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!
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
My daughter won’t eat any cupcakes but ate these and wouldn’t share! Lol we made them “pink”. I had no butter so replaced with coconut oil and no white sugar so used broen sugar and texture etc all still turned out perfectly. Thankyou
My family liked it soooo much!!! I will definitively do it again and again!
Hi can I make this with oil instead of butter? And can I use maple syrup instead of sugar? Thank you
I haven’t tried it that way but the texture is likely to be very different. Let me know if you try it!
Thank you for providing so many healthier recipe options! I appreciate the detail and tips provided. I’m going to try these cupcakes with the strawberry icing, and I see that they both call for vanilla. Unfortunately, my vanilla extract contains alcohol. Therefore; I have a two-part question. 1) Does the alcohol “cook off” when the cupcakes bake? 2) Since the frosting does not get cooked, would the frosting recipe still work without vanilla? Or should I buy alcohol free vanilla, because it’s a necessary ingredient for the frosting?
Thank you again and happy New Year!
Hi! When thinking about vanilla extract in a recipe, I consider how teensy the amount is when divided by the number of servings. It’s very, very small (1/16 of a teaspoon per cupcake). So unless it’s something your doctor has mentioned, I wouldn’t be too concerned, especially in a cooked recipe. (I cannot confirm it will cook off but I suspect it does.) Or yes, you could buy alcohol-free vanilla extract, which is a little hard to find but I just got some at Trader Joes. You can totally omit it from the Strawberry frosting, but I wouldn’t make the cupcakes without one type. I hope that helps!
Looking forward to trying this for my son’s 2nd birthday this weekend! Will using 2% instead of whole milk negatively impact things (texture, flavor) in any significant way? What about salted instead of unsalted butter? Just trying to work with what’s currently in the fridge 🙂
Both of those should work fine. I’d probably omit the 1/4 teaspoon salt in the recipe but otherwise you should be good!
Hi
Can I use this for my brothers birthday he is 21
Or is this recipe just for toddlers
It works for any age!
These, along with the strawberry cream cheese frosting, were SO good! They were perfect for my daughter’s 4th birthday party. At the end of the party, all the parents were commenting that there hadn’t been a single melt-down or injury, and I honestly think it had something to do with these cupcakes… I made sure the kids first had a substantial, relatively healthy snack, then brought these out. They were far lower in sugar than what you usually find at kids’ parties, meaning that while they were quickly gobbled up, they did not lead to as much insanity as cake-time often does! I will definitely do this from now on at parties: sensible snacks first, followed by a moderately-sweet dessert. (Also, the strawberry frosting was just amazing, and so much better than the 3-4 cups of powdered sugar usually called for in buttercream frostings!) Thanks for the recipes!
I haven’t made this yet but planning to for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. I’d like to make both cupcakes and a mini cake for her. I have 2 small 5″ cake pans that I can use. Do you have any suggestion on baking time for the 5″ pans?
Also, can I sub cake flour for the all purpose flour?
Thank you!
I would guess for the 5-inch pans you’d want to start checking it after 12 minutes or so. And I haven’t tried them with cake flour but I suspect it would work okay! I hope she has a very happy birthday!
So delicious! Much more moist than the Magnolia cupcakes, which is what I usually make. I mixed in a touch of buttermilk I had left over (who can ever go through a whole quart?) and it didn’t seem to mess it up!
Awesome!
Great and easy recipe, thank you. The first recipe I looked at had 2 CUPS of sugar!! Your recipe with just half a cup was sweet enough 🙂
Would it be okay to use soy or almond milk instead of whole?
I think so!
Hi there!
Do you see any issue with making these as mini cupcakes? I presume the bake time just goes down a bit.
They should work well. I think the baking time should be around 14-16 minutes.
Made these vanilla cupcakes today and they were super easy, light, fluffy and delicious. Tanks a lot! Looking forward to try other recipes.
These were delicious! Do you think I can make them as a cake using all the same measurements?
My four-year-old daughter and my one year-old son love them, as did all of the adults. No idea why people think they taste like cardboard or corn bread! They were amazing. I’ll be making them again real soon! Thank you so much for a great recipe.
I did work on the recipe so those comments don’t reflect the current recipe and I’m glad you all enjoyed it! Yes, it should work as a 9-inch cake. I think you’d need to double it to make it a layer cake.
Loved this recipe!!!!!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Made these today and they were very yummy and fluffy! Thank you for providing healthier option for cupcakes. The extra sugar was definitely not missed.