This dairy free red velvet cake with vegan cream cheese frosting has the perfect crimson red crumb, moist texture, and that delicious signature flavor. I use a foolproof method that anyone can master.
If you are looking for other easy vegan cake recipes, make sure to check out my vegan almond flour cake and vegan oatmeal cake with almonds and cranberries too!
❤️ Why You'll Love My Recipe
- Classic red velvet flavor: I use the perfect combination of plant milk, vinegar, and cocoa to create the irresistible tangy flavor and tender texture of red velvet.
- Gorgeous crimson color: This cake is a beautiful, vibrant red color. It's the best vegan red velvet cake recipe for birthdays, Valentine's Day, and anniversaries!
- Foolproof mixing method: I use both vegan butter and oil combined with a cake mixing technique for a moist and tender cake every time.
- Quick cake recipe: The easy vegan red velvet cake recipe calls for simple pantry ingredients and takes just 40 minutes from mixing to baking.
* Don't feel like making a whole cake? No problem! Make my vegan red velvet cupcakes instead!
The Secret To My Vegan Red Velvet Cake
I tested this recipe 5 times to create one of the most delicious and easy vegan red velvet cakes you'll ever make.
There are two things that make my recipe special, and they're not special equipment or vegan baking wizardry. It boils down to simple baking techniques that I learned in culinary school. Over the years, I've learned how to take traditional recipes and turn them into vegan versions that are just as good.
The first secret is a quick 5-minute homemade vegan buttermilk I make by mixing plant milk with apple cider vinegar. This curdles the milk and replicates the acidity found in traditional recipes, which helps to activate the leaveners and softens the gluten in the flour. This produces a cake that is super moist without being overly oily.
Secondly, most dairy free red velvet cake recipes rely on the muffin method for mixing and use only oil as the fat. While this works, I've found that using the creaming method with vegan butter and a touch of oil and alternating my wet and dry ingredients when adding them creates a delicate crumb like a professional bakery.
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cake its structure. It's important to measure the flour accurately and sift it for the best results.
- Natural cocoa powder: Not Dutch-process. Natural cocoa is acidic and reacts best with the baking soda to create the classic red velvet flavor and red color.
- Baking powder and baking soda: I use this leavening combo for the best lift and characteristic taste.
- Vegan butter + sugar: Stick butter works best and should be room temperature, but still cool to the touch when creaming it together with the sugar.
- Neutral oil: I like to use just a little bit of oil for moisture, which keeps the cake tender for days.
- Dairy free milk + apple cider vinegar: This is your vegan buttermilk. Soy milk works best, but almond milk and oat milk are other good options.
- Liquid red food coloring: Do not use more than 1 tablespoon of liquid food coloring. More will impact the texture of the cake. Gel food color works too.
- Vegan cream cheese frosting: You can make your own using my vegan cream cheese frosting recipe or use store-bought. Simple vegan white buttercream frosting is another option.
How To Make Dairy Free Red Velvet Cake From Scratch
Here is a step-by-step look at how easy it is to make a red velvet cake recipe vegan!
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the amounts and detailed instructions.
Make the vegan buttermilk. Before you even begin making the batter, mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make a vegan buttermilk. Then prep your round cake pans. This gives the soy milk enough time to curdle some.
Prep the dry ingredients. Sift all the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into a medium bowl and then use a whisk to mix them together.
Cream the butter and sugar. Grab a large bowl and beat the softened vegan butter with the granulated sugar using an electric hand mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed. You're looking for it to turn into a fluffy pale mixture. Add the oil and beat for another 20 seconds or so until it's fully worked in and smooth.
Mix the liquids. Stir the vanilla extract and red food coloring into your buttermilk mixture until the color is evenly distributed. You want to do this before you start mixing everything together.
Add the flour mixture and buttermilk. Turn your mixer down to the lowest speed and add a third of the dry ingredients, mixing just until the flour is mixed in. Then keep the mixer going on low and slowly pour in half of your red buttermilk mixture, letting it mix until it's just absorbed.
Now, add another third of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the buttermilk, and finish with the final third of dry ingredients. Be very careful not to overmix.
Bake the cake. Divide the cake batter between your two prepared 8 inch cake pans and slide them into the oven to bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 30 to 34 minutes. You'll know the layers are done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool the cake. Once baked, give the vegan red velvet cakes 10 minutes to set in their pans, then flip them onto a wire rack, peel away the parchment, and let them completely cool.
Frost the cake. Once the layers are completely cool, you can frost your vegan cake with cream cheese frosting.
Storage
- Fridge: Because of the vegan cream cheese frosting, this cake should be stored in the refrigerator. In an airtight container or cake dome, it will last for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: One thing I love about cakes is that you can freeze the unfrosted layers for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then put them in a ziplock bag. Then just thaw the layers overnight in the fridge before frosting.
🌟 Expert Tips
- Your vegan butter should be soft enough to leave a thumbprint but still feel slightly cool. If it's oily or starting to melt, it won't hold the air pockets needed to make this dairy free red velvet cake light and fluffy.
- Don't rush creaming the butter and sugar step. This helps create the perfect crumb texture when making red velvet cake vegan.
- Follow the "Dry-Wet-Dry" rule when making the batter. Always start and end with your dry ingredients when alternating. This technique prevents the batter from becoming over-saturated with liquid and breaking.
- Once you start adding flour, keep your mixer on the lowest setting. Over-mixing is the fastest way to turn a tender cake into a tough one.
- After your last addition of flour, use a silicone spatula and fold the batter once or twice. This ensures no pockets of dry flour are hiding at the bottom of the bowl.
- Cake layers are much easier to frost if you wrap them in plastic and chill them in the fridge for an hour after they've cooled.
- For the best results, use a digital scale to measure your flour and a digital oven thermometer.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you insert a toothpick into the center of your cake it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The center of your cake should also spring back if you press it with your finger instead of leaving an indent.
No, stick with natural cocoa powder. Dutch-process has been treated to neutralize the acid, and you actually need that acidity for the classic red velvet flavor and to keep your red color vibrant.
No, you need vinegar to make the vegan buttermilk and get the baking soda working. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, plain white vinegar works just as well.
Don't worry! This happens during the alternating step when you're mixing in the liquids and flour. It looks weird for a minute, but smooths out by the end. Just don't overmix trying to fix it. It's perfectly normal.
If you are looking for a gluten and dairy free red velvet cake recipe, using a 1:1 gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum should work, but I haven't tested it myself yet.
Gel food coloring gives you the brightest red, and beet powder works too. However, I used regular liquid red food color because it is easier to find, and this recipe was designed to account for the added liquid. Making any change to the amount of food coloring used will alter the outcome of your cake.
⭐️ One Last Thing! If you make my dairy free red velvet cake, please leave a review and rating to let me know how you liked it! Doing so helps other readers and me too! Your feedback makes a difference.
Dairy Free Red Velvet Cake (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 g)
- 2 tablespoon natural cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar (350 g)
- ½ cup vegan butter, at room temperature (stick butter works best)
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1½ cups unsweetened soy milk (any plant milk will work)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
- Vegan cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 8-inch cake pans, dust them with flour, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a small jar or bowl, stir the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together. Let it sit for 5 minutes to turn into vegan buttermilk.
- Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into a medium bowl and then use a whisk to mix them together.
- In a large bowl use an electric stand mixer or use a stand mixer to beat the softened vegan butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it's a pale, fluffy texture. Then pour in the oil and beat again for about 20 seconds until fully combined.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and red food coloring into the plant milk mixture.
- With the mixer on its lowest speed, add ⅓ of your dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Now, with the mixer running on LOW slowly pour in half of the milk mixture and mix until just absorbed. Repeat with another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, the remaining milk, and finally the last ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. Note: If the batter looks slightly curdled or broken during the milk additions, don't panic. This is normal. It will come back together with the final flour addition.
- Switch to a rubber spatula and fold the batter by hand once or twice, scraping the very bottom of the bowl to catch any hidden flour pockets.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 30 to 34 minutes. When done, a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cakes rest in their pans for 10 minutes. Then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack and peel off the parchment. Let them cool completely before frosting.
- When cool, frost the cake with vegan cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- Properly measure the ingredients with a digital scale if possible. If not, use the spoon and level method when measuring the flour.
- Every oven is different. A digital oven thermometer is recommended.
- Your vegan butter should be soft enough to indent with a finger, but still feel cool. If it's oily or melted, your cake will be dense rather than fluffy.
- Use natural cocoa powder. The acidity is necessary to react with the baking soda for the proper rise.
- The cake layers are actually easier to frost if you wrap them in plastic and chill them in the fridge for an hour after they've cooled.
- The estimated nutritional info does not include the frosting, which will depend on the recipe you choose you use or store bought brand.
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