Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

These easy vegan strawberry cupcakes with dairy-free vanilla buttercream frosting are not only visually stunning but also incredibly delicious.

The star ingredient of these cupcakes is the fresh diced strawberries, which infuse each bite with a burst of natural sweetness.

They contain no eggs, but are perfectly fluffy. Make these your go-to summer dessert!

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Flour ~ I use all-purpose flour for these strawberry cupcakes as it’s a pantry staple that I always have on hand.

For a gluten-free option, try using a gluten-free flour blend meant to replace all-purpose wheat-based flour at a 1:1 ratio, like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour. Please note, however, I have not tried this myself.

Sugar ~ White cane sugar is the best option for fluffy, soft cupcakes. This will also keep the cupcakes light in color to let the bright red specks of strawberries shine through.

Oil ~ Fat is a necessary component of baked goods to keep them moist and soft. I use melted coconut oil in this cupcake recipe.

You can use refined coconut oil, which has no prominent coconut flavor. Or you can choose to use unrefined coconut oil, which does taste of coconut. Coconut is a natural flavor pairing for strawberries, so both options would work great.

You could also use any mild flavored oil, like grapeseed oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.

Milk ~ Any non-dairy milk will work. I typically use almond milk or oat milk, but use what you have on hand.

Vinegar ~ A little bit of apple cider vinegar (or white distilled vinegar) will help these vegan strawberry cupcakes rise.

Strawberries ~ Fresh summer strawberries will provide the best flavor and sweetness.

While frozen fruit can be usually substituted for fresh in baking recipes, frozen strawberries are a little harder to work with here and I don’t recommend it.

Love strawberries? Try my Strawberry Glazed Chocolate Donuts, Strawberry Smoothie, and Strawberry Overnight Oats!

Extras ~ Don’t forget the baking powder, baking soda, pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, too!

Frosting ~ The strawberry cupcakes are sweet and delicious all on their own, but you can take them over the top by frosting them with my homemade vegan vanilla buttercream.

You could also use your favorite store-bought vegan frosting.

Add some extra fresh fruit to the tops or maybe some fun vegan sprinkles.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

Add the dry to the wet and whisk just until it comes together into a batter. A few lumps are fine. Do not overmix!

Add the diced strawberries to the cupcake batter and gently stir them in until evenly distributed.

Scoop the batter evenly into a 12-cavity cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners. Fill each cavity about three-fourths of the way full. I find an ice cream scoop with trigger lever to work great for this task. A ¼ or ⅓ cup measuring cup with handle works well, too.

Bake until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool completely on a wire cooling rack before attempting to remove the paper liners or to frost the cupcakes.

Frost the cupcakes with creamy homemade dairy-free vanilla buttercream or your favorite store bought vegan frosting.

You can use a piping bag (or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off) or just slather it on with an offset spatula.

Storage and freezing

Counter: Store the cupcakes, frosted or unfrosted, in an air-tight container on the counter for 1 day. Any fresh fruit garnishes should be added right before serving, not stored on the cupcakes.

If you garnished the cupcakes with fresh fruit, store them in the fridge instead.

Fridge: Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge, frosted or unfrosted, for up to 4 days. Personally, I like enjoy them straight from the fridge, but you can allow them to come to room temperature on the counter before serving.

Freezer: You can even freeze these unfrosted Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes! Place the baked and cooled cupcakes in one even layer on a large plate or baking sheet and freeze. Once the cupcakes are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag.

They should keep well for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Frost, if desired, right before serving.

Pro tips and tricks

~ Choose firm, bright red, fresh ripe strawberries.

~ Dice the strawberries into small uniform pieces and mix them into the batter until evenly distributed.

~ Ensure all of your ingredients are a room temperature before mixing. Cold milk will cause the melted coconut oil to seize up and not incorporate properly.

~ Measure the flour properly using the spoon-and-level method. Fluff up the flour then spoon it gently into a measuring cup until the cup is overfilled. Using the back of a butter knife, scrape it across the top to remove the excess flour from the cup. (Do this over the flour container or a bowl so you don’t make a mess.) Never scoop the measuring cup directly into the flour and never ever pack it down into the measuring cup!

~ Do not overmix the batter! Mix the dry and the wet ingredients together until just combined. A few lumps are okay.

~ Fill the cavities in the cupcake pan about three-fourths full.

~ Allow the vegan strawberry cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them or removing the paper wrappers.

FAQs

More vegan cakes and cupcakes

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
• Banana Snack Cake
• Vegan Carrot Cake
• Spiced Vegan Pear Cake
• Vegan Gingerbread Cake
• Vanilla Cornbread Cake
• Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
• Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Cake