Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes

The only eggless red velvet cupcakes recipe you’ll ever need! It’s soft, moist, and super fluffy with vibrant red color. The tangy sweet whipped cream cheese frosting on top makes them even more decadently delicious. These aren’t just for Valentine’s day. 

Eggless red velvet cupcakes on a cake stand.

❤️ You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Super moist: These eggless red velvet cupcakes are made with oil and it makes soft, tender and moist crumbs. These cupcakes stay soft even after refrigerating. 
  • Slight hint of cocoa: This recipe calls for just 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for 12 cupcakes. So it has a slightly chocolatey flavor. 
  • Lightly tangy: This flavor comes from the addition of vinegar. 
  • Without eggs: These turned out super soft and fluffy that you won’t even believe that these red velvet cupcakes are made without eggs. 
  • Perfectly vibrant red: This comes from the red food color. In the past, these cupcakes had a natural red tinge from the reaction between acidic vinegar (or buttermilk), cocoa powder and baking soda. But nowadays cocoa powder is often dutch processed which prevents color change. Hence we are using red food color. 
  • Perfect for any occasion: Because of its bold red color with white frosting on top, it’s perfect for valentine, Christmas or Canada day. Garnish them with blue sprinkles or blueberries for the 4th of July or Memorial day. These eggless red velvet cupcakes are perfect for birthday parties as well.  
  • Frosted with whipped cream cheese frosting: The sweet and tangy flavor of frosting goes well with this red velvet flavor. 

🧾 Ingredient Notes

Eggless red velvet cupcakes ingredients in bowls and spoons with labels.
  • Flour: Regular all purpose flour is required. I prefer to use unbleached flour as it is less processed.
  • Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar is required.
  • Cocoa powder: I have used natural cocoa powder that is widely available in most grocery stores.
  • Baking powder and baking soda: You’ll need both leavening agents.
  • Salt: It enhances the flavor overall.
  • Milk + Vinegar: I recommend using full-fat whole milk and white distilled vinegar. I don’t recommend using buttermilk instead. Because these cupcakes are made without eggs milk and vinegar mixture works better than using store-bought buttermilk. 
  • Oil: Always use flavorless oil like avocado oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil or vegetable oil. 
  • Vanilla: go for pure vanilla extract and stay away from artificial or imitation ones.
  • Red food color: I always use McCormick’s red liquid food color for red velvet desserts e.g. red velvet cheesecake brownies.

👩‍🍳 How To Make Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes?

1) Take room temperature milk in a large bowl (in which you’re going to make cupcake batter). Add vinegar to it and stir.

2) Let it rest for 10 minutes and meantime prep the rest of the ingredients. After resting time, the milk will be curdled. 

Collage of 2 images showing mixing milk and vinegar and showing curdled milk.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and keep it ready.

3) In another bowl add dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt).

4) Whisk it until everything is combined well and keep it aside.

Collage of 2 images showing mixing dry ingredients.

5) Now into the milk+vinegar bowl, add oil, vanilla and red food color.

6) Beat it using a wire whisk until combined.

Collage of 2 images showing mixing wet ingredinets.

7,8) Sift the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture.

9, 10) Start mixing using a whisk until the batter comes together and it should be a lump-free batter. Using a spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter.

Collage of 4 images showing sifting flour into wet bowl and mixing to make a batter.

11) Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan. Each section should be ¾ full. 

12) Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Check by inserting a toothpick in a center of the cupcake and it should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

13) Remove it to a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool down completely. You can see nicely baked flat-top cupcakes (not dome-like, mushroom shape).

Collage of 3 images showing batter into muffin pan, baked cupcakes and on a cooling rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling you start making whipped cream cheese frosting. Once the cupcakes are cooled completely, you can pipe the frosting on them as per your liking. Here I have used Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting. 

I have crumbled 1 cupcake and use those crumbs to garnish remaining 11 cupcakes. Instead you can use red, white sprinkles.

Eggless red velvet cupcake frosted with whipped cream cheese frosting.

💭 Tips For Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes

  • Measure the flour correctly! Too much flour makes the cake dense. To measure, you must fluff up your flour using a spoon, add it to the measuring cup using a spoon and level it off using a straight butter knife. 
  • Do not over-mix the batter! To get the fluffy texture, mix the batter just until combined. Over-mixing will activate the gluten in the flour and cupcakes will turn out dense and gummy. 
  • Use room-temperature milk. When vinegar is added to room-temperature milk, it curdles faster. 
  • Let the cupcakes cool down completely before frosting otherwise the frosting will start to melt. 
  • If you’re not using cupcake liners then grease the muffin pan section with oil/butter.

🧁 Storage Instructions

  • At room temperature, these cupcakes stay good for a few hours (3-5 hours) because of the cream cheese frosting on top. 
  • In the refrigerator, frosted cupcakes stay good for 3-4 days. I suggest removing cupcakes from the fridges 1-2 hours before serving and they get a chance to come to room temperature. 
Eggless red velvet cupcake cut into half to show inside texture.

Did you try this eggless red velvet cupcakes recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.

Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

4.75 from 16 votes
Eggless red velvet cupcakes on a cake stand.
The only eggless red velvet cupcakes recipe you’ll ever need! It’s soft, moist, and super fluffy with vibrant red color. The tangy sweet whipped cream cheese frosting on top makes them even more decadently delicious.
Kanan
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Serving Size 12 cupcakes

US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup Milk, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons White distilled vinegar
  • 1 ½ cups All purpose flour (Maida)
  • ¾ cup White sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • cup Oil, any flavorless oil like avocado, canola, safflower, vegetable, corn oil.
  • 1 tablespoon Red food color, I used McCormick’s liquid color
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

For Frosting:

  • 8 oz Cream cheese, block, fully softened at room temperature
  • ½ cup Powdered sugar (Confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar)
  • ½ teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • cup Heavy whipping cream, cold, remove it from the fridge right before you need

Instructions

Making Cupcakes:

  • Take room temperature milk in a large bowl (in which you’re going to make cupcake batter). Add vinegar to it and stir. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and keep it ready.
  • In another bowl add dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Whisk it until everything is combined well and keep it aside.
  • Now into the milk+vinegar bowl, add oil, vanilla and red food color. Beat it using a wire whisk until combined.
  • Sift the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture. Start mixing using a whisk until the batter comes together and it should be a lump-free batter. Using a spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan. Each section should be ¾ full.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Check by inserting a toothpick in a center of the cupcake and it should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
  • Remove it to a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool down completely.

Make Frosting:

  • Take softened cream cheese in a bowl of a stand mixer and beat it using a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
  • Sift the powdered sugar in it and beat it until smooth.
  • Switch to a whisk attachment and run the mixture of medium and gradually add the heavy cream and continue beating. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat until you see the frosting has a spreadable consistency and when your lift the beater up you see the stiff peak.
  • For detailed instructions and tips, check out this whipped cream cheese frosting recipe.
  • Once the cupcakes are cooled completely, you can pipe the frosting on them as per your liking. Here I have used Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting.
  • I have crumbled 1 cupcake and use those crumbs to garnish remaining 11 cupcakes. Instead you can use red, white sprinkles

Notes

  • Do not over-mix the batter! To get the fluffy texture, mix the batter just until combined. Over-mixing will activate the gluten in the flour and cupcakes will turn out dense and gummy.
  • Use room-temperature milk. When vinegar is added to room-temperature milk, it curdles faster.
  • Let the cupcakes cool down completely before frosting otherwise the frosting will start to melt.
  • If you’re not using cupcake liners then grease the muffin pan section with oil/butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake with frosting | Calories: 304kcal (15%) | Carbohydrates: 32g (11%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 18g (28%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (40%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 36mg (12%) | Sodium: 249mg (10%) | Potassium: 99mg (3%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 20g (22%) | Vitamin A: 481IU (10%) | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 75mg (8%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
4.75 from 16 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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61 Comments

  1. Also my 1 cup = 250 ml is that ok? another thing is since I am making in my OTG i need to make in 2 batches as its slightly small. can i let cook one and then later put in left over?

    1. Yes cup measurements are ok.
      Do the last step (baking soda+vinegar) in batches.
      Add that mixture to half batter, bake.
      Again make baking soda vinegar mixture at the time of second baking.

  2. Hi Dear,

    I just checked one recipe today on youtube and made my red velvet cup cakes eggless, in that recipe i had to use 1/4 cup of lemon juice to 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour…the cakes were good but too sour…

    hence would surely like to try your recipe can you tell me if it is ok only to use baking powder and skip baking soda?