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
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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, can I use white vinegar instead of ACV? Or lemon juice? Thanks
Yes, either would be fine.
These were easy to make and so good! Thank you!
You’re so welcome!! I’m so glad they were good!
Made these for my daughter-in-love’s birthday and they were a hit. Brought back youthful memories and had a great taste and texture. Will definitely make again.
So glad to hear that!
Absolutely Amazing! These did not last long in our house! Your recipes are always fantastic. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I’m excited to make these for my daughter’s 3rd birthday this weekend! I’ve never used Aquafaba but ordered the powder online. Am I able to use that rather than the canned liquid? If so, do I still need to whip it or just measure once I mix the powder in water?
Thanks!!
I didn’t even know aquafaba powder existed! That’s cool. I would follow whatever the package says, hopefully it works the same way. I’m really not sure as I’ve never tried it.
Nora, you’ve done it again! Your recipes are fantastic! I made this with my kids last night and we are loved them!! You’re amazing. Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
can i use coconut oil to make these cupcakes? making them for a vegan friend this sunday and wanted to make sure those were okay!! very excited to bake!!
Yes, coconut oil should work quite well. Enjoy!
Good strong recipe. I have a few notes which people may find helpful. The aquafaba/chickpea liquid should be fairly stiff, with little to no liquid left. I found that scraping down the beaters and the bowl frequently got all the bits of curdled milk and flour to incorporate really well. I also found it can’t be over beaten, the longer you beat the foamier and lighter they will bake up. My oven may need to be calibrated but it took a full 5 minutes longer than the recommended bake time. All that being said, my vegan niece got these in a care package at college and she loved them!
If I’m opening a can of chickpeas today but don’t want to make the cupcakes until a couple days later, will the juice save in a sealed container?
Yes, it will save for a couple of days no problem. I do this all the time.
Hi,
Can I replace the chickpea juice for apple sauce?
What about the butter, can I replace it with oil?
Hi there! I think applesauce would be an okay substitute for the aquafaba, but it will affect the flavor and texture a bit. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but I think subbing oil would be okay! Thanks.
How many cupcakes does your recipe yield?
I got about 18 cupcakes from this recipe.
Hi Nora
Could you use this recipe for a bundt cake?
Hmmm I’m not sure as I’ve never tried it! It would probably work though!
Hi, can you suggest an alternative to the almond milk?
Sure, any non-dairy milk will work here. Soy, cashew, coconut, hemp, etc. Thanks!
Can I turn this recipe into cake instead of cupcakes? If so, what should I set the oven to instead?? Thanks in advanced!
I have a recipe for vegan funfetti cupcakes if you want to try it: https://www.noracooks.com/funfetti-vegan-cupcakes/
Delicious! I did half granulated sugar and half coconut sugar, which definitely made them less aesthetically pleasing, but they’re still very good. I’ll definitely be making them again, and I think next time I’ll try coconut oil instead of butter.
I did have one question, maybe it’s obvious, but I need very specific instructions. Lol! When adding the aquafaba, am I supposed to add tablespoons of the foamy part or the liquid below? I did about half of each because I wasn’t sure. They still turned out great, but I’d like to know for next time!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! So for the aquafaba, I try to use mostly the foamy part. Ideally, it will all be quite foamy in the bowl. But a little of the liquid is fine in the measurement. Thank you!
Hi! These sound perfect for my son who is anaphylactic to dairy, eggs, and nuts. However, we also suspect a sensitivity to peas. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute for the aquafaba?
Hi Ashley! Yes, you can omit the aquafaba and increase the non-dairy milk to 1 1/4 cup. They will turn out just fine this way. I really hope your son can enjoy these cupcakes! Thanks.
Just discovered your site and I am THRILLED! Question about the flour — would I be able to use Oat flour instead?
I’m so glad! Unfortunately, I don’t think oat flour would work too well here. Whole wheat pastry flour would work pretty well, or even a gluten free flour mix. Thank you! Hope you find many recipes to enjoy!
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe. My toddler has an egg allergy and it has been a struggle to find egg-free recipes for baked goods that don’t feel like you’re sacrificing quality. I’ve tried so many different substitutes and they’re all so unpredictable. I’ve experimented with aquafaba, but never had much success with it in other recipes. But THIS CAKE, this cake has made me a believer in baking once more. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This cake turned out beautifully, and with the most perfect light and moist crumb. It helped us celebrate a family birthday and I am so grateful I could serve this to everyone.
My ultimate go-to recipe for my little possum who is dairy, egg and soy free. YUMMY!!!!!
Aw that’s so great! My little ones love these cupcakes, too! 🙂
Hey! Your recipe sounds great and super easy! I am going to try to make these for my daughter’s class because one child is vegan and another allergic to dairy! I don’t have apple cider vinegar, can I substitute lemon juice? Also, can I make ahead, un-iced, freeze them then take out the night before and frost?
Hi there! Yes, you can sub lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar. And you could freeze them, yes. Enjoy!
Instead of using aquafaba, can I use flax seeds as a binder to replace eggs?
You could, but they will be a bit different. Aquafaba makes them light, fluffy and moist. Flax seeds make them a bit denser and less fluffy. It will work though. I would make flax eggs. For this recipe, replace the aquafaba with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds mixed with 5 tablespoons water.
Can you make a cake with the recipe instead of cupcakes?
You could, yes. I would double the recipe for a double layer cake, baked in 2 9-inch pans. You will also need to bake it for longer, more like 35-40 minutes, just watch to make sure it’s set on top and test with a toothpick.
I’m testing these out for my sons 2nd birthday. I used coconut palm sugar and searched 4 different stores for vegan sprinkles – I ultimately found some although they are the round kind it still worked out…..1 issue I’m having. My buttercream frosting. Seemed perfect but after it sat for a few minutes it started to melt and separate….my cupcakes were at room temp. I even placed them in the fridge and it’s separating still ?
Hi Paige! Sorry I didn’t see this to help sooner! Sometimes I don’t get to the comments for a few days. For Vegan Sprinkles, this is a good place to get beautiful ones (in the future, glad you were able to find some!): Sweetapolita. So about the frosting, I’m so sorry it started to melt! I have not had that problem. What brand of vegan butter did you use? I always use earth balance brand, sticks work the best. It sounds like maybe your vegan butter got too soft, it should be just softened to room temperature. Also, if it was warm in the room, it’s possible they could melt. But I’m thinking the problem may be the brand of butter, or it was too warm when you started. I’m sorry, it’s kind of hard to tell without being right there with you in the kitchen!
Do you measure the aquafaba before or after you whip it? Also, how did you measure your flour? I just made this and the top of the cupcakes don’t look quite the same as yours.. they have tiny holes or bubbles so I feel like I did something wrong but they were still delicious. What I did was measure the aquafaba before whipping and measured the flour by gently scooping it with a spoon into the measuring cup and leveling of with a knife. Love your recipes by the way.
Hmm interesting! I’m glad they still tasted good! So, I measured the aquafaba AFTER I whipped it, because I found it easier to do so. Perhaps I should clarify that in the recipe! It sounds like maybe they were a little more “wet” than mine, so maybe that was the problem. It’s really no worry; I tested it 3 times and even the wetter versions were delicious, they just tend to fall apart easier and with kids I didn’t want that! I hope that helps, and thank you! 🙂
It really would help if you clarified that in the recipe. I have made these once and used 6 tbs prior to whipping. Now that I am about to make them again, I see I should have measured after. But I would not have known that unless I browsed the comments.
Thanks Ashley, I have just clarified this in the instructions. I appreciate the comment, and I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
I need dairy free for my baby, but eggs are okay for us. If I use egg whites instead of the pea juice, how many whites would it be and would it change anything else in the recipe? My husband will tolerate dairy substitutes but said no to the pea juice. Lol
No worries! 🙂 You would replace it with 3 egg whites (2 tablespoons chickpea juice = 1 egg white). Enjoy!
Yum!! They look perfect! Nicely done (:
Thanks so much!