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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

    Last Updated on February 5, 2023, First Published on August 14, 2019 16 Comments

    Prep 30 minutes minutes
    Total 50 minutes minutes
    Jump to Recipe

    How to make the BEST vegan chocolate cupcakes! This easy chocolate cupcake recipe is made without eggs or dairy, and is deliciously moist.


    a chocolate cupcake and a glass of milk

    I'm just putting it out there: this recipe is a keeper. The thing with vegan cake is once you find a good recipe, you stick to it and NEVER LET IT GO. That's exactly I did with these easy vegan chocolate cupcakes!

    These decadent cupcakes are the perfect thing to make for birthday parties and celebrations. The cupcakes come together quickly and are topped with a delicious coconut milk ganache. However, if you are in a pinch, store-bought is fine (as queen Ina Garten would say).

    Why you'll love these cupcakes

    1. They're completely vegan-friendly and made with no weird ingredients
    2. They're moist, fluffy, rich and chocolatey all at the same time.
    3. Coconut milk ganache frosting.
    4. See reason number 3 🙂

    How to make vegan cupcakes rise

    Some vegan cupcake recipes call for weird ingredients like flax eggs, avocados (?), applesauce, and vinegar. Tasty ingredients nonetheless, but they have no place in a chocolate cupcake recipe. You'll be happy to hear these cupcakes are made with NO weird ingredients, NO eggs, and NO dairy! And best of all, they're loved by vegans and meat-eaters alike!

    a chocolate cupcake with a bite taken from it

    The secret to making vegan cupcakes rise comes in the form of bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. These ingredients undergo a chemical reaction in the oven to produce carbon dioxide gas, which translates as the air bubbles in our cake. You should see the reaction starting when you mix the lemon juice into the batter!

    So making cupcakes = science experiment = basically homework, right?

    How to make vegan chocolate cupcakes

    As always, you'll find the full recipe and instructions at the bottom of this blog post.

    First, cream together dairy-free butter and sugar until fluffy (photo 1). Mix in vanilla extract then gradually add the dry ingredients and soy milk in increments (photo 2). Finally, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice (photo 3).

    Divide the batter between cupcake cases (photo 4) and bake until domed on top (photo 5). Finally, top with the chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of cacao nibs (photo 6).

    cupcake cases filled with chocolate batter
    baked chocolate cupcakes fresh from the oven
    chocolate cupcakes being decorated

    Notes on this recipe

    • Don't open the oven during the first 10 minutes of baking or else the cupcakes will deflate.
    • Leave the cupcakes to cool COMPLETELY before frosting them.
    • Don't overmix the batter.
    a chocolate cupcake being dug into with a fork

    FAQ

    Do I have to make chocolate ganache?

    The ganache does take a while to firm up but it is worth it for the delicious flavour. If you are in a pinch you can enjoy the cupcakes plain or top with store-bought icing.

    How do I pipe cupcakes perfectly?

    Apply even pressure starting from the outside and pipe a swirl which works its way inwards. You can practice piping the ganache on a sheet of greaseproof paper first if you'd like.

    How long do cupcakes last in the fridge?

    You can store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please leave a rating + review below and share your photos on Instagram tagging #shivanilovesfood!

    More vegan baking recipes:

    • Vegan peanut butter brownies
    • Bakery style blueberry muffins
    • Vegan polenta cake
    a chocolate cupcake and a glass of milk

    Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

    5 from 7 votes
    LEAVE A REVIEW PRINT RECIPE
    PREP30 minutes mins
    COOK20 minutes mins
    TOTAL50 minutes mins
    SERVES12 Cupcakes
    How to make the BEST vegan chocolate cupcakes! This easy chocolate cupcake recipe is made without eggs or dairy, and is deliciously moist and fluffy.
    Author: Shivani Raja

    Ingredients

    For the Cupcakes:

    • ⅓ cup/ 100 grams Dairy-Free Spread I use Vitalite
    • ½ cup/ 140 grams Caster Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
    • ⅔ cup/ 240 ml Soy Milk
    • 1 ¼ cups/ 250 grams Plain Flour
    • ½ cup/ 50 grams Cocoa Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

    For the Ganache:

    • 1.5 oz/ 50 grams Dark Chocolate roughly chopped
    • ⅓ cup/ 75 ml Coconut Milk canned, full-fat

    Decoration:

    • 1 tablespoon Cacao Nibs optional

    Instructions

    Make the Ganache:

    • Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over low-medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.
    • Take off the heat, and add the chopped dark chocolate. Mix until smooth and store in the fridge overnight, or in the freezer for an hour.

    Make the Cupcakes:

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.
    • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the dairy-free spread and sugars with a wooden spoon. Stir in the vanilla extract.
    • In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the soy milk to the larger bowl in 4-5 increments, folding after each addition.
    • Stir in the lemon juice. As the lemon juice reacts with the bicarbonate of soda, the mixture will increase in volume. Fold gently so as to not lose any air bubbles.
    • Divide the cupcake batter between the 12 muffin cases. Tip: use a ladle or ice cream scoop to evenly portion out the mixture!
    • Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Decoration:

    • Transfer the cooled ganache to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe on the ganache in a swirl starting from the outside. Sprinkle on the cacao nibs and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. They will last for up to 3 days.
    • If you wish, you can fold in 1 oz/ 30 grams dark chocolate chips to the cupcake batter after step 4, to make triple chocolate cupcakes!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 23.7gProtein: 2.9gFat: 8.2gSaturated Fat: 5.4gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 197mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 11g
    Tried this recipe?Mention @shivani.lovesfood or tag #shivanilovesfood!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Rating




    1. Jennifer

      August 14, 2019 at 11:17 pm

      5 stars
      I'm a chocoholic, so I really like the idea of adding the chips in to make the triple chocolate cupcakes! YUM

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        August 15, 2019 at 7:18 pm

        Mm yes thought you'd like that idea Jennifer!

        Reply
    2. Krissy Allori

      August 15, 2019 at 12:08 am

      5 stars
      Yum! These sound so good.

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        August 15, 2019 at 7:18 pm

        Thanks Krissy! Have a great thursday 🙂

        Reply
    3. Sapana

      August 15, 2019 at 12:46 am

      5 stars
      These look amazing, Shivani! I love how easy they are to make.

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        August 15, 2019 at 7:15 pm

        They're so easy that I've already made them waay too many times! Glad you like them Sapana x

        Reply
    4. Adrianne

      August 15, 2019 at 12:50 am

      5 stars
      Shivani your photography is always so stunning, I love seeing your pics. Including these delicious chocolate cupcakes. And they are VEGAN!! Wow, yes please, I am into that. Cheers for another beautiful recipe.

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        August 15, 2019 at 7:14 pm

        Thank you SO much Adrianne - this really means a lot to me! x

        Reply
    5. Irina

      August 15, 2019 at 1:52 am

      5 stars
      These chocolate cupcakes sound delicious! I especially love the idea of making ganache based on coconut milk. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        August 15, 2019 at 7:14 pm

        Thanks Irina! Coconut milk is a pretty great ingredient 🙂

        Reply
    6. Jess

      September 02, 2019 at 12:52 am

      These cupcakes look delicious Shivani! Beautiful photos too!

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        September 04, 2019 at 10:03 pm

        Thank you so much Jess 🙂

        Reply
    7. Jasmin

      September 09, 2019 at 1:29 pm

      Shivani what delicious looking cupcakes. Gimme all the chocolate

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        September 09, 2019 at 4:40 pm

        Thanks so much Jasmin! Chocolate is THE BEST

        Reply
    8. Berkkha

      January 21, 2020 at 3:51 am

      5 stars
      Will love to try these, sounds great

      Reply
      • Shivani Raja

        January 22, 2020 at 1:51 pm

        I hope you enjoy them!

        Reply

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