Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Updated January 14, 2026
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 cup soy or rice milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
3 tablespoons soy or rice milk
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving
36 grams carbs; 207 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 153 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 24 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a dozen muffin cups — either outfit a muffin pan with paper or foil liners, or use a baking sheet and set out 12 paper liners nested inside foil liners, or else use silicone muffin cups.
- Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the soy or rice milk, vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, pausing two or three times to stir, and keep stirring until all the large lumps are gone.
- Step 3
Pour the batter into the cupcake liners until they are about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- Step 4
When cool, whisk the chocolate glaze ingredients until smooth and spread the glaze on the cupcakes. If you choose, top with sprinkles.
They’re called Chocolate Cupcakes for Almost Everybody because they contain flour, which won’t work for celiacs.
Private Notes
Comments
Ahem. I make a batch of these almost every week -- they are beloved by everyone who tastes them (and usually asks for the recipe). But I have to quibble with Pete Wells saying this recipe is "adapted from Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero's 'Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." It is the EXACT recipe, to the letter. All he left out was their suggestion that instead 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, you could do 1 t. vanilla and 1/2 t. other (eg, almond) extract. Credit where credit is due.
I was looking for an egg-free cake due to my friend’s allergy. I used almond milk because that’s what I keep on hand. I doubled the recipe and baked in two 8” round pans for a layer cake and it came out beautifully. Very moist and chocolatey.
Great recipe. While the cupcakes are still hot from the oven I put 3-4 semisweet chocolate chips on top, waited for them to melt and spread. A quick and less sugary fix for glaze. The crowd I made these for enjoyed them and were surprised when I told them it was vegan. It made 46 mini-cupcakes.
These are AMAZING. I brought them to a party hosted by hosts who are vegan/celiac, and so I used gluten free flour. They still turned out perfect! I wonder, has anyone tried baking this recipe as a cake? It’s such a moist and flavorful cupcake that I would love to make birthday cakes with the batter.
can this be made ahead of time?
Can this be made into a cake instead of cupcakes? Not sure whether it would work.