These soft, moist vegan lemon cupcakes are full of real zesty lemon and filled with a quick dairy free lemon curd. This recipe yields just 6 perfect zesty lemon poppy seed cupcakes for the perfect easy one bowl cupcake recipe!

vegan lemon cupcake on cooling rack

Why you’ll love this small batch recipe:

If you’re looking for a bright and zesty treat, but don’t feel like making a whole vegan lemon cake (and want something a bit more exciting than a lemon loaf cake or lemon poppy seed muffins), then you’ve come to the right place.

Small batch. Lemon poppy seed cupcakes!! Filled with a lush vegan lemon curd and topped with a creamy dairy-free cream cheese frosting.

bitten vegan lemon cupcake on cooling rack

These cupcakes are it- they’re just as deliciously soft and moist as my lemon poppy seed snack cake, with tons of fresh, zesty lemon, like in my vegan lemon brownies.

Made entirely without any eggs and dairy free, and yet they rise just as beautifully as conventional cupcakes.

They’re soft, moist, fluffy, and made entirely with real lemon (no lemon extract nor lemon flavor needed!). The best part is the batter takes just 5 minutes to make and all in one bowl. No stand mixer nor even a hand mixer.

Seriously, you’re going to just devour these vegan lemon cupcakes. And just the right amount too!

How do you make lemon curd without eggs and dairy?

This is my favorite addition to this lemon cupcake recipe- using lemon curd as the filling and topping!

But how can we make lemon curd vegan?!

Simple. We swap out the eggs for one of my favorite vegan egg substitutes: aquafaba and chickpea flour. Then we swap out the dairy for vegan butter!

vegan lemon cupcakes with lemon curd on top on cooling rack with lemons next to them

If you’re new to vegan baking, you might be wondering what aquafaba and chickpea flour is- don’t worry, you can get all of these at the store. Aquafaba is simply the liquid from your chickpea jar, and chickpea flour is dehydrated chickpeas ground into a flour!

Together, they act as both the egg white and the egg yolk. It’s quite amazing!

Overview: How to make vegan lemon cupcakes step by step:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

whisked lemon cupcake batter
First, we’ll start by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar. This really brings out the lemon flavor and removes any need for using lemon extract! Then you’ll add in the remaining wet ingredients, and whisk to combine.
lemon cupcake batter in a bowl
Add in the flour, dairy free milk, lemon juice, and poppy seeds, and whisk just to combine.
baked lemon cupcakes
Fill the cupcake liners and bake for just 18 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking make the vegan lemon cud.
filled lemon curd cupcakes on a cooling rack
Then once the cupcakes are cooled, fill them with the lemon curd.
frosted lemon cupcakes
Frost and decorate, then serve and enjoy!

Can I double this recipe for a full batch of lemon poppy seed cupcakes?

Yes! Simply tap the 2x button on the recipe card below- but keep in mind, if you’re using metric measurements (grams), the gram measurements won’t automatically double.

The bake time will be the same as well!

bitten lemon curd cupcake

Can I omit the poppy seeds?

Yes absolutely! If you just want a small batch of super zesty and bright vegan lemon cupcakes, sans poppy seed (don’t worry- you can make my vegan lemon poppy seed muffins instead!), you can absolutely do that. 

The flavor will be the same, and no other changes nor adjustments are necessary!