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 suggesting cupcakes are the next superfood but, for special occasions, this 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 tbsp 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 cupcake pan.
  3. Cream the butter and sugars until smooth.
  4. Mix in yogurt, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
  5. Sift in flour and baking powder whisking 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. Refrigerate can of coconut milk overnight. In the morning a hardened top layer should have formed which you can scoop out (apparently the occasional can won’t do this).
  2. Mix the hardened coconut milk, vanilla, and almond 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 milk 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 or refrigerate frosting until it is firm enough to stay put.
  9. Pipe icing on cooled cupcakes. Note: The amount of frosting I used as pictured was very sweet so I will use less next time.
  10. Keep cupcakes in fridge until ready to serve to ensure frosting holds its shape.

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Notes: Lemonade cupcake adapted from Cheers to Vegan Sweets and frosting adapted from 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 W̱SÁNEĆ territories.

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

  2. Yum! I love anything lemon/lemonade! Great to find a vegan version of the recipe!

  3. These definitely count as healthier cupcakes 😉 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 🙂

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

  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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