Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Muffins

Name: Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup gluten-free flour; 2 cups oats blended into flour; 3/4 cup maple crystals ("VEGAN10" for $10 off!); 1/3 cup cacao powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp ground flaxseed; 2 tsp plant based red food coloring; 1 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk; 2 tbsp vinegar; 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce; 3 tbsp vegan yogurt; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 6 tbsp water; 1 8 oz package vegan cream cheese; 3 tbsp maple syrup; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

These Red Velvet Muffins are the perfect fluffy and moist muffins. They're sweet, but not too sweet, and they have that perfect red velvet flavor. This recipe is made with all whole foods plant based ingredients, and is gluten-free, vegan, oil-free, and refined sugar-free!

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These Vegan Red Velvet Muffins are the ultimate treat! They're perfect for a naturally sweet breakfast, delicious snack, or healthy dessert. They're the perfect muffin for any special occasion, especially Valentine's Day ;)!

looking down at the red velvet muffins with the cream cheese glaze on top

Red Velvet is an extremely popular cake and cupcake flavor, but why should it stop there? There are so many ways to enjoy the chocolatey goodness of red velvet. These fluffy muffins are the perfect way to enjoy the classic red velvet flavor without all the cream cheese frosting on top.

If you do love the cream cheese frosting, be sure to check out my vegan red velvet cupcakes!

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Ingredients For Red Velvet Muffins:
How To Make Red Velvet Muffins:
Substitutions:
Red Velvet Muffin Variations:
Baking Equipment:
How To Store These Vegan Red Velvet Muffins:
Top Tip
Frequently Asked Questions:
Related Vegan Muffin Recipes:
Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Muffins
Food Safety
Related Vegan Red Velvet Treats:

Ingredients For Red Velvet Muffins:

These Red Velvet Muffins are one of my favorite vegan muffin recipes to bake because they only require a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. They're gluten-free, vegan, oil-free, and refined sugar-free, so they're a perfect healthy bake for everyone!

the red velvet muffins with a bite taken out of one standing up

For The Red Velvet Muffins:

Dry Ingredients:
- Gluten-Free Flour - Any gluten-free flour will work. However, I always recommend this brand. I think it's the best 1:1 replacement for all-purpose flour, and it contains more fiber and protein than other gluten-free blends.
- Oat Flour - Do not buy pre-made oat flour. It is incredibly easy to make yourself with a blender. You don't need a fancy blender either, any blender will work perfectly!
- Baking Powder - Helps to give these red velvet muffins the ultimate light and fluffy muffin top.
- Cacao Powder - You can use cacao powder or cocoa powder. I personally like to use cacao, because it's loaded with antioxidants, and tastes the same!
- Maple Crystals - Maple Crystals are my favorite natural sweetener to use when baking. They work just like cane sugar and have the perfect rich sweet taste that is not overpowering. However, they are actually sweeter than cane sugar, so you don't have to use as much, and they have a lower glycemic index, so they are much healthier. I always buy mine in bulk from Wilderness Poets. It's the most affordable place to get them, and if you use my code: "VEGAN10" you can get $10 off your purchase!
- Ground Flaxseed - Will be turned into a flax egg when soaked with water. Flax eggs work very similar to regular eggs, except it's high in fiber and healthy omegas.
Wet Ingredients:
- Soy Milk - I strongly recommend using unsweetened soy milk for these vegan red velvet muffins. Soy milk makes the best vegan buttermilk, and the higher fat content makes the muffins much more moist.
- Vinegar - This combined with the soy milk makes the perfect vegan buttermilk. Any vinegar will work, however, I recommend using white vinegar because the flavor isn't as strong.
- Water - This will be added to the ground flaxseed to make the flax egg.
- Unsweetened Applesauce - This is one of my favorite oil substitutes to use for vegan baking, because it adds sweetness, and helps keep the baked goods moist.
- Natural Red Food Coloring - Use natural red liquid food coloring to avoid toxic artificial colorings. You will have to use a lot, but it is possible to achieve that classic deep red color with natural ingredients. It will be slightly darker in color, but it will still be a beautiful red color.
- Vanilla Extract - I love adding vanilla extract to baked goods because it ties all the flavors together. I always opt for Mexican Vanilla, because it has a much richer flavor.
- Plant-Based Yogurt - This helps to achieve the classic flavor of red velvet, and it adds moistness to the muffins.

For The Cream Cheese Glaze:

Plant-Based Cream Cheese - There are many different brands that make delicious vegan cream cheese. However, I always use Kite Hill, because it has the perfect cream cheese flavor, it's oil-free, and it's made with clean and simple ingredients.
Maple Syrup - I like to add a little bit of maple syrup to the cream cheese to create the perfect glaze. Any natural sweetener will work such as date syrup, or yacon syrup.
Vanilla Extract - I like to add a little vanilla extract to the glaze just to balance out the tartness of the cream cheese.

See the recipe card for quantities.

How To Make Red Velvet Muffins:

These fluffy Red Velvet Muffins are the perfect vegan baked good, because they're super easy to make, and nobody will even be able to tell that they're vegan or healthy!

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350. Next, sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Make the flax eggs by combining the ground flaxseed with the water and setting it aside for 10 minutes.

step three - making the vegan buttermilk

3. Make the vegan buttermilk by combining the vinegar and the soy milk together and mixing for about 10 seconds. You will quickly see the mixture curdle

4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix until the muffin batter is smooth.

5. Pour the muffin batter into a muffin tin lined with paper liners and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test.

6. Once done, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack.

piping the cream cheese glaze on top of the red velvet muffins

6. Once done, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack.

7. While the muffins are cooling, add all the cream cheese glaze ingredients together and mix until smooth. Add the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag with a small hole, and glaze over the muffins. For best results wait until the muffins have cooled completely.

@theallnaturalvegan
NEW! 🌟Red Velvet Muffins🌟 Happy Wednesday friends! I’ve got the perfect fluffy, moist, and rich muffin recipe for you guys! Who doesn’t love a good dessert for breakfast? This recipe is vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free! You can find the full recipe on my website: theallnaturalvegan.com! #veganbaking #valentinesdaybaking #valentinesday #redvelvet #redvelvetmuffin #reddesert #vegandessert #dessertforbreakfast #muffins #veganmuffins #healthyfood #healthybaking #healthyvegan #healthyveganrecipe #dessertlover #sweetbreakfast #theallnaturalvegan #easybaking #sweetmuffins
♬ Stay - PLÜM

Hint: Healthy muffins are denser than traditional baked goods, so it's completely normal for some of the muffins to end up on the toothpick when testing if it's done. Just make sure that it's not raw batter, it'll be easy to tell the difference.

Substitutions:

If you don't have a particular ingredient on hand or have any allergy, there are plenty of easy substitutions you can make to these red velvet muffins.

Soy-Free - Although I recommend using soy milk for these muffins, you can use other plant-based milks and still have success with the recipe. I would recommend using oat milk, or coconut milk.
Cocoa Powder - If you have a chocolate allergy, you can still make these vegan red velvet muffins. You can use carob powder which is a chocolate substitute that works just like cacao/cocoa powder!
Maple Crystals - If you don't have time to order the maple crystals (since most grocery stores don't carry them), there are substitutions that can be made. Coconut sugar and pure cane sugar will work 1:1, however, they are not quite as healthy, so just keep that in mind.

the vegan red velvet muffins lined up with the cream cheese glaze on top

Red Velvet Muffin Variations:

There are plenty of ways to spice up this red velvet muffin recipe. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy these muffins!

White Chocolate - add vegan white chocolate chips to these red velvet muffins for the ultimate red velvet chocolate chip muffins
Filled - Scoop out about a tablespoon of the muffin after baking and use the cream cheese glaze as a cream cheese filling. You can also add the cream cheese filling before baking, however, this will be a bit messier.
Other Muffins - Use this cream cheese glaze over other muffin recipes. I love adding it to these Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins.

Baking Equipment:

These Vegan Red Velvet Muffins are perfect for all levels of home bakers because they require minimal equipment. All you will need is:

Mixing Bowls - Any mixing bowls will work. You will need one large bowl and one medium bowl.
Electric Mixer (optional) - You can either use a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer, or you can mix it by hand.
Muffin Pan - This red velvet muffin recipe can be made with a 6-muffin pan or a 12-muffin pan. The cooking time will be less if using a 12.
Paper Liners - These are optional, but I like to add them. I spray mine with a tiny bit of cooking oil to avoid them sticking to the muffins.

As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.

How To Store These Vegan Red Velvet Muffins:

How you store these red velvet muffins is very important. Gluten-free flour can dry up quicker than all-purpose flour, so it's important to make sure that they are properly stored to keep the moistness of the muffin.

I recommend storing them in some sort of airtight container to avoid them from drying out. Most airtight containers are quite shallow, which makes it hard to store things like muffins. These are my go-to large storage containers. If stored properly these fluffy red velvet muffins will stay fresh for a full week.

the red velvet muffins with a bite taken out of the muffins

Top Tip

Make sure to let the red velvet muffins cool completely before spreading the cream cheese glaze on top. The glaze will melt if put on the muffins too quickly, so just keep that in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Red Velvet Flavor The Same As Chocolate?

Many people have the misconception that red velvet and chocolate are the same aside from the color. I can assure you that they are not. Red velvet is made using more buttermilk and is more fluffy in texture. Therefore the flavor of red velvet and chocolate is completely different.

Looking for other vegan muffin recipes like this? Try these:

If you try this Gluten-Free Vegan Red Velvet Muffin recipe, I’d really love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating! Thank you for supporting The All Natural Vegan!