Name: Red Velvet Cupcakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 1 tsp vanilla; 3 cup powdered sugar; 1 1/4 cup oil; 1 1/4 cup buttermilk; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 tsp vinegar; red food coloring; 2 1/2 cup flour; 1 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

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As beautiful as they are delicious, Red Velvet Cupcakes are my favorite way to enjoy Red Velvet Cake. Make them for Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July or anytime of year!

If you love cupcakes, our Skinny Pineapple Cupcakes are always a hit. Packed with flavor, not calories! Or give our decadent Tiramisu Cupcakes a try for dessert tonight!

Red velvet cupcakes on a wire cooling rack topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting.

Why this Recipe Works

Confession time: I have never been a lover of red velvet cake.

I guess I didn’t understand the love some of you feel about red velvet. I like it okay but it’s never been my dessert of choice.

However, after making Red Velvet Cupcakes, I am now smitten.

Can you be smitten with a cupcake? I think eating 4 of them is love. Yes?

Plus, that gorgeous red color makes them perfect for so many holidays: Decorated with white and blue frosting for 4th of July, sprinkled with pink and white for Valentine’s Day or served anyway at all for Christmas.

I have a good hunch that Red Velvet Cupcakes will be making many appearances in my life throughout the year.

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting on a scalloped white cake stand.

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What are Red Velvet Cupcakes

What flavor is red velvet? Red Velvet Cupcakes are essentially chocolate cupcakes that get their flavor and deep scarlet color from cocoa powder and a few drops of red food coloring.

I’ve seen some recipes that use beetroot or other natural colorants too, but here I kept things simple and just used a small amount of the red coloring I had on hand in my cupboard.

The flavor is phenomenal–but you know what my favorite thing about Red Velvet Cupcakes is? The texture. These cupcakes live up to the “velvet” in their name. Every bite is moist and almost silky smooth. No dried out crumbly cupcakes here!

Step by Step Instructions

Step by step photo collage on how to make red velvet cupcakes.

STEP 1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt.

STEP 2. In a mixer, blend oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, vinegar and food coloring until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients, combining as you go.

STEP 3. Pour batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners and bake at 350 F for 18 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Since I initially made the cupcakes for a Fourth of July party, I had visions of making some marshmallow fondant and coloring it red and blue and then cutting out stars. But that didn’t happen today.

Instead, I stuck with a simple cream cheese frosting. The same delicious frosting I use on my Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake!

The easy frosting recipe gave me more time to eat cupcakes! And what’s the point in going through all that trouble when these cupcakes are amazing without the fondant stars?

How to Make Cream Cheese frosting

Making cream cheese frosting for red velvet cupcakes couldn’t be easier.

Whip together cream cheese with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Use a little bit of milk to thin out the frosting to desired consistency.

This kind of icing is my favorite for topping on so many desserts, not just cupcakes. If you like it on these, you might also want to the frosting on my Gingerbread Cookie Bars and these Carrot Cake Muffin Tops. Yum!

A moist and lightly chocolate-y cupcake paired with rich cream cheese frosting is my idea of the perfect food. So go ahead. Take a bite. It looks yummy, right?

I took a bite for you too.

Red velvet cupcakes in two 6-cavity cupcake tins on a wire rack.

Cupcake Baking Tips

Want to make sure your RED VELVET CUPCAKES turn out as pretty and tasty as possible? Check out these tips and tricks:

Make sure to SIFT your dry ingredients first! I know, I know. I usually skip this step too. But I promise it makes a world of difference for these cupcakes. They’re supposed to be velvety–and getting rid of any lumps of flour or cocoa powder is essential to achieve that texture. Just trust me on this one and sift away. It only takes an extra minute or two!
Use gel food coloring in this recipe. It is more concentrated than the liquid versions so you get that deep red color without needing to dump a ton of food dye into your cupcakes. Bonus: it’s way more cost effective!
After mixing the wet ingredients together, add the dry ingredients very slowly. If you add them too quickly you’ll be forced to mix the batter more. Over mixing the batter results in a tougher cupcake. Add more food coloring to reach desired color.
Don’t overfill your muffin tins! You want to fill them just about ⅔ of the way to the top. I use a ladle or measuring cup for controlling how much batter goes into each cup. When in doubt, be modest with your pour. You can always add more if you under fill.
Don’t have any buttermilk? It’s easy to make your own at home for this recipe: try my homemade buttermilk substitute.

Red velvet cupcakes on a white cake plate with swirls of cream cheese frosting.

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Yield: 24 cupcakes