Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes

These light and fluffy healthy vanilla cupcakes are a new twist on an old classic, made with spelt flour and lightly sweetened with honey!

These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are a healthier twist on an old classic, made with spelt flour and lightly sweetened with honey!

I recently shared a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, so this recipe is a simplified version for those of you who like to keep it plain and simple! These cupcakes are perfect for birthdays, special events… or even celebrating a cookbook launch! 😉

These cupcakes contain no refined sugar and are instead sweetened with honey. I also replaced the butter with avocado oil, making this dessert dairy free as well. As always you can replace the honey with coconut sugar or maple syrup, just keep in mind that your cupcakes will be a little darker in colour. You can also swap the avocado oil for melted coconut oil. To make these cupcakes gluten-free, you can swap the spelt flour for my HealthNut gluten-free flour blend. Click here to download my flour 101 guide, which contains the recipe for my all-purpose GF flour blend! For more easy baking substitutions, check out my cooking and baking basics cheat sheet!

These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are a healthier twist on an old classic, made with spelt flour and lightly sweetened with honey!

If you love cupcakes and looking for more healthier recipes, then check out my Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes, Gluten Free Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream Frosting and Gingerbread Cupcakes with Molasses Cashew Buttercream.

If you make this recipe, be sure to share a photo on social media and tag me @healthnutnutrition and #healthnuteats so that I can see your creations! 

 

 

Recipe

Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes

These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are a healthier twist on an old classic, made with spelt flour and lightly sweetened with honey!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

category:
Course Dessert
serves: 12
Print Recipe Save Recipe Leave a review

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a muffin tin with silicone muffin liners or regular muffin liners.
  • Combine the soy or nut milk and apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and set aside to make “buttermilk” for 10 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, add the avocado oil, honey, eggs and vanilla, and mix on medium using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment for 1 minute until silky smooth.
  • Pour in the “buttermilk” and mix for another 10 seconds until well combined.
  • Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until well combined, do not overmix.
  • Pour or scoop the batter into lined muffin tin, filling each ½ to ⅔ of the way full. I recommend using silicone reusable baking cups or recycled paper liners.
  • Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until tops of the cupcakes are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to wire rack. Enjoy!
  • Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

 

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    28 comments
  1. Do you have a frosting recommendation for this cupcake? Something that is low of sugar (or free of sugar/sweetener alternative) and free of gluten and egg?

  2. 5 stars
    these are amazing!! all purpose flour works great if u dont have spelt. these taste delicious and buttery but not greasy either!! i also added in a bit of coconut flakes and they came out amazing!! this recipe rocks!!

  3. 3 stars
    They turned out pretty tasty, but are you sure the oil measurement is correct? They tasted a little too oily for me…

    • Same with me all I could taste was oil. I want to try sub with butter just not sure how much to use.

  4. 4 stars
    These were yummy!!! I cooked for 22 minutes and they were overdone so I will start checking around 18 min next time.
    I was really grateful to have read the instructions carefully because both the printed ingredient list and the mobile ingredient directions are missing the baking soda and have an incorrect measure for the baking powder as well. If it hadn’t been listed in the written instructions I would never have gone to my computer to double check!!!!

    • Hi Clare! Great question. I haven’t tested it as a cake, but I think it would work! Would love to find out if you do make it, be sure to come back and leave a review! You will likely just have to extend the baking time to make sure it’s cooked all the way through.

  5. 5 stars
    these were delicious!!! definitely going to be making them again. i used regular flour and turned out perfect 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    SO GOOD!! i didn’t have spelt flour so i just used all purpose flour and they turned out perfect. i cut the baking time in half because my oven cooks VERY fast. my mom (who usually doesn’t like healthy baking recipes) loved these! thank you!

      • Hi Kate, I try to stay away from vegetable oil and canola oil as they are not as healthy. Avocado oil is a great alternative and much better for you! You can find it for a great price usually at costco.

    • Aw, thank you for such a sweet review! I’m happy to hear you both enjoyed them. That’s great to know about the flour swap – it’s all about getting creative and using what you have on hand.😊