Easy Vegan Coffee Cake Recipe. Simple soft Vanilla Cake topped with a delicious Streusel. Classic Cinnamon Streusel Coffee cake. Vegan soyfree nutfree Recipe. Glutenfree option. Jump to Recipe
You all have been making that Chocolate chip cake everyday! In many formats, with many additions (coconut, berries, vegan marshmallows!). The batter from the cake is very versatile. Make it slightly thicker for loafs, thinner for cake pan cake, add fruits and nuts for muffins!
I use almost the same batter today for this Super Easy Coffee Cake. The smooth batter comes together quickly. It is topped with a simple cinnamon streusel that bakes up beautifully. Use other spices in the streusel for variation. Add nuts or fresh or dried fruit to the batter and streusel.
This Coffee Cake is just the right decadent, and just enough sweet to stand as a bakery version without going overly sweet. It is amazing as is. Add a simple icing for events and such. Lets make this Easy, Delicious, Versatile Cake.
More Cakes and Bakes from the blog
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- 1 Bowl Banana Apple Bread.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Lemon blueberry pound cake
Gluten-free
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
This Cake is Everyone Approved! We’ve served it to a mixed crowd and everyone has asked for the recipe. If you make, do let me know how it worked out in the comments or tag me on Instagram.
NOTE: Coffee Cake is a term for regular cake with a streusel, other toppings that is served in a coffee shop or served with coffee. It does not usually contain coffee itself. A cake which contains coffee is also called coffee cake, but here this is a streusel cake to be served with coffee or tea. 🙂
The cake can be made without oil and without gluten. See notes for options.
Recipe Card
Vegan Coffee Cake Recipe Cinnamon Streusel Cake
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 cup (244 ml) non dairy milk such as almond or soy
- 1 tbsp applesauce or non dairy yogurt or more non dairy milk (applesauce or yogurt work best)
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) sugar 1 tbsp more for sweeter
- 1/4 cup (56 ml) neutral oil , or use 3 tbsp applesauce to make oil-free
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a few drops of almond extract (optional but wonderful)
Dry:
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups (187.5 g) of flour (I use 1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose and 1/2 cup wheat flour, or all unbleached all purpose), see GF option in notes
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
Streusel:
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) flour
- 1/3 cup (73.33 g) brown sugar
- 1/3 to 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or use oil
- 1.5 to 2 tbsp oil , refined coconut or other neutral like safflower
Instructions
- Line a pan with parchment with parchment hanging on the edges. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (176 C). In a bowl, mix in the wet ingredients until the sugar is fully combined.
- In another bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. (Add spices of choice if you like. Add berries, or pineapple, or candied ginger if you like. Add 2 tbsp almond flour to the dry for additional texture (optional)).
- Fold into the wet until just about combined. Add more flour if needed 1 tbsp at a time to make just slightly thick batter. Pour into a parchment lined pan.
- In a bowl, add the dry streusel ingredient and mix well. Add the vegan butter and oil and mix it in with your fingers until well distributed and crumbly. Spread over the cake batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 mins (depends on the pan, cake height etc). Cool for 10 mins, then remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Store on the counter for upto 2 days, refrigerated for upto 7 days, freeze (slices) for upto a month
- To make cupcakes/muffins: Bake for 22 to 24 mins for regular size muffins.
Jessica
Would it be possible to make the batter ahead of time and not cook it until the next day?
Richa
The cakes ages well so you are better off baking ahead and serving at room
Temperature the next day. The spices and sweetness get more pronounced
JoAnne
I’ve made this many times, excellent. All your recipes have been great! Thank you!
Lucas Martin
Delicious & simple Recipe! I definitely try Vegan Coffee Cake recipe to make a birthday cake for my sister. The process you used looks quicker. Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
what a sweet treat for her
Cal
Hi! Quick question—for the oil-free streusel, are we adding another 1/4 cup brown sugar to the 1/3 cup sugar originally called for? Or are we reducing the amount of sugar from 1/3 to 1/4?
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for the question – there is no 1/4 cup of sugar. The wet batter calls for 1/3 c sugar, and also the streusel calls for it’s own 1/3 c sugar. (so 2 diff. amounts/ measurements / portions of sugar for different parts of the recipe.
Carla
This cake is AMAZING! The topping is beyond good.
I made it just once with the topping and found that the sugar is just a bit too much for my way-too-sensitive body. Not so for my boyfriend, though, who gobbled up a bunch of the cake and pronounced it utterly delicious.
Now I make this recipe as muffins with various pieces of fruit in them. I use just a little brown sugar and agave syrup to coat walnuts (and sometimes toasted coconut) and put the mixture on top of the muffins before baking. This gives just enough sweetness to make me feel like I’m having a treat while not sending me flying around the house from a sugar high. LOL
I’m never without a bunch of the muffins in the freezer, so I can have a treat whenever I want. Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s a treasure.
I have a batch of dough for your vegan rolls/hamburger buns proofing in the kitchen as I type this. I can’t wait to see how they come out.
Thanks again!
Vegan Richa Support
thank you so much Carla – balanced sweetness is a good thing, right? I love your enthusiasm
Laura
Best. Coffee cake. Ever. I’ll be making this again and again and again! Baked for 40 min in a loaf pan. I ate a quarter of it last night and had to stop myself from eating more! The cake itself has the perfect texture.
Vegan Richa Support
i’m impressed by your self control – I won’t say how fast mine went. thank you!
Liza
I would love to give this 10 stars!! Absolutely wonderful! It’s so light and utterly delicious. Thank you so much for all your recipes, Richa!
Vegan Richa Support
my pleasure . 10 stars haha- fabulous
Julia
I love this recipe! It has become my go-to for any variation of streusel cake. I have layered berries, cherries, peaches and apricots between the cake and the streusel layers, and I cannot wait to make it with apples in the autumn.
I usually double the streusel ingredients to make sure the fruits are completely covered, and I sometimes leave out the cinnamon if I feel like it doesn’t go with the fruits (e.g. the peaches and apricots – I was going for a summer cake with those).
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is truly fool-proof, simple, and vegan and non-vegan approved.
Vegan Richa Support
wow – a real fruit salad. thank YOU for this amazing review Julia
Julia
Oh, I used different fruits at different times. Not all at once. 🙂 Point is, this recipe is super versatile!
Thank you for this recipe, as well as all so many others. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Vicky
Love this recipe and I make it often when family (non-vegans) come over. They love it too 🥰
Vegan Richa Support
hooray! I’m glad, thank you
Jodi
Hi, I just wanted to clarify what form of sugar you meant for the sugar ‘dressing’
Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
Hi Jodi! powdered sugar or confectioners sugar (same thing)
Heather
How did you make the icing?
Vegan Richa Support
Here you go! It’s hidden at the end of the recipe. Enjoy!
Icing: Mix 1/3 cup powdered sugar with a tsp or so non dairy milk and use. I usually like a syrup dressing as it keeps the cake moist for longer. (3 tbsp sugar+ 1 tbsp water)
Sydney
Hi, Can I make this as muffins, do you think? My son really likes muffins! 😉
Sydney
oops..meant to put a happy face..tyoing without my glasses 🙂 lol
Vegan Richa Support
☺️😊☺️
Vegan Richa Support
Fabulous idea!! go for it
Sydney
Awesome, thank you! Same bake time do you think? Glasses on now. lol 🙂
Richa
Check at 25 mins.
Sydney
Ok thanks!
Sangi
Tried this tonight but it came out to be quite rubbery in texture. I used applesauce instead of the oil and I’m guessing maybe thats why.
Didn’t enjoy it much and it wasn’t sweet enough either.
Hopefully I can make it better next time, hard luck!
Richa
Oh no! I think the batter might have got over mixed. Over mixing usually will make it rubbery. Did the cake rise well? If it didn’t then its either old baking powder or it needed more flour. These errors get amplified in no oil baking. Lots of people have made it without oil witb great results. Do Check the above 3 issues as well next time.
Leni
Fantastic! I have made it twice, perfect both times. I used half almond flour and half buckwheat flour, which kept it gluten free. And coconut oil. It is addictive but also freezes well if you can stand to put a few pieces away.
Vegan Richa Support
Great idea! Glad you enjoyed this!
Laura K Krebs
Thank you Richa! You saved me on Father’s Day. This turned out very moist and delicate. I used 1.5c white flour and added walnuts to the crumble. My non vegan dad ate basically the whole thing 😆
Vegan Richa Support
Just in time!! that’s amazing!! thank you
Aude
I made this when stuck at home as it was the only recipe where all the ingredients were already in my cupboard, it was fluffy, tasty and not too sweet for breakfast when I ran out of muesli! I can also imagine it works well as a base cake for lots of variations
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome!
Raina
Hi Richa,
I was wondering how to go about incorporating actual coffee into the cake AND streusel into the recipe? Should I use instant coffee powder or espresso (liquid) and if so, should I alter any of the other ingredients quantity? I don’t want to mess up the wet/dry balance of the ingredients and have it not turn out perfectly.
Thanks for your help!!
Jon
Great cake. And really easy to make. The beautiful smell of cinnamon wafting through our flat was almost unbearable. If you want to sell your house this is the cake to bake before potential buyers arrive😀. Very tasty and goes well with tea or coffee. Followed the recipe exactly, used rapeseed oil instead of vegan butter.
Sally
I use cake flour, yoghurt for the applesauce and sweetened applesauce to replace oil, as thats the only applesauce i have and reduced sugar to 30gm. Also added instant coffee to the milk. Cant really taste the coffee but smelled very good while baking. Baked in an 8in round pan, finished the cake on my own in 2 days.
Vegan Richa Support
epic. two days of cinnamon joy!! keep on treating yourself girl
Sandrine Messier
This recipe is as good as the non vegan one my mom made for me when I was little. I use the applesauce version for the cake, and it’s moist, fluffy, and has a light vanilla touch. My husband couldn’t help himself and did an espresso at 9PM to accompany the cake since it was THAT GOOD! Thanks Richa ✨
Vegan Richa Support
That’s great to hear! Thanks for stopping by!
Avni
This was super easy and turned out great overall but the streusel was too salty, making it all taste a little undersweetened. I used Miyoko’s butter and about 1/3 tsp salt
Richa
I think some butters can be extra salty. So it could have added the extra salt. Use 1/4 tsp or less next time. You can add a simple sugar icing to balance. Just some powdered sugar plus water and drizzle
Stephanie
Using an actual bread glass pan for this any idea how much more time to add to bake seeing it’s taller ?
Vegan Richa Support
glass cooks a little faster than metal, so start with 40 minutes, and check at that point.
KSA
Happy 5 year anniversary Vegan Richa! Ms. Richa your site has upped my cooking game! I made this yesterday and it is fabulous. It’s half gone so I didn’t post a pic! I have a plant-based diet so I subbed the flours like so: 1/2c tiger nut, 1/4c cassava, and the rest almond flour. I had to add a little more applesauce bc tiger nut flour soaks up moisture pretty quickly. I added walnuts to the streusel just because. It was all perfect. Thanks!!🙏🏽
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you!!! I’m so happy to hear that. =). =) Thank you for your support
Simon
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for offering variations so I could use what I had on hand.
Vegan Richa Support
I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
Colleen
OMG this is amazing!! I substituted the applesauce with aquafaba since I had some I needed to use. I was worried it wouldn’t turn out and it’s amazing!! I try to follow recipes exactly as I’m new to the vegan world. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Anjali
Can I substitute oil with butter??
Anjali
Also can I substitute oil with butter
Priyanka Bulla
Hi,
Can I use Oat non-dairy milk?
Priyanka Bulla
Would it make any difference if I use normal milk and yogurt?
Will it give a different taste and texture?
Michele
Outstanding, delicious and easy to make. It was the best coffee cake I ever had!
Vegan Richa Support
the best?!?! Wow – thank you – I”m so pleased that you enjoyed it!!
Daniel
What type of vinegar should you use?
Vegan Richa Support
Plain white vinegar will do the trick
Alexis
Hi! I tried using all almond flour but the cake has been in the oven for about 50 minutes and it’s still very batter-y and about half of the pan absorbed the streusel topping. Is this because of the almond flour? Is there not enough? Other than the flour I followed the recipe perfectly.
Richa
yes , almond flour needs very last moisture. That’s why in my gf mix there are other flours along witb it. Just almond flour won’t work and all that moisture will either just stay in the batter or get absorbed by streusel. You prob need a quarter amount liquid and also add atleast 2 tbsp starch for binding witb almond flour
Natisha
Can this be made in a loaf pan?
Vegan Richa Support
Yes just check to see if it’s done, might need to add a bit of time.
Reina
This recipe was so good!! My family devoured most of it before I even got to try some myself lol I used applesauce instead of oil for the cake, but used canola oil with the streusel topping. It sort of melted into the top of the cake but it was delicious!!
Vegan Richa Support
thanks! nice swap
Vanessa
I followed this recipe exactly. The flavour is great, though I would probably put less salt next time, and it didn’t grow at all. Any idea as to why that happened?
Richa
mayb the baking powdr is old or the mix nedd a bit more flour(or a bit less liquid)
ariel reiner
Hello, I can’t wait to make this! What type of vinegar? Regular white? Apple cider? Also does this cake freeze well?
Thank you so much! Stay well!
Richa
Any vinegar will work and yes it will freeze well.
Mari
This was a huge success, not just with my vegan daughter but with my meat and potatoes husband, too. Loved the added almond taste. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Elana
Fantastic vegan coffee cake! Very quick and just like “regular” coffee cake. Can’t recommend enough!!
Rachel Lai
Can we use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar for the streusel?
Richa
yes, you might need more vegan buttr for binding
Ashley
This cake was moist and the streusel looked right, but it was particularly salty on this occasion. The streusel topping was indeed quite dry, and in future I may alter the proportion of flour to make it sweeter and a bit more moist. It may have been a mistake I made in measuring any one of the powder ingredients or salt out, hence 4* to acknowledge that everything else went well. Thanks for sharing!
Shari
OMG, the house smelled amazing while this was baking! The cake part came out a little spongy. Any suggestions? I added more vegan butter to the crumb topping and that part was delicious!
Shari
I used the optional almond flour. I think that may be responsible for the sponginess.
Richa
i am not sure thats the right term maybe?. the cake should be cakey and not too dense like a pound cake and not too light like a bread. what texture did you get and what do want want it to be like?
Shari
I think it’s somewhere between bread and cakey, so a little more cakey would be great. I don’t know if the sponginess of the almond flour may contribute or that I used 4 tbsp of applesauce instead of 1 tbsp applesauce and 3 tbsp oil. I have no problem using oil but I opened the applesauce and didn’t want to waste it. What does the almond flour add? It was optional for texture but I’m not sure what that means. The only problem is that I’m eating the whole thing!
Thank you!
Richa
its the applesauce. That will add more moisture and hence more bread like result. oil adds the fat that makes it more cake like. Almond flour adds a bit of texture and structure, cake like.
Ronit
Everyone loved this cake! Followed directions exactly and came out perfect.
Ash
Love this recipe!! Husband said it was “delectable & delicious…could eat it every day” haha:) can’t wait to bake it again xo
Ella
So good & easy! Turned out great!
I feel this would also be great with apple – if added cubed apple would I need to reduce the liquid/ cook longer..?
Richa
youmight need to cook a few mins longer. check from the center with a toothpick
Gabby
Husband and I both loved the recipe!! I put half the dough in the pan and topped it with a few spoonfuls of the sugar topping then put the rest of the dough in and put the remaining sugar on it. Turned out great!! Thanks for the great recipes
Jo
The best! It actually looks like the picture and tastes even better! One question, for us folks with tender mouths, do you have any suggestions how I can make the crumb topping a little softer?
Richa
add more butter and use a mix of powdered sugar and cane sugar
Jo
Great!! Now if I can just keep myself from eating the whole cake LOL!
Sapna
Hi Richa, I have not made this yet, but it looks amazing! Do you think it would bake well as a donut?
Richa
yes, check at 18 mins for regular donut pan
Holly
Hiya,
Just followed your recipe and the cake is great!
However, looking back I see that there is no coffee in the coffee cake?
Richa
A coffee cake might have coffee in it, but the name comes from the fact that it is served with coffee, not because it has coffee in it
Anjali
Will it be OK if I add a tspn of coffee and cinnamon in Tha cake batter itself????
Richa
Yes you can add the cofeee to the batter
Richa
although the streusel will tend to fall out, so swirl it in the batter (poured into the donut pan) a bit and the batter will hold it
Monica
Everything about this was perfect. This was the first time I was able to execute a dessert perfectly. Thank you!
Melissa Y
Very yummy! The cake itself was not sweet so it was just the perfect sweetness with the streusel on top. Thanks for the easy and delicious coffee cake!
Wendy C. Nielsen
This is a well written recipe. Thank you for the parchment suggestions and detailed instructions. My vegan friends loved this. I also appreciated that most of the ingredients were easy enough to get. Next time, I would try putting some walnuts in the streusel. I was also wondering if it’s been tried with more oil (1/3 cup?). It was very dry, and one friend put the vegan butter on top to moisten his piece.
Richa
great, yes a /3 cup will be fine.You can add more vegan buter to the streusel, bake a few mins less, and add an icing for moisture
Joy
This was really great! Well received by everyone in my family. I’m coming back to use that struesel recipe on an apple pie!
Tori
I made this recipe tonight and it is SO GOOD! And I am not a vegan! This cake does not disappoint! Everyone will love this cake
Richa
awesome! thanks!