Who says you need a special occasion to enjoy funfetti cupcakes?! These vegan vanilla cupcakes are perfectly sweet, moist, spongey and made in one bowl! Plus, this vegan buttercream frosting will make your head spin it is so good. Happy baking!

Vegan funfetti cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles on the side.

I don’t think I could possibly love a cupcake any more than these. These were originally going to be just plain vegan vanilla cupcakes (which would still be great tbh), but I just thought we could all use a little more joy in our lives right now so I decided to throw sprinkles all over them!

Funfetti cupcakes (and honestly cupcakes in general) are usually a dessert reserved for special occasions, but I’m here to tell you it’s ok (and even encouraged) to eat these at 11 am on a Tuesday. Or any day at any time. Because these are SO good.

They’re moist, fluffy, spongey, filled with rainbow sprinkles and smothered with an undetectably dairy free buttercream.

These cupcakes aren’t gluten free, so let me just make a really long story short to explain! I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease this year and had to undergo a “gluten challenge” to ensure accurate test results. Basically, I had to eat a lot of gluten.

While doing so, I developed this vegan cupcake recipe and they were way too good not to share, so here we are with a non-gluten free recipe! It’ll be the only one of its kind on the blog, but they were too good to keep to myself. Even though I can literally never eat them again, ugh.

Up close image of the cupcakes with the wrapper pulled off.

How to make this recipe

This recipe comes together very easily and all in one bowl! The first step is to whisk together the oil, milk, sugar, vanilla and vinegar in a large mixing bowl.

Add in the all purpose flour (spoon and level to measure), cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the baking powder/soda on top of the flour, then gently mix into the flour to evenly distribute.

This keeps this a one bowl recipe, but ensures the leavening agents are properly spread throughout the batter so the cupcakes rise evenly!

Whisk together until smooth, but don’t worry if there are a few clumps because you don’t want to over-mix the batter. It should have a pancake batter consistency, definitely not really runny, but also not so thick that its hard to stir.

Two images showing the process of making the cupcakes.

Fold in the sprinkles carefully and just until combined because they will start to bleed into the batter if mixed too much. If they do bleed, don’t worry, it won’t change the flavor at all!

Spoon the batter into a lined cupcake tray, filling about 3/4 of the way up.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the cupcake tray for about 20 minutes, then carefully remove. I like to gently spin the cupcakes around in the tray so any stuck parts come loose, then tilt the tray on its side slightly to slide them right out. This prevents the tops from getting smushed when you pull them out.

cupcakes in the tray before and after baking

Dairy Free Buttercream

While the cupcakes are baking, we can start the buttercream.

Add softened (but not melted) butter to a bowl. If it was in the fridge, add to the microwave for about 20 seconds, but ideally let it come to room temperature on its own.

Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, then add the milk and beat again. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this.

Next, add in the sifted powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until you get 3-4 cups, beating continuously. Sifting the sugar before beating is important to prevent any clumps from forming.

It will start to get nice and fluffy but beat until no clumps remain, you don’t have to worry too much about over-mixing here. If it’s too thick, add more milk, too thin, add more sugar.

Up close image of the buttercream with an electric mixer.

The consistency can vary depending on your preference and how you’re going to frost the cupcakes. If you’re using a piping bag it can’t be too thick or too thin but if you’re just using a knife it can be a bit thinner.

Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool to frost. Patience is important here (but annoying, I know) because if the cupcakes are at all warm while you frost them, the buttercream will just melt right off and it won’t be very appetizing!

To frost the cupcakes like these photos, take a long flat spatula and add a generous dollop of buttercream to the top of the cupcakes. Carefully spread it out around the cupcake, keeping an even thickness throughout.

Clean the knife off, then take the edge and run it along the side and top of the frosting to gently smooth it out. Finally, take the back of a spoon and make a small dip in the middle of the buttercream (but not all the way through to the cake), gently pushing the excess toward the sides. Fill the dip with sprinkles of your choice!

Overhead shot of the cupcakes with sprinkles in the center.

FAQ’s

What kind of butter do you use? For the buttercream, I find that the Earth Balance brand sticks work best. I have tested it with Miyokos butter sticks, but it melts faster than the Earth Balance. Whichever brand you use, I recommend sticks and not tubs of butter.

Do they keep? Once the cupcakes are cool, store them in an air tight container so they don’t dry out. Once prepared, they should keep for about 5 days.

One cupcake cut in half lying on the side to show texture.

Why do you need cornstarch? The cornstarch is a key ingredient to help bind everything together in these vegan cupcakes since there is no egg in this recipe. The gluten from the flour does that too, but the cornstarch also yields a really soft and tender cupcake.

Does the frosting keep? This buttercream will keep in the fridge for about a week, but it will thicken since the butter will harden, so let it come to room temperature before using it again.

Vegan Vanilla Funfetti Cupcakes

How to make this recipe

Dairy Free Buttercream

FAQ’s

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