These delicious vegan Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes are light, bright and so flavorful! They are fluffy, moist and topped with a simple, sweet vegan cream cheese icing. This dessert is perfect for anytime, but especially for spring celebrations!
These vegan Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes have a lovely lemony flavor and that perfect tender crumb! This will be the dessert recipe that you want to make all season long! The texture and flavor are absolutely incredible and these vegan cupcakes can even be made gluten free. They are easy to make from scratch and all you need is one bowl and just 30 minutes! Serve these for birthdays, Easter celebrations, or any other special occasion.
Ingredients needed
For this lemon blueberry cupcakes recipe, you will need simple baking staples and sweet, juicy blueberries! Here's the lineup:
- Plant-Based Milk: To make vegan cupcakes, use your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk. We typically use almond milk or oat milk. You can also use dairy-based milk, if you prefer.
- Vegan Butter: Melted butter is used in this cupcake recipe to add richness and make these super moist. Use melted vegan butter to keep these dairy free and vegan friendly.
- Sugar: You can use cane sugar or coconut sugar for the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Lemon Juice: For bright lemon flavor, this recipe uses ½ cup of lemon juice and for even more lemon flavor, you can add in 1 teaspoon lemon extract.
- Vanilla: For added sweet flavor.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Baking powder and baking soda help lift the batter and create light and fluffy cupcakes.
- Flour: You can use regular all purpose flour here. If you'd like to make gluten-free cupcakes, we recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour.
- Wild Blueberries: For a juicy burst of freshness in every bite.
- Vegan Cream Cheese Icing: For a little added flavor and sweetness, we're mixing together powdered sugar, vegan cream cheese and vegan softened butter!
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Step 2: Mix the almond milk, melted vegan butter, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together. Then, add the baking powder and baking soda. Add the lemon extract if using; stir. The mixture will begin to fizz.
Step 3: Quickly mix in the regular or gluten free all-purpose flour until a smooth batter forms. Fold in the berries.
Step 4: Fill about 16 lined cupcake molds ⅔ full with the batter and bake for about 25 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking, use an electric hand mixer to mix the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and softened vegan butter to make the icing.
Step 5: Once baked, allow the cupcakes to cool and drizzle the icing over top.
Expert tips
- We recommend freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. Lemon concentrate can be overly potent and may give these too much of a sour taste.
- Too much flour can cause baked goods to be too dry and crumbly. To measure the flour, it's best to first whisk the flour, then spoon it into a measuring cup and level off the top, without shaking the flour down into the cup.
- Do NOT over-mix batter. Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients and stir just until everything is moistened. Over-mixing the batter can produce tough cupcakes.
Frequently asked questions
To make fluffy, moist cupcakes, you want to create air bubbles in the batter that expand while they bake. For this to happen, it's important not to over-mix the batter because that will deflate the bubbles and make for tough cupcakes.
You can use fresh or frozen wild blueberries for this recipe. If using frozen blueberries, there's no need to thaw, you can add them to the batter frozen.
Toss the berries with about a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter. Then, subtract that tablespoon when mixing the flour into the batter.
Make ahead & storage tips
- Storing leftovers: Place leftover iced cupcakes in an airtight container. They will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to about 3 days.
- To freeze: Store these in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To prevent freezer burn, we recommend wrapping the cupcakes in plastic wrap. The icing can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost both in the fridge before bringing to room temperature and serving.
- To make ahead: Unassembled cupcakes and icing may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. We do not recommend making the batter ahead of time because the cupcakes won’t rise properly.
More vegan cupcake recipes
- Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
Lemon Blueberry Donuts
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Donuts
- 1 cup unsweetened almond or oat milk
- ¼ cup melted vegan butter
- 1 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
- 2 ¼ cups regular or gluten free all purpose flour If gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Please don't substitute any other flour such as almond flour, baking flour, etc.
- 1 cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries
Cream Cheese Icing
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 oz vegan cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon softened vegan butter
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Mix the almond milk, melted vegan butter, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together. Then, add the baking powder and baking soda. Add the lemon extract if using; stir. The mixture will begin to fizz. Quickly mix in the regular or gluten free all-purpose flour until a smooth batter forms. Fold in the berries.
- Fill about 16 greased donut molds ⅔ full with the batter and bake for about 20 minutes. While the donuts are baking, use an electric hand mixer to mix the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, and softened vegan butter to make the icing.
- Once baked, allow the donuts to cool and drizzle the icing over top.
Notes
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- Storing leftovers: Place leftover iced donuts in an airtight container. They will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to about 3 days.
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- To freeze: Store these donuts in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To prevent freezer burn, we recommend wrapping the cupcakes in plastic wrap. The icing can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost both in the fridge before bringing to room temperature and serving.
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- To make ahead: Unassembled donuts and icing may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. We do not recommend making the batter ahead of time because the cupcakes won’t rise properly.
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
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