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Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes

4.62 from 49 votes
Total: 35 minutes
Serves 12

Rich, moist, and sinfully delicious, this Eggless Red Velvet Cupcake recipe is an absolute show-stopper, and you will never regret choosing this velvety-textured treat when planning a dessert for your party or get-together. These vegan cupcakes have drool-worthy vanilla-chocolaty perfection in every bite.

Its deep red color and perfect sweetness will satisfy your taste buds, and its brilliance will enchant your dessert-loving soul!

Vegan red velvet cake with cream frosting

If you love eggless red velvet cupcakes as much as we do, then you are in for a treat. This vegan, vibrant, and flavorful dessert, topped with swirls of creamy frosting, will brighten up any occasion and spread cheerfulness just like its vibrant hue.

Do bake these beauties to blend with your Valentine’s Day theme, and trust me, these cupcakes will be a visual treat that’s hard to resist!

Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cakes and Cupcakes are loved worldwide for their heavenly deliciousness. Everyone loves cupcakes (kids and adults alike), as these little bites of happiness are a great alternative to a massive slice of cake (for the health-conscious).

Moreover, these individual cupcakes are every cake lover’s dream dessert as they are portion-sized, and can be enjoyed guilt-free.

These eggless red velvet cupcakes are so simple to make with a tender-light crumb made with your everyday pantry staples and a velvety cream cheese frosting that will completely woo you.

The red food color is a significant game changer that lends these sweet stunners their unique name and identity!

Eggless Cupcake on a stand garnished with sprinkles

Reasons You’ll ♡ Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes

Even if you are not a pro at baking, I can assure you that you will love making these little charming marvels, and every step of baking will be as enjoyable as every blissful bite you eat, plus —

  • It has a beautiful flavor
  • Is tender and moist
  • Luscious and tangy cream cheese frosting is a cherry on top
  • Scalable recipe and easily customizable too, and
  • A complete crowd-pleaser recipe!

It also makes a great gifting option during celebrations and events. Being versatile, these eggless red velvet cupcakes can be experimented with different flavors and frostings, and you can decorate them in your own unique ways!

As a bonus, these yummy cupcakes can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or frozen for later.

Ingredient list

Eggless Red Velvet Ingredient List

All-purpose flour — This is the main ingredient that renders structure to the recipe. An alteration in the measurement may not give the desired results; therefore, be sure to measure the flour correctly so you don’t end up with a dry cake. 

Cornstarch  The addition of cornstarch makes the cake tender and lighter in texture as it helps retain moisture, which results in a finer crumb. It stabilizes the cake’s structure by preventing the batter from getting dense. 

Sugar — Added primarily for sweetness, it also adds moisture and a tender crumb, enhancing the cake’s overall flavor. 

Baking soda and baking powder — These leavening agents give the cake the best rise by providing the required aeration and a beautiful, tender texture after baking. 

Unsweetened cocoa powder — It adds the signature hint of cocoa color to these cupcakes. This ingredient renders the chocolatey or brown color of the cupcakes and the drool-worthy flavor.

Salt  The flavor neutralizer! Be sure not to leave out the salt, or you’ll have a bland cake.

Vanilla extract — Adds a blissful flavor and a subtle aroma to the eggless red velvet cupcakes. 

Milk + vinegar  Buttermilk made of milk and vinegar contributes to these cupcakes’ lovely moisture and tenderness. Vinegar adds a little extra acid that activates the baking soda and helps brighten the red hue. Also, it contributes a subtle tang to the red velvet cupcakes.

Vegan butter — Makes these cupcakes supremely moist and creates a delicate texture.

Red food coloring — Concentrated gel food coloring gives these cupcakes their signature deep red color, making them look irresistible. You can use any good food color, but Wilton gel Red food color works the best. As a substitute to food color natural Beets powder works great too!

Cream cheese — Always use ingredients at room temperature as they mix uniformly and incorporate evenly into the batter. Here, you can start with room-temperature cream cheese for the best results. If the cream cheese is cold, you’ll have a lumpy frosting.

Unsalted butter — Use softened butter at room temperature before making the frosting. If cold, the frosting will be lumpy. If melted, the frosting will be runny.

Powdered sugar — Helps to sweeten the frosting. Powdered sugar blends evenly and thickens the frosting.

Vanilla extract — For an enticing flavor and aroma!

Eggless red velvet cupcakes garnished with sprinkles

Eggless Red Velvet Cake Tips and Variations

Sifting is essential — Sifting makes the dry ingredients lighter and airier, resulting in a softer and fluffier cake. Sifting is also necessary for the accurate measurement of the ingredients. So, ensure there are no lumps of baking soda or cocoa powder and the ingredients are thoroughly sifted. 

For the moistness that stays — Butter adds incredible moisture to the batter, making the cupcakes remain moist for longer. However, you can substitute vegetable oil for butter if you prefer. 

Buttermilk for the fantastic texture — Please do not skip adding the buttermilk. Buttermilk helps the cupcakes achieve the incomparably tender texture that makes them so blissfully yummy. The acidic property of the buttermilk helps combine the baking soda and cocoa powder, giving it rise and texture.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your buttermilk substitute easily by following these steps: Combine 1 cup milk at room temperature with 1 and 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar. Stir together and let it sit for 10 minutes. You can now use this fresh buttermilk as directed in the recipe below.

Do not skip vinegar — When combined with the leaving agents (baking soda and baking powder), vinegar starts a chemical reaction that helps the eggless cupcakes rise. This chemical reaction together produces carbon dioxide bubbles, which render the cupcakes the feather-like texture they are loved for. Be rest assured, you won’t taste the vinegar in this recipe.

For the love of chocolate flavor — Want it more chocolatey? Add more cocoa powder! You can add up to 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder if you prefer a slightly intense chocolaty flavor. But these would make darker cupcakes.

Delightful and elegant eggless cupcakes dresses with cream cheese frosting

Do not replace milk/vegan milk — Since this is an egg-free cake, do not substitute milk/vegan milk, as it plays an essential role in the success of this recipe. 

A quick baking hack — Never over-mix the cake batter, as this causes the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, leading to dense cupcakes. So, when combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix them just enough.

Are you planning for a whole cake? Well, this delicious recipe easily converts into an entire cake. It can be doubled to yield two  8-inch cake layers (bake time: 25- 30 minutes) or a 9x 13-inch cake (bake time: about 30 minutes).  

For top-notch frosting — Before decorating your eggless red velvet cupcakes with beautiful frostings, ensure they have cooled completely. If they are still warm, the frosting will slide off them.

For frosting, use Room-temperature dairy — Starting the frosting with cream cheese and butter at room temperature is imperative. Cold cream cheese and butter is a one-way ticket to a lumpy frosting, so avoid it. It is best to plan and allow the ingredients to soften at room temperature ahead of time. 

Substitute — You can bake this eggless red velvet cake with wheat flour. But I would suggest you use half of the wheat flour and half white flour as wheat flour is denser than the all-purpose flour.

Key to achieving the perfect color — These eggless red velvet cupcakes are so-called because of their deep red color that comes from the added food color. To get their signature red color, make sure to add the right amount of cocoa powder and red food color to create the color magic. 

Moist and fluffy Cupcake with frosting

Let me know what you think!

Are you impressed by these gorgeous beauties and drooling over their pretty color and the beautiful cheese frosting?

Then why not just make a few?

Let’s gather the handful of ingredients that are needed and begin with the baking venture.

Should you make these Eggless Red velvet cupcakes, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below.

And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

Are you craving more? Try our other eggless cupcakes – 

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to make the best Eggless Red Velvet cupcake recipe  

Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes

4.62 from 49 votes
Rich, moist, and sinfully delicious, this Eggless Red Velvet Cupcake recipe is an absolute show-stopper, and you will never regret choosing this velvety-textured treat when planning a dessert for your party or get-together. These vegan cupcakes have drool-worthy vanilla-chocolaty perfection in every bite.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Calories: 395 kcal
Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS 

DRY INGREDIENTS

WET INGREDIENTS

FOR FROSTING

INSTRUCTIONS

PRE- PREPARATIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line your muffin pans with 12 cupcake liners. Set it aside.
    Line the cupcake tray with liner
  • Combine milk and vinegar in a cup.
  • Stir and set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes until it curdles.

MAKING RED VELVET CUPCAKES

  • Whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sift them to remove lumps of flour and cocoa powder.
  • Mix and set it aside. 
  • Using a whisk or balloon attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Add vanilla essence to this mix.
    Add the red food coloring and milk + vinegar combo (buttermilk) to the mixing bowl.
    Mix in the dry ingredients.
  • Mix until just combined; do not over-mix the batter. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
  • Evenly distribute the batter between 12 cupcake liners. Fill each liner about halfway full.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
  • Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in pans for 2 minutes before removing them from their cavity. Set them on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Soft and velvety cupcakes are ready.

FROSTING

  • Using an electric mixer, beat the vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed until smooth.
  • Scrape down the bowl as needed.
  • Transfer cream cheese frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a nozzle and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake. Garnish with a few crumbles of red velvet cupcakes (crumble up one of the extra cupcakes) and enjoy!
    Eggless red velvet cupcakes garnished with sprinkles

VIDEO

RECIPE NOTES

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 
What type of food colors are suitable for these red velvet cupcakes?
Red food color is the most appropriate, and this recipe uses the same. You can achieve the right level of red color by using any of the following:
  • Liquid food color- 1 tablespoon
  • Gel food color- 1 teaspoon
This recipe uses Wilson red gel color that renders perfect deep red to our cupcakes.
 
Can I use any natural food color for this recipe?
Yes, sure you can! A natural food color made with beetroot can be safely used to make these red velvet cupcakes.
 
Can I use dry red powder for this recipe?
Yes, you certainly can! But you should be careful while adding dry color as this is more concentrated than liquid. I would suggest you add half a tablespoon of dry color to the dry ingredients and whisk it well.
If you feel that the desired color is still not achieved, you can add more of the dry color, but add it gradually, ½ a teaspoon at a time.
 
Can I make these delicious cupcakes ahead of time?
Yes, these tasty cupcakes are incredibly moist and an excellent option for making a day or two before you need them. These will stay perfect for at least a week when stored in an airtight container, making them a marvelous choice for enjoying special moments.
 
How can I store the leftovers of these Red Velvet Cupcakes?
You should follow the below-mentioned instructions when storing the leftovers of these cupcakes —
Cream cheese frosting — The prepared frosting lasts for up to 1 week if refrigerated in an airtight container. It stays good for up to 3 months when stored in a freezer in a freezer-safe container/ bag. However, it needs to be thawed overnight in the refrigerator before use.
Unfrosted cupcakes — You can store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. When frozen in a freezer-safe container/bag, these stay good for up to 2 months. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature, decorate as you please, and dig in!
Frosted Cupcakes — Leftovers of these yummy red velvet cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week. You can use a tall container to accommodate the frosting easily without spoiling it. Please do not freeze the frosted cupcakes, as the cream frosting will not be delectable after thawing.
 

NUTRITION

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 763IU | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided above is approximate. Variations may exist due to the ingredients/brands used. These numbers should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
Author: Ruchi
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Eggless, Vegan

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Comments

  1. shilpi says:

    Can you tell if one doesnt have cake flour what can be used ? Also what is Sour cream ?

    • RK says:

      Thanks for stopping by Shilpi. Sour cream is a dairy product prepared by fermenting regular cream with certain bacteria. Yes, you can prepare it at home. To make sour cream at home – Take 1 cup of heavy cream, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and start whisking it for 2-3 minutes. It will start to get thick and there you have it your very own homemade sour cream.

      Cake flour link is provided in the recipe – http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/homemade-cake-flour/
      I hope I have answered all your questions. Feel free to contact me if you have any more queries.

      • Richa says:

        Can we instead of unsalted butter or you would recommended and oil

      • Ruchi says:

        Richa, do you want to use butter or oil. Please clarify.
        I have used butter in this recipe and it gave me great results.

      • Richa says:

        Sorry missed writing ‘ghee’ , can we use ghee.. I tried this recipe with oil it came out well but the top of the cupcake is slightly crisp.. what could be the reason

      • Ruchi says:

        Richa, have not tried with ghee, yes oil works great too. Couple of reasons for cupcakes to become hard on top –
        1. If your oven temperature is too hot.
        2. If cupcakes were placed to close to the heating element, they will get cooked too much.

        Drizzle some icing mix on top and let them sit, it will moistened the top. Hope this helps!

  2. Rinkal says:

    Which colour u r used in yr recipe? I hv gel colour. How much I used for same?

    • RK says:

      I have used Wilton red food color in powdered form. Yes, you can use gel food color. If it has a dropper then I would suggest to start in small amounts since it’s thick and concentrated. Start with 1/2 a tablespoon and keep adding till you reach the desired color as shown in pic 9.

  3. Hiral says:

    Hi by mistake i took 250 gms flour instead of 2.5 cups and have mixed other dry ingredients also . So now what to do regarding proportion of other inhredients , pl reply

  4. Nishtha says:

    Hi, wanted by to check why my cakes do rise in the oven but after a while there is a big dent in the middle. It sinks in the middle of the cake. Can you help me understand why this happens and how I can change that.

    Nishtha

    • RK says:

      Nishtha, Sunken cakes is a common problem and it can be solved. Here are couple of reasons why a cake sinks and forms a crater in the center.
      1. Too much leavening (amount of baking soda and baking powder) in the cake. Because of that the cake rises pretty well in the oven but when taken out of the oven it sinks. SOLUTION – use fresh baking soda and baking powder and as the recipe suggests – measure them correctly with a proper set of measuring spoons.
      2. Most valid reason – cake is not fully baked in the center and because of that it collapses. SOLUTION – Before removing the cake from the oven – lightly press the top of the cake and if it is firm then the cake is fully cooked. Double check the cake by inserting a toothpick in the center, if it comes out clean cake is done.
      3. Oven temperatures vary – so if the cooking time stated is 25-30 minutes then to be on the safe side cook for 30 minutes. Hope that answers your query. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

  5. Shyam says:

    Excellent pictures! It’s better to avoid soda. It gives cake a different taste and smell. I think we can add 1tsp baking powder more to compensate it. I think rest of the ingredients can remain the same.
    Condensed milk is an excellent egg replacement (like 1 cup for 1 cup of flour). We need not add sugar. If it becomes too sweet, then we can make a mixture of condensed milk and coconut milk (3:1).
    Let me know your comments.

    • RK says:

      Thanks for your feedback Shyam. Both baking powder and baking soda are leavening agents that helps the cake to rise during baking. The recipe you are referring to, uses just 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Glad to learn about condensed milk as a egg replacement.

  6. Harsha says:

    Hey,
    this looks delicious. I’m defi gonna try it. Just one question- how exactly do you make buttermilk? could you share the right proportions?.. Thanks

    • RK says:

      Thanks Harsha! FOR BUTTERMILK Pour 1 cup of milk into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to it. Stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes until the milk begins to curdle and becomes acidic. Butter milk is ready. Happy Baking!!

  7. Sonia puri says:

    Hi,what if all purpose flour is not available, how do we can convert plain maida to it

  8. V L says:

    I followed the recipe to a T and it failed terribly. It tastes weird! They also sinks after cooling. The end product lacks of cake consistency. I’ve baked eggless cake before. This is definitely not a good recipe. Sorry and I am very disappointed in wasting all the ingredients m!

    • RK says:

      Thanks for sharing your experience with me V L. This is my tested and tried cupcake recipe and I am sorry that this recipe didn’t work out for you. Beating in too much air into the batter may have resulted into sunken cupcakes.