Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Like a Reese’s in cupcake form! Rich chocolate cupcakes with creamy peanut butter icing.
After making my Chocolate Tahini Cupcakes a few weeks ago– I knew that I had to have a chocolate peanut butter version. And such, here are my vegan chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.
Like my chocolate tahini ones, these are based on my vegan chocolate cake recipe. A rich, very chocolatey cupcake that I stuff with a creamy peanut buttercream frosting.
The best part about cupcakes is that they are pretty foolproof to make. Unlike cake, which requires a bit more patience in frosting and layering, cupcakes are easy. Make the batter, fill the cupcakes and then frost as desired.
While I’m not against pretty cupcake piping, I also find that a rustic heap of frosting on cupcakes works well enough for serving to friends and family. I use a frosting spatula to pile the frosting on top, then push up on the sides to create height and uniformness around the sides. That’s it!
If you want to get fancy, you can drizzle on melted chocolate (or dark chocolate) and cover with crushed peanuts. Rustic or fancy, these vegan chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are sure to impress.
See below for more details and tips for success, or scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom. (Or, hit the Jump to Recipe button up top)
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk: You can use any non-dairy milk that you’d like in this recipe. This one was tested using oat milk as I usually prefer oat milk for baking. Soy milk or almond milk would also work; I tend to avoid coconut milk in recipes because most cakes that use coconut milk have a slightly tropical taste.
- Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar combined with oat milk creates a vegan buttermilk that provides a pleasant tang to the rich chocolate cake. Like other acidic ingredients used in baking, buttermilk helps to tenderize the gluten, which gives these cupcakes a softer texture and more body.
- All-purpose flour: I typically use unbleached all-purpose flour and suggest not using whole-wheat flour or another type of flour. I haven’t tested this one using a 1:1 gluten-free blend, but I assume it will work.
- Cocoa powder: I’m partial to Hershey’s cocoa powder, but any unsweetened, natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder will work.
- Sugar. I used regular cane sugar and suggest doing the same. I know that there’s always the urge to try and reduce sugar or use an alternative, but I don’t recommend doing so for this recipe.
- Peanut Butter: I swear by Costco’s all-natural peanut butter (the kind you stir without any added palm oil or other tropical oils) and prefer that type of peanut butter for the frosting. If you use another type of peanut butter with additives, it may not cream the same way.
- Instant Espresso Powder: Coffee enhances the taste of chocolate, and I don’t recommend omitting it. You can use cooled coffee (1/3 cup) instead of the espresso mixed with water.
How to make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (Step-by-Step Photos)
Make the Buttermilk
Whisk together the milk and vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk and let curdle for at least 10 minutes.
Make the Instant Espresso
Mix together the instant espresso powder with hot water and set aside to let cool slightly.
Whisk the Dry
Combine together the dry ingredients flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Mix the Wet
Mix together the sugar, applesauce, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
Add buttermilk and espresso
Stir in the buttermilk mixture and cooled espresso.
Add the dry
Add the dry and combine together to form a batter it will be on the thin side.
Bake
Divide batter into a prepared cupcake tin, filling a scant 3/4 the way full.
Frost
Let cool completely, then remove a small amount of the top from the cupcakes, if desired (see tips below). Add the frosting.
Finish with the remaining cupcakes
And enjoy!
If you want to make these chocolate peanut butter cupakes a little more chocolate and peanut-heavy, I added a drizzle of melted chocolate and crushed peanuts.
To melt the chocolate, add your chocolate chips to a microwave-safe cup or bowl (I use my Pyrex) and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each thirty seconds, until very creamy and smooth. While liquid, drizzle onto the cupcakes using a fork.
Top with crushed peanuts. I use roasted and salted peanuts as I like the salty contrast on top of chocolate, but any kind will work.
Tips for Success
The recipe for these chocolate peanut butter cupcakes makes about 13– which, I know, is an odd number for cupcakes. However, as making a perfect 12 would have made for awkward measurements, I stuck with the 13.
You can make an additional cupcake, save the batter for later, or pop it into a microwave-safe mug and make a mug cake while you wait for the cupcakes to bake!
I wanted these cupcakes to be like hostess cupcakes when you bit into one—putting some of the frosting down into the center of the cupcake for even more peanut flavor.
To achieve this, you’ll need to use a cupcake corer (I grabbed one online, or at a bake shop/Michaels). You can also do this delicately with a small spoon or a knife. I haven’t used an apple corer to do this, but I’ve heard it works similarly!
More Chocolate Recipes
- Chocolate Vegan Pudding
- Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
- The Very Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
If you make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk, I used oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 180 g
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 42 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon instant espresso
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature*
- 2-3 Tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a cupcake pan with cooking spray and set aside. Or, line with cupcake liners.
- Mix the non-dairy milk and vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes to make a vegan buttermilk.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl or cup, dissolve the espresso powder with hot water and set aside.
- Place the sugar, apple sauce, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk by hand or with an electric mixer. Add in the buttermilk mixture of milk and vinegar and the flour and cocoa mix and continue to mix until smooth. Whisk in the espresso and mix together until smooth, the batter will be on the thin side.
- Divide into the prepared cupcake pan, filling a scant 3/4 way full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and let cool while you make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer (affiliate), beat together the softened butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and fluffy. If the frosting seems dry, add more non-dairy milk, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet, add powdered sugar to thicken.
- Frost the cupcakes and enjoy. I use a cupcake corer to put some of the frosting into the center of the cupcake, like a Hostess-style cupcake!Â