The Best Healthy Red Velvet Cupcakes

4.92 from 25 votes

These are the best healthy red velvet cupcakes! They're super tender, full of flavor, and topped with a light cream cheese frosting. Plus, they are so much better for you than traditional recipes.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

cool time20

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cupcakes, healthy

Servings:

Calories: 119kcal

Author: Crystal Yentzen

Ingredients

Light Cream Cheese Frosting cream cheese frosting recipe
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour*
½ cup coconut sugar*
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspooon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup low-fat buttermilk*
⅓ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
⅓ cup Greek yogurt plain or vanilla
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon stevia* optional, see notes
liquid or gel red food coloring* optional

Instructions

Prepare the cream cheese frosting and refrigerate until ready to use. The recipe makes enough to frost 14 cupcakes. If you like a lot of frosting, then you may want to double the recipe.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and spray them with non-stick spray. This recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes, depending on how much batter you spoon into the muffin cups. So you may have two to make in the second batch.
Sift the flour, coconut sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, canola oil, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, stevia, and red food coloring until combined.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk together until smooth. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners filling ½- ⅔ of the way full.
Bake for 14-18 minutes. They are ready when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Don't overbake as they will dry out. Allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frost cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting. I used a wilton round tip. I don't recommend a star tip as the frosting is too thin.
Enjoy! And don't forget to let me know what you think of the cupcakes in the comments.

Notes

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour- Whole wheat pastry flour is full of fiber and nutrients. It has a lower protein content than whole wheat flour making it perfect for tender baked goods such as cupcakes and muffins. Although, feel free to substitute all-purpose flour if that's what you have.
Coconut Sugar- I love to use coconut sugar in my desserts. Compared to white sugar, coconut sugar has more vitamins and minerals and is significantly lower on the Glycemic Index scale, which means it won't cause as big of a spike in your blood sugar. It's still best to use it in moderation, so I combine it with stevia to make these cupcakes. Feel free to substitute regular white sugar or brown sugar if that's what you have on hand.
Buttermilk- If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by adding ½ of a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice to a half-cup measurer and then fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Let it sit until it curdles slightly.
Stevia- I used one teaspoon of Sweetleaf Sweet Drops Stevia Clear. Stevia is a natural sugar substitute with zero calories. There are many different brands on the market, so feel free to use whichever you prefer. Just read the label and use the equivalent of ½ cup of sugar.
Red Food Coloring- Liquid or gel food coloring will work. I used two tablespoons of the liquid type.
The cupcakes and icing can be made a day in advance. Store the cupcakes in a sealed container at room temperature and the icing covered tightly in the refrigerator.
Store your prepared red velvet cupcakes at room temperature for one day or in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Nutrition facts are calculated without the cream cheese frosting.

Nutrition