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.
This is an amazing recipe and Iâve made these a few times with numerous compliments and requests for the recipe. Â Iâve yet to use the recipe to bake a large cake as opposed to cupcakes but will try it very soon. đ
This is an amazing recipe and Iâve made these a few times with numerous compliments and requests for the recipe. Â Iâve yet to use the recipe to bake a large cake as opposed to cupcakes but will try it very soon. đ
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that these are always a hit and you get asked for the recipe!
I only used the recipe for the frosting and it was the best frosting
I ever tasted!
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Tiffany
Phlanx’s Marketing Specialist
Thank you and I am making this recipe for christmas today but even though the batter does not taste good the ccupcakes stilll do so thank you and Merry Xmas
Thanks for the five star review and glad they tasted great!
Hey Averie just a quick questionm do you check your blog every day because all the replys were on the same day and what do you dp if your batter is sticky and the batter doesnt taste good?
Sometimes replies all come the same day because it’s a seasonal recipe and everyone has questions around the same time of year, i.e. red velvet for xmas or Valentines.
I am on my own blog behind the scenes about 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you batter doesn’t taste good, I think you probably mis measured something, something was old, i.e. a bad egg, not sure.
Averie,
I’m soooo happy to have come upon your website as it’s now my dessert bible. These cupcakes were perfection. I baked for exactly 18 minutes. I doubled the icing recipe as we like lots. Everyone at the table agreed they were superb.
Thanks for the 5 star review and for the lovely compliments! I am so glad these were a hit with everyone!
Thank you for a lovely recipe! I made these for an event 2 days in advance and they were still beautifully soft and moist on the day. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thanks for trying the recipe and Iâm glad they held up for your event beautifully!
You’re recipes are just the best! Easy, quick and perfect. i definitely trust your blog! though instead of greek yogurt i used natural yogurt. still came out perfect. Love from Kenya.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Hi Averie,
I was wondering how far in advance can you make the cupcakes?
Thanks
Fresh is always best so make as close to serving as possible is my recommendation. I mean you could probably make them a week out…I just don’t think they would taste at their prime.
Sorry about the second msg lol, and if I don’t have sour cream either?
Hi Averie
I don’t know if you saw my comment, but haven’t received a reply from you yet as regards to what one does if you don’t have Greek yogurt? How to substitute it.. hope to hear from you soon thanks?
Hi averie
What do I do if I don’t have Greek yogurt??what to substitute it with? Will they still come out good if I don’t use it? Would really like to try your recipe, but unfortunately don’t have Greek yogurt
Use sour cream then.
I have two, 6 cavity pans instead of one 12. Is this okay or does it need to be one 12? thanks!
I think that should be fine.
I am amazed that Averie Cooks has a tiny oven!!! You are constantly whipping things up to bake. I imagined you’d have a state-of-the-art stove and oven! ;) well at least we know your camera is good…I love your pictures as much as your recipes!!
I’ve made these cupcakes 4 times and they always turn out perfect! They’re simply the best. I don’t feel the need to search for any other red velvet recipe, I’m sure no other can be this easy and delicious. Thank you so much :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that you’ll never search for another red velvet recipe!
I made these today for my sons birthday. Not only did he love them, but so did everyone else. Thank you, Averie!
By the way, I used Philadelphia Whipped Original for the frosting, and I never had issues with runny frosting. Also, the link to the Wilton 1m tip, is no longer valid. It will take you to their website but not the item. Thought you might care to know. I used a baby knife to spread the frosting and it worked great…but it would have been more professional looking if I had a tip to use. Would love to invest in one. Any recommendations?
You can still get the 1M, just google or amazon it, and it’ll pop right up.
So glad the cupcakes were a bit hit with everyone and what a lovely bday present for your son!