These Healthy Cupcakes are light, fluffy, and moist. They’re also less sweet than most conventional cupcakes, both in the cake and in the pretty pink frosting, but they are still SO delicious!
Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes
I love making classic desserts that have all of the texture and flavor we expect, but that are a little less sweet. This cupcake recipe is one of the staples in our repertoire for kids birthday parties and holidays and it is exactly what you want from a cupcake—fluffy, loaded with vanilla flavor, and sweet enough that no one will mistake it for a muffin.
“Lower sugar” is a more specific description than “healthy” in this recipe as it’s really the sugar content that’s different here.
A batch of these lower sugar cupcakes—they have 1/4-½ cup less sugar than other classic recipes, plus significantly less sweetness in the frosting options—are a great kids dessert option. They’re even a good option for a first birthday cupcake. I’ve served these to kids of all ages, as well as adults, and no one is ever the wiser as far as the sugar content goes!
(You may also like my Funfetti Cake.)
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make this cupcake recipe.
- unsalted butter
- sugar
- whole milk
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- baking powder
- flour
TIP: The texture of the batter will be best if the eggs and milk aren’t freezing cold and the butter is soft at room temperature.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The process for making these cupcakes is similar to any other cupcake. Here’s a look at the steps involved. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
- Cream the butter and the sugar with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy. (photo 1)
- Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine. Beat in the vanilla. (photo 2)
- Add the dry ingredients and the milk, alternating and gently beating together in between. . (photo 3)
- Divide the batter among paper liners and bake. (photo 4)
TIP: It’s rare that I use electric mixers in any of my recipes since I know how chaotic homes with little kids can be, but you really do need to add air to the butter and sugar to create a fluffy cupcake.
How can I ensure these are light and fluffy?
Having the butter softened at room temperature (so when you pick up the stick of butter, it feels soft), and beating the butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes. That and not over-baking and allowing the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack, not in the pan so they don’t continue cooking, are my best tips
Can I make these gluten-free?
Try using this cup for cup gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose.
Can I make these toddler cupcakes with whole wheat flour?
If you want to use a whole grain flour, I recommend using whole wheat pastry flour as it will be less dense than straight up whole-wheat. Or, use half whole-wheat and half all-purpose.
Easy Frosting Options
I have a few options that you can consider:
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (this has an intense strawberry flavor and is so good!)
- Yogurt Frosting in my Smash Cake
- Quick Chocolate Frosting with Cocoa Powder
TIP: My lower sugar Chocolate Cake is another great option (and it’s egg-free) for a less sweet, but still super yummy, dessert!
Tips for Making the Best Healthy Cupcakes
- Be sure to beat the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes until it’s fluffy for the best texture results.
- To avoid over baking, set your timer for the lower end of the time range and check the centers with a cake tester. If it comes out cleanly, and the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, pull them from the oven.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool soon after you pull them from the oven to ensure that they stop baking.
- Be sure the butter is soft at room temperature and pull the eggs and butter from the fridge about an hour before you start baking if possible.
- These are best on the day they are made. If needed, you can make these up to 24 hours ahead of time. Let cool fully and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Frost right before serving if possible.
- It is possible to use plain whole milk Greek yogurt or sour cream in for half of the butter if desired. The results will not be as light and fluffy snd texture-wise, they will be a little less like a classic cupcake.
- It is possible to lower the sugar further to ⅓ cup. The texture will not be as light and fluffy and they will be a little less like a classic cupcake.
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup gluten-flour.
- Top with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, yogurt frosting in my Smash Cake, or Quick Chocolate Frosting.
I’d love to hear your feedback if you make these cupcakes so please comment below!
Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes (So Easy!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature if possible)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk (at room temperature if possible)
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting Yogurt Frosting, or Quick Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- Add the butter and sugar to a medium bowl. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and thick or about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between to fully incorporate each egg. Add in the vanilla.
- Add the baking powder, salt, and half of the flour to the bowl. Beat on the lowest speed. Add half of the milk. Beat on the lowest speed. Add the remaining flour and milk and beat on the lowest speed to just combine the batter.
- Divide the batter among the paper liners, filling each cup with about ¼ cup batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until just golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Frost as desired.
Equipment
Notes
- These are best on the day they are made. If needed, you can make these up to 24 hours ahead of time. Let cool fully and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Frost right before serving if possible.
- Store any leftover cupcakes, once frosted, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let sit for a bit at room temperature before serving to allow them to soften up (the cupcakes firm up in the fridge).
- Be sure to beat the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes until it's fluffy for the best texture results.
- To avoid over baking, set your timer for the lower end of the time range and check the centers with a cake tester. If it comes out cleanly, and the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, pull them from the oven.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool soon after you pull them from the oven to ensure that they stop baking.
- Be sure the butter is soft at room temperature and pull the eggs and butter from the fridge about an hour before you start baking if possible.
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup gluten-flour.
- It is possible to use plain whole milk Greek yogurt or sour cream in for half of the butter if desired. The results will not be as light and fluffy snd texture-wise, they will be a little less like a classic cupcake.
- It is possible to lower the sugar further to ⅓ cup. The texture will not be as light and fluffy and they will be a little less like a classic cupcake.
Nutrition
I just made this and switched the vanilla for pandan and only had 2% milk around so I used that. Baked up beautifully in my mini muffin pan. It was still a little sweet for me so I’ll probably try this with half the sugar.
So good, even with no icing!!!
Do you think substituting the sugar with coconut sugar would work?
It should!
Will try a different cupcake recipe of yours next time… they were just not sweet enough and kind of dry. Tasted like a muffin.
Alright I tried them again the next day and they were much better ! I think maybe they needed some time to sit and get the flavors mixed in or something. Much better the day after. I would make again!
Also in the icing could you puree frozen strawberries and put those in instead of freeze dried ? I have the cupcakes baking in the oven now ..😊
Could you use maple syrup instead of sugar?
Yes, but the texture is not as good in my opinion.
I was looking for a low sugar cake because my Japanese daughter-in-law and my son don’t eat a lot of really sweet things, and I was making my grandson’s birthday cake for his 5th birthday. This cake is perfect! I had my daughter-in-law come and test it and she loved it too! I also made some minor adjustments to make a chocolate cake because my grandson wanted chocolate and vanilla, but I wanted a cake with eggs not the vegan chocolate cake that you have. The adjustments I made were minor but the cake was perfect! If anybody’s interested I substituted buttermilk for the milk (for the 1x cake recipe), I substituted 2 T of cocoa for 2 T of the flour, and I substituted 1/8 tsp of baking soda for an equal part of the baking powder, so 1-1/8 tsp baking powder. Those changes work really well and the chocolate cake was also very delicious.
This turned out great for my daughter’s 1st birthday smash cake! I used 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the butter, and used sour cream in place of milk, turned out so moist yummy! She loved it with the strawberry frosting.
So glad to hear that!
If you do the conversion to a double or a triple the butter keeps saying it’s one stick so make sure you pay attention to that. Obviously it’s one stick her batch. Made a double batch today and it was absolutely a hit. I used a buttercream recipe for the frosting just because I didn’t have cream cheese and it was fantastic with it. Any icing would be good with this cupcake. Thank you!
Have you ever converted this recipe to a full sized cake? Any suggestions?
It will work as a 9-inch cake and the baking time will be a little longer. Enjoy!
How much will texture be compromised if I freeze them? I made them Thursday night for Friday but just learned the school birthday party is Monday.
I suspect they will be fine!
Hi Amy,
I followed the recipe but made it in a 6inch tin. It came out oily. Would you know why this is? Thanks
Hi- I haven’t had that happen so I am not sure. Is it possible the butter wasn’t fully blended it? If there were small pieces I could see it melting out a bit?
Will regular 2% milk work if I don’t have whole milk?
Sure
This looks so yummy! I want to double check to see that this is a nut free recipe.
It is nut-free according to how it’s written.
How long would you bake this for 6inch cake pans? I want to try to make this for my toddler’s birthday!
It depends on the thickness but if you divided the batter in half to make 2 6 inch cakes I would guess in the 14-16 minute range
i followed the recommended 2x recipe, and the taste is good but they feel a little dense. I am not much of a baker but I think I followed directions correctly. please let me know what can be done to make them fluffier. I used a handheld mixer fyi. more baking powder?
I would try to stir in the flour a little more gently and try lowering the baking time, or checking for doneness a minute or two sooner.