Before you say anything bad about these cupcakes, have you tried my chocolate covered sweet potato chips yet? Because if you have then you know I know a thing or two about desserts – just sayin’.
I’ve been wanting to put beets in my dessert for a while now, seeing as they pair so well with chocolate. But none of the recipes I’d seen before were vegan, so I knew experimenting was a must. If you haven’t been previously warned about beets, consider this your official warning. They, are, messy.
After a roast in the oven beets get all soft and juicy and perfect for adding to things like cupcakes because they don’t have a particularly offensive flavor and add a ton of nutrients and moisture to baked goods.
Beets may be unsightly – and stain your hands pink – but they’re extremely healthy for you. Loaded with vitamins A, B and C, they’re also high in fiber, manganese, folate and are a rare source of phytonutrients called betalains, which have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification qualities (find out more here).
All of that goodness inside these cupcakes? Who would’ve thought?
Now of course, that doesn’t meant you should eat cupcakes instead of beets. That just means you should eat beets and have an occasional cupcake. Trust me, I tried to reverse this information but the health food gods didn’t seem to want to budge. I’ll keep trying on both of our behalf, though.
What you need to know about these cupcakes:
- They require one bowl
- They’re vegan
- They really don’t need frosting
- They’re rich, moist and cakey
- They are fudgy and addictive
- They don’t taste like beets
- Not one bit
Satisfied? I hope so. Now let’s get to baking.
Vegan Beet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet (you’ll need 1/2 cup puréed as original recipe is written)
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (at room temperature if using coconut oil)
- 1 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup raw turbinado OR granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup avocado or melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup whole-wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 scant cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for topping)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C), remove the stem and most of the root from your beets, and scrub and wash them underwater until clean.
- Wrap beet(s) in foil, drizzle on a bit of olive or avocado oil, wrap tightly, and roast for one hour or until a knife inserted falls out without resistance. They should be tender. Set in the fridge (in a bowl to catch juice) to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, either finely grate or purée beets in a small blender (adding orange juice or water to encourage mixing). Measure out 1/2 cup and set aside (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Reserve the rest for things like beet hummus!
- Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Whisk together the almond milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup beets (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and beat until foamy.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift it into the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. Beat until no large lumps remain.
- Pour batter into liners, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake 22 to 25 minutes (at 375 degrees F or 190 C), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Do not try and unwrap them or they'll stick to the wrapper.
- Once cooled, dust with cocoa powder and store in an airtight container to keep fresh.
Michelle says
Awesome Fudgey cake! Made this twice now. Second time I doubled it and baked in a glass casserole pan, served with fresh blueberries on top. So good. Definitely so good it doesn’t even need frosting.
Sarah says
Just made these- they are the best cupcakes I’ve ever made and you can’t taste the beets. SO GOOD!!
Moniqe says
Hello,
I hope you’re still answering questions about your wonderful fudge cupcakes. I must bake a batch of them for this weekend. I want to prove that vegan baking is not for people living in the woods to my friends. Question: Can I use almond or coconut or any non-wheat flour? Thank you
Elizabeth says
The issue with coconut flour is that it absorbs liquids like a sponge. I find that if I need to use coconut flour I have to add eggs…though some people swear by olive oil (I personally do not cook with olive oil. When it reaches a certain temperature it becomes trans fat). So if you do use coconut flour you will need to add in some other starches like tapioca starch.
Clarissa says
Hi there, I was wondering if the cupcakes could be put in the freezer for max 5 days and still come out okay.
Ryann says
I just made these and they are sooooo delicious, and roommate approved! However, I used honey as my sweetener, skipped the vanilla extract because I was out of it, and used carob powder instead of cacao powder. Even with these substitutions, they were delicious! I will definitely be making these again.
Elizabeth says
My family tries to follow a paleo diet so I altered the recipe a bit. Instead of canola oil I used melted coconut oil. Instead of raw sugar I used coconut sugar. I left the flour in, I’m still working on a good baking blend of my own creation. I’m excited to see how these come out!
Let me know if you come up with any breakthroughs Elizabeth! I’d love to know :D
Elizabeth says
Absolutely! So far I have really enjoyed cooking with almond flour and coconut flour. I try to avoid xantham gum. I might try adding in flax meal to one of the blends. I’m having weight loss surgery and paleo is a very good diet to be on after it’s done. High protein. We can’t have a lot of gluten/bread products.
Annette says
These are delicious made with Americas test kitchen gf flour blend. Every tin I make these my husband says they taste like a hostess cupcake, so last time I made them I piped some “cream” filling into the center and frosted them with chocolate frosting. It was a big hit. Thanks for a great recipe.
Jane says
Hi there! I doubled this recipe for a birthday cake, 2 8″ pans. It looked great when it came out, the skewer was clean, I did the whole filling and frosting thing, presented the cake but….something not quite right! The inside was kind of dense layers of chewy (not fudgy!) stuff. I’m not sure what went wrong? It is edible, but I realised trying something new for a birthday cake was perhaps not a good idea! If you have any thoughts on what might have happened please let me know! Did I mix it too much?
MB says
This reminds me of the vegan pan cake on King Arthur’s site (an old recipe). The beets seem to make the texture more dense which is nice. Somehow they don’t quite satisfy my dessert craving… perhaps if they had icing to kick it up a notch they would. Still though, they’re tasty.
Try this recipe next!
lffSodium says
I think your sodium per serving in the nutritional information is a typo. Should be about 144 mg per cupcake not 41.
Nicole says
Has anyone tried these with gluten free flour yet? I read through without seeing any responses to how they turned out.. Maybe ill just try anyway ;)
This is very close to the original recipe but is gluten free. Give that a try!
Not yet to my knowledge, but this recipe is very similar!
Judith says
This is such a great recipe! I substituted the almond milk with coconut milk and also cooked the beets in boiling water instead of roasting them. My cupcakes came out very fudgy and moist, and my coworkers and friends really enjoyed them. They were so surprised when I told them the cupcakes were vegan and had beets in them.
Great to hear!!
Alicia says
Made these last week and LOVED them! I hate beets and have thrown them out because they spoiled before I could figure out what to do but now I know how amazing these are and will definitely be making them again and again! Brought them to work and my co-workers loved them! It was only after that I told them they had beets in them : )
Amber says
These looked fantastic.. But I was a bit skeptical, tried this recipe out today and it’s quite good. I subbed the flour for AP Gf flour and swapped the sugar for brown sugar, turned out great :)
Novice baker says
Any taste issues using white pastry flour instead of wheat?
Mycale E says
You know that Cosby Show episode with Cliff, Olivia, a cake, and paper towels? The only thing that saved me from carving the center out of my cake was that one layer had a rounded top. That tiny taste is enough to hold me over until tomorrow. I doubled the recipe, baked it in two springform pans(30ish minutes), frosted the middle and top with vegan chocolate buttercream frosting, stacked them, then popped the outer ring back on the pan. Now it’s read for the trip to Portland.
Your recipe is flawless and doubles beautifully. My coconut milk didn’t curdle much and the coconut oil solidified while mixing but it didn’t affect the end product. Any thoughts on how date paste/purée would do as a substitute for some of the sugar?
Kristen says
Delicious!! I added a chocolate glaze made from melted Enjoy Life mini chips and rice milk to make them more like traditional cupcakes. I love sneaking veggies into baked goods, and this recipe is wonderful! :)
Melissa says
Hi Dana,
These look delicious. I have one question though. Could you bake these without having to cook the beets? (i.e., just using the raw beets)
Thank you!
Melissa C.
I didn’t try that but it’s totally worth a shot! Another person used carrot puree and I’m pretty sure applesauce would work, too. Let me know what you try!
Kelsey says
My daughter with food allergies loves cupcakes. I have tried several different vegan beet cupcakes and these are THE BEST! The other recipes were so gross I wouldn’t eat them and gave them all to my daughter…but THESE CUPCAKES ARE AMAZING! Thank you!!!
Kalyani says
Hi! Just putting these in the oven and doubled the recipe, do you think they freeze well?
meg says
Love it! I’ve never bought beets before, I recently started getting organic veggies delivered and there were some in this weeks box. Having no idea what to do worth them, I stumbled on this recipe. I’ll now be keeping an eye out for more beet dessert recipes.
I used G.F. flour, organic cane sugar, and a little extra coconut oil (I wasn’t paying attention to my measurmeets haha). Nothing about the taste suggests they are GF, vegan, or have vegetables in them! I’ll be handing them out to my friends and family to see their reactions, without telling them what’s in them first!
Purna says
I’m curious, can we use the beets boiled in water or raw? I know the flavor won’t be exactly the same, but it’ll save me some time. ;) I’ll try it with almond flour and flaxseed/water mixture instead of the flour and coconut oil (allergic). Thanks for sharing!
Amy J says
Doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9′ springform pan for about 42 minutes. It turned put great. I started checking at 20 minutes, the doubled recipe did take about 42 minutes to bake. Afterwards I sliced it to make a layered cake with tofu based chocolate cream filling and Nuevo Raw’s chocolate ganche for the icing. Killer. Also, I used canned beets because I was lazy and in a hurry to bake the cake. So I would say that while usually I am against using food from a can there should be no substitution issue, boiling beets now to make another cake. Single serve blenders work fine for small amounts of beets so if you have one you can just cook what you need.
Stéphanie says
INSANELY good!!!!
My daughter is turning 4 next week and she asked for this cake… a multi layers version with strawberry jam/purée. I bet everyone will love this decadent cake!
Anyone know of a great lactose free / vegan frosting?!?!
Thanks
September says
Love this ! BUT… No tin foil !!! You can get roast beets fine without poisoning yourself. Tin foil is NOT ment to cook in. It is ment to keep things warm AFTER they are cooked. I have had a bumper crop of beets this year and although I’ve made several beet cakes so far I’m excited to try this one. Minis the foil.
Michele says
These cupcakes were amazing. I have a dairy allergy, and my neighbors daughter has a dairy and egg allergy. When I found this recipe, I hit the store for some fresh beets. Followed the recipe exactly. I have three fussy boys and they were eating them before I made icing for on them. They said you couldn’t taste the beets, and if they didn’t know any better they would have sworn it was my heavenly chocolate cake which is loaded with buttermilk. I think I will double the recipe and turn it into a cake since I have leftover beets that way I don’t waste them. Thanks so much for the easy and tasty recipe.
Yay! Great news. So glad you all enjoyed them :D
Michele says
Dana,
I had left-over pureed beets. I thought about doubling the recipe and making it into a 9 x 13 cake. I will let you know how it turns out. Gave my neighbor your information. Her daughter has a dairy and egg allergy. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah B says
I attempted to make these and they burned halfway through cooking! I’m not a very experienced baker – I’m not sure what I did wrong! :( I followed the recipe with the exception of not curdling the almond milk (I was out of vinegar). Then baked @ 375 for 22 minutes. At 11 minutes my stove gave me a fancy “your foods on fire” beep/code and I had very black topped cupcakes to take outside. Baking Fail. :( Any ideas on what I did wrong?
Hmm, this was the first report I’ve had of this problem, so I assume it was either faulty ingredient or not curdling the milk. Better luck next time!
Stéphanie says
Celcius versus Farenheit temperature maybe (I don’t know). But its surely not the curdling of the milk s I didn’t either for a couple of times I did the recipe (just forgot) and they turned out great!
Sarah B says
Well, turns out my oven was on the fritz. The temperature regulator had gone out. shortly after “the muffin incident” it started burning everything! But now it is all fixed. :) Time to try to make some more!
SarahL says
I have made these cupcakes a couple of times and they have turned out moist, chocolatey and delicious each time. I decided to try making it as a cake this time and after reading an earlier comment I decided on a 23cm cake tin (9 inches). I cooked it for 25min and the cake texture and flavour turned out great, however it was very flat! Next time I will either double the recipe or use a much smaller tin. I also just used raw beetroot that was very finely grated and I didn’t notice a difference from when I used cooked beetroot. Thank you, will definitely be a recipe I use again and again :-)
Jacqueline McSpedon says
Made these yesterday for a kiddie pool party and they were amazing!! I did top them off with a simple cream cheese frosting and sprinkled some mini chocolate chips on top and everyone raved abut how super moist and not overly sweet they were.
Thank you for an amazing recipe!
STORM says
I’ve made this recipe twice in the past 5 days, substituting coconut oil with applesauce in the second batch. Still phenomenal. I topped them with some carob chips and a glaze of coconut milk combined with vanilla and icing sugar. The cupcakes were made as birthday gifts and recipient #1 replied with serious High 5s. Second batch will be gifted tomorrow. I expect the same reaction. After posting pics of them online, I’m receiving requests for more. Splendid work putting this recipe together. Mucho gracias. :-)
sandra says
I just baked them they came out perfect and very moist. I glazed them in white chocolate. ..very yummmmy.
nicole says
hey there! I just made these and they are delicious, but the batter turned out crumby, not like a normal batter as someone also experienced above, and i’m not sure what i did wrong. i used organic coconut flour and grated the beets like mentioned (as opposed to making a purée), but other than that followed the recipe and measurements. does anyone have tips on making these so they turn out moist? they would be greatly appreciated!
coconut flour absorbs moisture like crazy. That’s the issue!
Nicole says
Ahh thank you!!
Melissa says
These are delicious, but I am hoping to make a cake, not cupcakes… If i doubled the recipe, do you think that I would have enough for two 9-inch cakes?
Yeah! I think that should work!
Em says
Beautiful cupcakes, with a lovely texture, but my family and I all agree they weren’t chocolatey enough. I made an uber-chocolate glaze for the top and that saved them. I would be interested in trying to tweak the recipe, though, to try to make them more flavorful.
BR says
I tried and was underwhelmed. Texture/moisture was nice but the flavor was meh. A few missteps: 1) almond milk doesn’t curdle/sour with vinegar. While that’s a popular method for making buttermilk with animal milk, the almond milk doesn’t react the same way. The chemistry is wrong, and moreover does this really need this to be a ‘buttermilk’ based recipe? 2) Rather than sifting the cocoa in with the flour, I also suggest blooming the cocoa with one of the liquid ingredients to develop and enhance the chocolate flavor. This is THE most common reason most chocolate cakes aren’t very chocolatey. I debated doing it for this recipe but believe one has to review the recipe as written, not tweak it and then grumble about bad results. Too often recipes forget baking is a delicate process that relies on the chemical properties of the ingredients and interactions between them (fat, water, protein, acid, heat, leavening), and add more frosting or other garnish to make up for it. I applaud no-frosting cupcakes, but you need to bloom the cocoa to make it work.
Eve says
What is blooming? I simply doubled the cocoa powder, and also added some chopped chocolate. Next time I’ll get hold of chocolate drops instead.
I’ve heard that soy milk curdles with vinegar, can you comment on that? Also I think the vinegar is part of the egg substitution process.
Eve says
We’ve made these twice. The first time they tasted a little odd, rather earthy and not that chocolatey. The second time we doubled the cocoa powder, added a bit of chopped chocolate, a smidgen extra sugar, some broken pecan nuts, and 1.5tsp fake coffee powder (not sure it needed that), and they were great. Not too sweet, but thoroughly chocolatey. and definitely worth making again. Though I wouldn’t call them fudgy. Perhaps we should have reduced the cooking time?
Eve, thanks for sharing your experience! I call them fudgy because they’re super moist and chocolatey. If you’d like to reduce the cooking time, that would definitely make them a bit more fudgy. Hope that helps!
Eve says
I wouldn’t really call them “super chocolatey”, since we had to double the cocoa and add extra chocolate before they actually tasted of chocolate. As for moist, well, they held together very well for vegan baking, but once you start to eat them they fall apart, is that “super moist”?
BR says
Totally agree Eve. See my comment about blooming cocoa.
Eve says
However, they turned into lovely cupcakes with fairly basic tweaking, so it’s definitely a recipe to hang onto.
Succulent Succotash says
Have you or your readers tried to make a gluten-free version out of this recipe?
laura says
these were a big hit at the BBQ i just brought them to. thanks for the delicious recipe! i didn’t see the double choc. beet muffin recipe until after i made these, but i’ll definitely be trying that one out next. can’t wait!
Great! If you liked the cupcakes you’ll LOVE the muffins.
Aimee B. says
These are AMAZING! Definitely one of our favorite chocolate cupcakes. No one would ever guess they contain beets. I would give them more than 5 stars if I could! :)
Yay! That’s what I like to hear ;D
Eiko says
These are incredibly delicious! I threw in about half a cup of chocolate chips at the end, and they added a little extra something. I can taste the teeniest hint of beet but I’m guessing that’s because I used large beets (and really it’s only if I’m looking for it; otherwise I’d never know). Next time I’ll try using smaller, fresher beets. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Nice! Yeah, chocolate chips have to be awesome in these. So glad you enjoyed it, Eiko! Thanks for sharing.
Lin says
Hi Dana
Really love your recipes they’re awesome!
Would it be possible to turn these cupcakes into red velvet cupcakes if I used just 1 Tbsp chocolate powder?
And do I have to substitute something else for the rest of the chocolate powder in the original recipe?
Red Velvet is based with cocoa powder and I believe relies on food coloring for the red hue. If you’re looking for more of a beet-red color, check out my vegan lava cakes!
Anne says
I tried this recipe this past weekend and they were amazing – SO decadently fudgy!! I used applesauce as I didn’t have any beets to hand but would love to try it again with beets!
So great! Thanks for sharing, Anne!
Jilla says
Ok the *only* thing I think is missing from this recipe page is the yield amount, unless I missed it somewhere! Do you have an idea of how many cupcakes this recipe makes? Secondly, have you done this recipe using coconut and/or tapioca flour? I don’t own all-purpose flour and generally use those alternative flours for baking, but I’m not sure how much of each to use.
Thanks!
I believe it the Yield it said 10 cupcakes. I haven’t tried it with any other flours so I’m no help there. But, feel free to experiment and let me know if you do!
Abbey says
Did you ever try these with coconut flour?
Brenda says
Our 4 year-old and I made these this afternoon instead of going to the mall…AMAZING results. Excited to eat one later on…
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Brenda!
Karen says
thank you for this! First time using beet in a cake recipe. I totally forgot to add the coconut oil, which I had set aside to liquify and they still turned out great, without any fat added! I cut them in half and spread a little sugar-free raspberry jam on them. So delicious! Thanks again :)
Mycale E says
Yes! These were exactly as described fudgy, moist, and rich without a hint of beet. These are the perfect chocolate cupcakes and they passed the taste test at work. They couldn’t detect the beets and even said they taste just like boxed devil’s food cake. The second test will come tonight when I take them to a March Madness party!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed these, Mycale :D
jana says
Hi. What arte the ingredients in grams please. I am from UK> And I dont know the cup measurements.
Thaaaaank you. Jana x
Jana, I’d suggest using an online conversion tool such as this one!
Stacie says
You have a recipe for all the lonely items in my fridge! I had two lovely, organic beets sitting in there with a forgotten purpose. Why not turn them into a fudgy dessert! Yay! I destroyed my kitchen when a malfunction (actually, user error) caused beet juice to spray everywhere! Ha! Oh well, I didn’t care so much once the yummy treats were done. Kids are excited about taking them for snack today at day care! I feel like a super mom because my kids are eating beets!!!! Thanks!
ha! A beet malfunction is the worst! Glad the mess was worth the effort, Stacie. Cheers!
Pia says
Dana – Can I use regular whole milk? Thanks. Pia
Vidya says
Amazing recipe! I just made it tonight and it was simply amazing! I cannot believe how soft it turned out :) and it was the right amount of sweetness (without any chocolate powder or sugar on top). I stuck the beetroot in the pressure cooker instead of the oven. Also, I used cows milk instead of almond/soy milk. Everything else was the same. Excellent recipe! I’m about to send this off to my long distance love for Valentine’s Day :) <3 Hope he loves it too!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed these, Vidya! Happy V-Day!
meenaL says
Lovely n health cupcakes.was wondering if I can use cows milk instead of almond milk.hope I would get the same results.your advice is appreciated. Thanks.
yes, that would work fine!
Caroline says
Dana, these look amazing! I am making cupcakes for a birthday today, and the guest of honor is not a fan of veggies—I wonder if anyone will notice? ;)
Kaitlin says
I came across this recipe out of desperation. I love beets. My husband, however, cannot stand them. My CSA box has been loaded for the past few weeks with them, so I’ve been desperately trying to find something that would get my husband to eat beets. And WOW. These are INCREDIBLE. So chocolatey and super moist. My husband devoured these and requested I make more. I gave the recipe to my parents who had a guest coming into town. My parents loved them and the guest asked for the recipe as well. I currently have beets roasting in my oven so I can make another batch today. Thank you!!!
Anna says
I’m so excited to try this. How long would you bake mini cupcakes?
Probably half the time? Check them every few minutes after the halfway mark for doneness. Hope that helps!
Tessa@tessaDomesticDiva says
I have always loved the color of beets…..so vibrant and beautiful! It is one of of the very few foods I have ever been able to enjoy, although I keep trying!
I tried again today with these….and while they turned out with a perfect crumb and texture, I could still taste the ‘dirty’ beet taste. maybe not all beets are created equal…kind of like some carrots taste dirty instead of sweet too.
I made mine gluten free….1/3 toasted quinoa flour, 1/3 sprouted brown rice flour, and a touch of sweet rice flour and 1/2 teaspoon guar gum.
I also used palm sugar instead of cane sugar. I will try this again with pumpkin or sweet potato purée instead!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Tessa. I didn’t detect the beets, but I some beets may be “dirtier” than others. An easy alternative would be subbing butternut squash or applesauce next time!
Alysha says
Hey! Recipe looks amazing. Just wondering if stevia or coconut sugar can be used as a replacement for sugar??
Alysha, I’m not sure on this but if I had to guess I’d say stevia could be subbed, just use less since it’s naturally sweeter. Coconut sugar should be a 1:1 trade. Hope that helps!
j-ro says
just made these last night and they have blown my and my fiance’s mind! So moist and delicious. I used quinoa flour and they turned out fantastic. I had to bake them for a lot longer though (almost 40 minutes) Thank you!
Whoop! Love to hear it.
Natasha says
Did u use the same amount of quinoa flour as this recipe calls for? Just wondering as i would love to bake these but want to make it gluten free. Was contemplating coconut flour as a substitute too. Any thoughts?
Jen says
Just made these at 3AM for my son’s classroom snack. Oh. My. Heavenly Goodness. Both raw and baked, this recipe has outdone itself. THANK YOU!
Theresa @ Two Much Fun says
These were absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for helping me to feed my little 3 1/2 year olds a yummy and healthy snack. We didn’t have any vanilla almond milk, so we used the dark chocolate almond milk and threw in 1/3 cup of melted dark chocolate chips in with the wet ingredients. The result, glossy dark cupcakes that were gobbled up in two days!
Jennifer says
I know I am a little late to the beet cupcake party, but thanks for posting this! These were so easy and delicious and even my husband who hates beets enjoyed them. So glad I discovered your site!
Love to hear it, Jennifer! So glad you both enjoyed them. I love sneaking veggies in wherever I can ;D
Monica Joy says
Thank you for posting this. I have made a vegan chocolate beet cake from Vegan Table, but wanted to make cupcakes instead. The verdict is in: Moist and delicious.
Thank you.
Also, I love everything about your site. It figures you live in Portland where all things are wonderful.
haha, thanks! We actually don’t live in Portland anymore, but it’s still one of our loves :D
Daniella says
Hi!
Had a go at the beet cupcakes, and mine came out REALLY dry and starchy. Not moist at all. I only baked them for exactly 22 min.
Any suggestions?
Thanks! :)
Monica Joy says
I made them last night and I only baked them for 22. They came out perfect! Not sure what went wrong for you. I used almond milk I made, and canola oil. I also used white flour versus pastry flour.
Monica
Jolene says
I’ll admit I was skeptical. Even reading the reviews, I thought “yeah right, there’s no way it’s that good”. But WOW. I’d never know that it was healthy OR vegan. I think it’s better than the original cupcake recipes… the ones with full fat, etc. I added a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top for a bit more sweetness which was the perfect accent to them. (I don’t know if powdered sugar is considered vegan- but I don’t know why it wouldn’t be).
I’m pretty picky about my sweets- so if you’ve won me over, then you’re more awesome than words can describe.
I would officially love you forever. But- I think I’ll just subscribe to your page instead! haha
Ksenia says
Do you think I could make the following replacements?
– agave for the sugar
– almond flour for the regular
-carob powder for chocolate
Abbey says
Did those substitutions end up working for you? I’m thinking of subbing coconut sugar for the sugar but I’d like to know how the almond flour went! Did it hold together? Thanks!
natalie says
Omg these were delicious! honestly one of the best cupcakes ive eaten let alone baked.. i ended up using less coconut oil because i ran out halfway through making these so added a tiny bit more beet puree and used some cream cheese butter icing on top afterwards that i had sitting in the fridge from my last baking endevour.. my husband and i are going to make short work of this batch. The beet i used was so huge! I have enough beet puree in my freezer for 3 more batches of cupcakes… all from just 1 beet! It was bought from an organic produce market here in new zealand.. so good! Thanks so much for this recipe
Elle says
They soUnd soo good.did anyone baked them with gluten free floure? Would appreciate your help before I start experimenting with baing beets. THANK YOu
Elle, I haven’t tried these with gluten free flour but I do think it’d work! I have a blend I use that I’d recommend trying. No guarantees, but if you try it let me know how it turns out!
Elle says
Hi Dana, thanks for your quick reply. I made them with cow’s milk and a mixture of barley and bought gluten free flour. They did not rise as much as yours in the picture, but were absolutely delicious. My friend and her 92 year old mum loved them and asked for a recipe!
Sara says
If you’re using gluten free flour because you need to be gluten free, you shouldn’t use barley! Major gluten! If it’s for another reason, then it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t not say something though :)
On that note, I will be making this gluten free (hopefully this week) so I’ll let you know how it goes!
Rachel says
How did it go? I’m planning on using a gluten free all-purpose flour, but want to make sure it’ll work! :)
Nikki says
I made these this weekend and while making it, I realized you never mentioned the rest of the 2 medium beets. They turned out great, but I only utilized the 1/2 cup and had a lot of “waste.” Was that the way you intended? Since it said to set aside the 1/2 cup, I assumed I would have needed the rest. Thanks for the clarification.
Good question, Nikki! Yes, since beets vary so greatly in size and they can be difficult to puree if there isn’t enough “bulk” in the food processor, I included 2 beets in the recipe. I did have leftover puree and used it to make Beet Hummus. Hope that helps!
Sefora says
Oh…my…goodness….THESE ARE AMAZING!!! I would never have guessed that these are vegan or have beets in them!!! I’m not a baker and these came out perfectly according to the recipe…I just had to come back and reply b/c they’re so awesome!
To make my life easier I used “steamed and peeled ready to eat baby beets” from Trader Joe’s that are vacuum sealed.
Cari says
I haven’t made them yet, but wonder how a touch of cayenne pepper would be in there? I LOVE spicy chocolate cupcakes!
Julie says
Yummy!!! I substituted Coconut Milk due to a nut allergy and 1/2 c. Buckwheat for part of the flour to add just a touch of protein and they are FABULOUS!! These are so yummy as Mini-Cupcakes since they are moist little bites.
Lauren says
LOVE them. This recipe is def my new go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. They were moist and delicious and vegan and had hidden veggies! What else could you ask for? I ended up using canned beets (that’s all I had on hand) and just skipped adding any additional salt. I can’t wait to try them with fresh, roasted ones!
Amy says
Is there a way to make these into brownies or bread instead of cupcakes? For example, could I put them in bread pan and that would be sufficient? I’m assuming I’d have to adjust the cook time and temp, any suggestions?
CC says
I just made these but they just came out crummy, no batter like consistency : ( What went wrong? They taste delicious just unable to bake, hmmmm
Patricia says
Yummy, yummy! These look so good & sound so interesting. Thanks for sharing! Great photos :)
Tieghan says
These look insanely delicious!
Trang says
Made a batch… These are just fabulous! Thanks for sharing !!!
Maluki says
Thank you for this recipe! I searched for vegan beet recipes never expecting to find this gem. I appreciate you posting alternatives ingredients because I was able to use the better options (coconut oil, turbinado sugar etc.). I will say this to people who plan to make these, I did not like the flavor of the sprinkled cocoa powder, although it looks pretty, it made the beet dirt-like flavor rather prominent. Other than that, VERY good!
Megan says
Hello again!
I left a comment a couple weeks ago about how delicious these cupcakes are!
I was wondering if you think it might work to make them into a cake?
I’m thinking layers of sliced strawberries and whipped coconut cream frosting…
375 degrees for 35-40 mins in cake pans?
I’d love your advice!
Thanks again
Megan, I think this would work fine. The batter seems pretty versatile and would likely work well in cane pans. Just keep an eye on it around the 25-30 minute mark and be careful not to overbake. Hope that helps!
teri says
just wondering how this worked out for you?
did it fully bake without burning the top at that temperature??? :)
they look incredible!
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
Hello Megan,
Did that work out for you? I want to make a beetroot chocolate cake and I was looking for a foolproof recipe so I don’t have to go through too many trials to get it right.
Thanks xoxo
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says
Perfect recipe, I’ve been wanting to make beet cupcakes for a while and I love that these are fudgy – what is better than a fudgy yet HEALTHY cupcake? Nothing. Yum. Pinned.
Megan says
I just made these today and they are divine!
I added chocolate and carob chips hehe…
I’m usually not a cupcake person (I need dense, fudgy brownies to quell my cravings…) but I couldn’t resist the chocolate beet combination.
Thanks a bunch :)
Suzanne @RollWithIt says
WOW – these look delicious! Can’t wait to try them in a GF version.
Bridge says
mmm!! I love beets in desserts, especially with chocolate. These look lovely and supa moist.
sarah says
I love beets! I was just scheming up a beet muffin recipe, maybe I’ll just make these instead. They look so good!
Jasmine says
Dumb question but I’m dying to make these and don’t have beets!! Can we substitute the beets for something else?
I bet any root veggie or fruit puree would work in place of the beets, such as banana, pumpkin or sweet potato?
DessertForTwo says
I’m intrigued. Gotta make these :)
Cupcake Ideas says
Omg im drooling, look at those textures !
Jess says
It’s meant to be! I just roasted a bunch of beets over the weekend – can’t wait to try these!
Brittani says
Just made these, and they are SO worth not watching some super bowl! They are a perfect mix between fudgy and airy. I used the leftover beet puree to make a pretty pink glaze, and they couldn’t have turned out more pretty!
Adrienne Mearn says
How did you make the beet glaze? My 11 month old daughter has a ton of allergies and I’m going to make these for her bday (using quinoa flour instead). I’d love to have a frosting on top.
Sarah says
Beets in a chocolate cake is absolutely my favourite vegetable-cake combo. Followed closely by the cream cheese frosting off a carrot cake.
mandi says
Oooh…beets are my favorite. also, chocolate. Therefore, you are amazing and I cannot wait to see how they marry. Yumm…..
Kerrie C says
This look wonderful! I’ll definitely be making them for my hubby’s and my Valentine treat! One question: do I peel the beats before I roast them? I’ve juiced a beet with the skin on before and it tasted like dirt. Wanted to make sure I didn’t make “dirty” tasting cupcakes. Thanks! :)
Mariam says
These look soo good! I actually made chocolate zucchini muffins today :) I’ve never worked with beets before but I will very soon. In these babies!
Katie says
I LOVE beets. And cake. A match made in heaven.
Kiran S says
LOVE! I’m definitely going to give these delectable treats a try. Thank you!!
Taylor says
Valentine’s day treat for myself? I think yes. :)
emily says
I cannot wait to to these!! :) this would be a great valentines day treat <3
Ashley says
Pretty!! And yummy! I have red velvet beet donuts in the book! Might share them for vday on the blog. :)
Taylor says
Ooh please do, Ashley!
Um, yes. You should definitely do that. Definitely.
Kate says
I hope this question isn’t taboo but what are both of your thoughts on using canned beets instead of fresh ones? I’d love to try this recipe and have a few cans of beets to spare.
Kate, I’ve never used canned beets but I doubt there’s a HUGE difference in terms of flavor and texture. Give it a try and see how it works. Hope that helps!
Linda Thorne says
I used canned beets and it worked perfectly. I have made them both ways, roasted them the first time, no appreciable difference. These rock!
Linda says
I just made these with canned beetroot and I can’t imagine they’d be any more perfect with fresh ones! Straight out of the oven and I ate the first one to test it – the other two because I couldn’t stop :/ Soooooo good.
Vicki says
Thanks, Linda, this is great to know and will quicken the recipe up a bit. Appreciate you trying it and mentioning it.
witty says
I’d like to make these this weekend. I have canned beets. How much is the correct measurement? 1 cup? more? thank you!
Andrea says
With one can of whole beets drain and put in the blender, I ended up a little short of 1 cup of puree. If doubling or more you may want to buy 2 cans.
Vanessa Taylor says
What measurement of canned beets did you use?
Candace says
I would purée the canned beets and measure out 1/2 cup. ?
Vicki says
How did the canned beets work out, Kate?
Mimi says
Your pictures are SO PERFECT!
Caitlin says
wow! they look so fudgyyyyy!