Vegan Halloween Cupcakes - Chocolate Covered Katie

These frosted dark chocolate vegan Halloween cupcakes are so cute and delicious, it’s spooky!

Easy vegan Halloween cupcakes at home

Want to be the most popular guest at your upcoming Halloween party?

Bring a batch of egg free, dairy free cupcakes disguised as monsters, pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, and chocolate cookie bats.

The cupcakes are simple to prepare and fun for the whole family. They make a delightfully creepy, tasty addition to any Halloween snack or dessert table.

You will also love this Vegan Chocolate Cake

Step by step recipe video guide

Key ingredients and equipment

Vegan cupcakes – I’ve included the homemade recipe I used below. If you need to save time, you can also go with a store bought vegan chocolate cake mix.

Or whip up any favorite dairy free cupcake recipe, in the flavor of your choice. No one says they need to be chocolate. Try vanilla, pumpkin, or even Chai Cupcakes.

Frosting – Once again, you may buy vegan buttercream frosting or make your own. Surprisingly, many commercial brands of frosting are accidentally plant based, including some options from Pillsbury and Betty Crocker.

Want homemade vegan frosting that works great for piping? I use the vegan cream cheese frosting recipe written out in this post for Vegan Carrot Cake.

And for vegan chocolate icing, I like this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

Icing tips and piping bags – These should be readily available and pretty inexpensive at most grocery stores or craft stores. However, they are not required. You can cut a hole and pipe the frosting through a Ziploc bag if it’s all you have on hand.

Creative decorations – Googly eyes, icing writers, rainbow sprinkles, edible glitter, vegan candy corn (if you can find it)… have fun choosing all the festive Halloween themed embellishments and supplies your heart desires.

How to make the chocolate cupcakes

Start by greasing a cupcake pan or lining the pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 177 degrees Celsius.
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Stir well with a whisk or spoon.
Pour in the water, pumpkin puree, oil, vinegar, and pure vanilla extract. Stir until just evenly combined.
Using a spoon or large cookie scoop, portion the batter into the prepared pan. It should fill nine standard size cupcake tins, going about 2/3 of the way up.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for twenty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out mostly clean.
Carefully remove from the heat and let cool before decorating. This step ensures the frosting does not melt upon touching a hot cupcake.
The vegan Halloween cupcakes may be left out at room temperature for a few hours if transferring in a car or serving at a party. For longer storage, keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator and consume within four or five days.
Alternatively, you can freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to two months. Thaw before adding icing or other edible Halloween decorations.

Halloween Costume Cavewoman — This year’s Halloween costume: Prehistoric cavewoman with Woolly Magnus sidekick. Magnus won the unofficial award for best dressed at the costume party,

Vegan Halloween cupcake ideas

Frankenstein’s Monsters: Stir spirulina into vanilla frosting (start small) until you are happy with the shade of green. Pipe a blob of frosting onto a cooled cupcake. Then garnish with chocolate sprinkles, edible eyes, and mini pretzel sticks.

Pumpkins: Use natural food coloring or turmeric and freeze dried strawberry powder to achieve an orange hue in the icing. Add a pretzel stem, green vines (use leftover green frosting from the monster cupcakes), and sprinkles over top.

Bats: Swirl chocolate frosting onto a vegan cupcake, then add a mini OREO cookie for the head and a regular size cookie cut in half for the wings. Create eyes with an icing writer or use edible eye candies.

Scary Spider Webs: This technique is a little more advanced. If you feel comfortable with an icing writer, you can draw black spider webs on top of white icing. Form candy spiders out of homemade Chocolate Truffles and licorice legs.

Ghosts: Frost a cupcake, then place a giant vegan marshmallow onto the frosting. Draw on eyes and an optional mouth with frosting.

Halloween Vegan Chocolate Cupcake Treats

Adapted from my Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes and Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes.

1 cup flour (120g) (spelt, white, or gf all purpose) (For low carb: Keto Chocolate Cupcakes)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g)
2 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder or additional unsweetened cocoa powder (10g)
3/4 cup sugar or xylitol (150g)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water (120g)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (120g)
1/4 cup oil (48g) (can sub additional water for fat free)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (10g)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (5g)
vegan Halloween decorations of choice (see above for ideas)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C).
2. Grease or line a cupcake tin, then set this pan aside.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir well.
4. Add wet ingredients to form a cupcake batter. Stir until just evenly combined.
5. Portion into 9 cupcake tins, filling each about 2/3 of the way up.
6. Bake on the oven’s center rack for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out mostly clean.
7. Let cool before frosting. See above for detailed instructions on how to turn the cupcakes into different Halloween characters.