These adorable vegan Halloween cupcakes require only one recipe, with three creative ways to decorate! Create a spooky ghost, a Frankenstein inspired monster, or a bat!
Baking with my kids is one of my favorite activities during any holiday! We love making a mess in the kitchen, and creating something cute, fun, and delicious in the process.
All of the ingredients and decorations in these cupcakes are vegan! Now, most of my recipes here are refined sugar free, oil-free, and made with whole wheat flour.
I made a few exceptions for these cupcakes! It’s Halloween after all!
Not sure which Halloween candy is vegan? Check out my Essential Guide to Vegan Halloween Candy!
These cupcakes are made with a buttercream frosting using vegan butter, and a light and fluffy chocolate batter using white flour.
The result is a light and fluffy cake, with a creamy buttery frosting.
With some simple decorations you can find at any grocery store, and a little natural food coloring, you have three individual cupcake designs to WOW your friends and family!
They’ll never know these cupcakes are 100% vegan and a delicious plant-based dessert! Just watch them disappear!
Why you’ll love these Vegan Halloween Cupcakes…
- Vegan ingredients
- Allergy friendly
- One recipe, 3 ways to decorate!
- Super cute, fun, and festive!
- Perfect for Halloween celebrations
- Make with the kids for a weekend Halloween activity!
Ingredients You Need
For the chocolate cupcake batter:
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- All purpose flour
- Cacao powder
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cane sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla extract
For the vegan vanilla frosting:
- Vegan butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Non-dairy milk
Decorations:
For the Monster:
- Green food coloring
- Black sugar sprinkles
- Candy eyes (see below for how to make a vegan version)
- Dairy free chocolate chips
- Black decorating gel
For the Ghost:
For the Bat:
- Oreo sandwich cookies
- Candy eyes (see below for how to make a vegan version)
- Black decorating gel
Tools and Equipment
- Cupcake tins to bake the cupcakes.
- Cupcake liners to line the cupcake tins.
- Frosting tip and frosting bag to frost the cupcakes.
- Mixing bowls to combine the ingredients.
- Hand mixer to whip the frosting and the cake batter.
How to Make Vegan Halloween Cupcakes
Make the chocolate cupcake batter:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Combine flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together to combine.
Step 3: Combine vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add non-dairy milk. Whisk until completely combined.
Step 4: Pour the dry ingredients until the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
Step 5: Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill liners ¾ of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the vegan vanilla frosting:
Step 1: Bring vegan butter to room temperature. Do not melt vegan butter. It must be at room temperature.
Step 2: Whip butter with mixer at medium speed until creamy.
Step 3: Add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until absorbed before adding the next cup until all sugar has been added.
Step 4: Add non-dairy milk 1 tablespoon at a time, whipping as you go. Add vanilla extract. Continue to whip for an additional 30 seconds.
Decorate the Monster Cupcakes:
Step 1: Transfer â…“ of the frosting to another bowl. Add green food coloring and stir until desired color is achieved.
Step 2: Top cupcakes with green frosting. Smooth the top with a knife so that the frosting is flat on top. Add black sugar sprinkles to a shallow bowl. Dip the top of the cupcakes in the black sprinkles.
Step 3: Add two candy eyes to the front, and two chocolate chips, flat side out, to the sides. With the black gel pen draw a line with two lines crossing over to create a scar.
Decorate the Ghost Cupcakes:
Step 1: Transfer vanilla frosting to a piping bag. Pipe frosting into a swirl. Add two mini chocolate chips to the center for eyes, and one regular chocolate chip to the center for the mouth.
Decorate the Bat Cupcakes:
Step 1: Twist to separate the cookies from the cream center. Usually the cream will stick more to one side. Scrape any extra cream off the side of the cookie with the least amount of cream. Break that cookie in half. Press the two halves to the back of the cookie with the cream.
Step 2: with the black food gel make two dots for the eyes. Press the candy eyes on the black food gel. This will help them stick.
Step 3: Draw a smile under the eyes with the black food gel.
Step 4: Frost the cupcake with vanilla frosting so that it’s about ¾ of an inch high. Gently place Oreo bat at the center. The frosting will hold the bat in place.
Note: This recipe makes 12 cupcakes total. You can make 4 ghosts, 4 monsters, and 4 bats.
How do you make vegan candy eyes?
The store bought candy eyes that I have seen have gelatin which means they are not vegan. You can however, make your own, like I did, using this great recipe for homemade googley eyes from Petite Allergy Treats.
Another way to make your own easy vegan candy eyes using the ingredients you are already using is to take the cream center of the Oreos, rolls into a small ball and press a mini chocolate chip in the center!
Top Tips for Making the Best Vegan Halloween Cupcakes
- Don’t over mix the cake batter.
- Fill the cupcake tins ¾ of the way full. Don’t overfill.
- Store the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to frost and decorate the cupcakes. Allow it to come back to room temperature to make it easier to pipe and frost.
- Gather all the decorations and create stations for decorating with the kids.
How do I store and keep these vegan Halloween cupcakes?
Store cupcakes in the refrigerator in an air tight container. The buttercream frosting will be fine at room temperature for a few hours, but it can soften a bit if left out too long.
I prefer storing them in the refrigerator until I’m ready to serve them.
Keep any leftover cupcakes refrigerated. They will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
Do I need a piping bag for these vegan Halloween cupcakes?
You do not need to have a piping bag and piping top, although it does make it easier to pipe the frosting. If you don’t have a piping bag, fill a zip lock bag with frosting, and cut off the tip.
Want more vegan Halloween recipes? Check these out!
- Vegan Graveyard Pudding Cups
- Candy Corn Fruit Parfait
- Pumpkin Fruit Tray
- Pumpkin Veggie Tray
- Halloween Vegan Trail Mix
- Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
- Jack-O-Lantern Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie
- Rice Cake Healthy Vegan Halloween Snacks
- 27 Vegan Halloween Recipes: Cute, Fun and Festive
Vegan Halloween Cupcakes: Ghosts, Monsters, and Bats
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- â…“ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter Earth Balance or similar brand
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Monster Decorations
- black decorating gel
- green food coloring
- 8 candy eyes
- 8 dairy free chocolate chips
Ghost Decorations
- 8 mini dairy free chocolate chips
- 4 dairy free chocolate chips
Bat decorations
- 4 Oreo cookies or similar brand
- 8 candy eyes
- black decorating gel
Decorate the
Instructions
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Combine flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together.
- Combine vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add non-dairy milk. Whisk until completely combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients until the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
- Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill liners ¾ of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Bring vegan butter to room temperature. Do not melt vegan butter. It must be at room temperature.
- Whip butter with mixer at medium speed until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until absorbed before adding the next cup until all sugar has been added.
- Add non-dairy milk 1 tablespoon at a time, whipping as you go. Add vanilla extract. Continue to whip for an additional 30 seconds.
Decorate the Monster Cupcakes
- Transfer â…“ of the frosting to another bowl. Add green food coloring and stir until desired color is achieved.
- Top cupcakes with green frosting. Smooth the top with a knife so that the frosting is flat on top. Add black sugar sprinkles to a shallow bowl. Dip the top of the cupcakes in the black sprinkles.
- Add two candy eyes to the front, and two chocolate chips, flat side out, to the sides. With the black gel pen draw a line with two lines crossing over to create a scar.
Decorate the Ghost Cupcakes
- Transfer vanilla frosting to a piping bag. Pipe frosting into a swirl. Add two mini chocolate chips to the center for eyes, and one regular chocolate chip to the center for the mouth.
Decorate the Bat Cupcakes
- Twist to separate the cookies from the cream center. Usually the cream will stick more to one side. Scrape any extra cream off the side of the cookie with the least amount of cream. Break that cookie in half. Press the two halves to the back of the cookie with the cream.
- with the black food gel make two dots for the eyes. Press the candy eyes on the black food gel. This will help them stick.
- Draw a smile under the eyes with the black food gel.
- Frost the cupcake with vanilla frosting so that it's about ¾ of an inch high. Gently place Oreo bat at the center. The frosting will hold the bat in place.
How to Make Vegan Candy Eyes
- Using the cream center from the Oreo, roll into small balls. Press mini chocolate chip into the center.
Video
Notes
- Don’t over mix the cake batter.
- Fill the cupcake tins ¾ of the way full. Don’t overfill.
- Store the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to frost and decorate the cupcakes. Allow it to come back to room temperature to make it easier to pipe and frost.
- Gather all the decorations and create stations for decorating with the kids.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for 3-4 days. Remove and let come to room temperature for 1 hour before serving.Â
Pauline
Sorry it took me so long to comment on these fun cupcakes. They were a huge hit! Chocolaty and moist. My decorating was not a cute as yours although my bats were very popular. But I wanted to ask you if I was to use this recipe would it Ben enough for a cake. Either a square or round one?
My vegan grandsons birthday’s coming and would love to use this recipe. It actually rose! I have had bad luck with vegan baking until I met these cupcakes!
Alison Corey
Absolutely! You can certainly make this recipe into a cake! I recommend using an 8 inch round, or 8 inch square pan. Be sure to line with parchment paper. You will likely need to bake a little longer. I would recommend 30-35 minutes.
Vegan potluck
Good, but my cupcakes stuck to the cupcake liners.
Does anyone have a trick that would make them come out with ease?
Alison Corey
Cupcakes will stick to liners for a few reasons. One is it could be your cupcake liner. The least expensive ones tend to stick more than ones that are made with parchment paper. Another reason is that this recipe is low in fat. Because it is plant-based and doesn’t contain any oil it has a higher propensity for sticking. For next time I suggest using a parchment paper cupcake liner, or using a non-stick cooking spray on the inside of the liners. This will keep them from sticking.
jordan
I had so much fun decorating these! They were insanely easy.
Sisley White
These are so cute. I know so many people who would love these as normally cupcakes at Halloween don’t really come in a vegan option.
Angela
These cupcakes are so cute! I will have to remember them when Halloween comes around. The cupcake came out so light and fluffy!
Ashley
I can’t believe these are vegan! They’re not only adorable but super tasty!
Alison Corey
Thank you! I’m so glad you like them!
Lisa Huff
Seeing these cute cupcakes has gotten me all excited for Halloween! Love how easy they look to make. They’re all so cute not sure I could even pick a favorite.
Alison Corey
Thank you so much! They are so fun to make with the kids too!