These Red Velvet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting are everything you’d imagine. They’re gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily dairy free (vegan). A delicious dessert that’s simple to make and looks like it came right from a bakery.
I don’t know what it is, but there is something about red velvet that just is so visually appealing. It just looks impressive to me...maybe the color? I’m not sure but I do know that these Red Velvet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting are so simple to whip up yet they look like you spent hours and hours making them. If you prefer your red velvet with tangy frosting, check out my recipe for cream cheese frosting.
For more Red Velvet recipes, try my Red Velvet Oreo Cookies, Frosted Red Velvet Cookies, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies and Red Velvet Kiss Cookies.
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What is Red Velvet?
What makes red velvet special? Is it just chocolate cake with red food coloring?
No, it’s more than just that. Yes, there is cocoa powder in this cake but if you were to eliminate the red food coloring, there wouldn’t be enough cocoa powder to make this a true chocolate cake.
In addition to a small amount of cocoa powder, red velvet contains buttermilk and white vinegar. Those things help give it that tang that we know so well like my my 4th of July Cookies.
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make these Vegan
- Use a non dairy milk of choice.
- Make sure to use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
- Use a gluten free flour that doesn't contain dairy.
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 Red Velvet Cupcakes
Step 1: Make the Homemade Vegan Buttermilk
But if we want these cupcakes to be vegan, buttermilk is not an option. No problem. Making your own vegan buttermilk takes about 5-10 minutes.
- Measure out one cup of milk of your choice and add one tablespoon of white vinegar into that milk. Stir it and let it sit for 5-10 min on the counter.
- After it has sat, stir it again and you’ll notice it appears chunky. That’s perfectly normal and supposed to happen. This is your vegan buttermilk. It’s now ready to be added to our recipe.
If you don’t want these cupcakes to be vegan, do the same exact thing with regular milk. It’s still a homemade buttermilk. I know most of us don’t happen to have buttermilk on hand!
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium size bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Easy peasy.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
- Using a spoon, stir your vegan or homemade buttermilk. As I mentioned, it will appear chunky and this is what we want. In the same measuring cup, add in the other ⅓ cup of milk, the teaspoon of white vinegar, the red food coloring and the vanilla. Use a little whisk to combine everything.
- Then, in a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until it is thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter or vegan baking stick and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 1-2 minutes. Add the cornstarch water mixture in two parts. Pour about half in and beat till combined then pour in the second half and beat until combined.
Step 4: Make the Batter
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry and wet ingredients in 3 sections, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined. Use a spatula after to make sure it is completely mixed.
- Using an ice cream scoop, drop a scoop of batter into each muffin cup, it should fill almost to the top.
Step 5: Smooth those Tops
- Use the back of a small spoon or a tiny appetizer knife to smooth the tops of the raw cupcakes. As I always say, gluten free flour has a way of baking exactly as you place it so if it is lumpy and misshapen, that’s how your cupcake tops will come out.
- Pop them in the oven in the center rack and bake for 30 minutes. I ended up doing this twice because this recipe made 19 cupcakes for me.
Step 6: Make the Buttercream Frosting
While the cupcakes are baking, let’s make the frosting.
We want to combine the confectioners’ sugar, the butter or vegan baking stick, 1 tablespoon of water, the vanilla and a pinch of salt in a bowl using a spatula. That’s it!
Step 7: Cool and Make the Red Velvet Crumbs
Once the cupcakes are out of the oven and have cooled completely, take one cooled cupcake and rip it apart with your hands or roughly chop into tiny crumbs. I feel it works best when you rip. Place the crumbs on a flat plate.
Step 8: Frost
Frost one of the cupcakes. Once it is frosted, immediately sprinkle the red velvet crumbs onto the frosting. Repeat this with all the cupcakes. And that’s it!
Expert Baking Tips
- For the Frosting- One thing I love about this frosting is that it can always be fixed. If the frosting appears too thick, add in more water, one teaspoon at a time. If the frosting appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar...1 tablespoon at a time till you get the consistency you desire. I like my frosting on the firmer side.
- Double The Frosting- Another thing is, depending on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes, you may want to double the frosting recipe. I like a lot of frosting so if I were to frost all my cupcakes I would probably double the frosting recipe. However, my kids don’t like frosting on cakes and cupcakes (I KNOW...don’t even get me started) so I only frost about half the cupcakes that I bake.
I hope you love these cupcakes as much as we do in this house! Enjoy!
Other Red Velvet Recipes You'll Love
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @laneandgreyfare and follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube! Enjoy!!!
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2.5 cups gluten free flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder I use 2 tablespoons of Dutch and 2 tablespoons of Dark
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus ⅓ cup milk of choice kept separate
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red liquid food coloring I use McCormick
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar kept separate
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 stick unsalted butter or vegan baking stick at room temperature
- 1.5 cups of granulated sugar
- 4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons of water
For the buttercream frosting:
- 1.5 cups of confectioners’ sugar
- 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter or vegan baking stick
- 1-2 tablespoons room temperature water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 baked red velvet cupcake ripped into tiny crumbs
Instructions
- For the cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Measure out 1 cup of milk of choice in a large measuring cup and add in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Mix with a spoon and let sit for 5-10 minutes. This is your vegan buttermilk.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until it is thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter or vegan baking stick and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 1-2 minutes. Add the cornstarch water mixture in two parts. Pour about half in and beat till combined then pour in the second half and beat until combined.
- Using a spoon, stir your vegan buttermilk. It will appear chunky and this is what we want. In the same measuring cup, add in the other ⅓ cup of milk, the teaspoon of white vinegar, the red food coloring and the vanilla. Use a little whisk to combine everything.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry and wet ingredients in 3 sections, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined. Use a spatula after to make sure it is completely mixed.
- Using an ice cream scoop, drop a scoop of batter into each muffin cup, it should fill almost to the top.
- Use the back of a small spoon or a tiny appetizer knife to smooth the tops of the raw cupcakes. As I always say, gluten free flour has a way of baking exactly as you place it so if it lumpy and misshapen, that’s how your cupcake tops will come out.
- Pop in the oven in the center rack and bake for 30 minutes. I ended up doing this twice because this recipe made 19 cupcakes for me.
- While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting.
- For the frosting: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, the butter or vegan baking stick, 1 tablespoon of water, the vanilla and a pinch of salt in a bowl using a spatula. If the frosting appears too thick, add in more water a teaspoon at a time. If it appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. It can always be fixed.
- Depending on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes, you may want to double the frosting recipe.
- Once the cupcakes are out of the oven and have cooled completely, take one cooled cupcake and rip it apart with your hands or roughly chop into tiny crumbs. I feel it works best when you rip. Place the crumbs on a flat plate.
- Frost one of the cupcakes. Once it is frosted, immediately sprinkle the red velvet crumbs onto the frosting. Repeat this with all the cupcakes. Serve and enjoy!!!
Haley
I made these with regular flour and they turned out great! No one could tell a difference between these and cupcakes made with eggs and dairy.
Lee
So glad! Thank so much for sharing!
Tamara
I used oat milk, and it did not appear chunky. Cupcakes came out delicious and I am really thankful for your recipes.
Michelle
Can this be made as a cake? What size pan would you suggest?
Lee
Hi Michelle! I have a recipe for a red velvet cake. It's called, "Strawberry Red Velvet Cake." It's a red velvet cake with strawberry buttercream so you can just make it with the vanilla buttercream if you prefer! Hope that helps! Here is the link: Strawberry Red Velvet Cake
john
Red velvet in a cupcake is the best!