Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

Last updated - ; Published - By Rhian Williams 10 Comments

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

TheseGluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes aremoist and fluffy,naturally coloured andslathered in a deliciously tangy"cream cheese" frosting! They're refined sugar free, come together in one bowl and make an adorabledessert for birthdays,Christmas,Valentine's Day,Mother's Day,baby showersandbridal showers!

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (1)

These were inspired by my Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake recipe, and they have all the same characteristics: a mixture of salty-sweet, sour and chocolatey flavours, finished off with a sweet and tangy"cream cheese" frosting.

How do you make vegan "buttermilk"?

Traditional red velvet cupcakes are made usingbuttermilk, but it's really easy to make a vegan "buttermilk". Here's how to make it:

1. Mix almond milk with vinegar in ameasuring jug.
2. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Tip: This trick works with any kind of non-dairy milk, as the vinegar curdles the milk so that it resembles buttermilk.

How do you make naturally coloured Red Velvet Cupcakes?

To create a red colour without food colouring, I usedbeetroot powder.

You can buy beetroot powder inlocal health stores, as well as online.

Can you make Red Velvet Cake without red colouring?


If you can't get hold of red food colouring or beetroot powder, it's not a problem if you leave it out - you'll just end up with a slightly differently coloured cake, but the taste will be the same and still delicious!

How to make the cupcakes

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for thefull recipe.

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (2)
Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (3)
  • Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes.
Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (4)

How to make the vegan "cream cheese" frosting

  • Placecoconut cream,lemon juice,maple syrupandvanillain a bowl and use anelectric whiskto whip up until fluffy.
  • You can apply the frosting with a palette knife for frosting, a spatula, or a piping bag depending on how fancy you want to be.

Tips for making the frosting

  • For super fluffy frosting, make the frosting fresh and top the cupcakes with it just before serving - the frosting does set well, however, and frosted cupcakes will keep their shape and texturefor up to a few days in the fridge.
  • Make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before applying the frosting, otherwise it will melt!
  • The recipe below yields a medium-sized amount of frosting per cupcake. However, if you do want to apply a generous amount of frosting (like in my photos), I’d recommend doubling the amount of frosting.
Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (5)

To decorate, I like to scatter over some freeze-dried raspberries for a little colour, but you can use whatever you want!

How long do these keep for?

These cupcakes arebest enjoyed fresh, but they do keep covered in thefridgefor up to afew days.

Substitutions you can make

  • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
  • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
  • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
  • You can replace thevinegarwithlemon juice.
  • You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
  • For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
  • You can use plain flourinstead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
  • You canomit the beetroot powder - it's used for adding red colouring but the recipe still works without it.
Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (6)

More gluten-free vegan cupcakes

  • Carrot Cake Cupcakes
  • Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
  • Coconut Cupcakes
  • Lemon Cupcakes

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog,I’d really love to hear anyfeedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes onInstagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make it

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (7)

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

TheseGluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes are moist and fluffy, naturally coloured, and slathered in a tangy "cream cheese" frosting!

4.23 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free red velvet cupcakes, vegan gluten-free cupcakes, vegan red velvet cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 200 ml ( cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
  • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
  • 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
  • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
  • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 3 teaspoons beetroot powder (adds red colour but not completely necessary for the recipe to work)

For the frosting:

  • 400 g (14 oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk **
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

  • Measure out the milk and, leaving it in the measuring container, add the tablespoon of vinegar and stir - leave to sit for around 10 minutes, while you make the rest of the cupcakes.

  • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).

  • Once melted, add the teaspoon of vinegar to the same bowl along with the maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds.

  • Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and beetroot powder.

  • Add the milk and vinegar mixture and mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.

  • Transfer mixture between 12 cupcake cases in a cupcake tin.

  • Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

  • Once out the oven, transfer cupcakes onto a wire rack to cool completely before applying the frosting.

For the frosting:

  • You’ll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won’t happen and you won’t be able to make this cream!

  • Open the tin upside down – the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups or smoothies).

  • Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl.

  • Add the lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla extract.

  • Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy.

To frost and decorate the cupcakes:

  • Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a knife or spatula to apply an even amount of frosting to each of the cupcakes.

  • Decorate with freeze-dried raspberries if desired.

  • Best when fresh but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Video

Notes

*You can alternatively usealmond flour.

**You can alternatively use 200g (7oz) coconut yogurt.

  • For super fluffy frosting, make the frosting fresh and top the cupcakes with it just before serving - the frosting does set well, however, and frosted cupcakes will keep their shape and texturefor up to a few days in the fridge.
  • Make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before applying the frosting, otherwise it will melt!
  • The recipe below yields a medium-sized amount of frosting per cupcake. However, if you do want to apply a generous amount of frosting (like in my photos), I’d recommend doubling the amount of frosting.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 267Calories from Fat 171

% Daily Value*

Fat 19g29%

Saturated Fat 11g55%

Sodium 52mg2%

Potassium 138mg4%

Carbohydrates 24g8%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin C 1.3mg2%

Calcium 85mg9%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

More Baking & Dessert Recipes

  • Gluten-Free Vegan Raspberry Madeleines
  • Gluten-Free Vegan Raspberry Muffins
  • Gluten-Free Vegan Raspberry Cake
  • Gluten-Free Vegan Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply

  1. grace

    Hi there.I just found your website and i'm super excited to start making some of your recipes 🙂 I was just wondering,what gluten free flour do you use? Thank you

    Reply

    • Rhian Williams

      Yay so happy to hear that, thank you! I use Dove's Farm plain gluten-free flour. You can also sub the gluten-free flour for rice flour or buckwheat flour.

  2. Anonymous

    Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (12)
    Just made these and they're the best refined sugar free cupcakes I've made - so fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness!

    Reply

    • Rhian Williams

      Thank you!

  3. Katy

    Hello,
    Do you think coconut flour would work instead of almond meal? My friend has a nut allergy
    Thank you very much, I love all your recipes!

    Reply

    • Rhian Williams

      Thank you so much! Yes it would, but only use a fifth of the amount as it absorbs a lot more moisture than almond meal!

  4. Sarah

    Is there ANY zmway to make frosting without lemon do you know? I love your website!

    Reply

    • Rhian Williams

      Yes you can leave out the lemon, though the taste will change slightly obviously!

  5. Enya

    Can almond meal be subbed with almond flour?

    Reply

    • Rhian Williams

      Yes!

Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a vegan cupcake and a regular cupcake? ›

Vegan cupcakes are animal product and dairy free. This means they contain no egg, butter, or dairy products. However, they do contain ingredients that are familiar to the baker such as flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, oil, and vanilla.

What is the big deal about red velvet cake? ›

Nicole Taylor, a cookbook author, described red velvet cake as a staple that only came out in Atlanta during special occasions, such as Christmas, Juneteenth, and other big celebrations. The color red also symbolizes joy, which explains its use as a celebration cake today in black communities.

Why are my red velvet cupcakes Brown? ›

The red food colouring makes the cake batter prone to splitting, and turns everything it touches red; a couple of grams over on the cocoa powder and the cake goes brown instead of a rich red; the cream cheese frosting has a tendency to turn to gloop at the very last minute for no apparent reason; and the list goes on.

Are Sprinkles red velvet cupcakes vegan? ›

PRODUCTION INFORMATION. Sprinkles offers Sugar Free, Gluten Friendly and Vegan versions of our Red Velvet cupcakes daily at all bakeries. We also have a Lemon Blueberry cupcake and Chocolate Chip cookie that are gluten friendly and available daily.

Why are vegan cupcakes so dense? ›

DENSE RESULT

This can be caused by not using the right egg replacer. Over mixing batter is another reason which causes over development of the gluten and a dense result. If your oven isn't heated to the correct temperature before you put your cake in, it can cause it to not bake properly.

Why are my vegan cupcakes not rising? ›

YOUR CAKE IS SINKING IN THE MIDDLE OR NOT RISING

You may not have used enough raising agents. I do recommend experimenting with double action baking powders. Otherwise try using 25 percent more chemical raising agents (baking soda or baking powder) if you're converting a recipe to gluten free. b.

What makes red velvet cake taste so good? ›

While red velvet cake is technically a cocoa cake, there is a key difference between standard chocolate cake and red velvet cake. Chocolate cake recipes traditionally use Dutch-processed cocoa, while red velvet cake uses unprocessed cocoa, a more acidic ingredient that produces a deeper, more intense chocolate flavor.

What flavor is red velvet actually? ›

What flavor is red velvet? While there are cocoa undertones, red velvet is not chocolate cake because it balances both chocolate and vanilla flavors. It contains cocoa but not the same quantity as traditional chocolate cake, resulting in a more subtle cocoa flavor and tanginess due to the buttermilk and vinegar.

Why is red velvet cake so expensive? ›

Unlike many people claim, its not just tainted chocolate cake. The cocoa powder is used in less quantity and the taste develops by the mixing of vinegar and buttermilk with the cocoa powder. The recipe involves many ingredients in small quantity. The frosting- if used cream cheese is an expensive element in itself.

Why do you put vinegar in a red velvet cake? ›

The buttermilk and vinegar give the cake that tender, light, and fluffy texture. Red velvet cake is also usually paired with white cream-cheese frosting. The white contrast highlights the lush red color, while the tanginess of the cream cheese plays off the buttermilk so well.

What food coloring is best for red velvet cake? ›

Red velvet cake wouldn't be red without food coloring. I recommend gel food coloring because the color is concentrated, so you need less of it. For natural coloring, use beet powder. If you don't want to use food coloring, leave it out!

Do red velvet cupcakes need to be refrigerated? ›

From Paula's Pumpkin Bars to Giada's Spiced Apple-Walnut Cake With Cream Cheese Icing to the classic Red Velvet Cake, it's hard to escape cream cheese frosting's creamy goodness. So does it need refrigeration? Food Network Kitchens: Yes, you should always refrigerate any cake or cupcake that has cream cheese frosting.

Is Duncan Hines red velvet vegan? ›

Since most boxed cakes require that you add eggs, milk and butter after, most major brands such as Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker are already vegan!

Are dollar sweets sprinkles vegan? ›

Ideal topping for cakes, desserts and ice cream. Vegetarian and vegan friendly. No artificial colours or flavours.

What ingredient makes sprinkles not vegan? ›

Obviously, if a sprinkle contains any type of whey powder (dairy), or beeswax as a coating, it's not vegan. One particular sneaky sprinkle ingredient that's prevalent in the sprinkle world is something called “confectioner's glaze”. It's made from something called shellac, which is derived from insects.

What is the difference between a vegan cake and a regular cake? ›

To put it simply, a vegan cake is a cake that doesn't contain any animal-derived ingredients, most notably eggs, milk, and other dairy products. In 'regular' cakes, eggs and dairy products are among the key ingredients used to create the sponge and icing, and often decorations, too.

Are vegan cupcakes healthier than regular? ›

Are vegan cakes healthier than non-vegan cakes, you may ask? For the most part, not really; while the removal of butter can mean less saturated fat, the vegan friendly replacement, often cocoa butter, can be similar in saturated fat levels.

Is vegan cake better? ›

Vegan cakes may appeal to those looking for a potentially lower cholesterol and saturated fat option. Vegan cakes can be made with healthier plant-based fats and oils. Vegan cakes can be suitable for individuals with common food allergies, such as dairy or egg allergies.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Madonna Wisozk

Last Updated:

Views: 5624

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Madonna Wisozk

Birthday: 2001-02-23

Address: 656 Gerhold Summit, Sidneyberg, FL 78179-2512

Phone: +6742282696652

Job: Customer Banking Liaison

Hobby: Flower arranging, Yo-yoing, Tai chi, Rowing, Macrame, Urban exploration, Knife making

Introduction: My name is Madonna Wisozk, I am a attractive, healthy, thoughtful, faithful, open, vivacious, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.