I have one of those super cool moms who brought in cupcakes for my class on my birthday. She always baked them in ice cream cones and she always topped them with tons of sprinkles.
Moms, birthdays, and sprinkles are the best (in that order).
I’m so excited I finally got around to vegan-izing funfetti cupcakes.
Up until this point my favorite flavor of vegan cupcakes has been chocolate, so it was due time to try my hand at good old fashioned vanilla. Turns out, vanilla has my heart, especially when sprinkles are involved.
This recipe may look a little complicated, but I assure you it only requires 1 bowl and less than 1 hour!
The ingredients are basic as well. If you’re like me, you always have vegan butter and sprinkles on hand anyway. If not, you’ll probably start doing so after trying these babes.
Quintessential funfetti cupcakes have sprinkles inside the cupcake as well as on top of the frosting. If I could’ve figured out another way to infuse sprinkles into these babes, I surely would’ve. I’ll report back on any such discoveries.
These cupcakes are seriously dreamy. They’re
Fluffy
Moist
Perfectly sweet
Vanilla infused
Loaded with sprinkles
Topped with MEGA fluffy buttercream
Super shareable
& Slightly addictive
I may or may not have sampled one pre frosting…then another post frosting…then another just to ensure I hadn’t in fact gotten a wrong assessment. Turns out, I was right all along. These cakes are amazing!
Make these for book club and birthdays and anniversaries and casual Fridays and everything in between.
You and whomever you bestow them upon will not only experience a slight sugar high, but also the pure bliss that ONLY comes from eating a cupcake loaded with icing and sprinkles. Enjoy!
NOTE: Recipe updated 3/20/19 to address crumbly texture and flat tops. We swapped the vegan butter for oil and it worked much better.
One Bowl Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
CUPCAKES:
- 1 scant cup non-dairy milk (we used unsweetened plain almond milk)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil (such as avocado)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 scant cup organic cane sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles* (plus more for topping)
FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (SOFTENED // 1 stick yields 1/2 cup – we like Earth Balance and Miyoko's brands)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar (SIFTED)
- 1 splash non-dairy milk (optional // almond and coconut are best!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a standard muffin holder with 12 paper liners (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
- Add non-dairy milk and vinegar or lemon juice to a large mixing bowl and let set a few minutes to curdle/activate. Then add oil and vanilla and whisk or use a hand mixer to beat vigorously to combine. Then add sugar and whisk or use a hand mixer to beat to combine/dissolve. It may splash so be careful!
- Add dry ingredients (omitting sprinkles) to a sifter in this order: two-thirds of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and then the remaining third of the flour.
- Sift over wet ingredients and use a whisk or hand mixer to blend until well incorporated and no large lumps remain. The texture should be somewhere between thick and thin. Not liquidy, but not scoopable (rather, pourable). Somewhere near a buttermilk pancake batter consistency. We had to add another 1-2 Tbsp flour to thicken slightly.
- Add sprinkles and gently fold/stir with a rubber spatula or mixing spoon. Then divide batter evenly among cupcake holders making sure NOT to overfill. These do best at 3/4 of the way up.
- Bake on a center rack for 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. They will only have a very, very slight golden brown color.
- Let cool completely on a cooling rack. In the meantime, prepare frosting (optional). Wipe clean your mixing bowl and add softened butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Then add vanilla and mix once more.
- Add SIFTED powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and continue mixing until thick and creamy. Scrape down sides as needed. If it gets too thick or crumbly, add a splash non-dairy milk to thin (optional). You want this frosting to be very thick so it will hold its shape once on the cupcakes. If it gets too thin, thicken with more powdered sugar.
- Once cooled, frost cupcakes and top with sprinkles. Serve immediately. Store leftovers covered at room temperature or refrigerated up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with frosting.
Theresa says
These are so, so good! I have made these glutee free and with regular flour. Both are delicious. The vegan frosting pair so well with these.
We’re so glad you enjoy these cupcakes, Theresa! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your experience using both flours! xo
Jessica says
I just made these to take to a church meeting tomorrow. I made them as mini cupcakes and They are so cute and taste so yummy. The only bad thing is that they’re sticking to the liners a little bit. Not sure if it’s the recipe, or the liners. Either way, I’ll just tell people to use their teeth to bite it off the pieces that stay on the liner. Lol
Thank you for sharing your experience, Jessica! Letting the cupcakes cool completely should help with sticking. If that doesn’t work, try another brand of liners!
Jessica Wood says
So I grabbed one this morning, and after sitting in the fridge overnight, the wrappers aren’t sticking. YAY! These are so yummy.
Yay! Thanks for the update, Jessica!
Lucy says
These are my go to cupcakes for years! I make them for every birthday for my three kids. :)
I have found that most sprinkles bleed so I leave them out. I often make it as a cake and just make sure the mixture is a tiny bit thicker but adding another tbs of flour, and bake for about 25mins.
I’ve also made it with melted and cooled vegan butter which worked for me!
Thanks so much for a beautiful vegan recipe!
Amazing! We’re so glad this recipe is a repeat in your kitchen, Lucy. Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Josephine says
I’m going to try this as a cake as well. Can you tell me what size pan you used, and what changes you made to the recipe? (Bake time, any adjustments to the flour, etc.) Thank you!!
Carolyn says
These are so soft and delicious! I made two batches because the first overflowed. The first batch I portioned 1/4 cup (or 4 tbsps) for each cupcake, that gave me 12 cupcakes, but it overflowed a lot and I ultimately couldn’t use it.
The second batch I portioned 3 tbsps for each cupcake, that gave me 16 cupcakes, and that was perfect! I will definitely make again!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Carolyn! We’re glad you loved them the second time around! xo
Holly says
Hiya,
Would sunflower/vegetable oil be okay as a neutral oil?
And for the Cane sugar – is that caster sugar or a type of brown sugar?
Thanks
Hi Holly, yes, sunflower oil would work great! Cane sugar is different than caster or brown sugar – it’s most similar to granulated/table sugar if you have that.
AC says
Very easy, but still felt special. In order to avoid a trip to the store I used dairy milk and half and half regular and coconut sugar.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Brooke Ashley says
This was delicious and such a hit with the kids. I’m glad I made 2 dozen for the baseball wrap party. I also did not sift the dry ingredients and that turned put just fine. I did not double the icing and was glad I didn’t as I still had leftover icing despite doubling the cupcakes. I will certainly be making this again.
We’re so glad the cupcakes were a hit! Thank you for sharing your experience, Brooke! xo
Sadye says
I had good luck with this recipe! I will say, they came out fairly flat on top, but since I’ll be frosting them (still waiting on them to cool), I’m not all that concerned about it. I went with a combo coconut/almond milk and used canola oil. Did not add any extra flour; I would consider trying that next time, but as written it still worked.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Sadye! xoxo
Sadye says
Icing update! I followed the directions exactly and it turned out nicely! Definitely plenty of frosting to go around. I might have to make the sugar cookie recipe I’ve seen on the blog to use it up ;)
Ha, sugar cookies is definitely the answer ;) Enjoy, Sadye! xo
Jenni says
Hello I’m making this for my toddler. Do you have any suggestions for replacing the cup of sugar for the cake batter? Thank you!
Hi Jenni, the cane sugar plays a big role in texture in this recipe so we don’t have a reliable recommendation. Perhaps our Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes would be a better fit? Hope that helps!
J says
Hi! Why is this not freezer friendly?
Hi, we haven’t tried it but we think you could freeze the frosting and cupcakes separately. We just wouldn’t recommend freezing after adding to the cupcakes.
Nicole Prostek says
How can you turn this into a 9×13 cake
Hi Nicole, we haven’t tested this recipe in a larger pan, but we think doubling the recipe and baking in a 9×13 pan should work well. You may need to bake for longer (probably 30-35 minutes), checking that a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Hope that helps!
Brit says
How would olive oil (not EVOO) work with this?
Hi Brit, we haven’t tested it, but it might work (especially if it’s a light olive oil).
Britt says
Can I use cake flour for this 1:1 to replace all purpose?
Hi Britt, we haven’t tested that, but it should work! Let us know if you try it.
Julia says
Hi there
I have made these twice now and they are fantastic! Do you have any recommendations on how to make them gluten free? Would gluten free flour work?
Thanks so much, Julia
Hi Julia, they don’t work as well gluten-free, but some other readers have enjoyed them. If you try it, we’d recommend a 1:1 GF Flour Blend. Some aren’t as absorbent as all-purpose flour, so you may need to add more flour. We do also have a gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe you could try adding sprinkles to. We’ll also add a GF funfetti cupcake to our ideas list. Hope that helps!
Julia says
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I’ll give the GF Vanilla cupcakes a go and will add in some sprinkles 😊
Lauren says
What is a scant? Can you please let me know the conversion for the two ingredients that mention a scant?
Hi Lauren, sorry for any confusion! 1 scant cup means just shy of 1 cup (1 tablespoon less than 1 cup). Hope that helps!
Hillary says
I’m allergic to gluten and most nuts including almonds. Is there a way to make this gluten-free without nuts?
Hi Hillary, gluten-free + nut-free is tricky! Are you also vegan/egg-free? If not, using a recipe with eggs will be more successful.
Angela larsen says
Love this recipe. I love to bake but this is my first vegan baking. I used date sugar, oat milk and refined coconut oil. The oat milk added additional to make up for the drying affect of the date sugar. Did not make the frosting. I have to say they are moist and amazingly delicious. I think I had four that first day. Thank you for the recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Angela! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Katrina says
I’ve made these twice now and absolutely love them! I doubled the recipe this time and I’m not sure I can finish them all in 3 days. I’m wondering how they would freeze. Would it be better to freeze with it without the icing? Thanks!
Hi Katrina, we haven’t tried it but we think you could freeze the cupcakes without the icing!
Sarah :) says
What is a “Scant”? And, if I were to make 18 cupcakes, how much “Scants” of milk do I need?
Hi Sarah, 1 scant cup = 1 tablespoon less than 1 cup. For 18 cupcakes, you would use scant 1 1/2 cups = 1 1/4 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons. The measurements do look a little wonky when adjusting the number of servings, but we hope that helps!
Sarah says
Would oat milk be okay for this one? And would the frosting hold up for a few hours before serving?
Hi Sarah, yes, oat milk should work great! For the frosting, it will depend on the brand of vegan butter you use. A more melty one like Miyoko’s becomes soft pretty quickly at room temperature, while Earth balance sticks will last a few hours at room temperature. We’d suggest frosting just before serving, if possible!
Marisa says
Loved this recipe!!! So many compliments. What is the recommendation to make a cake? What size would the 12 cupcake recipe make? 8in? 10in?
Thank you!
Hi Marisa, 1 batch should be perfect for an 8-inch round pan. We’d recommend increasing the bake time and greasing the pan. Let us know how it turns out!
Marisa says
Thank you!!
Emily says
Hi team. I’ve made these three times and while the top and flavour are great, they just seem to fall apart on me. I promise I’m following the recipe. Any ideas for trouble shooting structural integrity issues?
Hi Emily, sorry the structure hasn’t been quite right! What type of milk are you using? It sounds like perhaps the fat content is too high. If the type of milk isn’t the issue, you could try with less oil/more flour. Keep us posted!
Micaiah hassler says
Can I make these as mini cupcakes and if so will that change the cook time/temp?
Hi Micaiah, that should work! You’ll want to bake for less time, using a toothpick to check when they’re done. We’re guessing they will take about 15 minutes to bake. Hope that helps!
Kay says
I’ve never made cake from scratch before this. These turned out amazing! Exactly what I hope for when I think of funfetti. The recipe was not complicated BUT I did learn my lesson on reading carefully when I missed the note on when to add the sugar (I opted to start over rather than try to add it after all the other dry ingredients.)
I’m excited to make this for every birthday in the foreseeable future, thanks!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, Kay. Thank you for sharing! xo
Emily says
I followed the ingredients exactly, but tried to bake it as a cake instead (also I’m at high altitude)…and it didn’t work at all. After nearly an hour in the oven the top was caramelized and burning and it was still liquid below…I think vegan high altitude cake baking is not my thing!
Sorry that happened, Emily. We haven’t tested this one as a cake so we aren’t sure if that was the issue or if being at high altitude made a difference. Confirming you were using all purpose flour, not gluten-free?
Michele Chahine says
I make Cake with your Funfetti cupcake recipe all the time. It’s the best Vegan Recipe for Vanilla or Funfetti. I’ve made it 3 layer traditional Sheet cake size and Square 3 layer sheet cake style. I just have to make the recipe times 350 cupcakes. I add a homemade applesauce I make to this recipe to keep it extra moist. I do have a question on the Vegan buttercream, when you say “25 splash non-dairy milk (optional // almond and coconut are best!)” what is a splash?
Thanks so much for sharing, Michele! Wowza, that’s a lot of cupcakes. A splash for us is usually 3-4 Tbsp. Start with less because a larger batch might make a difference and you can always add more depending on the texture!
Elena says
Hi there! I don’t have any apple cider vinegar on hand. Is there a substitute?
Thank you!
Hi Elena, lemon juice should work!
Judy Louise says
These are hands down the MOST delicious cupcake I have ever made. They are so full of vanilla flavor, crispy-almost cookie like tops- and bouncy, fluffy center. I will be making these regularly!!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Judy. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Paige Oliveto says
This is my go-to cupcake recipe for years. I have made them for coworkers and they always get requested to be made again and raved about. People are always shocked that they are vegan. Excellent recipe. It is also simple as well. I hate baking and these are extremely simple to make. Thanks for a great recipe :)
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Paige. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Lynne says
These cupcakes are divine! My 5 year old and I made them and they came out amazingly delicious (we didn’t make the frosting and it’s still impossible to have just one!). Thank you for another delicious recipe, perfect as written and enjoyed by everyone.
Amazing! We’re so glad they were a hit with everyone. Thank you for sharing, Lynne! xo
Michelle says
This was a total baking fail 😞. I don’t blame the recipe! (although I did follow the instructions). I definitely filled the cones too much, one place said almost full another said 3/4 full….the batter overflowed. Then my frosting melted. I should have waited until the cupcakes were done cooking before beginning to prepare the frosting. It was sitting out waiting while cupcakes cooled. Thankfully my daughter whose 7th birthday they were for was full of laughs watching my cones topple over as the frosting melted over the sides 😂. Wish I could post a picture. We tried to save them in the end… Melting Ice Cream funfetti cupcakes is what we named them 🤣🤣
Oh no! We’re so sorry it didn’t work out, Michelle. We haven’t tried this one in ice cream cones, but have an ice cream cone cupcake recipe here. Better luck next time!
Diane says
Can this recipe be made with cows milk? My severe allergy is anything fous. We laugh at “Fowl is foul” . I live in a remote area and avocado oil might not be on the grocers shelves!! Good replacement??? Thanks for your answer.
Hi Diane, cow’s milk would work. Alternatives to avocado oil would be another neutral oil such as sunflower, grapeseed, or canola. Hope that helps!
nats says
Can I make these gluten free?
Hi Nats, they don’t work as well gluten-free, but some other readers have enjoyed them. If you try it, we’d recommend a 1:1 GF Flour Blend. Some aren’t as absorbent as all-purpose flour, so you may need to add more flour. We do also have a gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe you could check out. Hope that helps!
Fiona says
I just made these with gluten-free flour & wanted to report back. I used this recipe as I needed a nut-free one for a kids party. They turned out great, so delicious! I added in extra flour, probably about a 1/4 cup, to get to the thickness you described for pancake batter. Then I reduced the oil a little bit. I was using extra-virgin olive oil, as it is all I ever cook with. They were super crumbly and fell apart when warm or just cooled down. However, if you leave overnight they firm up. Still a delicate, light crumb, bit you can slice through it without it totally turning into a pile of crumbs. I used Doves Farm GF Plain flour (UK), without Xanthum gum (as my son reacts to it). Hope this helps the GF peeps!
Thanks so much for sharing, Fiona! We’re so glad they worked gluten-free for you!
Cristyn olenick says
Can I turn these into ice cream cone cupcakes?
That should work! We did something similar here.
rain says
not sure if i made this wrong but i would definitely cut down on the amount of oil included, cupcakes were very oily – leaked through the liners, and tasted of oil as well, flavour was reminiscent of something deep fried…
Oh no! We’re so sorry that was your experience! It does sound like something went wrong. Did you make any modifications?
ColoMama says
I had the same thing just happen to me, sadly for my 4-year-old’s birthday :(. I doubled the recipe, but otherwise did not make any other modifications. Used avocado oil.
Oh no! We’re so sorry that happened. Would you mind sharing what type of dairy-free milk you used? We’re wondering if it could have possibly contributed extra fat, causing it to be oily?
ColoMama says
That’s a good point. I used Silk Nextmilk, Reduced Fat, which has 5g of fat per cup. This is not too different from unsweetened soy, which would have been my second option, and has 4.5 g/cup.
Almond milk has 2 grams per cup. We wouldn’t think an extra 3 grams would make a huge difference, but it’s possible? Our only other theory would be if you possibly subbed a different type of flour that wasn’t as absorbent?
Tamara says
Hello! Any tips for or changes to make this recipe work as a cake? I have double layer 9inch and 6inch pans. Thanks!
Hi Tamara, we haven’t tried it but it should work. If you want to make two 6 inch cakes, you can make the recipe as written and divide it between pans. For two 9 inch cakes you would probably want to double the recipe. The only big change is that the bake time will need to be longer, probably ~30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let us know how it goes!
Lisa says
Hi!
I want to make this recipe but with mini cupcakes for little ones. Can you please tell me how to modify the recipe and cooking time?
Thank you,
Lisa
Hi Lisa! We haven’t tried these as mini cupcakes, but we’re guessing they will take about 15 minutes to bake!
Lisa says
I made it and tested it at different times. It was perfect at 10 minutes for the mini cupcakes in my oven:). Thank you!
Great! Thank you for sharing, Lisa! xo
k says
Hello,
I want to make these cupcakes the night before I need to serve them and I plan on frosting right before serving. Do you recommend storing the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature? Can I make the frosting the night before? If so, should this be stored in the fridge?
Also, if I am using canola oil instead of avocado oil, can I substitute the canola oil for the same amount of avocado oil (1/2 cup)?
Hi K, depending on your climate we recommend storing the cupcakes at room temperature, perhaps on a cooling rack tightly covered with a clean towel or foil. If you live in a very dry place, an airtight container should be good, but they might get overly moist. The frosting should be stored in the refrigerator, and yes, the same amount of canola oil will work! Let us know how it goes!