Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes (One-Bowl Vegan Cupcake Recipe)

This is my go-to vegan cupcake recipe, and it makes the softest, fluffiest vegan chocolate cupcakes. Everything goes into one bowl, you only need simple pantry staples, and there are no eggs, no butter and no applesauce. A little baking soda and vinegar does all the work, so they bake up light and tender every time. Top them with my Best Vegan Chocolate Frosting and they're ready for birthdays, holiday parties and bake sales.

Why You'll Love This Vegan Cupcake Recipe

• One bowl and about 35 minutes from start to finish.
• No eggs, no butter, no applesauce and no flax eggs, just pantry staples.
• Soft, fluffy and chocolatey. Readers say nobody can tell they're vegan!
• Easy to dress up with frosting, sprinkles or a little peppermint extract for the holidays.

Want more flavors? Try my Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes and Vegan Blackberry Orange Cupcakes.

How Vegan Cupcakes Rise Without Eggs

In most cupcakes, eggs help the batter rise and hold together. In this recipe, baking soda and vinegar take over that job. As soon as they meet in the wet batter, they react and create lots of tiny bubbles. Those bubbles expand in the oven, giving you light, fluffy cupcakes without eggs. The oil keeps the crumb soft and moist without butter, and the water lets the chocolate flavor shine. You won't taste the vinegar at all once they're baked.

Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

• All-purpose flour: Gives the lightest, fluffiest cupcakes.
• Sugar: Regular white sugar sweetens the cupcakes and keeps them moist.
• Cocoa powder: Use a good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder for the richest chocolate flavor.
• Baking soda and vinegar: The egg replacers in this recipe. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar both work.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate.
• Vegetable oil: Keeps the cupcakes tender and moist without any butter.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the chocolate.
• Peppermint extract (optional): Turns them into chocolate mint cupcakes for the holidays.
• Water: Brings the batter together and keeps the chocolate flavor front and center. Plant-based milk works too.

See the recipe card below for exact amounts.

How to Make Vegan Cupcakes (Step by Step)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.

Step 1: Add the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.

Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the water, oil, vinegar, vanilla and peppermint extract, if using.

Step 3: Mix the batter. Mix with an electric mixer or by hand just until smooth. A few small lumps are fine.

Step 4: Get the tin ready. Set the lined cupcake tin next to the bowl so you can fill it right away.

Step 5: Fill the liners. Spoon or pour the batter into the liners, filling each one about ¾ full.

Step 6: Bake and cool. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Move them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.

Get them in the oven quickly. The baking soda and vinegar start bubbling as soon as they're mixed, so fill the liners and bake right away for the fluffiest cupcakes.

How to Frost Vegan Cupcakes

While the cupcakes cool, make a batch of my vegan chocolate frosting and chill it until you're ready to pipe. I use a Wilton 1M star tip for a classic swirl, or you can spread it on with a butter knife.

More frosting ideas:

• Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting for a tangy, creamy topping.
• Vegan Orange Buttercream Frosting for chocolate orange cupcakes.
• Chocolate peppermint frosting (the peppermint version in my chocolate frosting post) for the holidays.

Topping ideas: shaved vegan chocolate, vegan chocolate chips, chopped nuts, vegan sprinkles or crushed candy canes. For more chocolate, try my easy vegan chocolate truffles.

Vegan Cupcake Troubleshooting

• My cupcakes sank in the middle. This usually means old baking soda, overmixing, or batter that sat too long before baking. Opening the oven door in the first 10 minutes can cause sinking too.
• My cupcakes are dense. Too much flour is the most common reason, so spoon and level it. Overmixing can also make them heavy.
• My cupcakes are dry. They were likely baked a little too long. Start checking at 15 minutes, since every oven runs a little different.
• The liners peeled away. This can happen when cupcakes cool in a humid spot or are stored while still warm. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack before covering them.

Ideas I Haven't Tried Yet

I've always made these as plain chocolate or chocolate mint cupcakes, so I haven't tested these yet, but they're fun ideas if you want to change things up. If you try one, let me know in the comments!

• Chocolate orange: Swap the peppermint for orange extract and top with orange buttercream and a little orange zest.
• Mocha: Add a little instant espresso powder to the batter.
• Chocolate chip: Fold vegan chocolate chips into the batter.
• Peanut butter: Fill the centers with peanut butter or top with a peanut butter frosting.
• Chocolate cake: Bake the batter in an 8-inch or 9-inch round pan. It will need a longer bake time, so start checking early with a toothpick.
• Flour, sugar and oil swaps: Whole wheat or spelt flour, coconut sugar, or coconut oil in place of vegetable oil.

How to Make Ahead and Store Vegan Cupcakes

Make ahead: Bake the cupcakes a day ahead, let them cool completely, and keep them covered at room temperature. Frost them the day you serve them.

Room temperature: Keep unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.

Fridge: Store frosted cupcakes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them sit out for 10 to 15 minutes before eating to take the chill off.

Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcake FAQs

Did you make these vegan chocolate cupcakes? I'd love to hear how they turned out! Leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below, and tag me on Instagram so I can see your photos.