Oil-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes are rich and chocolatey with a light, fluffy texture. These gluten-free, vegan, and oil-free cupcakes are quick and easy to make. Whip up some plant-based frosting to go on top!
Classic chocolate cupcakes made from whole food plant-based ingredients. These cupcakes are completely vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free. They're filled with whole foods but they taste like a real cupcake!
This recipe is a chocolate version of a pineapple cake I made recently. And let me tell you, I think the recipe is incredible! There is nothing crazy going on. And no weird ingredients. Just whole foods you can buy at any grocery store.
Seriously a win!
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Also a win: this recipe is so easy to make in just two bowls. Plus you can make the cupcakes with just a whisk, no hand mixer required.
Speaking of equipment, while not necessary for this recipe, I highly recommend investing in cookie scoops! They make portioning cookies, muffins, and cupcakes so much easier!
I used cookie scoops all the time when I worked at a vegan bakery and I've never gone back.
Why I love these Oil-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dietary needs - these cupcakes are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and refined sugar free. That's right! No vegan butter, no white flour, no sugar, AND made with whole foods.
- Normal ingredients - I've been known to put some funky ingredients in my baking (hello sweet potato brownies & chickpea red velvet cake) but this recipe has nothing weird. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry.
- Light & soft - these cupcakes have a beautiful light texture
- Easy to make - no equipment necessary!
- Very sweet - it's not as sweet as cupcakes you might get from a bakery or make from a box, but for a plant-based recipe, it's pretty sweet. Great for serving friends or family who aren't used to eating less sugar
Ingredient Notes
- Flax Egg: a mixture of ground flaxseed and water. A flax egg acts like a regular egg and helps to bind the batter together
- Oat Flour: sometimes I recommend using homemade oat flour in my baked good recipes. I don't recommend it for this recipe though - for a classic cupcake texture, opt for store bought. That said, homemade oat flour will still work, the cupcakes will just have a coarser texture
- Almond Flour: Almond flour is my go-to flour to balance oat flour. Almonds have more fat, which means that they help lighten up the cupcake, making it less dense. AND they add flavor!
- Cocoa Powder: use unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda
- Salt
- Maple Syrup: my go-to sweetener. In a previous version of this recipe I used date syrup, but I now recommend using maple syrup for the best texture. If you want a completely fruit-sweetened muffin, this recipe does work with date syrup and you can sub in a 1:1 ratio
- Nut Butter: Instead of using oil, we'll use nut butter as the fat source. Use a neutral-tasting nut butter like cashew butter or almond butter
- Unsweetened Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce gives these cupcakes the perfect light and fluffy texture. Without it, the cupcakes will be too dense. If you don't like applesauce, don't worry - you can't taste it
- Apple Cider Vinegar: in combination with baking soda, ACV helps the cupcakes to rise properly, so don't skip this!
- Vanilla: even though these are chocolate cupcakes, vanilla helps create a deeper flavor
How to make Oil-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
Step 2. Make a flax egg: combine the 2 tablespoons of ground flax with 6 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
Step 3. In a medium bowl, mix the oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 4. In a separate, large bowl, whisk the flax egg, maple syrup, nut butter, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
Step 5. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet.
Step 6. Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin. Fill each cup ¾ of the way full. Gently shake the pan for 30 seconds to help the batter settle.
Step 7. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Step 8. If desired, frost with my oil-free vegan chocolate frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oil is a processed food. To make olive oil, you take whole olives and press and press and press them until nothing is left except oil.
It takes a lot of processing to turn an olive into oil. And when you process the olives, you take out almost all of their nutrient content - like fiber - and the result is a high-fat, low-nutrient substance.
Plus, oil (even olive oil) has been shown to have the same detrimental affects to our arteries as fast foods. Read this article for more information.
First, let me just say: these cupcakes are incredible without frosting. They do not need frosting to taste good!
But if you want to frost your cupcakes I recommend my oil-free vegan chocolate frosting.
For a vanilla frosting head over to my maple pecan cupcakes and use the frosting recipe from that post
Unfrosted cupcakes: store at room temperature in an air-tight container. The cupcakes will last for 5-7 days.
Frosted cupcakes: because my chocolate frosting uses sweet potato, it needs to be stored in the fridge. Store any frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator. They will last for a week
Yes, you can turn recipe into a cake. The batter will translate to a 9-inch springform or cake pan.
Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper (since you won't be using cupcake liners). If you make the recipe as a cake, it will need to bake longer in the oven, around 50 minutes. Watch it carefully, and check with a toothpick to make sure it's done in the middle.
Yep! Use a mini cupcake pan and liners. And bake for 12-15 minutes. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for healthy obsessions. Let us use a love of food to share our lives with other people. Amen.
Related Recipes
Tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Oil-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed + 6 Tablespoons Water
- 1 ½ Cups Oat Flour
- ½ Cup Almond Flour
- ½ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¾ Cup Maple Syrup
- ½ Cup Nut Butter
- ½ Cup + 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
- Make a flax egg: combine the 2 tablespoons of ground flax with 6 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl, whisk the flax egg, maple syrup, nut butter, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
- Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin. Fill each cup ¾ of the way full. Gently shake the pan for 30 seconds to help the batter settle.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- If desired, frost with my oil-free vegan chocolate frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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