Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (Dairy-free)

Cocktail-inspired, dairy-free cupcakes for your Spring celebrations (no artificial food coloring!).

I welcomed Spring Equinox with my first vegan cupcake experiment. Now, I’m not suggestingย cupcakes are the next superfood but,ย for special occasions, thisย recipe is on the healthier side. Firstly, I replaced white flour with whole wheat flour. This increases fiber content which helps manage blood sugar spikes. Secondly, these are dairy-free which is beneficial for PCOS-fighters. Lastly, instead of using artificial food coloring, I added beet juice! I can proudly say the taste was unaffected and I avoided the toxic chemicals in food dye. Please leave a comment if you have a tip for coloring desserts naturally!

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Cupcake Ingredients (makes 12):

  • 1/2 cup Earth Balance dairy-free butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy yogurt
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (or gluten-free alternative)
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbspย almond milk
  • 1 cup Earth Balance dairy-free butter
  • 2-3 cups of powdered sugar
  • 3 tsp beet juice, from canned beets

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Cupcake How To:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
  2. Place 12 liners in a cupcakeย pan.
  3. Creamย the butter and sugars until smooth.
  4. Mix inย yogurt, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
  5. Sift in flour and baking powder whiskingย until just combined.
  6. Scoop batter into cupcake liners filling up just past half full.
  7. Bake for about 18 minutes (check that a toothpick comes out clean).
  8. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack.

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Frosting How To:

  1. Refrigerateย can of coconut milk overnight. In the morning a hardened top layer should have formedย whichย you can scoop out (apparently the occasionalย can won’t do this).
  2. Mix the hardened coconut milk, vanilla, and almondย milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth.
  4. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar to the butter in 1/2 cup batches.
  5. Once combined, add the coconut milkย mixture.
  6. Whip on high for 3 minutes or until the mixture gets glossy.
  7. Add beet juice in teaspoons at a time until you reach the vibrancy you want.
  8. Add more sugar if the frosting is still runny orย refrigerate frosting until it is firmย enough to stay put.
  9. Pipeย icing onย cooled cupcakes. Note: The amount of frosting I used as pictured was veryย sweet so I willย use less next time.
  10. Keep cupcakes in fridgeย until ready to serve to ensure frostingย holds its shape.

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Notes: Lemonade cupcake adapted from Cheers to Vegan Sweetsย and frosting adapted fromย Delia Creates.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (Vegan)
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Author: Dr. Dylan Cutler, Ph.D.

Dr. Dylan Cutler is the founder of Phruitful Dish. She's a holistic health content creator, vegan, athlete, feminist, social activist, and PCOS fighter. She obtained her Ph.D. in obstetrics and gynaecology specializing in PCOS management using nutrition, movement, and mindfulness. She resides in Victoria, Canada on unceded Lekwungen and WฬฑSรNEฤ† territories.

36 thoughts on “Pink Lemonade Cupcakes (Dairy-free)”

  3. These definitely count as healthier cupcakes ๐Ÿ˜‰ I haven’t played around to much with natural food dyes, but I used vegetable to dye our Easter eggs this year and that was pretty neat. Red cabbage turned the eggs a beautiful grey blue

    1. That is so funny you say that because my family just finished dying eggs with red cabbage, turmeric and beets! Its pretty satisfying to create color without chemicals.

    1. Thank you! It was a mission to figure out how to create pink without completely changing the flavor, but in the end it was so simple.. beet juice! My next mission is green… spinach? matcha?

  6. Pingback: HBC Cookbook: The Vegan Food Edit – HBC Magazine

  8. I love love love these cupcakes. And the fact that they are healthier. I really should think about making the stuff I bake healthier too eh? Maybe. Someday when I got the whole baking thing down pat. You inspire me!

  11. They look so cute and I love the sound of lemonade cake. I think this would suit all the eaters in my life, no matter what dietary needs they have.

    1. Thank you! I am frequently thinking about other’s dietary needs when creating recipes so I am glad you are here to find more! Have a great Saturday ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. These are so cute! I love that you didn’t use artificial colouring. The beet juice made such a pretty shade of pink.

    1. You are welcome. Yes, With the first day of spring being tomorrow, I will be sharing these everywhere hoping that the weather catches on. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  25. Oooo these are perfect for Spring and I love the idea of coloring them with beet juice. They’re lovely! I’m sharing them on Pinterest. ?

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