Green Velvet Cupcakes are essentially red velvet cupcakes in a festive green hue. They’re tender, moist, and lightly cocoa-flavored, finished with a light whipped cream cheese frosting—perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, holiday gatherings, or any celebration that calls for green treats.
Why You’ll Love These Green Cupcakes
- Perfect for celebrations: Great for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, Earth Day, garden parties, team colors, or any green-themed event.
- Simple pantry ingredients: Made with common staples like all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and basic baking staples.
- Velvety texture: This recipe yields a soft, tender crumb using all-purpose flour plus cornstarch—no cake flour required—so the cupcakes remain melt-in-your-mouth soft.
Ingredients You’ll Need
*NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and printable instructions are in the recipe card below.
For the Green Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour – stir, spoon, and level when measuring or use a scale.
- Cornstarch
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs (room temperature)
- Buttermilk – or make a quick substitute by adding vinegar/lemon juice to milk (see notes).
- Neutral oil – canola or vegetable.
- Liquid green food coloring – use liquid, not gel, for the best, even color.
- Vanilla extract
Tip: Use liquid green food coloring. Gel coloring can be difficult to blend evenly and may produce an undesired olive tone. The liquid version disperses better and preserves the bright green appearance.
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese – brick style (not from a tub)
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy whipping cream
This frosting can be made in one bowl or two; a whipped cream cheese version yields a lighter, airy finish and about 4 cups of frosting—enough to generously top the batch below.
Helpful Tools
These tools make the process easier and more consistent:
- Fine mesh sieve or strainer for sifting dry ingredients
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer for creaming and mixing
- Standard 12-cup muffin tins and cupcake liners
- #24 scoop for evenly portioning batter
- Silicone spatulas and a piping tip if you plan to pipe frosting
How to Make Green Velvet Cupcakes
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt twice with a fine mesh sieve to ensure a light texture.
Pro tip: Sift the dry ingredients onto parchment to create an easy funnel for adding them to the mixer.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing fully after each addition so they emulsify properly.
- Mix in the buttermilk, oil, liquid green food coloring, and vanilla until combined. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined; avoid over-mixing.
- Use a scoop to fill liners about two-thirds full; the recipe yields roughly 20 cupcakes.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops spring back. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting Ideas
Cream cheese or whipped cream cheese frosting pairs best with these cupcakes. The whipped version is lighter and still very flavorful. For a taller swirl, increase the frosting quantity by 1.5–2x depending on how much you want to pipe on each cupcake.
For St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes
Top them with festive decorations like:
- Gold chocolate coins
- Gold or green sprinkles
- Rainbow candy belts
- Rolos or other gold-wrapped candies to mimic a “pot of gold”
How to Store Green Velvet Cupcakes
If you use cream cheese-based frosting, refrigerate frosted cupcakes. For best texture and flavor, follow these guidelines:
- Frosted cupcakes: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days. Bring to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving.
- Unfrosted cupcakes: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freezing unfrosted cupcakes: Wrap individually or in small groups, place in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Freezing frosted cupcakes: Partially freeze until firm, wrap individually, then freeze in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature 1–2 hours before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Sift dry ingredients: Sifting helps create a lighter crumb when using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour—sift twice for best results.
- Room temperature ingredients: Bring refrigerated ingredients to room temperature (about 30–60 minutes) so the batter emulsifies properly.
- Use liquid green food coloring: Liquid color blends evenly and avoids an unwanted olive tint that gel coloring can sometimes produce.
- Make homemade buttermilk if needed: Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then add milk to reach 1 cup. Let sit 5–10 minutes before using.
- Portion with a scoop: A #24 scoop helps ensure consistent cupcakes and even baking when filling liners two-thirds full.
Green Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 Tablespoons (40 g) cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (237 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) oil (canola or vegetable)
- 1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) liquid green food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer/sieve
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- 12-cup muffin pans
- #24 scoop
- Silicone spatula set
- Optional: piping bags and piping tip
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with liners.
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt twice and set aside.
- In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.
- Add buttermilk, oil, liquid green food coloring, and vanilla. Mix until combined and scrape the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. Use a scoop to fill liners about 2/3 full (makes ~20 cupcakes).
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops spring back. Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- Homemade buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then add milk to 1 cup. Let sit 5–10 minutes before using.
- Storing frosted cupcakes: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days. Let sit 20–30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
- Storing unfrosted cupcakes: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Unfrosted cupcakes freeze well for up to 2 months wrapped and stored in an airtight container. For frosted cupcakes, partially freeze until firm, wrap individually, then freeze; thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
Sharing this recipe with a link is encouraged. Content and photographs are copyright protected.