These red velvet cupcakes are true to their name with a velvety texture and tender crumb. This is a classic recipe that you can use for regular-sized cupcakes or min red velvet cupcakes. I guarantee they will make an impression with their rich flavor and creamy frosting. Plus, they look beautiful when served!

A red velvet mini cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

These red velvet cupcakes are true to their name with a velvety soft texture and tender, moist crumb. The cream cheese frosting adds a delicious tang, but they also go well with our fluffy ermine frosting or American buttercream for a luxurious treat.

❤️ Here is Why This Recipe Works

Buttermilk adds acidity, which activates the baking soda. It also adds moisture to the cupcakes and helps keep them soft and tender. Additionally, buttermilk gives red velvet cupcakes their signature flavor that everyone loves.
Vinegar provides more acidity to activate the baking soda and reacts with the cocoa powder to bring out a deep red color.
Oil gives the cupcakes a moist, tender texture that will stay soft even after cooling.

? The Ingredients

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this red velvet cupcake recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

All-purpose flour or cake flour. Either type of flour will work but cake flour will give the cupcakes a slightly lighter, more tender crumb.
Baking soda. Traditional red velvet cake uses baking soda. Ensure it isn’t expired, and don’t confuse it with baking powder.
Salt.
Unsweetened cocoa powder. The cocoa powder deepens the red hue. It doesn’t give the cupcakes an intense chocolate flavor, but you can add additional cocoa if you prefer a more chocolatey taste (or make our hot chocolate cupcakes).
Sugar.
Canola oil. Oil is the secret to the velvety texture of red velvet. If you prefer not to use canola oil, you can replace it with any flavorless cooking oil.
Buttermilk. Use full-fat buttermilk if you can find it, but reduced fat will work.
Vinegar. A touch of white vinegar reacts with the baking soda and helps the cupcakes rise higher and gives them a more velvety texture.
Vanilla extract.
Eggs.
Red food color. Getting that classic bright red color takes quite a bit of food coloring. We used liquid food coloring, but gel food coloring also works well.

Cooking oil, buttermilk, flour, eggs, sugar, baking soda, salt, red food coloring, vanilla, cocoa powder, vinegar.

?‍? How to Make It

Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect with the red velvet cupcake recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Whisking cocoa powder with flour and salt and baking soda.

Sift or whisk the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Combining the wet ingredients for cupcake batter.

Mix the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.

Pouring cake batter into mini muffin tins.

Fill the cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes. Red velvet mini cupcakes will take 1 tablespoon of batter, and regular-sized cupcakes need 3 tablespoons of batter.

When they finish baking, let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before you remove them from the muffin tin.

Make the cream cheese frosting and spread it on the cooled cupcakes.

Piping cream cheese frosting on a red velvet mini cupcake.

Ermine frosting and cream cheese buttercream are the most popular toppings for these little cupcakes. But you don’t have to stick to tradition or rules. They also go well with chocolate cream cheese frosting, coconut buttercream (used in our coconut cake), Italian meringue buttercream, or whipped ganache (used in our chocolate ganache cake).

? Tips for Success

Don’t overmix the batter.
You can use all-purpose flour or cake flour, but cake flour will give the cupcakes a slight edge on tenderness.
Don’t overfill the cupcake liners. Mini cupcake liners will take one tablespoon of batter, and regular-sized cupcakes will take three tablespoons of batter.
Don’t leave the batter sitting out for too long before placing the cupcakes in the oven. I have had success if the batter sits out for as long as 20 minutes while I wait for one batch to finish baking. However, if left out too long, the baking soda will lose potency and the cupcakes will not rise as high.
Don’t open the oven door during baking time. If you release too much hot air, the cupcakes will not bake evenly.
Let the cupcakes cool before you add the frosting.
Measure the flour correctly. Either use a scale to weigh the flour or lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cups and level them off.
To make a cup of homemade buttermilk, fill up a 1-cup measuring cup with milk (minus 1 tablespoon) and add one tablespoon of either lemon juice or white vinegar to the mixture. Stir well and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

A mini red velvet cupcake next to a standard sized cupcake.

✅ Substitutions and Variations

Add a teaspoon of almond extract for a slight nutty flavor that compliments the vanilla and buttermilk.
Sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with mini chocolate chips or coconut flakes just before baking them.
You can increase the cocoa to 1/3 cup for a more chocolate-forward flavor. Extra cocoa will make the red color a deep brownish red instead of the brighter red shown in the photos.
Fill the baked cupcakes with vanilla cake filling, nutella buttercream, fluffy raspberry mousse, or a creamy chocolate cake filling.

⏲ Storage

If you do not frost the cupcakes, they can sit on the counter for three days in an airtight container. Frosted cupcakes (with cream cheese frosting) should be stored in the fridge for three to four days.

You can freeze the cupcakes for up to three months (frosted or unfrosted). Let them thaw overnight in the fridge.

This red velvet cupcake recipe uses simple ingredients and makes the perfect treat for any occasion (I especially get requests for Valentine’s Day and weddings). Whether you make standard cupcakes or bite-sized mini cupcakes, they will stay moist and delicious.

For more red velvet desserts, try our red velvet bundt cake or red velvet cake roll.

A mini cupcake sliced in half showing the red cake inside.

⭐️ Helpful Tools

Some of the following are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission if you click on these links and purchase something. You don’t pay any extra, but it will help us keep the lights on.

Standard cupcake pan or mini cupcake pan
Cupcake liners standard or mini
red food coloring

? More Recipes You Will Love:

Our lavender cupcakes are tender little morsels with a light floral essence from the lavender. And if you want more lavender in your desserts, try our lavender cake or our lemon lavender cake.

Our carrot cupcakes are moist and tender, with a hint of warm spices. The cream cheese frosting makes the perfect topping.

More sweet desserts that are always a hit include our cold oven pound cake, black forest cake, white chocolate cake, tropical carrot cake, intense chocolate cake, and wacky chocolate cake.

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Regular or Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

True to their name, these red velvet cupcakes have a velvety soft, and tender crumb. Ulta moist and deliciously decadent, these cupcakes are made with a combination of cocoa powder, vinegar, and buttermilk that give them their classic red velvet flavor.

This recipe makes 84 red velvet mini cupcakes or 28 regular-sized cupcakes.

Traditional red velvet is not supposed to be a chocolate cake but rather a buttermilk cake with a subtle hint of chocolate. The cocoa is primarily added to enhance the rich red color when it reacts chemically to the buttermilk and vinegar. If you prefer a decidedly chocolate flavor, you can add additional cocoa (see the notes).

Top the cupcakes with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting (recipe included), or make a traditional Ermine frosting.

4.82 from 22 votes

Print Pin Save

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 37

Servings: regular cupcakes or 84 mini cupcakes

Calories: 313kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2-½ cups 300 grams all-purpose flour or cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1-½ cups 300 grams sugar
1-½ cups canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1-¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 to 5 teaspoons red food color

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 ounces cream cheese softened
8 tablespoons butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3-½ cups 450g powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Cupcake Batter

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 30 regular muffin cups or 72 mini muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Use a whisk to sift and combine the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, eggs, and red food coloring. Mix well to combine.
Add the flour mixture and stir until well combined. You can use an electric mixer or stir the batter by hand but don't overmix the batter, or the cupcakes will not be as tender. It is ok if the batter looks slightly lumpy.
Fill the cupcake liners about half full and bake for 18-22 minutes for regular-sized cupcakes or 12 to 15 minutes for mini cupcakes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
If you bake more than one muffin pan at a time, rotate the pans halfway through cooking. Note: mini cupcakes take 1 tablespoon of batter, and regular-sized cupcakes will need 3 tablespoons of batter. Don't over-fill the cupcake tins.

Cream Cheese Frosting

To make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar until it is well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high speed for 1 more minute
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them with a butter knife or pipe with a decorating tip. If you don’t have a tip, you can place the frosting in a ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, then pipe it onto the cupcakes.

Notes

This recipe works with all-purpose flour, but cake flour will make them slightly more tender and soft.
For a more chocolate-forward flavor, you can increase the cocoa to 1/3 cup. Extra cocoa will make the red color a deep brownish red instead of the brighter red shown in the photos.
To make a buttermilk substitute: Pour a cup of milk into a 1-cup measuring cup. Remove a tablespoon of milk and replace it with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Whisk it into the milk and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Real buttermilk is better, but this is a decent substitute.
Vinegar helps to tenderize the cupcakes, deepens their red hue as a result of a chemical reaction with cocoa powder, and preserves the red color for much longer.
You can make the cupcakes in advance and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can freeze frosted cupcakes for up to 1 month. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.
We used 4 teaspoons of red food coloring to get the vibrant red color shown in the photos. You can adjust the food coloring to get your desired color. A 1-ounce container of red food coloring only contains three teaspoons. Try to find a larger bottle of food coloring, especially if you plan to make this recipe on repeat.
For a natural red color, you can add 4 to 6 teaspoons of Suncore red beet powder. It will give the cupcakes a slightly brownish-red color but works very well as a natural food coloring. We have not tested the recipe with beet juice or pureed beets, only beet powder.