It’s been about a year and a half since I posted my favourite red velvet cake recipe on Je suis alimentageuse. Since I’ve found that recipe, I use it for my cake pops and truffles not only in red, but also in purple. It is the most well received cake recipe that I have, being both subtle in flavour, as well as a light, fluffy cake that works amazingly with the cream cheese icing. But ever since I discovered the “evils” of food colouring, I have been hesitant to use food colouring ever since. Of course, every now and then, I succumb to the needs of having brightly coloured food, but I wanted to find a recipe for natural red velvet cupcakes made with beets, which surprisingly, was really hard for me to do.
I have odd standards for the recipes on my blog. I don’t want to have to buy extra ingredients at the grocery store that are specifically for one type of cake. Since I had some leftover beets from a recent batch of summer borscht, I wanted to use the boiled and grated beets that I had on hand. Most recipes I found said to either used canned beets, although cooked, the recipes I found wanted to use not only the beets, but also the canned liquid from the beetroots. Another recipe I found wanted me to use RAW beets for the best results. I thought, bah humbug, I’m not going to buy MORE beets. Who do you think I am? Dwight Shrute’s most loyal customer? I mean I love beets, but not that much. Once I finally located a recipe that called for cooked beets (they were roasted, but boiled did the trick for these), I shouted EUREKA! and went on my merry way to the kitchen. Natural red velvet cupcakes with beet goodness, here I come.
On another topic, the history of red velvet cake was slightly interesting to me. Some people told me that beets were traditionally used to colour the batter, while almost all of the recipes by famous chefs in the culinary/internet world used food colouring. If I knew of the proper resources for the history of red velvet cupcakes, I would state with certainty the facts I have discovered about red velvet cupcakes. However, since the only source I had was Wikipedia, the graduate student in me wants you to be wary of these facts and to do your own research.
According to Wikipedia and Leelabean from Leelabean Bakes, the red velvet cupcakes we know today are not the traditional red velvet cupcake. Back then, they were in fact made with food colouring, although similar to today, the distinctive texture of the cake was made with baking soda, vinegar/lemon juice, buttermilk, and cocoa powder. However, when finances were limited back in the day, some bakeries had to resort to using cheaper methods of dying the batter red—beetroot juice for example.
The main difference was in fact, the choice of icing.
What we see nowadays is often cream cheese icing. Usually only with 3-4 ingredients, and is simple. Just whip up the ingredients, and you get a luscious, creamy, frosting that isn’t too rich or buttery. However, according to Leelabean, traditional red velvet frosting is a roux-based frosting, also called ermine frosting. I didn’t make it to ice these cupcakes, but sounds like a dreamy frosting and I most definitely will be trying it out in the future.
In the meantime, these cupcakes are similar to the other vegan cupcakes that I’ve made, like my green tea cupcakes and my coconut brûlée cupcakes. Although I did not use my typical flax seed meal mixture to replace eggs, these cupcakes use the beets as an egg replacer, not only dying the batter with a bright red, but also making the cupcakes a little healthier by adding some beet fibre, iron, and nutrients.
However, these cupcakes do not use the traditional mixture of buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda to give the batter volume. Using baking soda would dull the red colour in the batter, as well as the basic pH level of Dutch processed cocoa powder. To keep the colour vibrant and red, make sure you use baking POWDER and not baking soda, as well as natural cocoa powder, which is slightly more acidic than its Dutch-cousin. Go, go, science!
These cupcakes received rave reviews, both for taste as well as healthiness (aside from the cream cheese icing). The cupcakes themselves are vegan, but the original icing I made was not, since I didn’t have any vegan cream cheese on hand. I used Earth Balance anyway (butter is so expensive, and a massive tub of Earth Balance is normally only $10, plus, I got that bucket for free!).
I think the next time I attempt red velvet, I want to try the roux based icing because it sounds very intriguing. I think it would be interesting to see how it works using milk alternatives too, since milk and my digestive system are not the greatest of friends.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this almost chemically culinary post, and I hope you enjoy!
Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- - 3/4 cup freshly pureed beets boiled until tender, then pureed
- - 1/3 cup oil I used coconut
- - 1 1/4 cup sugar
- - 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- - 1 1/4 cup flour
- - 1/4 tsp salt
- - 1 1/2 tbsp natural cocoa powder NOT dutch processed
- - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- - 1 cup almond milk or other milk alternative
For the icing
- - 1/4 cup Earth Balance
- - 1 cup vegan cream cheese
- - 1 to 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- - a splash of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix the beet puree and oil until incorporated.
- Add sugar, vanilla extract.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk until incorporated into the batter.
- Divide among cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 full, and bake for 15-20 minutes (for mini cupcakes) and 20-25 minutes (for regular sized cupcakes) until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle.
- To make the cream cheese icing, whip together all ingredients (add the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency)
- Pipe onto cupcakes as desired. The beetroot may discolour the frosting if left for too long, so if you are piping this ahead of time, do not do so more than 24 hours ahead of time.
- Keep the cupcakes in the fridge and let sit at room temp at least 30 minutes before serving.
Brianna @Flippin' Delicious says
I can’t wait to try your recipe! I’ve always wanted to make red velvet with beets and now I have a yummy recipe to start with.
I’ve made the roux based frosting, and it is AMAZING! So smooth and buttery! Here is the recipe I used, from Nicole at Gluten-Free on a Shoestring. http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/the-best-vanilla-frosting/
I think you could totally make it dairy free! Use coconut or almond milk in the roux and beat in earth balance? It would be a frosting that everyone could eat!
Lisa Mai says
Thanks for the suggestion Brianna! I think I’ll give dairy-free roux-based icing a try =D
Janet says
First, I am not a vegan. I grew up on Red Velvet Cake with roux-based icing. I do not like the cream cheese icing on my Red Velvet. I have a niece who is allergic to red food coloring, so was looking for a way to remove it from my recipe. I found yours, and it intrigued me, because I also have a friend who is allergic to eggs. The other recipes I have found use beets and eggs. I will have to figure out baking times, though, because I always make the cake, not cupcakes.
donna kelekovich says
can you use beet juice instead
valsala says
Hi, can you please tell me for how many days the red velvet cupcakes stay fresh. Please reply
Lisa Le says
Baked goods typically last maybe 1-2 days, they last a little longer when frozen though.
Ozella Oden says
Thanks so much! I didn’t have vegan cream cheese so I used a dollop of coconut whip and dusted with cacao powder, a chocolate-almond square, and mint leaves. It was a HIT! Everyone said the mint won it.
Hope you make more great food!
Patty says
Did I miss something? When do you incorporate the beets?
Lisa Le says
Step 2 :)
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
I love that you used beets in this!
Theresa P says
I have been looking for a food coloring FREE recipe for red velvet. Thanks so much for sharing.
lisacng @ expandng.com says
You are so knowledgeable about food and food chemistry. I love it! These look great. I always wondered what to do with beets…
Lisa Mai says
Nothing like a little high school chemistry to help my food blog =P There are so many different things you can do with beets! In May I published a summer borscht recipe that uses grated beets!
michelle says
hi, may i know is this cake fluffy without egg? i have never bake eggless cake before. thanks
Lisa Mai says
Yeah it is really fluffy =) I actually find eggless cakes of often fluffier than ones with egg
michelle says
hi, Lisa! its me again, so glad that you respond to me. i had tried your recipe but my cake did not rise much and they were rather gooey and sticking to the liner, not fluffyat all. did colour were nice and taste good. do you whisk with electric mixer? or just mix by hand? how i wish i can bake like you. thanks
michelle says
oh, i forgot to mention that the batter was runny. is that right? thanks.
Lisa Mai says
It shouldn’t be any runnier than your typical cake batter
Lisa Mai says
My cupcakes stuck a little to the liner too, but I think it’s because of the low oil content. I mixed everything by hand, but I used a food processor to purée the beetroot. Did you make a cake or cupcakes? Because I’ve never made these as a cake before and I’m not sure how they’d turn out. If your was gooey, it means you didn’t bake it long enough. Make sure that before you pull cakes out of the oven (cupcakes or cakes), you use a cake tester to check if the middle is done. A cake tester is kind of a long, skinny stick, but you can use a toothpick as well. When you poke it into the middle, it should come out either clean or with moist crumbs stuck to it. If there’s still batter on it, it means you need to bake it longer.
michelle says
thanks Lisa, i shall try my second attemp later, my mom said eventhough it was gooey but taste really good. she love it.
Chelsey says
I just made these this past weekend. I found that the cupcake was really dense and moist (not really fluffy) and the color was more of a faint pinkish when cooked (the batter was bright red though). Tasted delish tho! I was surprised how everyone loved them!
I used canned beets and drained the juice in the can. Do you think that might explain the color?
Lisa Mai says
I haven’t tried baking with canned beets, so maybe that would explain the colour change. I used boiled beets then grated them (for my summer borscht, and then I used the leftover grated beets and puréed them for this recipe), so maybe the canning process changed the chemical structure of the beetroot keratin? Thanks for your feedback though! Sorry to hear they didn’t turn out as red but I’m glad everyone liked them =)
Melany says
I cut out half the sugar and oil and they turned out amazing, so moist and fluffy. My 13-year-old son couldn’t get enough, he ate as many as I would allow.
Sara Marie says
I tried this recipe last night and was super excited to make it! I’m not a vegan, but I’m an experienced baker who likes to experiment with vegan recipes. what came out was more like a brown chocolate pudding than a red-velvety cake… not quite sure where I went wrong. any suggestions? your cupcakes look lovely!
Lisa Mai says
Yikes! Nobody seems to be having the same success that I did with my cupcakes! Did you bake them long enough? And did you make sure to use baking powder and not baking soda? The more acidic the batter, the better the red colour from the beet purée.
anita says
Hi your recipe sounds delicious and images look fab.
any chance you could send me the measurements in grams – in the UK we work in grams not cups.
thanks
Lisa Mai says
Hi Anita! Thank you so much for commenting =) Unfortunately, I only created my recipe using volume and not weight (I know, I know, weight is just so much more accurate). The best thing you could do is use an online converter to change from cups to mL, and it might be better to work that way. I think there are converters that go from volume to weight, but you’d have to go through each ingredient individually and find out the density of the ingredient to accurately get their weight. E.g. 1 cup of icing sugar is obviously going to be less dense and therefore lighter than 1 cup of cream.
Sorry I can’t be of more help! Let me know how it works for you.
D.N. says
Hello- I have a quick question, when using Earth Balance for the frosting, am I correct to assume you are using the original buttery spread? thanks!
Lisa Mai says
Yes you are correct, I do indeed use the regular “buttery” Earth Balance spread
Meagan says
So very lovely!! Any Chance you have recommendations for making this grain free (via almond and coconut flour).
Lisa Mai says
Hi Meagan! I haven’t really given it a try yet, but I’ve had successes with other recipes with my GF flour blend (see the Substitutions page linked between the post and the comments, or under Tips & Tricks)
I have a feeling that using almond flour may make these cupcakes a little too dense, but I think coconut flour in combination with a bit of xanthan gum would be good.
Greer says
Has anyone tried this using coconut milk or coconut cream?
Goozzee says
Made these for a party! Love them! Substituted organic 2% milk for the almond milk (it’s what I had in the fridge), added a little bit more of the beet puree (around 1 cup), added some chocolate chips for extra chocolatey goodness, and ground almond powder (about 2 tablespoons – to account for the extra beets). Came out great! It yielded about 35 mini cupcakes. Thanks for your recipe!
Lisa Mai says
Thanks for letting me know how it worked out! I might try it with almond powder to make it GF some time =)
Natalie says
I made these a few days ago. I was a hair model at a training session where they were trying out reds so I thought to match the colour theme I’d bring these along for everyone to eat while waiting for hair colour to process. Well, what can I say, I had people hovering around them all night, sheepishly asking if they can have another one. A smash hit! Great texture and taste, and fantastic contrast with the cream cheese icing. 5 stars (and I’m pretty fussy).
Lisa Mai says
Thank you so much for letting me know how it worked out! Sounds like a perfect pair to red hair modelling haha!
Nathalie - AppsForWomen says
mmmmmh looks yummy!!! I must try this recipe!
Lisa Mai says
Thanks Nathalie =) Let me know how it works out!
Jenni says
These look great, I’m on the lookout for a red velvet cake recipe that uses beetroot instead of food colouring. Just one question, what the heck is Earth Balance? (I’m English lol)
Lisa Mai says
Earth Balance is a vegan buttery spread, from a quick Google, UK alternatives include Pure Soya Spread, or Suma as a vegan butter?
Ting says
Hello Lisa! I am so glad I found your website! Even Martha Steward’s recipe called for food colouring… phhhttthhht… NO NO in my household. :p
I love your writing! Your cakes look so pretty and I bet they are super delicious too! After looking at your pictures, I have an impulse of running out to buy the cone-shaped decoration thingi for icing (sorry I don’t know what it;s called!)!! :p
Anyway, what is the difference between natural cocoa powder and dutch processed?
Lisa Mai says
Hi Ting! Thanks for reading and commenting =) I agree, I’m trying to phase out food colouring in my kitchen, although pretty icing for special occasions is sometimes hard to resist! I’m not an expert on different types of cocoa powder, but from my research, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that are washed in a way that neutralizes the acidity, then roasted and ground. Natural cocoa powder is simply roasted and ground. Dutch-processed produces a darker cocoa powder that’s also stronger in chocolate flavour (IMO), but good quality natural cocoa powder is great too.
For the purposes of this post though, since Dutch-processed is less acidic (therefore more basic on the pH scale), it reacts with the natural pigments in the beets to turn it into an orangy brown. Natural cocoa powder’s acidity means that it helps retain the natural beet pigmentation.
As for the cone-shaped decorational thingie, I typically call it a piping bag, haha. There are different sizes, I own both a 14inch and a 16inch one, mostly so that there’s less waste, but you can buy disposable 12 inch bags that are great for quick piping jobs. I also use various couplers and piping tips, hm. I should really write a post about that haha. Anyway, thanks for reading! Sorry for this novel of a response, and I hope to see you around my blog in the future! <3
Ting says
Hello Lisa! Ok Piping bag!! Got it! Words escape me today… haha
Thanks for the explanation about dutch and natural cocoa. I am pretty sure the one I have is called dutch cocoa… and I thought I cannot use it in your recipe… For acidity, can we put some lime or lemon juice to prevent changing colour?
Lisa Mai says
Hm, that’s an interesting solution, it might work =) If you want something that’s neutral in flavour, using a little vinegar would work too. Red wine vinegar would be good for colour too I think.
Chamayne Ortegon says
I used a tablespoon apple cider vinegar to increase the acidity and my color came out gorgeous!
Elizabeth says
Hello- I’d like to make these for my sister’s birthday party on sunday but i just want to make sure- these dont taste like beets, right?
Lisa Mai says
Hi Elizabeth! To answer your question: yes and no. If you’ve ever replaced the eggs or butter in a recipe with applesauce, you’ll notice that whatever you made will have kind of an apple-y sweetness to it. These cupcakes are still red velvet cupcakes, with a hint of beety sweetness, since beets are naturally quite sweet. It’s not overwhelming, but yes, it’s there.
Silke says
Hi Lisa,
I tried to bake these today but they didn’t turn out as red as yours did, and they came out of the oven quite flat… :-( I think I’ll add some apple vinegar next time, might help with both problems…. I topped them with soy whipped cream by the way, to keep them vegan :-)
The taste was great though :-) and yours look so perfect and elegant! Can’t wait ’til my next try…
Lisa Mai says
Hi Silke! Thanks for sharing, I’m glad they tasted good, and soy whipped cream sounds wonderful =) I’m not quite sure why they turned out flat. How old is your baking soda? Sometimes if it’s older than a year or so, it’s not quite as active and doesn’t allow for your cupcakes to rise as much. Let me know how the apple cider vinegar affects your cupcakes.
Isabelle says
Wonderful recipe. Followed everything to a T and came out perfect. I used regular vegetable oil and not coconut. I really like the look of them and they are really moist. Topped these with a whipped cream frosting.
Lisa Mai says
Thanks Isabelle! Good to know, thanks for coming back to leave feedback =)
Frances says
Great recipe I made a cake let it cook 45mins it was soooo moist and full of flavour, my grandson has energies to egg n nuts, so this was perfect thankyou
Sidney says
Do the beets not make the cake bitter or nasty tasting?
Lisa Mai says
As I’ve mentioned in other comments, there is an underlying beet flavour but it’s not overpowering at all. It’s just like if you added applesauce to a cake batter. Beets aren’t really bitter at all, they’re actually sweet.
Sincerefit says
I definitely needed these to be red for pushpops but though the batter is red, the end product was not & I tried 2 different times to make the batter. :(
Lisa Mai says
I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve never tried baking them in any form other than cupcakes, so maybe that affected the colour?
Chamayne Ortegon says
I made these in a cake pop baker and they turned out great! The didn’t make completely full balls but with fixed that with the icing! And these are delicious with a traditional Ermine Frosting!
Rizal says
Hi Lisa, I am searching for the all-natural ingredients for RVC recipe and just found yours. Thank goodness! If beetroot is hardly to be found, is there any recommendation for its substitutes? Since beetroot is quite rare is my country. Perhaps other red pigmented fruits/veggies can be used for? How about red dragonfruit puree or pomegranate juice instead?
Lisa Mai says
Hi Rizal, unfortunately if you want the red pigment from the beets, pomegranate juice or red dragonfruit purée will probably not have the same colour. Pomegranate juice is like a blue-purple when cooked, and I’ve never used red dragonfruit purée. You could try it, and I’m sure it would taste delicious, but I think you’d have to resort to food dye to get it that red.
marita nizam says
My daughter turned vegan about a week before her birthday. So I surprised her with these cupcakes. They were absolutely delicious! I used organic beets and the colour came out perfect. I did use a little less milk than the recipe called for. I will definetely make these cupcakes again and again!
Lisa Mai says
Aw yay! Happy birthday to your daughter! Thank you for coming back to tell me how it turned out =)
Flea says
Roux based icing is so unique. I grew up south of New Orleans and our neighbor made and sold red velvet cakes with a roux based icing. The only place I’ve had anything like it has been at Ingrid’s, a German deli and bakery in Oklahoma City. It’s not a sweet dessert, but it’s GOOD.
Diane says
Thanks for the recipe! These came out very pretty colored — more like raspberry than red velvet, but lovely to look at. They tasted moist and fluffy, but two small children I know who love “traditional” red velvet cupcakes and other “traditional” chocolate cupcakes were not in love with these. There was a beet-ish (or other unfamiliar) taste to them, but everyone else enjoyed.
Lisa Le says
Aw that’s too bad the kids didn’t like it! But I’m glad everyone else liked them. Thank you for telling me how they turned out!
Diane says
Of course! They were also good after a chill in the fridge for breakfast on the go — and surprisingly very filling (kept me till lunch!).
Lisa Le says
It’s a vegan butter substitute that’s sustainable and eco-friendly =)
Talli says
Hi, I was so excited about this recipe but the cupcakes came out really gross – sickly sweet, dense and not fluffy.
I figured it was since I used (slightly old) baked beets, rice milk (which was a bit sweet already) and maybe my measurements were different (I use metric standards)
I will try it again and try follow the recipe properly!!
Lisa Le says
That’s really odd because I actually found the cupcakes at a perfect amount of sweet when I made them, and I don’t like cupcakes to be very sweet in the first place. They should be fluffy—I’m not quite sure why they were dense. Did you use fresh baking powder? I find that older baking powder that’s been sitting in the pantry for at least 6 months isn’t as effective.
The fresher the beets, the brighter the colour should be, but I don’t see why it would make it any sweeter or more dense. Just make sure you purée it very finely. If there are chunks, it will definitely make for a heavier batter (resulting in dense cupcakes).
lori bell says
does beets change flavor never had a beet. and i never ate red velvet cupcake because of the food coloring
thank you
Lisa Le says
Hi Lori,
Maybe I’m biased because I like beets, but there’s an earthy sweetness that beets have in the cupcakes. Red velvet to me is a combination of softness, sweetness, and a hint of chocolate and these cupcakes fit that description for me. I’ve been told you can taste the beets, but it’s not overwhelming.
Alex Noonan says
Hi Lisa, just want to say i loved your recipe, it was really hard to find a “traditional” red velvet cake/cupcake recipe online, all i could find were the food colouring chocolate recipes so just wanted to say thank you very much for this great recipe, the cupcakes were greatly enjoyed by my classmates and myself.
Lisa Le says
I’m so glad you liked it! Yes I think at the time the reason I was so excited about this recipe was because I had such a hard time finding a natural red velvet cupcake recipe =) thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, Alex!
Rose says
Hi Lisa
I made your velvet beetroot cupcakes last night and my two year old loved them and I thought they were not too bad. The beetroot seemed to take forever to boil and go tender. At first I found the mixture to be a little runny so I felt I had to add more flour to the mixture. Mine turned out more of a browney red colour. I used organic beetroot. I put olive oil in the mixture. They took longer than 25 minutes to cook so that the toothpick came out clean. I cooked them at 180 degrees Celsius. They tasted a bit like a chocolate pudding to me. The next day after being in the fridge over night they did not stick to the paper anymore. They were not as goey. I did not get a chance to ice them as my toddler wanted to eat them straight away. I need to find an alternative icing as she has dairy allergy.
Lisa Le says
Hi Nicole,
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m sure lots of others will benefit from reading about your experience =)
Beetroot: You can cut the beetroot into smaller pieces to boil if you want, but their beety goodness might leech into the water. Alternatively you can roast the beetroot (wrap in tinfoil and roast at 375 for about an hour, depending on how big they are).
Runny texture: My cupcakes weren’t very thick in consistency, it’s kind of a thinner cupcake batter but it’s definitely thicker than pancake mix if that gives you a better idea.
Flavour: Red velvet is traditionally just a moist, softly sweet cupcake with a light chocolate flavour. I’ve baked these a few times and I’ve never had them be gooey.
Icing: If you use a vegan cream cheese like Daiya, you can definitely use cream cheese icing. I also have a vegan ermine frosting, which is the traditional icing for red velvet.
EMILY says
Can I use buttermilk in this recipe? Thanks!
Lisa Le says
Hi Emily, I’m not sure. I purposely used almond milk to make the cupcake vegan, and the pH level is vital to keep the beets red when you bake them. If you try it I’m sure other readers would like to hear your experience with it.
Amy says
I just made these today with my 3 year old. We both loved them. I used whole (organic, grass-fed) milk and raw turbinado sugar — I think because of the color of the sugar, they were darker than yours. Still, a beautiful, deep color and very tasty. I do think that an egg would fluff them up for people who are not vegan (they didn’t rise as much as I would’ve like and they are a bit dense, but still very moist), so I may experiment with that next time. I even used some of the beet juice from boiling them and colored the frosting. It turned out a bright, outrageously pretty fuchsia color. Anyway, thanks for the recipe and I will be following you!
Lisa Le says
Glad you liked them and I’m sure others would benefit from your suggestions and experience =) I love beet-coloured frosting, it’s so gorgeous. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Carol says
Hi… I’m just wondering if I want to add eggs to this recipe, would it be ok? It has lovely colour and smell (from coconut oil as well) but doesnt have texture like a cake. Thanks.
Savannah says
Thanks so much for this recipe! Just wanted to let you know they turned out great, and my two year old son absolutely loved them (as well as everyone else who tried them). I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, except I used vegan cream cheese. My friends are already asking when I’ll be making them again. Haha
nisak says
I have made the same recipe just like yours, but why my cake isn’t red like yours, i am using electric oven with only bottom heater, so that i have to bake it about 60 minutes, was that make my cake brown instead of maroon red?
Lisa Le says
Hi Nisak, I’m not sure, but that’s probably why. I also haven’t tried baking this as a full cake, only as cupcakes, so the longer baking time may turn the beets orangey brown.
Ashlee Brass says
These cupcakes are delicious! Definitely worried that the beets would overwhelm the flavor…wonderful surprise that they turned out so sweet! I’ve been searching high and low for a recipe this great; thank you! Thinkin of adding dark chocolate chips next time. And I use a very rich unsweetened cocoa, so thinking of adding only a full tablespoon of it on the next round, so they’re more red. We love these, though,and the recipe is definitely a keeper!
Binteashraf says
Hi, could please tell me how to make beet root puree’ and can i use this recipe to make a cake? for 9” or i have to double it :) please reply
Lisa Le says
Hi Binteashraf, as indicated in the recipe, I make beet root purée by boiling the beets, peeling and then puréeing them. I’ve never made a full cake with it before, but if you look at the other comments, some other people have mentioned how they made it into a cake.
sue says
The first time I made them even though I used beets that were canned in water with no salt added I noticed that the batter was really bright red until I added my flax milk ( due to nut allergy) which dulled the color to a kind of dull purple red Also when I took them out of the oven they collapsed even though I had tested them for doneness with a skewer. The cupcakes came out a reddish brown not bright red like yours. My second attempt also with the canned beets. I decided to replace the milk with 1/2 cup red beet water and 1/2 cup water instead of the milk. The batter stayed red. These cupcakes did not collapse but the bottoms seemed to be oozing oil when I placed them on to a wax paper to cool and the cupcakes were very gooey even though I tested them for doneness with a skewer. The color still was not bright red like yours. I guess I should try to find some fresh beets to make this recipe. Didn’t your red batter change color when you added your milk?
Lisa Le says
Nope, adding milk didn’t change the colour much, if anything it made the batter a little lighter and brighter because the white gave the red pigment a contrasting undertone. Honestly I’ve only ever used freshly boiled beets for this recipe, or leftover grated beets from my borscht recipe. I haven’t ever used canned beets so I have no idea how it would affect the colour. The more you cook beets (also the longer) the less vibrant the pigment becomes.
Nina V says
These are baking in the oven, as I type. I used beetroot, from our garden, and organic soy milk. I have high hopes for them, as the batter on my fingers tasted delicious. :)
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Julia says
Serves me right! I only read the recipe, so when I mixed my dry ingredients and accidentally added baking soda instead of baking powder, I decided to just go with the baking soda & vinegar leavening technique. Result? Brown “Red Velvet” cupcakes. It’s a bit of a letdown, but they still taste great…with a beety finish, no less!
Lisa Le says
Haha the one time I actually talk about the recipe. Well, next time, right? Now you know =P
Vikki says
This is the second recipe I have made of yours and I really want to compliment you on these! They are DELICIOUS! I have a 1 year old (today!) who has milk, egg, and peanut allergies so I am trying more vegan cooking and baking for he and I. We really enjoyed his birthday cupcakes this afternoon as did my very picky 3.5 year old. I was nervous because I’ve never boiled a beet or even eaten one in many years but they are so sweet it’s not noticeable. I did add a few tablespoons more of flour because my batter was so runny there was no way to safely get it in the muffin tin without making a giant mess, plus I worried about how they’d hold up. I also had to bake them for around 30 minutes but I did standard muffins not minis. I then sprinkled a little powdered sugar on them instead of icing!
Lisa Le says
Thanks for taking the time to leave this comment Vikki! Glad to know that it turns out in standard muffin size too. Did they turn out with the right colouring too?
Lisa Le says
Hi Ivan! Those sound like great ideas. Yes, since I posted this recipe, I’ve transitioned to vegan. I recently posted a vegan cream cheese frosting recipe that’d be great for this. I wouldn’t recommend taking out the cocoa since red velvet cake is supposed to be a soft cake with a bit of chocolate flavour. I wouldn’t recommend taking out the fat content of the batter lest the baked cake be too dry, plus more fruit purée will weigh down the batter, making the cupcakes very dense.
Lisa Le says
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for your feedback! Yes I love using applesauce to replace moisture in cakes, but in this case, there is already pureed beets to act as a binder, I don’t recommend using another puree in the same recipe as it would make the cupcakes very dense.
Lisa Le says
Hi Maggie,
I don’t count calories, so I have no idea how many calories there are in the recipe. Several other people have made this recipe and it’s worked out if you follow the instructions I’ve given you. If you read the other comments, you can see what has and hasn’t worked for others.
alexis says
Hey Lisa! I realize that there isn’t any flour in this recipe….could that be what is making peoples cupcakes come out so gooey? is there supposed to be flour in it at all, if so whats the blend is it gluten free and can it be if it isn’t already. thanks!!
Lisa Le says
Hi Alexis! Yes there is flour in the recipe =P I typically order my ingredients in sequence with the directions.
Paw says
Hello Lisa!
I’m going to make these for a birthday party friday night :)
I was just wondering if I could make them the day before? And would they keep in the fridge if I ever decide to make a batch for myself to eat over a few days (ahem. Well, that’s the plan).
Thank you for sharing!
Lisa Le says
Yes you can, but wait to frost them because the beet colouring can bleed into the icing a bit. I put them in the fridge in an airtight container. The tops will get a little tacky but if you frost it before eating, nobody will know ;)
Paw says
Thanks for your answer! The cupcakes were delicious, everybody loved them!
renee says
Hallo lisa
Your cupcakes look wonderful. The reciepe from my diversekitchen,you mentioned uses lemonjuice but yours not . I’m not sure which one to follow
Lisa Le says
Hi Renee,
I adapted the recipe to the one in my post based on the one from MDK. I like to source because I’m not trying to pass this off like I invented the idea =P. You could use that one, or you could use mine. I know mine works, but I’m not sure about the one from MDK. It’s up to you =P
Don says
Tried these and they came out like glue balls. Stuck to the wrapper instead of itself. Something is really wrong with this recipe – sorry.
Lisa Le says
Sorry to hear it worked out that way! I and others have made these without that issue, but I do agree that they tend to stick a bit to the wrapper. In my experience with baking, adding a bit more oil helps them from sticking to the wrapper.
Melissa says
I was so excited to find a recipe that used beets! The color was great, but the taste was very bland. I couldn’t really taste the beets which was good, but just no flavor at all.
Lisa Le says
It’s to emulate the flavour of red velvet actually, which is basically just a moist cupcake with a hint of chocolate. If you feel like you needed to amp up the flavour, maybe add more vanilla, sugar, or chocolate?
Bonnita says
I was glad to stumble across your recipe as like you I was finding it very hard to find a vegan red velvet recipe that used natural colouring. I tried your recipe first using cooked vacuum packed shop bought beets but the cakes came out brown, sticky and a bit dense with a chocolatey taste of beets which my husband didn’t care for. Not wanting to waste any more cakes or time boiling beets I gave it a second round using raw beets, peeled and chopped in the food processor before pureeing them in the blender with about 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice as liquid to help them puree and keep the acidity up plus a touch more water as I didn’t want the lemon flavour to come through. I then cut down on some of the vanilla and added a little chocolate extract and almond extract in it’s place. The result was a beautifully red, well risen, light, fluffy and moist cupcake with a sweet light chocolatey taste and complimentary almond undertones which didn’t taste of beets at all (or lemon). I’m so grateful for your base recipe to experiment with.
Bonnita says
Just to add that 2 days later and my vegan cream cheese icing that I piped on the top has not been discoloured in any way by the beetroot. Yay!
apeksha says
What is this earth vegan…
Lisa Le says
Earth Balance? It’s a type of vegan butter. =)
Dhwani says
Hey, very cute cupcakes. Keep up with the work !
Lisa Le says
Thanks! =)
Patty says
What if I want to use this recipe to make a cake? How would I tweak the bake time?
Lisa Le says
I haven’t tried it myself, but I would bake it at 350ºF in a 9 inch pan for at least 25 minutes, until a cake tester came out of the middle clean. It might take 30 minutes.
Lisa Le says
Great to know that it makes 13 full sized cupcakes =) Thanks for coming to let me know!!
en says
hey, great recipe. I made mini cup cakes, turned out lovely. Everyone loved it at my work place. I didn’t have cream cheese in my refrigerator at 11 in the night when i was making them, so just dusted them with some powdered sugar in the end.
Reading through the comments, I had also added some crushed almonds and choco chips for the flavour.. great idea i must say! Didn’t boil the beetroots, roasted them wrapped in a foil on a pan.
Received rave reviews. No one could guess that the cakes had beetroots and were eggless. I personally loved them because i am allergic to eggs!
The only downside, while the outer crust was pretty red, inside it had become brown. Any idea why that happened? Did that happen to your cakes as well. Will definitely make these again. Thanks a ton! :)
kristen says
can i use whole wheat flour instead? and instead of sugar can i use agave?
Lisa Le says
Hi Kristen,
I haven’t used those substitutions. You can try? Whole wheat flour may make your cupcakes much more dense, so I would play with a ration of maybe 50/50 whole wheat and all purpose. Agave also alter the chemical composition of the cupcake. Try taking a look at this article about substituting agave or other liquid sweeteners.
Aparna says
Hi Lisa,
I was super excited to see you recipe for naturally colored red velvet cupcakes and just made them today. Unfortunately they did not turn out that well. I made two changes: I used regular milk and vegetable oil instead of almond milk and coconut oil. And I did not even use the whole cup of milk because the butter seemed to be becoming runny.
Anyway, the cupcakes looked really good when they came out..but seemed to sink a little as they sat and finally refused to come off the liners. I also made one cake (in a bowl)..it rose brilliantly, cooked through, and looked good. But when I cut it to make layers, I noticed that the texture was a little dense, not the spongy inside you expect from a cake. I have no clue what could have gone wrong… it will be great if you could throw some light onto the issue.
Thanks,
Aparna
Lisa Le says
Hi Aparna,
Milk (or whatever liquid you end up using) actually tends to make cakes more dry. As a cake bakes, the water evaporates and leaves a dry, fluffy crumb behind. If they sank a little, that just means that the weren’t baked completely. Don’t remove the cupcakes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when you poke it in the middle.
I’ve never used this recipe to make cake layers, but typically, cakes made with vegetable or fruit puree are more dense than your average cake. Any zucchini cake, beet cake, carrot cake…any kind of cake I’ve made has always been a bit more dense than say box mix cake. It’s just the way it is =P
Aparna Prakash says
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your response. I did wait until a toothpick came out clean…Maybe my baking stars were not in line that day. I will definitely be trying your recipe again :-). Meanwhile, do stop by my blog and check out my collection of mostly Indian and some fusion/international recipes.
Thanks again,
Aparna
Grace says
Yummy recipe, Thank You for sharing.
Will be my dessert for ” Christmas in October” for my daughter who is allergic to eggs and dairy products and who wont be home this Christmas. :)
matar says
hi, i made them and they came very pail. nothing like your photo :(
Gwyneth Jones says
Wow Lisa, I can’t believe how long this thread has been going for! I’m attending a friend’s birthday in a few weeks. She wanted afternoon tea and each of the ladies from our coffee morning group will make something to take. I was looking for a vegan cupcake recipe and found your red velvet recipe which looks fantastic. I’m going to carry out a dummy run for my friends at work as reading some of the comments not everybody has been as successful as you. I’ll let you know how I get on, but thank you in advance for a fab recipe!
Ekta Minocha says
Hi Lisa,
After a lot of research I landed up on your website for vegan red velvet cupcakes. I am actually trying to bake a multicolor cake with natural colours for my mum’s birthday and really want a deep red color for one layer.
I tried your recipe today :).. And out came a lovely red color cake. But the inside of the cake isn’t very red/pink.. Its more towards brown. As u say acidity will help in getting bright colours. Should I use a bit of vinegar ?? I am using baking powder which contains aluminium hence adding too much will screw he taste. What kind of baking powder do you use.
Really looking forward to hear from you.
Regards,
Ekta
Lisa Le says
Hi Ekta,
I’ve never tried baking the cake as a layer, only as cupcakes. Yes, acids would probably help bring out the colour of the beets, but the longer you bake the beets, the easier it is for them to lose their colour. I wouldn’t recommend toying with the ratio of baking powder, that’s more about the rise of the cake than it is about the colour. I think I just used Magic Baking Powder brand, but any would be fine. I haven’t played with this recipe in a while, but because of all the comments, I think I might do a 2.0 version and experiments for everyone.
Kara says
This was not good. There needs to be some kind of egg replacer, because the beet purée is not doing it. Bummed I wasted so much time on this.
Lisa Le says
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I’m planning to do a video on this because I have such mixed reviews—for some people it turns out beautifully and for others it’s a complete flop. The beet purée has worked sufficiently as a binding agent for me in the past, but this recipe was from before my vegan baking days, so I’ve since learned a lot more about how to make vegan cupcakes. I hope you’ll stay tuned for the video =)
Anushka says
Hi Lisa,
Thank you this recipe is wonderful.
I’ve read a couple comments saying various things have gone wrong, but my results with 2 batches of cupcakes have both been excellent.
They are moist and delicious. There is a subtle beetroot flavour, but this is lovely, and once topped with the cream cheese icing you do not notice it.
A couple of my minor changes / observations:
– you should vary the amount of milk depending on how wet your beetroot purée is – I included some of the cooking water so my purée was very wet – and therefore used only 1/2 cup milk. I included some cooking water in the purée to further enhance the colour. My observation is that the mixture should be only slightly runnier than normal cake batter.
– try adding a teaspoon of vinegar to balance the sweetness of beetroot.
– I used grapeseed oil which worked well.
– Dutch cocoa gave a dark burgundy colour, raw / unprocessed cocoa gave a brighter red as per the picture. Flavour was the same.
– as the cupcakes are moist they should not be wrapped or sealed too tightly in plastic as this makes them sweat and go a bit gooey. Try instead wrapping lightly in a clean tea towel.
Thanks again!
Lisa Le says
Thank you so much for this! I’m sure lots of people will find your comment helpful =) I’m planning on doing a video for this recipe at some point because it’s been such a great split between THIS IS GREAT and THIS IS AWFUL haha.
Katherine Daly says
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, Lisa! I’ve baked these cupcakes up multiple times and everyone–vegans, veggies, and omnivores–gobbles them up. I’m not vegan and it’s hands down my favorite red velvet cupcake recipe.
The cake has a nice, light texture and the beets turn the batter a gorgeous burgundy red. More importantly, though, they add an incredible depth to the flavor and compliment the cocoa powder* perfectly. These beets are bangin’! (Couldn’t help the pun.)
* I do add a little extra cocoa powder, but it’s my only modification. This recipe is spot on.
Renee says
Ur recipe rocks! It came out beautifully spongy and tasted simply divine … Though I upped the cocoa powder by replacing 1/4 flour n added slightly more sugar to balance the bitter notes and it came out beautifully… A deep wine red with an enhanced chocolate flavour… The squishy beetroots simply melted in the mouth ! can’t believe it’s an eggless recipe! Tks a bunch!!
Lisa Le says
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing your recipe modifications, I’m sure it’ll be helpful for others =)
Laura says
I made these and they are so yummy. I used my gluten free flour mix for them. I use lactose free milk and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. They were perfect. I have celiac so the gluten free flour and lactose is a must with me. Thank you for your recipe. I have made beetroot cakes before and the family loves it. Thank you
Derya says
All looked great but once baked were brown and not red? I followed recipe as it was
Lisa Le says
I found that when I overbaked mine, it would start to turn brown. I address a lot of the factors that might mess with the red hue in the blog post if you haven’t checked that out yet.
Derya says
I didnt overbake.. i actually worried i underbaked as they were a but gooey. I realised the cacao powder wasnt natural so i purchased a 100% organic natural one and 2nd attempt.. i also changed the oil to rapeseed as i think maybe the coconut oil made them too moist hence gooey.. i have them in oven now so will update but the previous batter was more red abd this was more fusia so im a bit worried the colour wont be right again! Wanted to ask if the picture of the cupcakes are filter and alter free. Is that the actual colour they turned out.. also was the inside the same as i gound the previous ones a bit more red on outside
Lisa Le says
Hey Derya,
Thanks for your feedback. They are truly that red, I would never alter photos to be unrealistic that it misrepresents a recipe. They are red like that on the outside, some batches I’ve made have been a lightish brown in the middle but my old oven used to run pretty hot so I just assumed that’s what happens when I overbake them haha. The variety of oil shouldn’t affect the cupcake, you still need to bake it until a toothpick comes out clean. When I say “natural” cocoa powder, I mean your average cocoa powder that isn’t dutch processed. Most cocoa powders are “natural” process, otherwise they’d be called dutch process :) I’ll try to make a video for this soon :)
Derya says
Forgot to add.. please do a detailed video so i can see where i go wrong! Thank you!
Derya says
Thank you for your response.. i experimented a different recipe which i finally achieved natural red velvet which taste delicious! Texture is amazingly moist and not gooey… do you have insta? Check my results on mine if you do @a_peace_of_cakee xx
Lisa Le says
Yours look great! I’ll probably be going back and retesting this recipe to make it totally foolproof but I haven’t had the opportunity to yet.
Adrienne says
Which recipe did you test out? I’m in DESPERATE need of a vegan red velvet recipe!!
B says
Great recipe! I was looking for a red velvet cupcakes recipe that didn’t need artificial food dye and I found yours. Also I used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar and it turned out great! Thank you
Lisa Le says
Glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your experience :)
Meghan says
What type of flour did you use? Maybe thats why different outcomes….
Lisa Le says
Hi Meghan! I just used regular all-purpose flour.
Lisa Le says
I would say sitting at room temp for 2-3 days is as far as I’d let them go :)
Marc K. says
Excited to have discovered your site! Made the red velvet cupcakes for a Valentine’s Day picnic. They came out very dense and heavy. Still tasty, but the dense texture threw the dessert experience a bit off course. Need to figure out a solution to lighten them up.
Lisa Le says
Hmmm whenever I make them they’re not dense or heavy–maybe ensure that you’re not overpacking when measuring flour? A foolproof way (aside from volume, which I did not do for this recipe), would be to scoop flour into your measuring cup and use a butterknife to scrape off the excess.
joshitha says
thank u for this awesome recipe..made it yesterday for valentines day for my husband..he loved it so much..he even took some cupcakes for his friends at office..and they loved it too…im so happy..thanks again..
Chamu says
Hi!! I made these pretty cupcakes for Valentine’s day!! Perfect outcome!! The best thing was that as soon as my hubby returned home he looked at the plate and said ” Red Velvet cupcakes!! ” And that proves how perfect the color of my cupcakes were!!! Texture and taste was awesome!! These are the best one i have made so far!!
I was little confused when i checked the comments but these are fantastic!! I used whole wheat flour and whole milk though which didnt affect the taste in any way!!
Thank you for this keeper recipe!!
Lisa Le says
Glad you found what worked for you :) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment to share your experience <3
Janice Steinbach says
I used gluten free flour, tested one – it fell and was gooey. I added an extra tablespoon of cocoa and 1/2 cup flour – it held its shape but was still gooey. Round three, I added another 1/2 cup of flour.
Thank you for the recipe! It is truly delicious. My daughter loves red velvet and I was eager to try beets.
Lisa Le says
Thanks for sharing how you made it GF! So glad you enjoyed it :)
CakenGifts.in says
Awesome! Thanks for those hints on making it into a layer cake!
Chamu says
Hi this is an awesome keepsake recipe that i have tried out many times and got impressed with the outcome.. one quick question. Can i make this as a cake instead of cupcakes.. ?if so, any change to be made in ingredients or time? Would love to bake it as a cake for my son’s 2nd birthday..Thanks in advance.
Lisa Le says
Hi there! Please see the other comments on this recipe for how people baked it as a cake. I don’t think people really changed the recipe much, you just need to make sure you line and grease the pan and that you bake until a cake tester comes out clean, which is usually about 30 minutes depending on the size of your cake pan.
Divya says
Hi Lisa, I tried this yummy Natural Red Velvet cupcake today .. Its so tasty and little gooey ..But we loved it. I think i should add some more flour to it..And thanks for sharing this yummy recipe..
Deepa says
Hi, I made these today but they turned out browny red/orangish brown. I used exact quantities. Used regular milk and cocoa powder – I’m not sure if it was natural one. It says no added color, no added flavor, no preservatives. What could be the reason of no red color ? :(
Lisa Le says
Hard to say, the dutch vs natural cocoa is typically the determining factor for the colour change.
Jessica says
I made this recipe for a last min Christmas party. I followed the directions. I used canned beets. Rinced and then put them in the ninja blender. The mini cup cakes looked kinda pinkish Brown. The regular size looks more red, still not as vibrant as yours. Maybe the key is fresh beets. No one knew they were vegan. I used pillsburry frosting since it has no eggs or dairy in it. Not as healthy as yours I’m sure. But I was pressed for time. Thanks for posting.
Amber says
Out of curiosity, did you ever wind up trying a vegan frosting on this? I’m allergic to casein (the protein in cow’s milk, and while I can have butter, I can’t have cream cheese or even most vegan cream cheese, which have casein added for the texture. Plus I prefer to use whole foods, not the vegan substitutes in the store with a bunch of additives. Any suggestions?
Lisa Le says
You can make a cashew cream cheese, but since I’m allergic to nuts I haven’t been able to try. I’ve made a tofu-based cream cheese frosting with Tofutti and it was really good, but if you don’t like additives that wouldn’t work haha. BUT, I found out that red velvet was traditionally made with ermine frosting, so you can try this one :)
Tarana says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. I tried it by substituting the flour with 1/4 cup Amaranth and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour to make it vegan and GF. I made 2 doz cupcakes and a small 4″ round is now in the oven. The texture of the cupcakes is perfect. Of course, there’s a mild “powdery” feel to the texture because the flour is gluten-free. Overall, it’s not bad at all. I did not add any Xantham Gum or other binder. The instructions on the Bob’s Red Mill GF packet suggests that, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I’m sure this recipe would be even better with a regular unbleached or whole wheat baking flour. Thank you. You saved some beets in my fridge that needed to be used. :) Now, I am looking for a good vegan buttercream recipe. Let me know if you have one you like.
Connie says
I used beet puree and use natural cocoa to make waffles, but it turned brown :( I even set the heat level on low-medium :( But once I added the natural cocoa, it was dark red already :( Do you know how I can make it red like yours? Should I add less cocoa? I used 2 Tbsp and 125g beet puree. Thank you!!
Lisa Le says
For waffles yes, you’ll probably have to add less cocoa if you want a specific colour. Also the heat from the iron will probably brown the colour much faster than an oven would.
Tereza says
Thank you very much for the recipe. I’ve made couple of changes due to our allergies: I’ve used Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 baking flour, I’ve replaced almond milk with a juice from cooked beets, cut on sugar by 1/3 (my beets had to be more sweet so I felt like it’s enough), I’ve added 2 tsp of red wine vinegar to ensure red color and finally I’ve quadrupled the amounts as I’m planning to do a birthday spaceship cake for our little astronaut so I’ve baked this on big pan and then I’m going to cut it out. (Wish me a good luck). Cake is cooling now and so far it seems to have good consistency and taste is hmmmm omg!
Adrienne says
I just tried these and they did not turn out :( I’m an experienced baker and I followed the recipe exactly but no such luck. They are gummy and turned a brown colour instead of red/pink (despite the batter being a beautiful shade). Have you made them in the standard size cupcake pan or just minis? I could see the minis being red because of less bake time, but these are just disappointing. I’ve tried several red velvet recipes with beets, beet juice, natural food dye and none of them have been a success. Makes me so sad since I used to make great Red Velvet before going vegan.
Claudia says
I was wondering if there’s a sugar substitute you might recommend for this recipe. I saw one person used coconut sugar with good results. What about no sugar added apple sauce, mashed bananas, or something else. It’s for my soon to be one year old.
Lisa Le says
Hi Claudia,
You might have some luck with apple sauce or mashed banana but since I’ve never experimented with it myself, I wouldn’t know the end results. Please feel free to experiment and report back the results! There may also be so other experimenters in the comments who might have some insight with their experiments for you :)
Ruchika Dhir says
How many medium sized cupcakes can be made
Jessica says
so by natural cocoa powder, do you mean cacao? Trying to figure out the secrets to getting a more red color from the beet powder. Heard not to use baking soda or powder but I imagine they wouldn’t rise much then
Lisa Le says
Nope I mean natural cocoa powder and not dutch-processed. I explain it in the blog post ^_^
Laura says
Just made this. Was so excited. But am so annoyed and disappointed. Followed the tripe to A T! Yet it seems I’ve wasted all my time, money and ingredients. They didn’t work out AT ALL. They were in the over for 35 minutes and sunkbadly in the middle. So now they’re in again for another 15 or so. Not happy at all.
Lisa Le says
Hi Laura,
It sounds like your oven might not be hot enough if they were in for that long and didn’t bake up. Did you bake them as a cake, cupcakes, or mini cupcakes?
SteveOh says
Made them twice now, first time as mini cupcakes and the second time as full size. First time they were very red, second time not as much. But it really depends on the beets you use, some are more red then others. Either way, delicious both times. Oh and the second time I made them gluten free, they needed an extra cup of my GF flour blend though for the right consistency.. I used to own a confectionery shop, love trying new recipes and dislike artificial colors! Mahalo from hawaii!
Santini says
Awesome how you used beets to make this delicious cupcake! Fantastic! Thanks for sharing this!
Winni says
I loved these red velvet cake. Thank you for this lovely recipe. Good luck, keep posting and updating us with your cakes recipes.
Sonia says
One of my favorite cake.. The Red Velvet. Thanks for sharing this beautiful article with us. :)
AMIT says
Awesome..Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe. Looks Delicious!
Elizabeth A Ellis says
Hi I tried making this as a cake and with substitutions and the cake looked great! Came out clear on the tester, cracked on the top like it was supposed to, but after cooling was completely gelatinous inside.bkind of like a flan. I used rice flour potato flour casava flour and a multi purpose blend of gf flours. I have a corn allergy so used cream of tartar and baking soda for my baking powder and oat milk. It was very very thick, so I added some extra water and beet juice to make it the right consistency (about 2 cups). Any Idea what happened?
Lisa Le says
This is a lot of substitutions and unfortunately I am not experienced enough with GF baking to really know how troubleshoot this. I would assume that if the inside isn’t cooked through, you need to bake for longer at a lower temperature? The combination of flours might yield that texture with extra liquid too. Sorry I’m not sure how to help!
Janel @ Pride Enjoy says
These are beautiful! I love that you explained the science behind it.
Rinky says
Hello Lisa,
Thanks so much for natural red velvet cupcakes recipe. I have just one question. For the beet puree, can I use ready made boiled beets to make puree?
Thanks,
Lisa Le says
That should be fine!
Cola says
Hi, i just made these – thank you for the recipe; they’re delicious.
I realised while they were in the oven that i used probably half a cup extra beetroot than your recipe called for. So they were more like a cross between a brownie and a cupcake but super delicious and the colour was just gorgeous.
Chamayne says
Just made these and they turned out fabulous. I did actually use a raw beet and processed in my food processor with the oil and sugar until it was basically beet syrup! This made the cupcakes really sweet (so next time I might reduce the sugar.)
Tanvi says
Hi Lisa,
I just came across your blog (and I’m wondering why I haven’t discovered it earlier!). The comments really helped me a lot (I read alllll the comments – right from 2013). I’m trying to bake my first vegan red velvet cake tomorrow and I know you mentioned that you’re thinking of posting a video. So I stalked you on social media :P but couldn’t find a video of the recipe. If you have made a video, please share it (that would be super helpful). Thank you!
Pyaar Bhejo says
Always wanted to make these red velvet cupcakes but never had the chance to. After going through the recipe i just cant wait to try these. Hopefully they turn out just as good as yours. Thanks for sharing.
tummygotyummy says
Red velvet cupcake is the only thing i love the most
Jessy says
Red Velvet is the most loved cakes around the globe, I eat it twice a week, I always break my diet and enjoy the cake, its a huge craving for red velvet, I have found the best way without crashing my diet, this natural cake will be healthy and with diet-conscious!
Roshni says
Made these cupcakes for my li’l one’s birthday…they were soo yumm…and the perfect color too…just used light olive oil, coconut sugar and 3/4 cup of milk. Didn’t taste even a little like beets…the perfect red velvet recipe I ll be using henceforth!!☺️☺️
Sharad says
My girlfriend turned vegan just 2 days before her birthday so I surprised her by making such delicious cake
sheba says
Hi thanks for the recipe… I have one question pls tell me can I use eggs also in this recipe, if yes then how many? I want to cook with eggs, with eggs will it come out good???
Lisa Le says
Hi! I’m vegan so I don’t really advocate for using eggs. I’ve never made this recipe with eggs so I wouldn’t know how it’d work, sorry!
PniB says
Honestly I’d say these are the best cupcakes I’ve made since being vegan, 14 years ago! I never even liked red velvet before, but these are perfect in flavor and texture. I didn’t bother with the icing as I like my cake straight up 😊. I love beets but never would have thought to use them pureed in a baked good. Since I use unbleached flour and dark sugars the colour was not bright red, but I couldn’t care less 🤣. I so enjoyed the color of the batter in its early stages. Thank you.
Annette M Fletcher says
I used pulp from juicing a beet. It worked great. I used an 8×8 cake pan and baked for a little more than 25 minutes. It didn’t rise a lot but the texture is quite pleasing. It is, in my opinion too sweet. Next time I will add less sugar. Other than that, the recipe worked out great and I didn’t waste the pulp of my beet!!!!
Lorne says
I’ve made this several times, it is consistently excellent. I do use dutched cocoa (costco) and it works fine. Thanks for a great recipe!
Blissmygift says
Your Recipe really nice, you made some cup cake for us.
Thanks for sharing awesome recipe with us !!!
Rosena says
Hi Lisa! Thanks for this.
My cupcakes turned out as red as I wanted them to be. However, they were flat and not fluffy at all. It was a challenge peeling off the cupcake liner too.
On my next attempt, I added ACV but no significant change.
I used a non-dairy whipped cream to top it and tasted great!
Charvi Sharma says
hello lisa
i tried it on christmas party and its taste and look so pretty
Diana Otarova says
Hi Lisa, I might have missed it, but I am wondering if the coconut oil needs to be liquid when measured?
thanks,
D
Lisa Le says
Nope! I just used it solid a lot of the time.
levanilla says
very good vegan cake recipe..