My Red Velvet Cupcakes are carefully crafted to be moist and fluffy, yet sturdy. Pair them with ermine frosting or use your favorite frosting. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The BEST Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red velvet cupcakes are a cute and portable dessert that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or Christmas. They are so festive and instantly recognizable, not to mention totally irresistible. My recipe is incredibly easy to make (no mixer needed!) and is carefully designed to yield fluffy, sturdy results every single time.
I chose to frost my cupcakes with ermine frosting, which is the classic pairing for red velvet cake. It’s a cooked frosting that is easy to make and great for people who don’t like super sweet frostings. If this isn’t your thing–don’t worry! I’m including a few other options that pair nicely below.
Before we get into the recipe though, let’s go over why I’m sharing a separate red velvet cupcake recipe when I already have a red velvet cake recipe!
Red Velvet Cake vs. Cupcakes
While I know it may be tempting to just pour my red velvet cake batter into cupcake tins and bake away, this unfortunately won’t turn out very well. Sure, the cupcakes will be tasty, but they will also be flat (great for cake, not for cupcakes), a bit too delicate and moist for paper liners, and will fall apart so much (in a soft, velvety way) they will need to be eaten with a fork.
A fork kind of defeats the purpose of a cupcake, doesn’t it?
With hopes of a perfectly domed, fluffy, and flavorful cupcake in mind, I made a few tweaks to my cake recipe to make the perfect red velvet cupcakes. Each recipe has been designed for a specific purpose (this is the same reason I have separate recipes for carrot cake and carrot cake cupcakes!).
If you enjoy the science-y part of baking, keep reading. Otherwise, skip to the next section!
Changes made to develop this cupcake recipe:
- More granulated sugar, less brown sugar, and no additional egg yolk. This prevents the cupcakes from being so tender and rich that they cling to their liners. It also lightens up the crumb, which helps the tops dome nicely.
- More flour, which contributes to the cupcakes’ sturdiness.
- Slightly more cocoa powder (you can decrease the amount to 1 ½ Tablespoons if you want the exact same chocolate flavor).
- Whole milk and vinegar instead of buttermilk, which I found it works best here and got the highest ratings from my taste testers.
- Half the batter, so you get an even dozen cupcakes. You can always double or even triple the recipe though!
What You Need
Now you understand why I say these red velvet cupcakes are carefully crafted! So, if you want yours to turn out like the pictures, it is critical that you don’t make any substitutions, particularly with these ingredients:
- Flour. Use all-purpose flour and make sure to measure your flour properly. Do not use cake flour.
- Cocoa powder. Use natural cocoa powder and do NOT substitute Dutch process cocoa. You can read more about the differences between the two in my Dutch process vs. natural cocoa powder post.
- Baking soda. Similar to the cocoa powder, do NOT substitute baking powder here. There is a critical difference between the two, and substituting baking powder for baking soda will negatively affect your cupcakes.
- Food coloring. You could absolutely leave out the food coloring, just note that the cupcakes will, of course, not look red (they’ll be a ruddy brown, instead). For a true red velvet color, I recommend using gel food coloring; you don’t need much, and it produces a vibrant color. Liquid food coloring will work too; you will need 1 oz. Some people have successfully made this recipe using beet powder for coloring, but I have never tried it.
SAM’S TIP: With many cake recipes you have to worry about over-mixing the batter, but it’s actually easier to under-mix this one. Over-mixing is still possible here, but because we’re using a modified version of the reverse creaming method, it’s much less likely to happen. Make sure you combine your ingredients very well and have a smooth batter before you divide it into your cupcake liners.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Create a milk mixture – Combine the milk, vinegar, and food coloring in a large measuring cup.
- Combine the dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the fats – Add the melted butter and oil and stir until incorporated.
- Add some flavor – Stir in the egg and vanilla until combined.
- Add the milk – Gradually add the milk mixture to the batter and stir until totally smooth.
- Bake – Portion the batter into a lined cupcake tin, filling each ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 17 minutes in a 350F oven.
- Cool completely – Let the cupcakes cool in their pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
- Add frosting and enjoy! Frost your completely cooled cupcakes as desired.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t over-fill your cupcake liners or they may overflow and cave in on themselves (similar to my chocolate cupcakes). If you have excess batter, bake it separately or discard it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just as with the cake version, red velvet cupcakes have a subtle chocolate flavor, slight buttery undertones, and a very faint acidic tang that lingers. The cupcakes have a plush texture, but the crumb itself isn’t significantly different from many other cupcakes you might have tried.
While ermine frosting is the classic choice, cream cheese frosting, swiss meringue buttercream, buttercream frosting, white chocolate buttercream, or german buttercream would all work nicely too!
Store these cupcakes in an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week (keep in mind the refrigerator has a tendency to dry out cupcakes!). You can also freeze your cupcakes for several months.
If you like red velvet, give my red velvet cookies a try!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Red Velvet Cupcakes (Soft, Sturdy, Domed Cupcakes!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (177 ml) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon red gel food coloring (I use Americolor "red red" or "super red"
- 1 ¼ cups (155 g) all-purpose flour I don't recommend substituting cake flour or any other flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 Tablespoons (12 g) natural cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral cooking oil I use avocado oil, but canola or vegetable oil would also work
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 batch Ermine frosting (click the link for the recipe, or scroll down to the notes section for some other frosting recommendations)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12 count cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Combine milk, vinegar, and food coloring in a large measuring cup, stir together and set aside.¾ cup (177 ml) whole milk, 2 teaspoons white vinegar, ¾ teaspoon red gel food coloring (I use Americolor "red red" or "super red"
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well-combined.1 ¼ cups (155 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons (12 g) natural cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add melted butter and oil and stir well, until ingredients are well-combined (the mixture will be thick).4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral cooking oil
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir until combined.1 large egg, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Gradually add the milk mixture and stir until all ingredients are combined and batter is smooth.
- Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ of the way full with batter, (do not overfill or cupcakes will collapse, if you have leftover batter discard it or bake separately). Transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not wet batter). Allow to cool for 10 minutes in cupcake pan then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.1 batch Ermine frosting
Notes
Other Frosting Recommendations:
Ermine frosting is the traditional, old-fashioned frosting used with red velvet cake/cupcakes, but here are a few other favorites:- Cream cheese frosting (this has recently become a popular choice to pair with red velvet cake)
- Chocolate cream cheese frosting
- Swiss meringue buttercream
- American buttercream
- See my full frosting library
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Nana
This is the best red velvet cupcake recipe! So moist; bales with high peaks;, flavorful, not too sweet. The best!
Nicole
The absolute best red velvet cake and super easy to make. Very moist with a perfect crumb. How would you recommend making this with 6” pans?
Sam
Hi Nicole! I would recommend using my red velvet cake and splitting it into 3 6 inch pans. I’m not sure on the bake time though. Make sure to keep an eye on them. 🙂
Trina O.
I’ve made this before and they’re so delicious and moist!! would there be a difference if I use 2% instead of whole milk?
Sam
Hi Trina! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them so much! You could lose a little bit of that moisture when using a lower fat milk, but they should still be good. 🙂
Angela
I accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda but they still rose beautifully in the oven. Why didn’t it make a difference?
Sam
Hi Angela! I’m sure it did make a difference in the overall taste/texture, glad you were still able to enjoy them though! 🙂
Angela
Thank you for the recipe Sam; they are absolutely delicious; so velvety.
Linda
These cupcakes are so moist and delicious. My family asks for it or the cake for every specila occasion.
Maria M
Will this recipe work for mini cupcakes? How long shall I put them in the oven?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Maria! We haven’t tried it, but we think it will work. They should take between 9-12 minutes 😊
Kiyo
Aloha Sam!
I just made your cupcakes and they turned out excellent! I used liquid food coloring because I didn’t have gel coloring. The color, texture, and taste are just perfect. I was looking for a festive but easy to make (with my grandkids) dessert for Christmas Eve. The only change I made was to use lactose free vegan butter (necessity for me) and liquid food coloring. As we all know how much ovens can vary in temperature, mine were done in 24 minutes. Perfection!
Mahalo!
Kiyo
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Kiyo! 🙂
Emily
Can I use this recipe to make a cake? I know you have a separate cake recipe but I like having 1 recipe I can use for both cupcakes and layer cakes.
Sam
Hi Emily! This will work as a cake but the results aren’t quite as good as my red velvet cake.
Jeno
I made these gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill baking flour. no one noticed they were gluten free. I couldn’t find red gel, so I used McCormacks food color. the cake was light, airy and hints of cocoa and vanilla. I made the ermine frosting and it was amazing! it was super simple just followed the recipe.
Sam
Thank you for the feedback, Jeno! I’m glad everyone enjoyed them! 🙂
Sarah
Good evening! I’m making a large amount of mini cupcakes and will be putting them in sealed clamshells. Would these freeze well that way without frosting, until I thawed them to decorate? Sorry for such a long post. I really appreciate your help. Love your recipes .
Sam
Hi Sarah! As long as they have cooled completely and stored in an air tight container you shouldn’t have any issues freezing these. 🙂
Dj
These cupcakes are so good . Nice and soft. The color didn’t turn out correct for me . It looked more like chocolate than red :). May be it’s because I used liquid food color. This recipe is definitely a keeper 😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Gel is definitely more potent, so that makes sense! We’re so happy you still enjoyed them 😊
Lee johnson
Hi, sam- I wanted to ask if I could use powdered red food colouring? And also I have the Jane Asher cocoa powder, does that work for these cupcakes? Thanks for the recipe!
Sam
Hi Lee! I think the powdered food coloring could potentially work, but I’m not sure how vibrant of a color you will get from it. I’m not familiar with that particular cocoa powder so I don’t know how it works. If it’s just a brand name natural cocoa powder it will work just fine. If it’s not a natural cocoa powder I would be hesitant to use it here.
Deatra H.
Flavorful and very moist even after being refrigerated several days! Customers described as “melt-in-your- mouth velvety”! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy they are a hit, Deatra! ❤️
Jennifer Conley
Hi Sam – can you use buttermilk instead of the milk and vinegar?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jennifer! We essentially make our own buttermilk here by using milk and vinegar. We liked this combination best, but if you’d like to use buttermilk, you can just leave the vinegar out 😊
Jennifer Conley
Thanks! Making your banana bread (again) so I have the buttermilk on hand. 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yummy! Enjoy ☺️
Laura Crocenzi
Hi! Do you have a favorite brand of natural cocoa powder? I rarely use it (always use Dutch-processed) so will need to purchase some. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Laura! I usually use Hershey’s or Ghirardelli. I hope that helps! 🙂
Brittany
everytime I make these,they fall in the middle, no matter how much I fill them. I’m not filling the cups anymore than half full. I’m not understand what I’m doing wrong, I fall the instructions the exact way it’s written. my other recipes turn out just fine so I know it’s not my leavening agents. it tastes good but never look nice
Sam
Hi Brittany! Are you at a higher altitude? Are they fully baked?
Timly
Hi, thanks for sharing recipe. Can I use liquid food colour and how much should I use?
Sam
Hi Timly, yes, you will need about 1 oz.