday and it came out really soft.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Shubha.
Bethany says
Thank you so much!
Bethany says
I was wondering if you have tried making regular cakes from the cupcake recipes you have listed? I am a traditional baker but have been asked to make an egg-less birthday cake for a client, having never tried this I was looking up recipes and found yours. Thank you for the help!
Madhuram says
Eggless Vanilla Cake recipe and the Whacky Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe works well as cakes and cupcakes. I have tried these 2 recipes both ways.
RadhaBalaji says
Hi madhuram
Can you please post plum cake (eggless) and carrot cake.
Thanks in advance
Madhuram says
Please check the eggless cake page Radha and you will find 2 carrot cake recipes and a fruitcake recipe.
Pooja says
I have made this recipe on number of occasions and has been a hit with my family and friends. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Pooja. We will look into the rating issue you have mentioned.
emma says
Very good recipe, didnt think they would rise, without the eggs, but they did.
I used a teaspoon of paste food colouring and it worked well.
Thanks OP
Madhuram says
You're welcome Emma.
Elizabeth says
To make red velvet cake red, traditionalists use powdered food coloring. Works much better. You also don't have to worry about having too much liquid.
Madhuram says
I did'nt know that you can get food color powder.
Anushree says
Hi, the recipe looks really enticing and I would love to try it out at home. My only query is can I skip the almond extract? If not, then what can I substitute it with? I'm unable to find any extract within my vicinity.
Thank you.
Madhuram says
Almond extract is purely optional. I can't deny that it gives a nice flavor to the cake but simple vanilla extract is enough. Look for almond extract next to the vanilla extract in the baking aisle of the grocery stores.
Chantal says
I made a healthier "vegan plus" recipe if anyone is interested. I substituted whole wheat flour for regular, raw sugar, and used applesauce instead of oil. All the flavor with less fat! I also used a teaspoon and a half of Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons of warm water to make them fluffier. Mix it separately and then stir it in with the rest of the liquids. I also used only a tablespoon of food coloring and they came out much brighter than pictured. Thanks for the great recipe!
Madhuram says
Chantal, thanks for sharing the substitutions you have made and for rating the recipe.
Aadhyanta says
Hi
Made this today and they all sank before my eyes after rising really nicely. Like adviced, I beat it minimally... Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks
Aadhyanta
Madhuram says
Usually muffin sinks when the batter is too thin, over beating or the temperature being too high. Did you happen to use more liquid than mentioned in the recipe? It's your oven temperature if you have experienced similar problems with other recipes too.
namrata shastri says
Hi, your recipe sounds great. How much beets do I add to substitute the red color?
Madhuram says
I have to work on it Namrata. Somewhere in the comments section of this post, there is a link to such a recipe by another reader. Please check it out.
Jan Marie says
These are AMAZING! I never even liked red velvet cupcakes in my pre-vegan days, but I LOVE these! Nice work - my RV loving coworkers are going to be very pleased tomorrow! 🙂
Madhuram says
Thanks Jan.
Erin says
I really love the recipe and the pictures Madhuram! Thank you!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Erin.
chetna vasani says
It's just awesome. Really very delicious.
Madhuram says
Thanks Chetna. Could you rate the recipe?
passingby says
May be you will alter your recipe for red velvet cup cakes if you read the history behind this traditional southern delicacy.Just red food color is not good enough to call them red velvet, you need to dive deep in history to bring true essence to recipe.
http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/2290-the-unknown-history-of-red-velvet-cake
Your site has exhaustive information, pleasure to visit it.
Madhuram says
Thanks for the link Passingby. That was an interesting read.
Harini says
Wow! The red velvet cakes look pretty. I think I will go with beets. I have some! Maybe I will make it tomorrow. 🙂
Kenny says
Is it ok to skip the cocoa powder?
Madhuram says
I think a hint of cocoa is necessary in this recipe.
Vaishali says
Madhuram, these cakes are just gorgeous. I've never been a huge fan of red velvet, but yours look mouthwatering. Love all that colorful frosting too.
Nupur says
Its simply Brilliant.
Kim says
Wow! this is just awesome! Try a vegan brownie too.
Candi says
I have been trying to perfect a vegan recipe, but don't see what you substitute for eggs. What are your thoughts on structure. They look great. I actually think the less you use on the red along with a small amount of cocoa does the trick.
Madhuram says
Sometimes it's tofu, pureed fruits or vinegar. The texture was as good as cupcakes with eggs.
Pattu says
I don't know how you got that color and looks, but the cup cakes looks very yummy and inviting. The velvety look is fetching.
chitra says
Love its red color..with icing its too good.. 🙂
Hema says
This really looks great. Nice texture, but how did you color them.
Thanks.
Annie says
Thank you for this! I just had my first red velvet cupcake - and a vegan red velvet cupcake at that - from Sprinkles in La Jolla, CA and was blown away by how good it was. Which made me think: I must try and make my own (since I live in OK and won't be getting back to Sprinkles any time soon)!
Nisha says
Oh hey, you may ignore the question - I got my answer in your Whacky Vegan Choc Cake post 🙂
Nisha says
Even I'm hesitant to use food colors.
Been waiting to go find something in Whole Foods, haven't been there yet.
I liked your first cupcake more than the ones with icing 🙂
A question - does it make a difference if I use the regular white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar as asked in this recipe?
Thanks!
Aparna says
Lovely. Red Velvet cupcakes are my favourite. I have seen a recipe that uses beets for the colour...have you ever tried that?
Aparna from Square Meals
Madhuram says
I too have seen a couple of recipes Aparna, but yet to try.
Notyet100 says
They look perfect ,still to try red velvet cupcake 🙂