Light, soft, and completely irresistible, this Vegan Heart-Shaped Cupcake Recipe is the perfect way to make dessert feel a little extra special. These gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are easy to make, topped with dairy-free frosting to make for a special Valentine’s Day dessert.
"These heart shaped cupcakes taste as good as they look. So chocolately and the beet powder is a great idea to get that natural pink icing. I am going to make these again for Valentine's day!" -Scarlet
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 1 hour
- 👪Serves: 12
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 326 kcals and 1 gram of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Coconut palm sugar, almond milk, gluten-free baking flour, coconut oil, and cacao powder.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: These cupcakes are incredibly light, moist, and chocolatey, making them a festive dessert that tastes indulgent while still being fully vegan and gluten-free.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
These gluten-free Valentine’s cupcakes are guaranteed to become a house favorite fast. Sweetened with coconut palm sugar, they’re rich, chocolatey, and taste bakery-worthy while still being easy enough to whip up on a busy day. Even though they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, these vegan chocolate cupcakes work for birthdays, celebrations, or anytime you want a fun dessert, just like my go-to dairy-free chocolate desserts.
I don’t make sugar-heavy treats often, but these heart-shaped cupcakes are one I never skip. Watching my kids light up over something festive and homemade is 100% worth it, especially when it makes Valentine’s Day feel a little more magical. If you’re going all in, pair them with these Valentine's photoshoot ideas to capture the memories while the frosting (inevitably) gets everywhere.
Jump To
💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Allergy-friendly: These heart-shaped cupcakes are dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
Kid-approved: Kids love the cute shape as well as the rich chocolate flavor.
Delicious: They're ultra-soft, sweet, and can be dressed up in a variety of ways.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Gluten-free flour: Make sure to use Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour for the light, soft texture. Not all gluten-free flours are the same blend, and thus, each one can absorb liquid differently.
- Coconut oil: measure your coconut oil, solid, but then make sure to melt it before mixing it into the cake batter.
- Coconut milk: You want to use the thick, white coconut cream from canned coconut milk. Make sure to drain any water.
- Coconut palm sugar: This is my personal preference, but any sugar will work.
- Cacao powder: Not to be confused with cocoa powder, cacao has a lot more nutrients in it and gives a much darker chocolate flavor (learn the difference between cacao and cocoa powder).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Vanilla almond cupcakes: Skip the cacao powder but add a splash of almond extract for a nutty taste.
- Frosting: Though there is a frosting recipe below, you could also use dairy-free cream cheese frosting or dairy-free protein buttercream frosting, which is equally delicious, especially on chocolate protein powder cupcakes.
- Festive toppings: Add candy hearts, sprinkles, or edible glitter to the top for the perfect look.
How To Make Vegan Heart-Shaped Cupcakes
Step 1: Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, except the chocolate chips.
Step 2: Melt the coconut oil and whisk the wet ingredients together in another bowl before pouring them into the dry mixture and stirring.
Step 3: Mix in the chocolate chips and spoon batter into your silicone mold.Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the mold fully so that they can firm up.
Step 4: Transfer the heart cupcakes to a cooling rack after mostly cooled.Whip up the dairy-free frosting and pipe it onto the cool cupcakes.
Expert Tips To Make It
The pink icing for these vegan gluten-free chocolate cupcakes is made from a local cashew-based vegan butter and colored with beet crystals. Of course, you can use any vegan butter you have on hand; it just may adjust the texture.
I use beet crystals for a natural coloring option, which is what I use in my sugar-free 1st birthday smash cake as well (and you can use it in this chocolate, honey, Whinnie The Pooh cake). But of course, red dye works if you prefer that.
The icing is extremely sweet, and it can be piped (as you see in the video). However, it is a bit thicker than traditional icing. This means, if you're piping it onto the heart-shaped cupcakes, you'll want a very large hole on your instrument as you'll notice it gumming up. In the video, you'll see that I don't even use a piping tip; I simply use the bag.
You need a silicone heart shaped mold for the gluten-free Valentine's cupcakes, and you can use it again to make a rose petal chocolate heart.
How To Store Them
These vegan Valentine's cupcakes are best stored are room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Though they can be stored in the fridge, the cupcakes will lose their softness and instead firm up. Bring them back to room temperature before re-serving.
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes FAQs
While some gluten-free and vegan cupcakes will taste different, these heart-shaped cupcakes taste eerily similar to "the real thing". They're super light, moist, and very sweet.
Nope! The heart-shaped cupcakes are very cute for Holidays like Valentine's Day. But you can use any mold you like. I would advise a silicone mold, though, over cupcake liners because they pop out easier.
To make a cupcake into a heart shape you need to use a silicone, heart shaped mold.
If you tried this Vegan Heart Shaped Cupcake Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Vegan Heart Shaped Cupcake Recipe (Gluten-Free)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- ⅓ cup coconut oil measured solid
- 3 tbs coconut cream cream from the can
- 1 cup coconut palm sugar
- 0.5 cups gluten-free baking flour
- ⅓ cups cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tbs Mini chocolate chips + more for topping
Frosting Ingredients
- ⅔ cups Vegan softened Butter softened (Nuts For Cheese was used)
- 1.5 cups cane sugar then ground into a flour
- 1 teaspoon beet powder or fresh strawberries
- 2 tbs coconut cream from the can
- 2 tbs almond milk
- 2 teaspoon almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl except chocolate chips in one bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil and whisk the wet ingredients in another. Make sure the almond milk is room temperature so the coconut oil doesn't solidify.
- Mix the wet into the dry ingredients until fully combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the silicone mold (not cupcake liners).
- Bake cupcakes for 20 minutes. remove from the oven and let cool in the molds fully so they set.
Make the frosting
- Use electric beaters to whip butter, sugar, beet powder, and coconut cream together. Slowly add in the almond milk and beat for another 3-5 minutes.
- Scoop the icing into a piping bag or ziplock with a large hole. Remove the cupcakes from the silicone molds and place on a cooling rack.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and top with more chocolate chips if desired.
Notes
- Don't forget to read through the blog post as there are a lot of special notes on the cupcakes.
- Make sure to use a heart-shaped silicone mold in place of cupcake liners as they pop out far more easily.
- Let the vegan chocolate cupcakes cool completely before icing them so that the icing doesn't melt.
- The icing is extremely sweet, and it can be piped (as you see in the video). However, it is a bit thicker than traditional icing. This means, if you're piping it onto the heart-shaped cupcakes, you'll want a very large hole on your instrument as you'll notice it gumming up. In the video, you'll see that I don't even use a piping tip; I simply use the bag.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Anne says
These are awesome and chocolatey. I love that they are heart shaped too!
fitasamamabear says
Chocolate is a life staple hehe
Raquel says
These are so cute! Cannot wait to make these.
fitasamamabear says
They're a fun one!
fitasamamabear says
Enjoy them! The kiddos loved them 🙂
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing vegan heart shaped cupcakes recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
fitasamamabear says
They're definitely a fun one! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
fitasamamabear says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Scarlet says
These heart shaped cupcakes taste as good as they look. So chocolately and the beet powder is a great idea to get that natural pink icing. I am going to make these again for Valentine's day!
fitasamamabear says
Beet crystals are a winning secret hehe glad you enjoyed them!
Roxanne says
This so cute and looks delicious. It's perfect for gift too.
fitasamamabear says
I didn't even think of gifts, but yes!
Nelly says
5 cups of flour???? There’s not enough liquid
fitasamamabear says
Hi Nelly,
My apologies! In converting the recipe to a recipe card there was a typo. The original recipe is 1.5 cups of flour. I'm off to update the recipe card now but truly, I'm sorry.
Glenda says
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I'm always glad to have another gluten free one in my collection!
fitasamamabear says
Yay!
Jessica says
The recipe says .5 cups of flour. Is it supposed to be 1.5?
fitasamamabear says
Sure is, thanks for the catch and fixing now. Really appreciate you letting me know!
fitasamamabear says
Hey! Double checked my written notes, it is only 1/2 cup flour. Gluten-free flour absorbs like crazy so you only need a little bit for this recipe so that they come out light and not dense 🙂