The absolute Best Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes ever, perfect for a wedding! Made with white rice flour and cornstarch, these are the softest, lightest, most buttery cupcakes and yet they have no butter or oil in them!
VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE VANILLA CUPCAKES
After posting my Vegan Wedding Cake, I received the kindest and most supportive comments I’ve ever received on a post (besides my cookbook announcement!) and I was so touched, so moved and beyond thrilled you all loved the cake so much!
It also sparked a ton of requests for a cupcake version! So, I got right on it for you all! Now, I already shared on social media that I added the cupcake version to that wedding post, but due to all the readers that follow this blog and still receiving so many questions about a cupcake version, I realized that many of you are missing that note on the bottom of that recipe OR didn’t see the social media post. I figured it would be a really good idea to do a whole separate post dedicated to those cupcakes with pics and all. Some of you have already made them too!
After all, they deserve their own post and it makes it much easier for you all to follow the recipe this way since that Wedding Cake post was the longest post of my life, haha.
THE BEST VEGAN VANILLA CUPCAKES
Calling these the “best” is a hefty claim but I’m here to tell you it is the absolute truth as far as I’m concerned. I’m talking, a true cupcake texture and flavor, like the ones you would have at a special party made with regular white flour or cake flour. The truly soft, super tender with such a light and delicate texture.
I find that too many cupcakes aren’t really that soft cupcake texture, but more like a muffin, more dense or chewy…especially vegan ones. I love muffins, don’t get me wrong, but a cupcake is not a muffin and a muffin is not a cupcake. To me, a cupcake should have that truly light and fluffy texture, well….like a soft cake of course! There is a definite difference.
HOW TO USE COCONUT BUTTER IN BAKING
Coconut butter gives these cupcakes an incredibly delicious and buttery flavor, without it tasting like coconut, trust me! It also replaces oil, which I teach here on How to Cook and Bake Without Oil.
Before adding, it needs to be the consistency of oil. It should be 100% smooth and runny. This is very important for the batter to mix properly. I use and love the MaraNatha brand, found at most stores, it is so smooth. I don’t recommend homemade coconut butter, as the texture won’t be as smooth.
The jars at the store will be solid. So, the best way to work with this is to remove the lid, heat the jar in the microwave for 15-30 seconds or so, until it becomes soft enough to scoop it out into a container. I find this much easier to store coconut butter, otherwise the oil separates from the coconut meat. If not mixed up properly, it will affect your cake result texture. The above picture is the coconut butter added to a glass container, then heated just a few seconds until I can stir it enough to fully mix the separated oil and coconut together and reach this runny texture. Be very careful about overheating coconut butter or it will burn and turn mealy.
Beautifully white cupcakes and frosting, perfect for ANY occasion or a wedding.
A light dusting of silver powder was just the best touch to these beautifully white wedding cupcakes.
Have you ever seen a fluffier cupcake? A vegan gluten-free vanilla cupcake one at that??
I hope you all love these Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cupcakes! I know a few of you have already made and raved over them after seeing them on the wedding cake post, so thank you!
Other Vegan Vanilla recipes:
- Best Vanilla Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cake
- Best Vegan Gluten-free Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Vanilla Cake Waffles
- Vanilla Pecan Dream Bars
- Vegan Vanilla Birthday Cake Ice Cream
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (160g) white rice flour (see NOTES at the very bottom for sub)
- 1/2 cup (64g) cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (144g)
fine pure cane sugar (white sugar will work too and make them even more white!) - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/4 cups (300g) full-fat coconut milk CANS (not the carton) shaken well & ROOM TEMP (highly recommend the Thai Kitchen brand, it's the best and always smooth and creamy)
- 1/2 cup (120g) melted liquid coconut butter (refer to tutorial above)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- One 4oz vegan Earth Balance butter stick (1/2 cup, 112g)
- 1/2 cup (96g) Spectrum shortening
- 2 1/2 cups (380g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon white vanilla powder for a white frosting or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use this white powder.)
NOTE
- Please absolutely use a scale! It's SO important for accurate results, especially with cakes and cupcakes like this. I cannot stress this enough. Make sure to zero out in between each ingredient and add them slowly. Follow MY weights. Don't compare them to your cup measurements. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and teaspoons. Don't sub any of these ingredients, if at all possible for the absolute best result. I worked endlessly to perfect this recipe and each ingredient plays a very important role. If you are allergic to cornstarch, the best sub would be potato starch, but keep in mind that it makes things more crumbly and the cupcakes will dry out faster. DO NOT use tapioca, it does NOT work.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- These cupcakes are the BEST made the day of, as they are the most moist and buttery. Due to the high starch amount they will start to dry out by the 2nd day and so on.
- For the frosting, set out your vegan butter sticks early in the day or several hours before you want to make the frosting (or the night before), so that they can be totally soft and at room temperature, otherwise it will be impossible to beat the frosting.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a muffin pan with 12 liners.
- Make sure your coconut milk is at room temperature and you've shaken the cans well and that the milk is creamy and smooth, not chunky, before measuring/weighing. If it's chunky, whisk or blend it separately until totally smooth before measuring and adding to the other liquids. Important: follow the same steps above in the post regarding preparing the coconut butter correctly. The coconut butter must be a smooth runny consistency like oil almost, not thick!
- PLEASE SEE NOTES AT THE BOTTOM if making the cake flour version before this next step. To a large bowl, add the white rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a large whisk very well until mixed. To another large bowl, add the coconut milk, liquid coconut butter (see above post) and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Whisk until completely smooth, making sure to get the bottom. Make sure it's all completely mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners. Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring cup for ease. They will be filled a bit more than half full.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Mine were perfectly done at 21 minutes each time, but ovens vary. The cake flour version was done exactly at 20 minutes each time. They should have risen beautifully with a nice dome top.
- They will settle down a bit as they cool, this is normal. Leave them to cool 45 minutes exactly in the pan, very important for their structure. Then transfer them to the fridge for JUST 15 minutes to further set them. I put the whole pan in. This step is important, so don't skip. The chilling is not required for the cake flour version. Remove from the fridge and frost them. Leave covered at room temperature to keep them moist. Don't store them in the fridge at this point or they will dry out much faster.
- To make the buttercream, add the room temperature softened vegan butter and shortening to a huge bowl and beat on low until just blended. Add the sugar about a cup at a time blending on low until all is incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla and beat just until light and fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap to keep it moist until ready to frost. For the frosting, I used Wilton Flour tip #2D.
I don’t own a microwave in which case what is the best method to use to ‘melt’ the coconut butter. Thanks
Delicious cupcakes. So light and moist. You can’t tell it’s gluten free and vegan. Very impressive recipe. Will definitely make again! Thank you for the recipe.
I just made these and OMG absolutely amazingly delish! I’m a caterer and I have a client who has both gluten free and vegan needs. I found this recipe on Google and made it. No joke, these have to be the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. I agree with you that using a grams scale is key. And the whole cooling on the counter for 45 min and then in the fridge for 15 is spot on. That process is vital to making sure these cupcakes set. Amazing recipe – you absolutely nailed it and I’ve got about 45 people who are going to eat these yummies tonight 🙂
Yay! That’s the best feedback and thank you so much for making them and following the instructions to a T and appreciating the precise details, haha! I’m so careful with every detail so readers have perfect success results, so I’m so happy you experienced the recipe as intended!
Hi,
I plan to make these for me and the few guest at my bday party that need a vegan and/or gluten free dessert choice. As I read the recipe, I need a bit of clarification. First, it appears that steps 7 and 8 should be switched around as the cooling instructions are given before the baking instructions. Second, the cooling instructions say to cool 45 mini in the pan and then transfer to the fridge and cool 15 min. This is where I need clarification. Should I put the whole pan in the fridge for 15 min OR remove the cupcakes from the pan and put them in the fridge for 15 min?
Thanks!
Hi Charmaine! So sorry about that, I have no idea why they were in reverse. I just fixed the directions and about the chilling with the pan, so refresh your browser to see the updates.
Hi there! I just want to confirm if the rice flour available at Indian grocery stores is the same as white rice flour? many thanks
Hi! Actually, no, I think the kind at Indian stores may be the sticky white rice kind, but I’m not positive. The sweet sticky kind is very different and would ruin the texture and make them gooey. I just buy regular white rice flour at a standard grocery store like Kroger, Sprouts etc.
Can I possibly sprinkle these cupcakes with a simple syrup to keep them from drying out? Would it still be considered a vegan gluten free cupcake if I did so?
Hi Marlene, these cupcakes are extremely moist and buttery, so I don’t think adding a simple syrup would be a good idea, but I’ve never tried it, so can’t say for certain. If the cupcakes are eaten the day they are made, they are absolutely perfectly moist. They are still moist the next day, just definitely not as buttery. But still really good, especially with the frosting on top. It’s really around 24-48 hours they tend to start to really dry out.
Hi, Brandi-
Thank you so much for posting this! I have a question that you’ve already answered, so I apologize, but I don’t understand what fine pure cane sugar is, and how it differs from regular white sugar.
Thank you.
Hi Cyndi, the granules are just slightly larger and a bit more golden blonde, but you can totally use white sugar! Either is fine. Pure cane sugar will be labeled as such on the bag. It has not been processed as finely and is a more processed sugar, but it’s a minimal difference. I updated the ingredient list with a link to the brand I use. It is certified vegan and is not white white, but more blonde.
I am going to be making this for a bridal shower and double the recipe. Just assuming that doubling the recipe will be fine. I don’t want anything to go wrong, LOL. Going to do a test run tonight with a regular non-doubled recipe. I’m excited to try this.
I’ve never tried doubling it, but as long as you measure everything with a scale accurately and follow the steps (particularly the coconut butter process) I think it should be fine! Doubling doesn’t always work with baking, but I’ve found that to be more the case with regular all-purpose flour desserts since the gluten gets over-mixed.
I have made both these and your vegan wedding cake now 2 times each. They are just fabulous!! My question is how could this be converted to chocolate cupcakes/cake? Or maybe you have another recipe that’s better just for that! If so, please pass along! I TRUST you!
Wonderful! Happy to hear that! Well, you are in luck because I’m posting some incredible gluten-free chocolate cupcakes tomorrow!! Thank you for the kind words!
Here are the chocolate ones! https://thevegan8.com/vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-cupcakes/
These are amazing! Finally a V/GF cupcake that doesn’t taste like one! So here’s my question. I’m a make ahead kinda girl. So can I fridge and/or freeze this batter? Because I know the part about melting the coconut butter might make freezing not a good idea? Also mine were not as fluffy, more dense like pound cake (but still taste amazing). Could I have not have melted the coconut butter enough?
Hi Michele! SO happy you loved these so much, yay! No, you definitely don’t want to freeze cake batter, because the leavening agents are activated with the liquids upon mixing and must be baked right away or it affects the baked result. As far as fluffy, it’s hard to say without being there but they should be extremely soft and fluffy, to the point of delicate. Did you weigh the ingredients and make sure the coconut butter was thoroughly mixed as in the picture, it should be smooth and completely runny when weighing (like oil, not thick like almond butter)? Did you sub anything? Let me know and I’ll help!
Hi Brandi! I am a baker by trade (was trying these for a V/GF friend-she loved them!) so yes I weigh everything. I wasn’t able to get the marantha brand of coconut butter you recommended for this particular experiment but do have it now for future things I make for her. I thought it was pretty runny but maybe not. That’s the only thing I did differently. I always follow a recipe exactly the first time before I make it. And I freeze batter all the time with excellent results but wondered if this was different because it might resolidify too much. Thanks again!
Ok good to know it was all weighed! Not sure then! The coconut butter and full fat coconut milk are what is crucial to the extremely light fluffy texture, so those are key! Did it look really soft and fluffy like in my pic above of the inside shot? I’ve made these probably 2 dozen times and they turn out super fluffy and soft each time. Maybe just double check that the coconut butter is fully mixed with the meat and oil really well before weighing. Because if too much of the oil gets added (since they separate in the jar) that will weigh down the cupcakes. Oh and yes, correct, I’ve not had good luck with freezing gluten-free stuff, because of the starches involved (they dry out much more than regular flour) particularly ones containing coconut butter. They need to be baked right away. Coconut butter gets hard as a rock and can be tricky to work with.
I’m trying it again today with the MaraNatha! When you say full-fat coconut milk, do you mean coconut cream? I have both Coconut cream & coconut milk. Both canned I purchased from a local Asian market so no worries it’s the coconut milk that my husband uses for his cereal! LOL
Hi Michele, so sorry I’m just seeing this! Life has been quite hectic. It is definitely coconut milk, not cream! Cream will make them too dense and heavy. You use regular full-fat coconut milk. I love the Thai Kitchen brand. Sometimes the coconut cream part separates or hardens from the water, so you’ll want to dump all that in a separate container and whisk it well until it is smooth, so that the cupcake batter is smooth. Full-fat coconut milk ranges from 12-14g of fat per serving. And it doesn’t say “light” or low fat on the can.
Another question , have you tried replacing the corn starch with tapioca flour? They are highly similar right? Thank you!
Hi Rhonda! In small amounts, it can be a decent sub but it absolutely won’t work here. The cornstarch is crucial to the texture and fluffiness. Since rice flour gives binding, adding tapioca (which in larger amounts give excessive chew and gooeyness) would make these gooey and chewy, not at all fluffy. You definitely want to stick with cornstarch in this particular recipe 🙂
Thanks so much! Will stick to the corn starch (assume it’s the same thing as corn flour??). Can I also ask if the cane sugar can be subbed with coconut sugar? It doesn’t matter if it’s not a white looking cake as long as the taste and texture is perfect.
Hi Rhonda, I’m so sorry, but I would not recommend coconut sugar either. The flavor of coconut sugar is very pronounced and will completely offset the beautiful delicate vanilla flavor. Not to mention, it’s very gritty, so will bake up differently. I prefer to use coconut sugar in baked goods where it’s nutty or caramel focused and blends well with the other ingredients.
Makes sense!
Can I ask whether fine pure cane sugar is the same as raw cane sugar (the granules are coarser) or granulated sugar? I don’t think I’ve seen any fine pure cane sugar in Australia where I am.
Thank you for being so helpful and patient with me!
It can be tricky since some bags or areas might label them differently. But just use any regular white sugar and you will be fine!
Does it impart a strong coconut taste?
No, not at all. Just a rich vanilla flavor.
Thank you!! I’m bookmarking this to try!
I recently went gluten free and dairy free and I’m allergic to eggs and I never thought I would be able to enjoy a cupcake again, this recipe is absolutely hands down incredible. Thank you so so much
Aww so happy to hear this! Thrilled they were incredible for you! They are my all-time favorite cupcake!
What kind of white rice flour? I can only seem to find the Stone ground flour which seems not as finely ground as the sweet rice flour I used to be able to find(which as a powdery texture similar to the cornstarch . Is sweet rice flour what you meant or ANY rice flour will do?
I did try to make them with Stone ground and the texture seemed kinda grainy or not as good as I was expecting.
Hi Tina, I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill stone ground white flour as well as HEB brand and they both work perfectly. The cupcakes are not grainy in the slightest, just very buttery, moist and fluffy. Nobody else has had that issue, as all the reviews have been perfect, so my guess is that it is the flour you used. Definitely do not use the bag labeled “sweet rice flour” which is the really sticky kind. Did you follow the recipe and weigh the ingredients and use the coconut butter correctly? Because the fat content is so high in these, that it is what makes the texture so unbelievably light and fluffy and soft, zero bit of grainyness. There is also a cake flour version listed at the bottom of the recipe card that is fantastic too and it of course does not use rice flour so you wouldn’t have that issue at all at finding the rice flour.
Hi Brandi, this recipe looks amazing and I’m preparing to make them for a party. Question though, is the white rice flour referring to mochiko/glutinous rice flour, or just plain white rice flour? I’ve worked with both and I know that they create different textures, so I’d like to clarify. Thanks!
Hi Bianca! Definitely regular white rice flour, not the sticky glutinous kind 🙂
All of these comments praising this cupcake recipe are no joke. I made these for my daughter’s birthday on March 26th, and they were the biggest hit with my omnivore, meat and dairy and gluten loving family. The cupcake is fluffy and bouncy, not dense like a muffin. In no way did they think it was gluten free (they expected vegan, they were so surprised with it being GF!) I bought a scale like it suggested to use just for this recipe. Is this why my vegan and gluten free baking has thus far been a failure? It was tedious getting the grams just so, but totally worth it. I will be making these for every vanilla cake recipe my family decides they want for their birthday!
This is so wonderful to hear Olivia, I’m so happy these were such a hit with you and your family!! Yes, using a scale at first seems a bit different, but it will become second nature. Don’t stress too much about the EXACT gram, if it’s off 3 or 4 grams, that is super tiny. Just add your ingredients slowly, especially liquids and it will become a breeze. Baking is SO much faster this way. As far as other v/gf recipes, sadly, a lot of them out there are just VERY dense and mushy textures or weird textures or fall apart. But I make it my goal to have both taste and texture to be just as good as all-purpose flour and crowd-pleasing, as you saw with this recipe, so you can always be confident when trying my recipes! I want to make it easy for you readers! Thank you for making them 🙂
Sorry I forget to also ask what may be a stupid question – do the cupcakes taste very much like coconut? Or is it supposed to be a vanilla tasting cupcake. Thanks again!
I want to make these for an upcoming party, but I don’t have any rice flour. Can I sub the cornstarch & rice flour for equal parts cake flour? Thanks!
Hi Ella! So sorry for the delay! Yes, I actually just tested today a cake flour version since you are the 3rd person this week to ask, haha! They are just as delicious. So, please see the RECIPE NOTES at the bottom of the recipe card on how to make them with cake flour and please, please follow the exact directions for the temperature of the liquids and weighing the ingredients. Very important here to get perfect results. And surprisingly, they hardly have any coconut taste at all. It’s very vanilla and buttery tasting with just a hint of coconut. Honestly, people who I’ve served this too didn’t even know. They just taste insanely moist and buttery, they are so delicious. I guess if somebody absolutely hates coconut, they might taste it, but I’ve received nothing but 5 star reviews from everybody. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you so much for getting back to me! I made them for a party last night (cake flour version) and they really are the BEST vanilla cupcakes ever. No one else there was vegan, and everyone inhaled them! I’ve never been crazy about other vegan vanilla cakes in the past so I had a hunch you were onto something with a recipe so unique. I bought a scale for this and I’m so glad I did, what a game changer! Even the frosting directions were really helpful, usually mine separates and I think I was overbeating it before, this time it was perfect and delicious! This is my staple vanilla cake from here on out, thank you so much!!!
Yay, that is just awesome to hear these were the best you’ve ever made! I’m so happy you loved them so much!! Thanks for the awesome review!
Hello! These cupcakes look absolutely delicious and I would love to try them, but I don’t live in the US, so some ingredients might be hard to find. What is Spectrum shortening and what could I replace it with?
Hi Silvia, spectrum is just the brand, it is just shortening. But it is only 1 ingredient, organic palm oil. Unlike, say, crisco for example, which has several different oils. You want to use a quality shortening, as that is what yields the white color and best taste and texture. The cupcakes are dependent on each ingredient, so if you can’t find them, the recipe is not really going to work out well. You can always use a store-bought vanilla frosting though if you like, it’s more crucial for ingredients with the actual cupcake base.
I can’t believe it’s taken me almost a year to make these!! (Nor can I believe my daughter is coming up on her 1 year anniversary!) I was getting ready to make your delicious Funfetti cake and something made me stop and check out these instead. It’s my hubby’s birthday and he just loves vanilla so these seemed like the perfect recipe. We weren’t disappointed! Just like the wedding cake these are light, moist and oh so flavorful. My daughter-in-law is extremely skeptical about anything vegan or gluten free, but she scarfed one down in record time mumbling, “Mmm!” the entire time! Thank you again for your tireless work in getting this recipe the way you wanted it to be, Brandi. They are simply PERFECTION!!
I made these today for my twin boy’s 3rd birthday party. I was amazed at how wonderful they were! That’s the first time in a very long time that we’ve had birthday cake that wasn’t dense and heavy! I topped them with rainbow sprinkles and PJ Masks cupcake toppers. They made for some very delighted kids and a few adults who asked me to send them the recipe. Thank you so much!
Yay! That’s wonderful news! So glad to hear they were such a hit!
If I’m not worried about them being white can I sub with brown rice flour & coconut sugar? Trying to make something fun but still a little healthy for my WFPB no oil friends. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Vanessa, no it needs to be the white rice flour. It’s not so much about the color as it is the texture. The white rice flour is necessary for the fluffy and lightness and binding. Brown rice flour does not work well here. Not only does it make them lure dry and crumbly, but the taste is compromised. They are still healthier than desserts made with oil or butter, but definitely a dessert worth the white rice flour. A treat to be enjoyed and at its best result, use the listed ingredients and a scale and it’s worth them I promise!
Ok thank you so much for responding! 🙂
Hi! I’m in charge of birthday cupcakes at work this year and we have several vegans and a couple gluten-free people. I made these for the September birthdays and everyone loved them! I think one of the girls ate three! They came out really well, even though I lost track of time and let them cool in the pan for too long before I moved them to the fridge. Thanks for this recipe!
Wonderful! So very happy to hear that Alaina, thank you so much for the awesome feedback!
Hi Brandy! I’m getting ready to make this cake/cupcake recipe. Actually, I want to make a sheet cake. I figure I merely double the cupcake recipe or cut the cake recipe by 1/3. Do you think it will work as a sheet cake 9×13? It’s for my son’s upcoming wedding – a cake for the grandson who is allergic to everything!! Thanks so much for posting these goodies!! Warmly, Renee
Hi Renee! Yes, I would try double the cupcake recipe and hopefully that works. Make sure to weigh the ingredients! The baking time may change too. Just look for a them to be risen and toothpick to be clean. A trial is a good idea. Hope it works out!
Also, I’m not sure if double the cupcake recipe will make too much but you’ll have to try it and see how the batter fills up the pan.
This whole vegan wedding cake business of yours was a DREAM COME TRUE for me!! These cupcakes are the snow white vegan cake I’ve never been able to make until now! I even subbed regular cake flour for all the rice flour and half the cornstarch and it was still perfection. Xoxo
Oh wow! Your feedback totally made my day!! What a review, thank you so much Elizabeth! I’ve bedn meaning to post my all-purpose flour version too that I finally got correct, so I’m glad you mentioned that to remind me!