Fluffy, soft, homemade funfetti vegan cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate! These are so much better than anything you can get in a box, and they aren’t that difficult to make. Grab your sprinkles and get baking!
Funfetti Vegan Cupcakes are so festive and the perfect way to celebrate a birthday. Who doesn’t love colorful, soft, fluffy cupcakes? I have made these several times for my kid’s birthday parties, and they are always a hit with the kids (and the adults)!
But you don’t need a reason to make a batch of these cupcakes. A fun baking project always brightens up my days, and these are easy enough to make any day of the week!
Want to know the secret ingredient to light and fluffy vegan cupcakes? It’s aquafaba.
What is aquafaba and why is it good for cupcakes?
Aquafaba is the liquid left over in a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans. Just drain a can of beans and reserve the liquid. That’s all it is!
To mimic whipped egg whites like we want in this recipe, beat it with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes until it gets foamy. You don’t need it to get stiff peaks, like you would for meringue. You can also use a whisk, but a hand mixer does work better and faster.
Aquafaba helps to create moist, soft and fluffy cakes/cupcakes. I use it in my Vegan Vanilla Cake and Vegan Lemon Cake.
How to make vegan cupcakes
- Prepare the aquafaba and mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar (this is your buttermilk). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter and sugar together until creamy.
- Measure 6 tablespoons of the whipped aquafaba and add to the bowl, along with the vanilla.
- Mix until combined with the vegan butter and sugar.
- Now add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Mix until just combined, then pour in the vegan buttermilk and mix until combined and smooth. Fold in sprinkles.
Fill paper liners 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 20-24 minutes. Cool completely before frosting!
Can you see how soft and fluffy these cupcakes are? Cake flour also helps, so use it if you can. If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all purpose flour.
For the frosting, make a batch of my Vegan Vanilla Frosting, made with vegan butter and powdered sugar. There are sprinkles in the batter that kind of melt into the cupcakes, and more sprinkles on top.
Gluten free vegan cupcakes
Make sure to substitute a quality all purpose gluten free flour, almond flour will not work here. I like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, and usually have good results using it in my baked goods.
More vegan cupcake recipes
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 Bowl Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Mint Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Funfetti Vegan Cupcakes
Ingredients
Funfetti Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba *measured AFTER whipping
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups cake flour*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles, plus a few tablespoons for topping
- 1 Recipe Vanilla Vegan Frosting
Instructions
Funfetti Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Spray inside the liners with oil, to prevent cupcakes from sticking.
- Prepare aquafaba: Add the liquid from a can of chickpeas to a small-medium bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until foamy, about 1-2 minutes. It doesn't have to have stiff peaks, but it should be quite foamy. This is your egg replacement. When ready to use, you will measure 6 tablespoons of the foamy white part.
- Make vegan buttermilk: Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl and stir a little. Set aside to curdle for a few minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened vegan butter and sugar. Mix with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until creamed together, about 2 minutes.
- Now add in the 6 tablespoons whipped aquafaba and vanilla. Mix on medium speed again until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop the mixer for a moment and add the dry ingredients in this order: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix on low speed until just incorporated, then slowly pour in the almond milk/vinegar mixture, and continue to mix until smooth and well combined. Fold in 1/2 cup of sprinkles gently with a spoon.
- Fill the liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Completely cool the cupcakes before frosting.
- Frost generously with Vanilla Vegan Frosting. Top with more sprinkles.
Notes
- If needed, you can substitute softened coconut oil instead of vegan butter.
- You can substitute all purpose flour for the cake flour if you must, but cake flour will yield fluffier/softer results.
- For gluten free, use a quality gluten free flour mix, NOT almond flour. It will not work.
- Sweetapolita is probably my favorite place to order vegan sprinkles. Whole Foods also has vegan sprinkles. Some other brands are vegan friendly as well.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published in May 2018 and has been republished with process photos and writing.
hi, i was wondering if it’s possible to do this recipe without the aquafaba? i didn’t know this funfetti recipe extisted, so before i used your vanilla cupcake recipe and added sprinkles and it came out pretty good. it’s just that aquafaba seems a bit hard to get, and i was also wondering what it does for the recipe?
Hi Sarah. You can replace the aquafaba with flax egg, however keep in mind that aquafaba makes the cupcakes light, fluffy and moist. Flax seeds make them a bit denser and less fluffy, however, will work. For this recipe, replace the aquafaba with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds mixed with 5 tablespoons water. Hope this helps! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora – I made your funfetti cake recipe for my daughter’s birthday and it was delicious. I want to make cupcakes for her party. I noticed this recipe is quite different than the cake one. Can the cake recipe make cupcakes or is it best to use this one?
I have never cooked with aquafaba so I’m nervous but trust you if this is the way to go!
You can use the cake recipe to make cupcakes, for sure! This is an older recipe with a different technique, but they are great as well. The other recipe is easier, which I love. 🙂
Phew! Thank you. Do you know how many cupcakes the cake recipe makes and the baking conditions?
Thank you for always providing the most fabulous recipes and always answering my questions!
The cake recipe will make about 20-24 cupcakes, and would need to bake for 20-25 minutes. Hope this helps!
Ok the cake recipe as cupcakes may be even better than as cake if possible. Huge hit at the party! Thank you!