These Vegan Lemon Cupcakes are like little drops of sunshiney deliciousness! They have a fluffy vanilla cake filled with eggless lemon curd and dusted with confectioners’ sugar. As always, they’re gluten free, egg free, nut free and easily dairy free (vegan).
Guys…I am not kidding when I say these Vegan Lemon Cupcakes are sunshiney.
I think I made up that word. That’s ok. These cupcakes deserve a made up word.
These filled lemon cupcakes remind me of summer and are just happiness in every single bite. The tang of the lemon mixed with the sweetness of the cake give these cupcakes such incredible flavor! If you want even more tang, check out my Key Lime Cookies!
For more lemony recipes, try my Lemon Sugar Cookies, Lemon Thumbprint Cookies, Blueberry Lemon Loaf, Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes, and No Churn Lemon Ice Cream.
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Substitutions and Variations
How to Ensure These are Vegan
- Make sure your gluten free flour doesn’t contain dairy.
- Use vegan baking sticks.
- In the cupcakes and eggless lemon curd, use a non dairy milk.
This recipe has not been tested with these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Here are the step by step instructions to make these cupcakes!
Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Line the Pan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Step 2: Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Whisk the Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk of choice, the light brown sugar, the vegetable oil and the vanilla.
Step 4: Mix Together
Slowly add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and use a spatula to combine as it gets thick.
Step 5: Scoop the Batter and Bake
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 24 minutes or until tops of cupcakes are golden brown and spring back at you when carefully touched.
Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
Step 6: Make Holes
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, we are going to make the hole for the filling. If you have piping bags with tips you can use that to make the hole. If not, a clean thumb will do. Simply push down in the center of the cupcake almost to the bottom but not all the way.
Step 7: Dust with Confectioners' Sugar and Fill with Curd
Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar. It’s ok if it gets in the hole.
Fill the cupcake with the lemon curd and let it overflow out of the top of the hole into a nice round pool.
Serve and enjoy! Store extras in the fridge.
Expert Baking Tips
- Make the lemon curd ahead of time- You’ll want to have the lemon curd ready to go when you’re making the cupcakes. It doesn’t take a super long time but I would make it first before starting to mix the cupcakes. This way the curd has time to cool.
- Make the holes in the cupcakes after they are completely cool- If you have piping bags with tips, you can use that to make the holes, otherwise a paring knife or clean thumb will even do. If you’re using your thumb, simply push down into the center of the cupcakes almost to the bottom but not all the way.
- Dust the cupcakes with confectioners sugar prior to filling them- Once the holes have been made, dust the cupcakes with the confectioners’ sugar. It’s ok if the sugar gets into the hole; we’re going to be filling it with lemon curd anyway.
- Fill the holes with the lemon curd- Let the curd flow out of the top of the hole to form a pool. (See the picture if you’re unsure as to what I mean).
Other Lemon Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups milk of choice
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
For the filling:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk of choice, the light brown sugar, the vegetable oil and the vanilla.
- Slowly add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and use a spatula to combine as it gets thick.
- Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 24 minutes or until tops of cupcakes are golden brown and spring back at you when carefully touched.
- Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, we are going to make the hole for the filling. If you have piping bags with tips you can use that to make the hole. If not, a clean thumb will do. Simply push down in the center of the cupcake almost to the bottom but not all the way.
- Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar. It’s ok if it gets in the hole.
- Fill the cupcake with the lemon curd and let it overflow out of the top of the hole into a nice round pool.
- Serve and enjoy! Store extras in the fridge.
Nutrition
The recipe for the cupcakes was adapted by Food Network's Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes and the recipe as a whole was inspired by Martha Stewart's Meyer Lemon Cupcakes.
john
What a zesty cupcake! Absolutely delicious!
Alicia
I referenced this recipe to make some Key Lime Pie Cupcakes with a few tweaks, and they were delicious!
Lee
They sound amazing!