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    Home » Sweets

    Dairy-Free Vanilla Cupcakes [Vegan, GF]

    Published: Apr 10, 2021 by Sherri Hall · This post may contain affiliate links.

    pin showing close-up front view of cupcake with frosting with some more in the background

    These light and fluffy dairy-free vanilla cupcakes are perfect for any occasion! Ice them with your favorite frosting and add toppings of your choice. They're both vegan and gluten-free too.

    Jump to Recipe

    Why you’ll love these vegan cupcakes 

    • They are light and fluffy and perfectly moist.
    • These cupcakes are both gluten-free and vegan and can easily be made soy-free and nut-free too.
    • They can be paired with your favorite frosting and toppings of choice. We love them with our vegan buttercream frosting, dairy-free cream cheese frosting, and the vegan chocolate buttercream we used in our vegan chocolate cupcakes.
    • They are perfect for any occasion - birthdays, holidays, or just because you deserve a cupcake! 🙂
    cupcake with a bite taken out on the cupcake wrapper with a fork next to it

    Ingredients you’ll need

    • Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
    • Baking Powder
    • Baking Soda
    • Xanthan Gum (omit if your flour mixture already has it in it)
    • Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk (I used almond milk)
    • Organic Cane Sugar
    • Vegetable or Canola Oil
    • White Wine Vinegar
    • Vanilla Extract
    ingredients for cupcakes with text labels

    How to make gluten-free dairy-free cupcakes

    Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a cupcake/muffin tin with 12 cupcake wrappers.

    Add all of the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and whisk thoroughly to combine.

    cupcake wet ingredients in mixing bowl with a whisk
    wet ingredients combined in mixing bowl with whisk in it

    In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

    Sift the whisked flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir or whisk to combine.

    Dry ingredients in mixing bowl with whisk in it
    sifting dry ingredients into mixing bowl
    dry ingredients added to the mixing bowl of wet ingredients
    wet and dry ingredients combined in mixing bowl with wooden spoon in it

    Distribute the mixture evenly in the cupcake wrappers. Each should be approximately ¾ of the way full.

    cupcake batter added to baking cups in muffin tin

    Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

    Enjoy as desired.

    close-up of one frosted cupcake with some more blurred out behind it

    Frosting ideas

    • Vegan Buttercream
    • Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Chocolate Frosting
    • Strawberry Frosting
    • Confetti Frosting
    3 frosted cupcakes on a piece of parchment with more on a raised cake plate behind them

    Tips

    • Use the spoon and level method to measure the flour. Use a spoon to gather the flour and place in the measuring cup, filling it all the way to the top and allowing it to overflow. Then, use the back of a knife to level the top off.
    • Allow the cupcakes to first cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
    • Be sure to wait until the cupcakes have completely cooled before icing them.
    • Unfrosted cupcakes are best stored in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. This will keep them moist. They can also be refrigerated this way for 3-4 days, but note that they won't be as moist.
    • It’s best to ice the cupcakes right before serving them, but you can store them with the frosting if needed. They are best used within 3 days this way. Just be sure that your airtight container is deep enough so that the frosting doesn't get squished when you close the lid.
    • To make the cupcakes soy-free, use a soy-free oil such as canola.
    • To make the cupcakes nut-free, use a nut-free plant-based milk such as soy or oat.
    • Due to variations in brands/ingredients, the batter may yield between 12 and 16 cupcakes. If you have extra, you can line a second muffin tin with additional cupcake wrappers and bake both pans side by side in the oven on the center rack. If you don't have a second muffin tin or your muffin tins don't fit side by side, you can store the batter in the refrigerator until the first batch is done and then bake the additional cupcakes separately. Keep in mind that they may not need as much time to bake since there will only be a few of them. Therefore, check for doneness around 15 minutes.
    close-up of one frosted cupcake on a plate

    More gluten-free vegan sweets

    • Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
    • Vegan Chickpea Flour Brownies
    • Banana Brownies
    • Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
    • Chickpea Flour Cookies
    front view of cupcakes on a marble surface
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    5 from 5 votes

    Dairy-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

    These light and fluffy dairy-free vanilla cupcakes are perfect for any occasion! Ice them with your favorite frosting and add toppings of your choice. They're both vegan and gluten-free too.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Gluten-Free, Vegan
    Keyword cupcakes, dairy-free, egg free, gluten free, vegan
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 22 minutes
    Total Time 32 minutes
    Servings 12
    Calories 229kcal
    Author Sherri Hall

    Ingredients

    WET INGREDIENTS

    • 1 ½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk (I used almond milk)
    • 1 ¼ cup organic cane sugar
    • ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
    • 2 teaspoon white wine vinegar (can substitute with apple cider vinegar)
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

    DRY INGREDIENTS

    • 2 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
    • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour mixture already contains)

    OPTIONAL

    • dairy-free frosting of choice such as vegan buttercream or dairy-free cream cheese frosting

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350° F and line a cupcake/muffin tin with 12 cupcake wrappers (*See notes below).
    • Add all of the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
    • Sift the whisked flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir or whisk to combine until no lumps of flour remain.
    • Distribute the mixture evenly in the cupcake wrappers. Each should be approximately ¾ of the way full.
    • Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
    • Allow cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
    • Allow cupcakes to cool completely before icing.

    (Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)

    Suggested Equipment/Tools

    12-Count Muffin Pan
    Cupcake Liners

    Notes

    Due to variations in brands/ingredients, the batter may yield between 12 and 16 cupcakes. If you have extra, you can line a second muffin tin with additional cupcake wrappers and bake both pans side by side in the oven on the center rack. If you don't have a second muffin tin or your muffin tins don't fit side by side, you can store the batter in the refrigerator until the first batch is done and then bake the additional cupcakes separately. Keep in mind that they may not need as much time to bake since there will only be a few of them. Therefore, check for doneness around 15 minutes.
    Unfrosted cupcakes are best stored in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. This will keep them moist. They can also be refrigerated this way for 3-4 days, but note that they won't be as moist.
    It’s best to ice the cupcakes right before serving them, but you can store them with the frosting if needed. They are best used within 3 days this way. Just be sure that your airtight container is deep enough so that the frosting doesn't get squished when you close the lid.
    To make the cupcakes soy-free, use a soy-free oil such as canola.
    To make the cupcakes nut-free, use a nut-free plant-based milk such as soy or oat.
    The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Nutrition calculation is for one cupcake without frosting or toppings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 3g
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    ©Watch Learn Eat. All content and images are copyright protected. Recipes and images are not to be used or republished without prior permission. If you adapt this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, and link back to this post for the original recipe.

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    Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting »

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    Sherri

    About Sherri

    Founder, Author, Recipe Developer, & Photographer

    With a lifelong passion for cooking, I specialize in creating easy meatless meals that are omnivore-approved!

    Learn more about me

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