Vegan Coconut Lime Cupcakes (Sugar Free and Gluten Free options)
Want the feeling of being transported to a tropical island without ever having to leave your kitchen? These soft and fluffy Vegan Coconut Lime Cupcakes are bursting with the flavors of sweet coconut, zesty lime, and all topped with a smooth buttercream frosting. And of course they are undetectably vegan, can be made gluten free, and can even be made sugar free!
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten free flour can sub all-purpose if desired. This links to my favorite store bought gluten free flour blend that works best with all of my recipes, or see "Ingredients Needed" section for further info.
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar *if you want a sugar free option, this links to my favorite sweetener, you can substitute it 1:1 in place of regular granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup coconut milk from a can, and well shaken
- ¼ cup + 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp lime zest
- ½ cup shredded coconut
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter cold, straight from the fridge
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3½ - 4 cups powdered sugar *if you want a sugar free option, this links to my favorite powdered sweetener, you can substitute it 1:1 in place of regular powdered sugar
- optional lime zest, shredded coconut, coconut milk, or lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add in coconut milk, neutral oil, and vanilla extract, and mix until just combined. Finally add in the lime zest and shredded coconut and stir until evenly mixed through.
- Pour your batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Note – I like to transfer the batter from a bowl into a measuring cup, since I find that easier to pour from. Each cupcake should be filled around 2/3 – ¾ of the way up.
- Bake at 350°F for 21-23 minutes. I find my sweet spot to be around 22.5 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, take cold butter from the fridge and mix with a hand mixer. Add in the vanilla, and add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing until smooth each time. If you want to add any lime juice or coconut milk to the frosting itself, you may want to add a bit more powdered sugar to even out the additional liquid. Otherwise just make as described then add lime zest and/or shredded coconut to the top of the cupcakes when decorating.
- Eat and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!