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You’re definitely missing out if you don’t give these homemade red velvet cupcakes a try–these delicious 4-point Weight Watchers Red Velvet Cupcakes can be your next baking project. You won’t believe how delicious they are. The red velvet cake batter transforms into cupcakes with a soft and tender interior.

The cake itself has a very delicate red velvet flavor, with subtle hints of cocoa and some tanginess from the buttermilk. The icing also has the ideal balance of sweetness and tanginess! Some red velvet cakes have a more pronounced cocoa flavor, so if you prefer that, you can add a bit more cocoa, which will also give you a deeper red color.

These are the best healthy cupcakes because you can’t even tell they’re lightened up. I used a light butter substitute and a sugar replacement in the batter, which decreased the WW points significantly. However, instead of having to substitute classic powdered sugar in the icing, I used the real deal and swapped some of the cream cheese with Greek yogurt to compensate. The result was incredible! The icing is very soft and creamy and only contains three ingredients.

Although I love red velvet cake, making a red velvet cupcake recipe is even easier. The cupcakes bake faster; you don’t need to worry about slicing cake layers or frosting an entire cake. Plus, they are already pre-portioned, making it easier to serve! It’s super quick to whip up the batter and throw the cupcakes in the oven. It’s even easier to decorate them since all you have to do is smear some of the yummy icing onto them!

Why You Should Try This Recipe

Super easy to make: baking doesn’t have to be complicated! This recipe is super easy to follow, and you can even make it without an electric mixer if you don’t have one.
Perfectly fluffy and moist cupcakes: These delicious cupcakes have the perfect consistency. Although they form a slight crust on the top, they are light and tender inside. The cream cheese icing complements their delicate flavor wonderfully.
Great for birthday cupcakes and other special occasions: These simple yet scrumptious cupcakes are perfect for celebrations. With their deep red color, they are certainly eye-catching! You can also make them fancier with garnishes or change the icing color (blue for the 4th of July, green for Christmas, etc.!)

Recipe Overview

Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Number of Servings: 12
Time to Cook: 18-20 minutes
WW Points Per Recipe: 4 points per cupcake, 51 for the entire recipe. Click here to see the recipe on the WW app (WW login required)

Ingredients in Weight Watchers Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cake Batter

¼ cup Light butter substitute (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Light)
¾ cup Monk fruit sweetener with erythritol (or other cup-for-cup sugar substitute)
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp White vinegar
1 ½ – 2 ½ tbsp Unsweetened cocoa (depending on how deep of a cocoa flavor and color you want)
Red food coloring, gel, liquid, or natural (as needed)
½ cup Low-fat 1% Buttermilk
1 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
¼ tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Baking soda

Cream Cheese Icing

6 tbsp Powdered sugar
¾ cup Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
4 oz ⅓ less-fat cream cheese, softened

Ingredients needed for homemade cupcakes

Instructions for making Weight Watchers Red Velvet Cupcakes (Step by Step)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix the butter substitute and the monk fruit sweetener until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and mix until there are no lumps.
In a separate bowl, make a paste with the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and vinegar. To the paste, add the food dye to your liking. I used gel food dye, which is different from liquid dye. I suggest making the batter slightly brighter than you want it to be because it becomes a bit muted when it bakes.
Add the cocoa paste and the remaining dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Gently mix with a paddle attachment or a rubber spatula by hand until the batter comes together. Be careful not to overmix!
Once the batter is smooth and the color is evenly distributed, evenly scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups. I like using liners with spray, but you can also bake them directly in a greased muffin tin.

6. Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes until the tops spring back when you gently press them with your finger. Allow the cupcakes to cool. Meanwhile, start the frosting.

7. To make the cream cheese icing, combine all of the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes so it can set while the cupcakes cool.

8. Decorate them: evenly divide the icing between the 12 cupcakes. I used just a small spoonful for each. I suggest increasing the recipe if you want a more generous amount of frosting.

Variations and Substitutions

Red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting: if you don’t like cream cheese frosting, no worries! You can make buttercream frosting instead. Both vanilla and chocolate frosting are delicious with red velvet cake.
Include mix-ins: You can add special ingredients to the batter or add them as a decoration on top! For instance, try making red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or strawberries.
Red velvet cake with beets: If you don’t like using red food dye, that is understandable. There are certain natural food dyes made with beet powder or juice that you can purchase. I suggest researching the reviews because not all of them work that well.
Vegan red velvet cupcakes: To make these cupcakes vegan, you will need to substitute the egg with ¼ cup of apple sauce. You’ll also need to make your own buttermilk. You can simply add the vinegar to almond or oat milk to make your own buttermilk. Be sure to use a vegan butter substitute as well.
Save a WW point: You can use powdered monk fruit sweetener in the frosting if you want to save a WW point when making this recipe!
Mini cupcakes: Use the batter to make smaller cupcakes if you have a mini muffin pan!

Tips and Tricks for Making The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes

Since these are red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, you must refrigerate them when storing them. These cupcakes will last three to five days! Once frosted, I don’t suggest freezing them. However, you can surely freeze the unfrosted cupcakes and then frost them later when you thaw them.
Be careful not to over-whip the cake mix, as this will affect the texture of the baked goods. It’s crucial not to overwork the gluten in the flour or whip too much air into the batter. The cakes will rise plenty without excess air since they have the baking soda and vinegar.
You can adjust the cocoa amount and the food dye slightly. If you want a richer, more noticeable cocoa flavor, use 2 ½ tbsp instead (this makes the red color darker). As for how much food dye to add, there isn’t a set amount. You can make the cupcakes as bright as you want!
When you scoop the cupcakes, it might seem as though there isn’t enough batter for 12. However, just make sure to scrape every last bit out of the bowl and distribute the batter as evenly as you can. It gave me 12 standard-sized cupcakes! The same goes for the frosting; there won’t be any leftover. Just make sure to use it all up!

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Weight Watchers Red Velvet Cupcakes