A Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe that's ready to eat in only 30 minutes! These easy chocolate cupcakes are topped with a cream cheese frosting and are a perfect treat anytime.
Valentine's Day is this weekend and I am beyond excited!! Not only for the holiday but also to share this delicious Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe!
I found this recipe from a fellow Food Blogger, Sharon at SavorMania.
Once I saw a gorgeous photo of these Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes on Twitter, I knew I had to make them soon.
And by soon, I mean the next day.
An easy chocolate cupcake recipe when you don't feel like baking a whole cake
Red velvet is one of my favorite desserts. Having grown up in the South, this confection was a tradition served at every family gathering.
How do you make red velvet cake? It's made with cocoa, vinegar, buttermilk, and red food coloring and then topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
My cupcake recipe has a little more cocoa than the norm (more chocolate is always a winner in my book), and has plain yogurt and milk in place of the buttermilk.
This recipe is so easy! It took no time at all to mix the batter together and bake off these homemade cupcakes.
Plus, the mini size is so cute and cuddly and that you'll want to eat 20 of them in one sitting.
Vanilla frosting or cream cheese frosting recipe?
I didn't change the original recipe ingredients for the cake, but I did mix the batter together differently (as noted below).
Also, I changed the frosting from vanilla to a cream cheese recipe.
Aside from chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting is one of my all-time favorites and is perfect on red velvet cake.
I want you all to know, I have no restraint when it comes to cupcakes. Right after this photo was taken, I ate 4 out of the 5 cupcakes shown below.
I left one on the plate, along with the raspberries, because I didn't want to look greedy.
Whatever, there were still 20 mini cupcakes left for dessert later. LOL!
If you love this Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe, check out these desserts too!
- Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Easy Fruit Cobbler
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
- Old Fashioned Penuche Fudge
- Creamy Butterscotch Pudding
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a comment and a rating below to let me know! I LOVE to hear from you!
Recipe

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs , at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring gel (or use 1 tablespoon liquid food coloring)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar (can subsitute lemon juice for vinegar)
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
- 4 ounces regular cream cheese , softened
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/176C degrees. Grease and flour a mini muffin/cupcake pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl using a stand-up mixer or hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until mixture is pale yellow in color. Add vanilla extract, red food coloring, and cocoa to mixture and mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, and cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Add the milk/yogurt mixture and the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating between the two and mixing well after each addition.
- In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.
- Fill mini muffin cups ¾ from the top and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove and let cool completely on wire rack.
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the frosting.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Serving size is 2 cupcakes
- Make homemade whipped cream for a different kind of frosting
- Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator
- Recipe slightly adapted from SavorMania
Jeanette
Hi if I want to make regular size cupcakes how long would they bake for?
Karrie
They should take about 15-20 minutes at 350F.
reshma iyengar
what can i use instead of white vinegar? can i use lemon juice same quantity
Karrie
Yes, lemon juice can be a great substitute for vinegar in baking!
Dawn
Could I use coconut yogurt or sour cream? I don’t have any regular yogurt on hand. Thank you!
Karrie
Hi Dawn, Haven't used either of those before, but it's only a 1/4 cup in the recipe, so thinking they both would work fine. Using the coconut yogurt, the cupcakes may have a slight coconut taste, but there's nothing wrong with a chocolate coconut cupcake! lol! The sour cream might make the batter a little thick, so maybe thin it out with an extra tablespoon of milk. Whichever way you go, please let me know how they turn out for you!
Rachel
These are soooo goood! And they look perfect! I also love how they are mini sized so its perfect portion when watching the weight.
Karrie
Thank you Rachel!! The mini sized is perfect for a cupcake and portion control. Plus, they are cute too!
Grace
124 calories in one mini cupcake or in 24?
Karrie
It's for 2 mini cupcakes.
Venus
When you say mini cupcakes what size of a cupcake liner would i use 1 oz? 2 oz? Or 3/4 oz?...pls help..tnx
Karrie@tastyeverafter
Hi Venus, Mini cupcake pans normally use 3/4 ounce liners, so I would start with that size and see if they fit your pan. Hope you like the recipe!
Vickie Alldrin
Just made these little cupcakes for a luncheon later this week.. YUM! Needed 48 so thought I'd have to do 2 batches. 1 recipe made all 48, 3/4 cup filled cupcakes - perfect!
Karrie@tastyeverafter
Yay Vickie!! So happy it made all 48 cupcakes! Hope everyone enjoys them and if you share a pic of the cupcakes on Facebook or Instagram, please tag me @tastyeverafter because I'd love to see them
Thalia @ butter and brioche
I love red velvet.. so I am craving one of these little cupcakes right now. They are the perfect bite sized treat!
Karrie@tastyeverafter
I'm so in love with red velvet cake...and cream cheese frosting. As soon as I eat all the cupcakes up, I want to make more! My bad.