This is the BEST Vegan Vanilla Cupcake recipe! It produces cupcakes with a fluffy, light texture, sweet vanilla flavor, and decadent frosting to top it all off. They're my favorite for celebrating someone special or satisfying a sweet tooth...and as a bonus, they're vegan, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free!
I wish I could convey to you JUST HOW excited I am about these Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes. They check every single one of my cupcake wish list items: fluffy, light, and sweet, plus vegan and gluten-free. I almost called them the Impossible Cupcakes because how can something so delicious also be so allergy-friendly?!
Grain-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
Instead of flour I used a blend of arrowroot starch, potato starch and superfine blanched almond flour. Potato starch is very different from potato flour, so make sure you check your packages and get the right thing! Potato starch is made by extracting just the starches, then washing them out and drying it all into a powder. Isn't that fascinating?! The result is an ingredient that makes these cupcakes perfectly fluffy! Arrowroot starch adds that crumb texture and helps hold the cake together, while almond flour is perfect for flavor.
Egg Replacement for Vegan Cupcakes
I used applesauce in this recipe to help keep the cake moist and aid in binding it all together, while baking powder helps keep the cake from getting too dense. Baking is a total science, and it can take some experimenting but when it all comes together...magic! Delicious, vanilla cupcake magic!
How to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
The hardest part of this recipe is measuring all of the ingredients! Trust me...it's an easy one. Start by whisking all the wet ingredients together, then adding the dry in, and then spooning the batter into 12 greased muffin cups. I like to line mine with these reusable liners for the best results! Bake your cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350F, then let them cool completely before frosting.
Dairy-Free Cupcake Frosting
You will never ever believe the secret ingredient in my chocolate frosting. It's sweet potato! I promise it doesn't taste like pureed veggies, though. The sweet potato adds a little sweetness and the perfect creamy texture, and tastes only like chocolate when blended with cocoa powder and vegan chocolate. Plan some time in advance to make the frosting since it needs an hour in the refrigerator before frosting! If you want a refined sugar-free, vegan, paleo vanilla frosting, be sure to check out the frosting half of this recipe. You can also use this Vegan Vanilla Frosting recipe but it is not refined sugar-free since it uses organic powdered sugar.
More Sweet Treats
Vegan & Gluten-Free Apple Cake
Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Vanilla Sheet Cake with Rainbow Frosting
Fudgy Vegan Protein Brownies
Baked Chocolate Chia Seed Donuts
Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Muffins
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with White Sweet Potato Frosting
Best Vegan + Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is the BEST Vegan Vanilla Cupcake recipe! It produces cupcakes with a fluffy, light texture, sweet vanilla flavor, and decadent frosting to top it all off. They're my favorite for celebrating someone special or satisfying a sweet tooth...and as a bonus, they're vegan, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free!
Ingredients
For the chocolate sweet potato frosting
- 2, 16 ounce sweet potato* (~2 cups total)
- 1 cup vegan dark chocolate (refined sugar-free) [use code ELAINE for 15% off], melted
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons vegan, soy-free butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
For the vanilla cupcakes
- ⅔ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups super fine blanched almond flour
- ¾ cup potato starch (not potato flour)
- ⅓ cup arrowroot starch
- ⅓ cup maple sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
For the chocolate sweet potato frosting
- In a blender combine the hot cooked sweet potato (skin already removed), melted chocolate, vegan butter (or coconut oil), cocoa powder, vanilla and salt.
- Blend on the highest speed until smooth and creamy. If the mixture has trouble blending you can add a tablespoon more of melted butter or coconut oil to get it going. You can also use a mini spatula to scrape down the sides of blender and push the frosting toward the blades. I blend on low speed and very slowly increase to a higher speed once it gets going.
- Place the frosting in your refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the frosting to harden.
For the vanilla cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 12 cup muffin tray with avocado oil and line with paper baking cups. Grease the inside of the paper baking cups as well. Set aside.
- Add maple syrup, applesauce, avocado oil, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
- To the wet ingredients, add almond flour, potato starch, arrowroot starch, maple sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk until no clumps remain.
- Pour the batter into the muffin tins filling them ⅞ths of the way full.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow the cupcakes to sit in the muffin tin for 20 minutes. Gently move the cupcakes over to a wire cooling rack and allow them to fully cool to room temperature before frosting.
To decorate
- Cut a tiny hole in the bottom corner of a plastic bag and place a piping tip through the corner. Use a mini spatula to transfer the frosting that has been chilling in the refrigerator into the plastic bag. Seal the plastic bag and squeeze gently to pipe the frosting through the piping tip onto the cupcakes. Start on the perimeter of the cupcake and circle around moving inward after each circle.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Decorate with dye-free sprinkles or unsweetened shredded coconut if desired.
Notes
Instead of chocolate frosting, use my Vegan Vanilla Frosting (great for piping) or Refined Sugar-Free Vanilla Blender Cashew Icing (great for spreading overtop the cupcakes but doesn't pipe well).
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
Maria says
is there another substitute for the potato starch?
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Maria: In this particular recipe I would not recommend substituting the potato starch. I do have other recipes on the blog that are baked goods without potato starch but for this particular one you need the potato starch for the light and fluffy texture. If you sub it out they might turn out too dense. Please let me know if you give them a try or you need a recommendation for a different cupcake recipe. Thank you! Best, Elaine