Make the Cutest Vegan Cupcakes With These Inspirations From Instagram
Whether you volunteered to bring the vegan cupcakes to your upcoming summer party or you simply want to whip up a batch for your friends and family, PETA’s easy vegan cupcake recipe is the perfect place to start. You’ll end up with perfectly fluffy cupcakes and creamy frosting—without the cruelty of eggs and dairy. Using plant-based milk and vegan egg replacer, this recipe is otherwise indistinguishable from those for classic cupcakes. But that’s just the beginning. If you’re hoping to wow everyone with the prettiest cupcakes that they’ve ever seen—or if you just want something cute enough to share on social media—we’ve found the prettiest vegan cupcakes on Instagram to inspire your creative cupcake decorating!
Check out these stunning vegan cupcakes:
Ideal for a girls’ night, bachelorette party, or kid’s birthday, this pink and purple theme incorporates the use of a piping bag with different tips to squeeze on the frosting with precision. To get the colors you want, just mix a few drops of food coloring into your homemade frosting. Edible gold leaf makes these pastel cakes even more special.
If you’re not yet a master of intricate frosting designs, adding a piece of colorful fruit is the perfect way to make your cupcakes stand out in a crowd. You can even mix your favorite vegan fruit jam into the frosting to add subtle color and flavor.
If fruit isn’t your style, why not add candy? These adorable cakes are topped with “accidentally vegan” Swedish Fish* “swimming” on blue frosting. This design would be perfect for a seaside party or casual beach wedding reception. Color your frosting with food coloring, top with your favorite vegan candy, and enjoy.
*Some Swedish Fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check the label.
Emojis are a fun trend, and with a little yellow food coloring (or turmeric) you can turn your frosting base yellow. Then use other colors and different tips to make emoji faces like this creative Instagram baker has done:
If you have the patience to make petals and leaves, you can make edible roses like these by mixing food coloring into almond paste. This sweet clay-like confection is easy to mold and gets firm in the refrigerator. Simply shape it into flowers (or any other shape), chill them while your cupcakes are baking, and place them onto your frosted cupcakes once they’re completely cool. Voilà!
If you have a lighthearted occasion to attend, just mix some cocoa powder into your cupcake batter and frosting and add googly eyes for a silly take on everyone’s favorite emoji.
These tie-dyed rainbow swirl cupcakes have a fun and festive frosting design that can be achieved by adding a few drips of food colorings into your frosting and stirring a few times. Try combining different colors of tie-dyed frosting in your piping bag to create a swirly effect.
Whether it’s “taco Tuesday,” or any other day of the week, adding two halves of a round cracker with different colors of frosting and sprinkles in between them makes otherwise plain cupcakes fiesta-ready.
If you want to continue with a Mexican theme, these cactus-inspired cupcakes are almost too cute to eat. Simply mix plenty of green food coloring into your frosting, and use the star-shaped frosting tip to pipe each “spike.” Make your own flowers, or use real flowers, to accent these succulent cakes.
Whether you choose to get ambitious with a complex decorating style or go for big visual impact with minimal effort by using candy or fruit, you can’t go wrong. No matter how your frosting designs turn out, you’ll end up with delicious and colorful vegan cupcakes that everyone will love. Who knows—maybe yours will be the next Instagram cupcake inspiration! For more yummy ideas, check out PETA’s recipe section!
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