One Bowl MOIST Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This truly one bowl MOIST vegan red velvet cake is layered with a silky dairy free vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, and unbelievably made without eggs and dairy. It’s tender, rich and velvety with the perfect balance of cocoa, sweetness and just a hint of tang!
Why you’ll love this vegan red velvet cake:
Red velvet cake is high on the list of my top favorite cake recipes, especially this vegan version. When I used to work at Georgetown Cupcakes, the red velvet flavor was the best selling out of all flavors, even chocolate.
Red velvet cake is a classic for a reason. Just like my vanilla cake, chocolate cake, and caramel cake (all must bake recipes!).
It’s a wonderful celebration cake for holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, but not just those holidays: make this veganized vegetarian version of red velvet cake for Valentine’s Day, a birthday, graduation, engagement party, weddings, and more!
So when you take a bite out of this vegan red velvet cake, I think you’ll be shocked to learn that this cake is actually eggless, dairy free, gluten free, and can be naturally red!
All while maintaining the classically sweet and slightly tangy, yet uber rich and moist taste of the cake we all know and love.
This will be your go-to red velvet cake, vegan or not!
Learn how to bake *unbelievably* vegan desserts in 5 steps!
Want to make amazing vegan and gluten free desserts that no one will know are eggless and dairy free? Sign up for this free e-course to transform your vegan bakes!
What is red velvet cake?
People just can’t get enough of that red velvet! Now, in a good red velvet, you’ll have a very smooth, velvety texture thanks to the acidity, and with a slight tang to the sweet, it’s easy to just keep eating it!
Then of course you can’t forget the cream cheese frosting! My favorite part 🙂 For our vegan red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, the fluffy white frosting on top is completely dairy free.
And if you want to make it completely refined sugar free, there’s an option for that! Just please not that the color will definitely be more brown than white in the frosting, and the cake will look more purple than red.
Is red food coloring vegan?
This really depends on the brand of red food coloring you’re purchasing. Because some red food coloring can be vegan and others are definitely not. Aside from the basics of making a cake veganized, the tricky part when it comes to making a vegan and vegetarian red velvet cake is actually in the food coloring.
Most food colorings contain a red that is actually not vegan. Sometimes it’s made with vegan ingredients, but then it’s tested on animals, which ultimately means it’s not vegan, as then it’s not cruelty free.
However, there are some ways around this so that we can keep this healthier red velvet cake completely vegan.
I like to use a high quality plant based red food dye that I find at Whole Foods. I also know that the Wilton produces a vegan-friendly red food coloring gel that makes the most beautiful red hue. Wilton also doesn’t test on animals, which I think is a nice added note to make you feel good about purchasing!
I recently found a brand called Nomeca, found on Amazon, and they are entirely vegan. They also have a bunch of fun colors, like sunset yellow and pink that I’ve been using for cookie decorating! The best part? They don’t fade 🙂
Another option is using beet powder. My go to? Suncore Foods. Hands down the most potent red color I’ve found! Some other brands of beet powder might look more maroon rather than red. However, the taste will still be amazing.
What’s the difference between red velvet cake and chocolate cake?
Most people think that red velvet cake is basically just chocolate cake dyed red, but that’s not true!
There’s only a smidgen of cocoa powder in red velvet, whereas with chocolate cake, you’re talking a whole lotta chocolate.
In fact, when red velvet cake was first made, it actually had way more cacao in it. However, the amount lessened over time, and the color became more red than maroon.
This vegan red velvet cake is very different than my vegan chocolate cake, so rest assured, you’re getting an entirely different flavor profile between these two recipes!
What is the flavor of red velvet cake?
I really don’t think that any red velvet cake recipe tastes super chocolatey! There’s such a small amount, but it is necessary for that slight richness in my opinion.
But actually, red velvet cake gets its name from the vinegar creating that velvety texture in the cake. It’s truly unlike any other cake I’ve ever had. There’s a slight tang to it, but trust me, it’s not gross.
You’re going to fall in love with this cake!
Overview: Step by Step How to Make a Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting
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.
Making this healthier red velvet cake is seriously a breeze, and you can decorate it however you want! I’m going to walk you through the basic steps for getting your cake baked and frosted, then let yourself have fun with the decorations.
The vegan red velvet cake
I know sometimes it’s intimidating if you’re making a vegan cake for the first time, but I promise, it’s actually so similar to making a regular cake! So don’t sweat it: just trust the process!
Alright, in order to make this vegan red velvet cake, you’ll need the following:
- Flour: you can use all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour (if needed for GF!)
- Vegan butter: Or a neutral oil, like sunflower seed oil or avocado oil. Recently, I’ve been making my cakes with oil instead of butter, and I LOVE the moisture that comes with it! Very much like my vegan red velvet cupcakes.
- Dairy free milk: You can use oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, or the like.
- Vinegar: This combined with the dairy free milk to make our homemade buttermilk.
- Granulated sugar: I also used to recommend that you could make this cake refined sugar free. You can, technically, but please note that the color will not be traditional red velvet then.
- Dairy free yogurt: Just a touch to help with the tang of red velvet cake.
- Baking soda + powder
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using a rich cocoa powder, like Dutch-process cocoa powder for a more tender texture.
- Vegan red food coloring: For this recipe, I used Ann Clark. They have a great vegan-friendly red food coloring as of now. However, be sure to always check labels, as brands sometimes change the ingredients.
To make this vegan red velvet cake, simply:
- Whisk together the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, dairy free yogurt, and sea salt in a bowl. Then add in the baking soda and baking powder.
- Pour in the flour, and the vegan buttermilk, and whisk again just to combine.
- Distribute the batter evenly among two or three 8″ cake pans and bake for 35 minutes.
- Let cool before you frost.
That’s it! Not too far off from making a regular red velvet cake, right?
The vegan cream cheese frosting
Making a vegan cream cheese frosting is, like making a vegan cake, just as easy as its conventional counterpart. The only difference is that it’s completely dairy free!
To make the vegan cream cheese frosting, you’ll need:
- Vegan cream cheese
- Vegan butter (Miyoko’s is by far the best!)
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Next, you’ll want to make sure that the vegan cream cheese and the vegan butter are at room temperature, but still cool. This means that they’ll be slightly soft, enough for you to effortlessly dent a fingerprint into it, but still cool enough to work with without it melting. The ideal temperature is 68F.
Then, you’ll just make the frosting like you would a regular cream cheese frosting. Beat together the vegan cream cheese and butter until they’re whipped and fluffy.
Add in the powdered sugar in increments until it’s a fluffy frosting. Then finish with a little vanilla beaten into the frosting and there you have it!
Now you can frost your cake in layers! Make sure you level your cakes before beginning. I recommend using a frosting knife and bench scraper to get the cleanest look that will almost resemble fondant (but without the icky fondant taste!).
Note: vegan cream cheese frosting can be softer than regular vegan buttercream frosting. This means that it will start to soften more quickly at room temperature. It’s best to refrigerate your cake in between crumb coating and applying the final layer.
Can red velvet cake be made without food coloring?
You can omit the food coloring if you’d rather not include it all together in your vegan red velvet cake. It won’t have that red color to it, obviously, but the red coloring doesn’t add any flavor to it, so not to worry!
Tips & Tricks for making the best healthy red velvet cake:
- How to make this a gluten free vegan red velvet cake: making this a gluten free red velvet cake is actually quite simple. I love using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour or King Arthur’s 1-to-1 gluten free flour. Then it’s just an easy swap in!
- Make sure to level the cakes before frosting! If you’re building this cake in multiple layers, make sure to level your layers before frosting! This means evening out that top section before you frost. I recommend using a sharp, thin knife (just be careful), then when you’re stacking your cake layers, fave the crumbed, sliced side down to make it easier to frost!
- Sift the flour before beginning: this ensures that your cake comes out really tender. I also recommend using cake flour if you’re not gluten-free. If you are GF, add in a bit of cornstarch or arrowroot powder for that same result.
How to store vegan red velvet cake
I recommend storing any leftovers in a cake container or sliced and placed into an airtight container. The cake will last for about a day or two on the countertop, but you can also store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You are just going to LOVE this vegan red velvet cake! It’s the perfect balance of notes of cocoa powder and vanilla, and that beautiful sweetness with a slight tang.
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations, so be sure to tag me on Instagram and Pinterest!
Happy cake baking!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
🌟MADE THIS RECIPE & LOVED IT?🌟I’d love it if you’d like a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below! This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
One Bowl MOIST Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This truly one bowl MOIST vegan red velvet cake is layered with a silky dairy free vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, and unbelievably made without eggs and dairy. It’s tender, rich and velvety with the perfect balance of cocoa, sweetness and just a hint of tang!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (360 g) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (195 g) neutral cooking oil or melted vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp vegan red food coloring*
- 3 tbsp dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream
- 3 cup (375 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 batch vegan cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Read through all instructions before beginning.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and grease three 6″ cake pans or two 8″ cake pans with olive or coconut oil. Line with parchment paper and set aside. Add the apple cider vinegar to unsweetened dairy free milk to make the vegan buttermilk and set aside to curdle for 5 minutes.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, red food coloring, and dairy free yogurt together. Then add in the baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt, and whisk again to combine. Add in the flour and vegan buttermilk in increments of two, whisking until the flour is JUST integrated into the wet ingredients.
- Bake the cakes: Divide batter evenly amongst the cake pans. Place cake pans into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes: Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a drying rack to cool completely before frosting.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
- When ready to frost the cakes, make sure that each cake layer is leveled using a knife.
- Add vegan butter and vegan cream cheese to a large bowl and beat together with a hand mixer.
- Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, continuing the beat the mixture until it’s a thick buttercream.
- Add in vanilla and continue to beat until desired texture.
- Frost cake and enjoy!
Notes
Gluten free: I recommend King Arthur measure for measure gluten free baking flour.
Food coloring options:
- Wilton Food Coloring Gels
- Whole Foods Plant Based Food Coloring
- Suncore Food Beet Powder
If using coconut sugar: your cake will look more tan/brown than red, even with using the vegan food coloring, but it will still taste delicious!
Hello☺️
I just had a quick question in regards to the recipe! I plan to make your red velvet cake next weekend for my daughters birthday, and for the GF Flour 1:1 (i usually use King Arthur measure for measure 1:1) would i still have to add that “with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder “ that you wrote? Just want to double check☺️
Thank you so much and i look forward to hearing back soon🤗💕
Hi Mayra! Aw that’s wonderful! Yes, still add the 1 tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot- I think that helps to take away any grittiness!! Enjoy!
Do we use unsweetened or sweetened cocoa powder, and is the butter salted or unsalted?
Hi Ashley! Unsweetened cocoa powder and unsalted vegan butter 🙂 But if you can only find salted, no worries! Just omit the salt in the dry ingredients!
This looks so good!! I’m planning to make it for my birthday, but i can’t find my baking tins (things are still in the boxes because we recently moved). Can I make all cake batter in a big square tin and then cut it? I’ve never baked a cake this way. Thank you in advance!
Hi Anja! Happy early birthday!! Yes, absolutely!! That would be lovely (you could even shape the cake into a heart from the square pans! That would be so cute!). Enjoy!
How long of a bake would you suggest for mini cupcakes?
They really are quite quick, so I would bake them for no longer than 15 minutes but check them around 10!
Hi Britt,
I am making this red velvet cake for Christmas dinner. I have already baked the cakes and they came out wonderful! I was wondering, do you have a recipe for buttercream based on Swiss merengue (aquafaba) as well? It should be less heavy and you would not need the powdered sugar but you could use regular granulated sugar. I have tried a recipe for it but it did not come out well and was not very easy to apply – tasted great however. Thanks!
Hi Marcel! So happy you loved the cakes 🙂 This is one of my all time favorite cake recipes ever! For the Swiss meringue buttercream, I have actually attempted a buttercream like this before vegan, but found I still needed powdered sugar- I think because aquafaba is still a bit less stable than egg white (if you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve seen my many attempts at figuring out a vegan angel food cake- so difficult haha!). I’ve also done it in not a traditional meringue buttercream way- I make the frosting first THEN add in the aquafaba- it sounds so counterintuitive, I know, but I’ve found that it’s more stable this way! I haven’t perfected it, but the time that I used it, it was really lovely! Experimenting in that way might help!
Hiya! Planning to make this cake as a 6 inch tier next week for a birthday along with an 8 inch version of your vanilla cake to stack on each other!
I just have a couple questions about this red velvet cake:
1) What type of flour would I use in the UK? Self-raising or plain flour?
2) Can I use half coconut sugar and half a stevia caster sugar alternative?
3) Can I colour the frosting? And what products would you recommend in the UK please?
Look forward to hearing back from you!
Thanks a
Hi Sophie!
yay!! that’s so wonderful!! okay here are my answers:
1) You would use plain flour- that’s the equivalent to the US all-purpose flour!
2) You can swap in coconut sugar- I have not had great success with a stevia granulated alternative, but keep in mind that coconut sugar will alter the color of your cakes!
3) Absolutely! I use Nomeca food colors- I believe those are available in the UK, but alternatively, for frosting, I recommend using powders, like moringa for green (no caffeine!), turmeric for yellow, mixing turmeric and beet powder for orange, blue butterfly pea powder for blue/purple, etc!.
I hope that helps!! Enjoy!
Hi Britt! For the vegan butter is it unsalted or salted? Thank you
Hi Daniela! I use salted! 🙂 Enjoy!
I would like to make this recipe for a gluten-free /dairy-free friend but they are also allergic to apple (and banana). What would you recommend replacing it with? Maybe puree some beets (being red and slightly sweet)? Or avocado? or just some oil?
No problem at all! I recommend using King Arthur Measure-for-Measure flour for the gluten free flour. Then for the egg replacement, you can use dairy free yogurt!
I want to make this cake but cannot find anywhere in your recipe any mention of quantity of non dairy milk and apple cider vinegar to make the vegan buttermilk!
Hi Marilyn! It’s in the recipe card! If you click the link for the vegan buttermilk, it’ll give you the measurements for how to make it- but essentially it will be 300 mL of dairy free milk with a tbsp of ACV 🙂
Can you make this cake in a 9 inch pan i.e. one single layer cake?
Yes absolutely! It will just take longer to bake in the oven 🙂
Hey, I’m wondering if you can advise.. the cake has turned out beautifully moist but it’s not the colour I was hoping for? It’s more brown in colour than red… are you able to help please. I done this one as a practise run but need to make the real thing for Monday morning…
Hi Chrissy!
What vegan food coloring did you use? And did you swap in coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar? Sometimes beet powder will yield a more brown color- if it’s for a wedding, I tend to just use Nomeca, as they are vegan (you can order them on Amazon). While it’s obviously not as natural as beet powder, it is vegan which makes me happier to use it! And if you used coconut sugar, I would swap in the granulated sugar (use organic for vegan) instead- the coconut sugar mixed with a food coloring will lead to the color not coming out as bright. I hope that helps!
Hi! I’m making this cake for my birthday. Is it 3 cups gluten free flour if I’m using Bob’s ?
Hi Molly! Yes, I recommend Bob’s 1:1 (blue bag!), and yes- 3 cups (measured by spooning and leveling!)!
Okay great!
Also for the cream cheese frosting can I use it in a pipet bag and what kind should I buy? I’ve never iced a cake before either so I bought an icing knife.
Second question-
Can you can a raspberry purée ’ filling in the middle of two of the layers? I know this recipe doesn’t have it but I found a recipe just for the purée and I was wondering if this cake out hold that inside ?
Hi Molly!
You can use a piping bag or just spread the frosting onto the cake with an offset spatula or a knife- for the piping on top, you could even use a plastic bag and snip the edge! Just as long as you have your favorite piping tip!
For the raspberry filling, that could definitely work! You just want to make sure you’re building a dam of frosting so that the filling doesn’t spill out of the edges (and make sure that your frosting is cold enough when you’re working with it so that it can hold up the cake layers and frosting dam!). I hope that helps!
Hi Brit,
Sounds good. I am serving this cake on sunday. So should I make the buttercream and the frosting today to have it ready ahead of time? Since the frosting has to be cold to hold up the cake? And can I use this same frosting to do the top design. And the red crumbles are this just left over from the baking process?
Thank you!
Molly Taylor
Hi Molly!!
That sounds lovely! I would recommend making the cake layers actually on Saturday late afternoon/early evening. Allow them to cool at room temperature, then cover them to store overnight at room temperature. You can make the frosting today, tomorrow, or Sunday, whichever is easiest! When you’re ready to frost though, give the frosting some time to sit at room temperature (about 1-2 hours) so that you can easily frost the cake!
Correct, you can use the same frosting for the top of the cake design. If you want to do an 8″ three layer cake, you’ll need about 1.5 batches of the batter, and then I make 1.5-2 batches of the cream cheese frosting to decorate then! And the red crumbles are just from the baking process, yes! My cakes domed a bit, so I torted them, and used the leftover scraps for the decoration 🙂
Enjoy!!
I am in tears right now because I don’t know what I did wrong. I used the beet powder thinking it would give it that red but not until I read the notes that it says it will look tan/brown. I feel also like I followed this recipe to a T and I was making a number cake for my husband for his birthday in a silicone mold shape. Do I need to have a stand mixer in order to make this? Also the icing I made came out so very very runny. Again I following everything that was said but I don’t have a stand mixer so did I mess it up because of that? The cake came out so dry that I tried to save it with milk but I am just a big crying mess on my husbands birthday with a cake I have to throw away. I am completely torn down and feel so terrible. I have never made a cake where everything didn’t work out and this would be that first time :'(. I just don’t know what happened.
Hi Jennifer- I’m so sorry I’m just responding to this! I’m so sorry this happened to you- my instant guess would be the silicone mold. I think they’re really not great for baking cakes as they tend to bake unevenly and often causes people to OVERBAKE because the middle takes so long to bake. The reason silicone is not great vs metal is that metal conducts heat much more evenly throughout the cake, whereas silicone doesn’t. Beet powder can turn out brown, and the best combination is to use it with a liquid red. I’m so sorry this happened to you!
Hi! I plan to make this cake for my son’s upcoming birthday. Do you measure flour before or after sifting? I love how you decorated the cake that you posted in the picture above. Do you double the frosting recipe? Thanks, Lisa
Hi Lisa!
Aw that’s wonderful! So if you’re weighing the flour, it doesn’t matter if you sift before or after. However, if you’re using the US cup measurements, as long as you’re spooning and leveling the flour, and not scooping the cup into the flour, you’re fine to measure the flour before you sift and whisk the dry ingredients together!
Hi! I am suppose to be making this cake for my brother, but I am confused about the measurements. For example when I switch it to US units, the recipe calls for 1/3 cup of butter. But when I switch it back to metric units, it calls for 113 grams of butter which would be around 1/2 cup of butter. Should I be following the recipe in grams or cups?
I’m SO sorry for the confusion! My recipe card has clearly glitched- the toggle isn’t working properly and not converting properly either. I just added the US cup measurements for you. I hope that helps! Enjoy!