Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes (Soft + Easy!)
Soft, easy-to-make eggless vanilla cupcakes! These cupcakes are light, fluffy, and will be a new favorite for your next celebration. They are completely egg-free and topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting.
This is one of the simplest ways to make cupcakes. In short, you mix the wet ingredients, dry ingredients and then combine the two! Everything is better homemade and I promise these will become a staple recipe for every celebration.
These egg-free vanilla cupcakes use staple pantry and fridge ingredients including milk and yogurt for binding and moisture and baking powder for a beautiful rise. When you remove eggs from a recipe, you need to replace the moisture, binding, fat, and rise components. Don’t worry – I did the hard part recipe testing and now you can just enjoy every bite!
Need other allergy-friendly substitutions like dairy-free or gluten-free? See the “allergy-friendly substitutions” section below! No one should miss out on tasty desserts.
Be sure to see the video walk through of how to make eggless vanilla cupcakes at the bottom of the page!
Note from Lexi: Why this Recipe Works
When you need an allergy-friendly cupcake recipe, you want one that’s tested and true. These eggless vanilla cupcakes work because each ingredient plays a specific role to replace what eggs normally provide. The combination of milk and butter helps create a tender crumb, while yogurt adds richness and structure. Proper mixing keeps the batter light without overworking the flour, so the cupcakes bake up soft, fluffy, and perfectly moist every time. You still get that classic vanilla flavor and bakery-style texture, just without the eggs. To learn more about the recipes and inspiration for my blog, read all about my blog here!
– Lexi with Our Slice of Home
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make vanilla cupcakes without eggs
Step one: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with liners. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Step two: In a separate bowl, combine room temperature milk, melted butter, yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk together.
Step three: Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until no more flour streaks appear. There will be some small lumps.
Step four: Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way full and bake for 17-20 minutes.
Step five: Allow to cool for 5 minutes prior to removing from the pan to a cooling rack.
Step six: Prepare frosting and place into a piping bag. Pipe vanilla frosting onto each cupcake.
FAQ
Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcake and it will come out clean if they are done baking.
Yes! Use a vegan butter (firm block not a spreadable kind). Substitute a dairy-free milk such as oat, almond, or soy milk. Lastly, for the yogurt, use a vegan yogurt or vegan Greek-style yogurt.
Yes! You will want to decrease the amount of flour. Use only 1 1/2 cups (196 grams) of a gluten-free flour blend and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Do not add xanthan gum if your flour blend already contains it.
Absolutely! Once the batter is done and before you pour them in the muffin tins, fold in 6 tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles.
More Eggless Cakes
Check out this eggless apple cake or these eggless carrot cake cupcakes. They are perfect for spring and beyond delicious!
Why Eggless Cupcakes
Almost always, eggs are called for in standard vanilla cupcake recipes. For many, that makes the cupcakes off limits due to an egg allergy or an egg sensitivity. Also, you may find yourself out of eggs or they are expensive. This recipe uses typical pantry and fridge staple ingredients to provide the right structure (yogurt and an increased amount of flour), texture (butter, flour, and milk), and rise (increased baking powder) all while being completely egg-free!
Equipment needed
- Standard 12-cup muffin tin
- Cupcake liners
- Large and medium mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Piping bag and tip for frosting (optional). You can just spread on frosting with a knife.
Allergy-Friendly Swaps
Dairy-Free: Use a vegan butter (firm block not a spreadable kind). Use a dairy-free milk such as oat, almond, or soy milk. Use an unsweetened plain vegan yogurt or vegan Greek-style yogurt.
Gluten-Free: Use only 1 1/2 cups of a gluten-free flour blend and add a 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Do not add xanthan gum if your flour already has binders in it.
How to store and freeze
Storage: Store cupcakes WITH frosting in the fridge for 3-5 days in airtight containers. You can store cupcakes WITHOUT frosting on the countertop for up to 2 days.
Freezing: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes. Allow to cool completely. I wrap cupcakes in their liners 6 at a time using press n seal or plastic wrap. Place in a freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. TO THAW: Place the cupcakes on the countertop still in their wrapping to thaw out.
Frosting Pairings
This recipe uses a classic vanilla buttercream frosting or you can use a chocolate buttercream frosting. If you are looking for something light, this cream cheese glaze is a great option.
Tips for Success
Don’t overmix your batter! Once you add the flour, mix until there are no more flour streaks. Overmixing can cause dense cupcakes.
Oven temperatures can vary greatly. Check on these muffins at the 15-minute mark to be safe and add time as needed.
Use room temperature or slightly warm milk. If you use cold milk, it will cause the butter to solidify again.
If you made this recipe, I’d be so grateful if you left a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a quick comment sharing how it turned out. And if you haven’t already, follow along here:
– Lexi with Our Slice of Home
Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 ¾ cup (390 g) cake flour see note
- 1 cup (360 g) white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup melted butter cooled a bit
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups (340 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) whole milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- optional: sprinkles
Instructions
Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin-tin with cupcake liners
- Start with melting your butter and set it aside so it can cool a bit before adding it into the recipe¼ cup melted butter
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together.1 ¾ cup cake flour, 1 cup white granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate medium sized mixing bowl pour in milk, yogurt, vanilla, and melted butter. Stir until well combined.1 cup whole milk, ¼ cup yogurt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ cup melted butter
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and you don't see any flour streaks. Avoid overmixing as this causes dense cupcakes.
- Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way full
- Bake 16-19 minutes. To test if they are done, insert a toothpick that should come out clean. You can also press with your finger on the center of the cupcake and it should spring back up.
Frost the Cupcakes
- To a large bowl, add softened butter. Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy. This will take about 1 minute. Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl.1 cup unsalted butter
- Pour in room temperature milk and vanilla and stir together.2 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pour in powdered sugar and pinch of salt. Using the hand mixer on low speed, mix until well combined.3 cups powdered sugar, pinch of salt
- Transfer to a piping bag. The piping design in the photo pipes from the outside of the cupcake to the center of the cupcake in a swirling motion (see video). Top with sprinkles.optional: sprinkles
Video
Notes
To make this recipe gluten-free, use only 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) of a gluten-free flour blend and add a 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Do not add xanthan gum if your flour already contains it.
These are my go-to for any occasion!