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Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes ~
A half-dozen light and fluffy cupcakes! Easy to whip up for one, two, or just a few.
Cupcakes aren’t just for birthday parties and bridal showers! Sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy a cupcake at home for dessert, you know?
I like this small-batch cupcake because I don’t always need or want a dozen cupcakes. In fact, it’s rare that I need that many at one time; maybe once or twice a year for a party with our homeschool group or to share with the neighborhood kids.
These cupcakes are delicious whether “naked” and unfrosted or topped with homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
For those occasions when you do want a larger batch of cupcakes, this recipe is easy to double.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
You will need:
- 1/2 cup oat milk, or other mild-flavored plant milk
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 Recipe for Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
How to Make Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 6-muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
STEP TWO: In a measuring cup, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
STEP THREE: In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
STEP FOUR: Into a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, mix for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
STEP FIVE: Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
STEP SIX: Add 1/2 of the oat milk mixture and 1/2 of the flour mixture. Continue mixing to combine.
STEP SEVEN: Add the remaining milk and flour mixtures, mixing just until fully incorporated. Do not overmix the batter; this collapses the bubbles in the batter and can lead to denser cupcakes.
STEP EIGHT: Pour batter evenly into the cupcake liners.
STEP NINE: Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love!
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Mexican Chocolate Pudding
- Christmas Fruitcake
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Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
A half-dozen light and fluffy dairy-free cupcakes! Easy to whip up for one, two, or just a few.
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: birthday, cupcakes, holiday baking, vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 175kcal
Author: Holly Gray
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oat milk or other mild-flavored plant milk
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 6-muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, mix for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Add 1/2 of the oat milk mixture and 1/2 of the flour mixture. Continue mixing to combine.
Add the remaining milk and flour mixtures, mixing just until fully incorporated. Do not overmix the batter; this collapses the bubbles in the batter and can lead to denser cupcakes.
Pour batter evenly into the cupcake liners.
Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 397IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Romeoromeo
Nice recipe! I ended up cutting this in half and using veg oil instead. It prob would have been even better with eb. But this was actually really nice and fluffy. For the complete dessert, I added some oat whip cream and strawberries and it was so satisfying. It’s hard to get a fluffy vanilla cupcake or cake. Oh and I added a bit of orange zest for color and flavor. Simple but good! I’ll be adding this to my recipe list. Thanks!Reply
thiswifecooks
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! Whipped cream with strawberries on top sounds good!
Teresa
Hi,
Just wanted to know if I can substitute the butter for oil.
Reply
thiswifecooks
Hi Teresa ~ Generally speaking, it’s usually fine to substitute oil for butter. However, I have not tested this particular recipe using oil so I can’t say for sure. If you decide to go for it, let me know how the cupcakes turn out! 🙂
Teresa
So I tried it with vegetable oil and brown cane sugar (that’s what I had at the time) & it was absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for this simple but terrific recipe.Reply
thiswifecooks
I’m glad to know vegetable oil works well in place of butter. And brown sugar vanilla cupcakes sound heavenly!
Libby
Apple cider or apple cider vinegar? I see vinegar in Chan recipes all the time but I’ve never seen just cider… thanks!
Reply
thiswifecooks
Apple cider vinegar. I’ve updated the post to clarify. 🙂
Tavo
They were really nice cupcakes, they were super fluffy, and I actually doubled the batch. They were wonderful.Reply
I’m with you on enjoying a cupcake at home from time to time. These are delicious and just the right quantity. Thank you.Reply
Love these vegan vanilla cupcakes! The small batch makes them the perfect sweet treat!Reply
love that you used oat milk for this vegan cupcake! so tasty!Reply
Anila
Hi Holly, I have yet to try this recipe but before that I had a couple of Q’s.
1. Can I use white vinegar instead of Apple cider?
2. Can I skip almond extract (due to severe nut allergy)
thanks!Reply
thiswifecooks
Hi Anila ~ While I have not tried it myself, I think you should be fine substituting an equal amount of white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar. And you can absolutely omit the almond extract or even add an extra 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I hope this helps!
MC
I made these and topped them with your chocolate buttercream frosting. Heaven! My vegan husband inhaled them. Beautiful bake and texture, easy, and just the right amount. Thank you for sharing this recipe.Reply
thiswifecooks
Thank you so much! I love that you paired the vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. 🥰
Michelle
Hi, I tried this recipe and used oat milk and plant based butter and followed the procedure exactly but my cupcakes sunk after baking. Could you please tell me what went wrong?
Reply
thiswifecooks
Hi Michelle ~ Sorry to hear about the trouble with your cupcakes sinking. Since you followed the recipe, it’s difficult to say exactly what went wrong. A couple of possibilities come to mind: Make sure to not overmix the batter; this can lead to excess air being incorporated, which can cause the cupcakes to collapse after baking. Oven temperature can also contribute to cupcakes sinking after baking. If the oven temperature is too low, the cupcakes may not rise properly during baking, resulting in a collapsed or sunken appearance once they cool. And if the oven temperature is too high, the cupcakes may rise too quickly and then collapse before they have had a chance to set properly. I hope this is helpful for future baking!
