Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting — 🍫🧁😍 If you’ve ever wanted to make red velvet cupcakes from scratch that are as good as those you’d find in a bakery, try this hassle-free recipe!
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Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes
These are the best red velvet cupcakes I’ve ever had, and the easiest recipe you’ll ever find. They’re made in one bowl, with no mixer, and no creaming ingredients, and it’s a cupcake batter that’s more like a muffin batter. Whisk together wet ingredients, fold in the dry, pour into liners, and bake. Five minutes of active work never tasted so good!
My issue with most red velvet cakes and cupcakes is that they’re dry, and dry anything just isn’t worth the calories. Why bother? These are incredibly moist from the trifecta of moistening and tenderizing ingredients: oil, buttermilk, and Greek yogurt. I stopped at nothing to make sure they weren’t dry!
Many recipes for red velvet aren’t chocolaty enough either. While these aren’t as chocolaty as chocolate cupcakes, the chocolate flavor is pleasantly noticeable.
They rise beautifully to the point I was worried they were rising a little too well. I filled my cupcake liners to a solid three-quarters full (this is a non-issue if you only fill to 2/3-full), but thankfully they stay contained, and the resulting cupcakes and hearty and full, not skimpy, wimpy, little cupcakes that no one reaches for.
I also made a one-bowl, no-mixer vanilla cream cheese frosting for the red velvet cake cupcakes that I simply spread on. These homemade red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are soft, tender, springy, and moist. There’s just enough chocolate flavor to satisfy your chocolate cravings, without being overdone.
The smooth, rich homemade cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the cupcakes and adds the right amount of zip and tang. So good, so easy, so soft, fluffy, and moist. Perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or any old Tuesday!
What’s in Red Velvet Cupcakes?
To make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Buttermilk
- Canola oil
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour – There’s no need for fancy flour like cake flour, though it will probably work
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Red liquid food coloring
And to make the red velvet cake frosting, you’ll need:
- Cream cheese – I used light cream cheese, which makes the frosting softer and runnier. If you want to pipe your frosting on, use full-fat
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Milk
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make this Simple Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe
Once you realize how easy it is to make frosted cupcakes from scratch, you’ll never go back to boxed varieties again. Here’s an overview of the process:
- Whisk the wet ingredients in a bowl. Then, stir in the dry ingredients. Add in just enough food coloring to turn the batter red.
- Fill your muffin cups 3/4 full, then bake the red velvet cupcakes until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan slightly. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the red velvet cupcakes cool, make the homemade cream cheese frosting. If your frosting is too thick, add a splash of cream or milk to gradually thin it out.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with the red velvet cake frosting and optionally garnish with sanding sugar.
Tip
The batter makes enough for about 14 cupcakes. However, because I have a small oven, I can only fit one 12-cup muffin pan in my oven at a time.
The remedy is to either lick the bowl (I’m still alive after a lifetime of raw dough and batter eating); discard the batter (that’s criminal), or bake an adorable mini loaf in a mini loaf pan that fits on the same oven rack as the muffin pan (score!).
Storage:
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing cream cheese-frosted items at room temperature, but if you prefer to store them in the fridge, that’s fine. Just note that the fridge will dry the cupcakes out much more quickly.
You can also transfer leftover cupcakes to the freezer for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing just the cupcakes and making a fresh batch of cream cheese frosting when you’re ready to thaw and enjoy them.
Recipe FAQs
If you’re the type of person who doesn’t tend to keep buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by adding about 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup regular milk, letting it stand 10 minutes to curdle, and then use as indicated.
Or, you can buy a tub of Powdered Buttermilk and it’s shelf-stable for years. It’s the perfect solution for that once-in-a-blue-moon recipe you make that calls for buttermilk.
Although I haven’t tried it, I surmise this cupcake batter could be used as a cake batter. I’m guessing a 9-inch square cake (not a 9-inch round pan because they’re smaller and could overflow) would be about right for a red velvet cake recipe.
Yes! If you want to prepare ahead of time or happen to have leftover cream cheese frosting, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup buttermilk, or Powdered Buttermilk, use 2 1/2 tablespoons + 2/3 cup water
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream may be substituted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red food coloring, or as needed
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened (I used Trader Joe’s soft spreadable light)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, or as necessary
- splash cream or milk, only if necessary
- sanding sugar or sprinkles, optional for garnishing
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan with paper liners; set aside. You will likely have batter for a 13th or 14th cupcake, and I baked it in this cooking-sprayed mini loaf pan because my oven is small and that setup works; discard extra batter if that’s easier.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients, through vanilla, until smooth.
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, optional salt, and whisk until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Carefully whisk in the food coloring, making sure to add only as much as necessary to color the batter a deep shade of red; adding more than necessary can leave an aftertaste.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, place about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per cupcake into each of the 12 cavities so they’re solidly 3/4-full. I poured the excess batter into a mini loaf pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until domed, set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter; don’t overbake. My cupcakes were on the large side of normal because I generously filled liners to 3/4-full, and they took exactly 20 minutes. If yours are filled more shallow, start checking at 18 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing. I baked the mini loaf for 20 minutes. While cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine or beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Continue adding sugar until desired frosting consistency is reached. If you add too much sugar and need to thin frosting out, add a splash of cream. Because I used light cream cheese, the frosting stayed on the runnier side. If you want frosting thick enough to pipe, do not use light cream cheese.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting to the top of each cupcake and smooth with a knife. Optionally transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cooled cupcakes. I like the Wilton 1M tip for cupcakes.
- Optionally, garnish each cupcake with a sprinkle of sanding sugar or pinch of sprinkles.
Notes
- You may have a small amount of frosting left over. It will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing cream cheese-frosted items at room temp, but if you prefer to store in the fridge, that’s fine, but note the fridge will dry cupcakes out much more quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Valentine’s Day Recipes:
Red Velvet Chocolate-Swirled Brownie Bars — These easy, no-mixer brownie bars are in between a bar and a brownie. Not supremely fudgy to give them true brownie status, but much fudgier and richer than your typical bar, and not cakey!
Easy Chocolate Pots de Creme – No-bake, no-cook, and made in a blender in 5 minutes!! The PERFECT dessert! Rich, decadent, a chocolate lover’s dream, perfect for special occasions, and guaranteed to impress!
Red Velvet Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — The cake is fast, easy, and it’s a poke cake so it’s automatically super soft and moist.
Soft Frosted Valentine’s Heart Cookies — These easy cookies are soft, chewy, dense, made in one bowl, and you don’t have to roll them out.
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies — These chocolate chip red velvet cookies have a secret ingredient — cake mix! These cookies are super ooey gooey and ultra rich!
Valentine’s Day Vanilla Pudding Sugar Cookie Bars – A sugar cookie crust topped with creamy vanilla pudding, whipped topping, and sprinkles! A luscious and EASY Valentine’s Day dessert that will put everyone in festive spirits!
The Best and Easiest Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes — One bowl, no mixer, so easy! The warm, gooey, fudgy chocolate lava cake center is heavenly! Better than any restaurant versions! Best chocolate cake EVER!
Valentine’s Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars – Sugar cookie bars are so much FASTER AND EASIER than making sugar cookies! The sprinkles and tangy cream cheese frosting help to make the bars a PERFECT Valentine’s Day treat!
Recipe originally published November 18, 2013 and republished January 29, 2020 with updated text.
Oh man I’m NEVER going to make it through my to-make list at this point! Just bookmarked these gorgeous lovelies.
Averie, these look absolutely perfect! I haven’t had red velvet in ages and now that’s all I’m craving at 11:33PM.
And I’m loving the white board – love the rustic-ness of it! I’ve been wanting to change up boards too – I got about 18-20 wood pieces that’s been waiting to be painted for about 6 months. There’s just not enough time in the day.
Oh and thanks for the pin of the brussels sprouts! :)
You’re welcome! I have bought two HUGE ‘trees’ of B.Sprouts from TJ’s the past 2 weeks. As in 200 sprouts each for $2.99. Talk about a deal. And talk about ready to turn green from all the sprouts Ive eaten :)
And thanks for the compliments on these! I was really happy with the way the recipe AND the photos came together. Love it when that happens :)
Red velvet cake is my absolute favorite cake ever. I’ve used quite a few red velvet box mixes before, mainly because I can never get the color right on my own. But the homemade ones are always the best! I love that you went the extra mile to make sure these cupcakes were nice and moist! They definitely look a million times better than a box mix! I really want to try these soon. :)
Hope you are able to whip these up soon, too!
Is there anything better than a red velvet cupcake?! Love that you only need one bowl!
Oh my gosh, you said it! Recipe development is no walk in the park (I made thrre pies and three cakes the other week!) and you are one of the most deadicated bloggers I know. I trust your recipes 100%.
These look amazing. I recently made red velvet cheesecakes for a Bisquick post and feel in love with their color. The red and white is so festive! And I pretty much always use a combo of buttermilk, canola oil and greek yogurt in my cakes/cupcakes. This trio seriously makes an awesome and super moist cake! I have to say, I never know when to add 1 egg + 1 yolk. I always normally just do both eggs since I do not typically have a use for the white, but I know in cookies using one yolk can be really good!
And I love the photos!! The red and white together is so pretty!
I either missed that post of yours or you havent posted it yet – either way, sounds like a winner! As for eggs, I hate using partial eggs b/c I am cheap and wasting even 1 white seems wrong. Lol And b/c I always try to bake in as small of a batch size as possible, I try to only use 1 egg, max, period. As for the triceta of BMilk, Oil, and Greek Yog – amen to that one!
And the photos – thank you! Was thinking about your situation and girl just take your time and realize it will take year(s) to master it and just about the time you think your photos look good, you’ll look back on things from just 3 mos prior and you wont be super excited. At least that’s what happens to me :)
My husband can’t resist red velvet cake! These looks so fabulous, I can’t wait to whip some up :)
I was just reading all about cakes and how to choose the correct fat and why fat works with leaveners to create bubbles. I love all the science of baking cakes, I just wish I like the cakes more!
If I were to pick a cake though, it would be either red velvet or carrot. Hands down.
I can’t believe you were able to get this to look SO good, without a mixer! You truly are a baking genius.
And sometimes the bubbles can be a double-edge sword b/c all that gas rises under heat but then when you take it out and it cools, it falls. And that’s disastrous for cupcakes…nothing worse than 20 mins later coming back to notice that ALL your hard work just fell, badly. Omg. Been.there.
And I didnt know you like RV cake. I knew about the carrot, and knowing you, that’s totally fitting. But the RV is a surprising one! I have to say, these are amazing and I know we cook differently, but if you ever do want to make an exception, these are worth breaking rules over!
And thanks for the baking genius comment…I dont know about that. Just a lot of hard work :)
Homemade red velvet has always been on my bucket list, but the dye and all of the little bowls moving around has freaked me out. (I’d hate to see a CI version… so many dirty dishes!) I love this no fear version! And that cream cheese frosting is GORGEOUS. Pinning for sure. :)
Omg I know, the CI version. I have their cookbooks and didnt even look up their recipe b/c I knew it would be dirty bowl city. And mixers. And beaters. And partial eggs. And who knows what….shudder. Love CI, but not for recipes like this :)
Thanks for pinning!
there truly is nothing like homemade red velvet cupcakes. Wonderful! and so, so festive. Can’t wait to bake these up!
thank you Haley!
I’m totally in love with these cupcakes! They have such a perfect rise and the texture looks awesome! I love that you used oil, buttermilk, and yogurt- there is no way those babies could be dry. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and for the tweet! :)
Seriously please pretty please ship just one of these gorgeous lovelies to me!
Sigh. Swoon. Seriously?!? That third shot… I die. I mean, just pizzity-perfect. I really love most how you keep it real with one-bowl desserts. This time of year especially I barely have time to brush my teeth much less get out multiple bowls. You are the queen!!! I said so!!!!!
Thanks for the awesome comment and high praise! Your photography in your book blows.my.mind. GIRL!!! You are so talented!
Gorgeous! I bet these are awesome, that center looks PERFECT Averie! And you can only fit one muffin pan? With all the baking you do? OMG! You’re a rockstar!
Girl I have a tiny apartment oven. Nothing fancy about it. I have an electric range (no gas, sniff), a super small oven than can only fit 1 muffin pan and 1 tray of cookies at a time. If I do 2 trays of cookies, one is burnt and the other is raw :(
AWESOME!!! I attempted red velvet cupcakes for a friends birthday about 6 years ago, but they were SOOOO dry and I think I even used like a food network or highly rated allrecipe recipe. So disappointing! I am so pleased to see this from you and I can’t wait to give it a try!!
Let’s juts say I made more than a couple batches of these and I read tons of recipes online but there’s a pretty popular food network recipe but it calls for a ridic amt of oil and everyone says they taste greasy which Im not surprised and another famous tv personality has a recipe but hers are reported to be dry….so I started from scratch, literally, with this one. Please lmk if you try it!
These are beautiful, Averie! I will have to try using Greek yogurt in my red velvets. Love the high tops! Pinning!
Thanks for pinning, Anna! And yes, whenever possible, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yog can’t ever hurt!
I love how red these are!! They truly look perfect!
thanks, Katrina!