Vegan Lemon Cupcakes (Moist + Fluffy!)

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Fluffy vegan lemon cupcakes are moist and light, with a silky smooth lemon buttercream on top! These plant-based treats strike the perfect balance between sweet and tangy. Easy to customize, with a gluten-free option too!

Nothing brightens up a treat quite like fresh lemon, with its mouth-puckering juice and bright yellow color. Come spring and summer, I like to incorporate them into as many desserts as possible! Lemon bars with graham cracker crust? Yep! A show-stopping vegan lemon tart with a nut-based crust? Oh yeah!

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Lemon desserts have a special place in my heart, and while they’re great in the warmer months, they really can be made any time of year. It felt only right to create a vegan lemon cupcake recipe alongside them. These vegan cupcakes are soft, light, and bursting with citrusy flavor. They’re fancy enough for Easter or Mother’s day but easy enough for a casual weekday.

My kids devour them, and quickly ask for seconds! These plant based lemon cupcakes are dangerously good. I like to freeze any leftover cupcakes for the next time I crave something sweet and lemony. And if you like this recipe, you have to check out my fluffy peach cupcakes which is another twist on a regular cupcake that’s sweet and delicious!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

• Plenty of lemon flavor
• Show stopper presentation to bring to a party!
• Easy recipe
• Super decadent
• Perfect sweet treat for kids
• Bright citrus flavor in every bite
• Best vegan lemon cupcakes ever!

🥘 Ingredients

This easy vegan lemon cupcakes recipe requires simple ingredients found at your local grocery store! For the detailed ingredients list and nutritional information, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Oil: I used olive oil, but any neutral flavored oil works well. Oil works twofold, binding the cupcakes and adding moisture. Coconut oil or vegetable oil work great too.
• Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest: For best results and a delicious lemony dessert, use fresh lemon juice and zest, not the bottle. I don’t recommend lemon extract. It doesn’t impart the same fresh and tangy flavor.
• Soy Milk: Unsweetened soy milk has a mild flavor perfect for cupcakes, but any plant milk will do. Try almond milk or oat milk if you can’t have soy.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour keeps the cupcakes light and soft. I don’t recommend subbing in an alternative flour like almond flour, oat flour, or coconut flour. Alternative flours are great, but not a 1:1 substitution for all-purpose flour. To make these a bit healthier, you could try whole wheat pastry flour, but you might end up with a denser cupcake.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Leavening agents create carbon dioxide bubbles which causes the batter to rise! Without them, the cupcakes would be dense.
• Sugar And Vanilla Extract: Sugar for sweetness of course, and vanilla enhances the overall flavor of the sugar + lemon! I like to use organic cane sugar. (Learn More: How To Make Vanilla Extract).
• Vegan Butter & Powdered Sugar: Vegan butter is the base of the vegan lemon frosting. All the brands vary slightly in taste and texture. Use your favorite brand! Vegan margarine works too or for a vegan cream cheese frosting, swap half of the butter with vegan cream cheese. Powdered sugar is essential for a silky smooth textured frosting.

📖 Variations

• Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes: Add 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries to the batter before scooping it into the pan. Avoid frozen blueberries, as they release too much liquid.
• Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes: Poke holes in the warm cupcakes. Combine caster sugar and fresh lemon juice, then drizzle over the warm cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool then frost as directed.
• Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes: Swap the white flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. I prefer Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur brand. Use their 1:1 version that includes xanthan gum.
• Healthy Lemon Cupcakes: Swap the white flour for whole wheat pastry flour, use coconut sugar instead of regular sugar, and reduce the quantity of sugar by half, and use only half of the frosting that you end up with to frost the cupcakes. This will reduce both the sugar and fat in the recipe, but keep in mind it won’t be as sweet as a traditional cupcake!
• Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes: Add 3/4 cup of fresh raspberries to the batter before scooping it into the pan.
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes: Add 1.5 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the cupcake batter.
• Vegan Lemon Curd Cupcakes: Fill the center of the cupcakes with vegan lemon curd. Top with vegan lemon buttercream frosting.

🔪 Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and soy milk.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.

Mix Together: Pour the wet into the dry and mix until smooth.

Scoop: Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the lemon cupcake batter between the cupcake pan.

Bake: Bake cupcakes in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.

Whip Butter: Whip the vegan buttery sticks until light and fluffy. You can mix them in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer.

Add Sugar & Soy Milk: Add the lemon zest and the powdered sugar a half cup at a time. Whip between each addition of powdered sugar. Add the soy milk to the frosting and whip until smooth and creamy.

Pipe Frosting: Using a piping bag, pipe the fluffy frosting onto the top of the cupcakes!

Serve immediately!

❓ Recipe FAQs

💭 Expert Tips

• Use a ¼ measuring cup to measure the batter to fill the cupcake tin. This will ensure all the cupcakes are the same size.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tins before transferring them to a cooling rack. 
• Wait until cupcakes are completely cool before frosting. Otherwise the frosting will melt!
• You could also make this recipe into a lemon cake by using a 9 inch cake pan!
• If you find the frosting is a bit thick continue to add a little more soy milk.
• Use room temperature butter for the vanilla frosting! Cold butter will be difficult to whip.

🧁 More Vegan Cupcake Recipes!

• Healthier Red Velvet Cupcakes
• Snowman Cupcakes
• Healthy Cupcakes For Kids
• Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
• Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

📋 Recipe Card