The Best Vegan Coffee Cake
November 21, 2025
Served warm with a cup of coffee or tea, this vegan coffee cake is the perfect treat for Christmas morning breakfast or an afternoon snack. It has a cinnamon sugar filling enveloped by two layers of soft, sweet vanilla sour cream cake, plus a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping and sweet icing drizzle.
What I Love About This Coffee Cake Recipe
- It tastes like a dream! Its warm cinnamon and vanilla are paired with a tangy vegan sour cream to create a rich flavor and tender texture.
- It's dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan, but it tastes just like a classic coffee cake. No one will miss the dairy or eggs!
- It's made with simple ingredients, so it's easy to make no matter where you live and shop. (If you can't get vegan sour cream, see the recipe notes for instructions to make your own with your blender!)
- Although it has four parts (cake, filling, streusel, and icing), it comes together in about an hour, and most of that is baking.
- It's basically dessert for breakfast, but you can enjoy this sweet treat any time of day!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
What is vegan sugar? Can I use a different type of oil in this recipe? For your ingredient-related questions, check this section. Feel free to leave a comment if your question isn't answered here, and I'll respond as soon as I can. Note: For the recipe with the full ingredient list and measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
Filling, Streusel, and Icing
brown sugar: Not all brown sugar is vegan (some is processed using animal ingredients), but in the US, sugar labeled "organic" is always vegan. If your brown sugar comes from beet sugar (not cane sugar), you don't need to worry about this.
cinnamon: Adds warm cinnamon flavor to the cake.
all-purpose flour: Creates the structure for the streusel topping. I haven't tested this recipe with alternative flours.
vegan butter: Adds just enough oil and moisture to give the streusel its crunchy texture. Store-bought brands like Earth Balance will work, or you can use my homemade vegan butter.
powdered sugar: Also known as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar. As with the brown sugar, you'll want to make sure your powdered sugar is vegan.
Vanilla Sour Cream Cake
all-purpose flour: Creates the structure for the cake. I haven't tested this recipe with alternative flours.
cornstarch: Makes the cake tender and light.
baking powder: This is responsible for helping the cake rise, so make sure you're using fresh baking powder.
salt: Enhances the flavors of the cake and balances its sweetness. I used sea salt, but you could also use table salt or pink salt.
sugar: Just like with brown sugar, you'll want to make sure you're using vegan granulated sugar to keep this recipe vegan.
vegan sour cream: This creates a soft cake texture and balances its sweetness. You can use a store-bought brand (I like Kite Hill), or you can make it yourself at home. Just blend 1 cup raw cashews, soaked, 1/3 cup water, 4 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a blender until smooth. (Makes about 1 cup.)
plain, unsweetened almond milk: Adds moisture to the cake batter and keeps it from becoming too thick. You could also use another type of non-dairy milk, like oat milk or soy milk. I wouldn't use canned coconut milk, however, as it may be too thick.
sunflower oil: You can use any other neutral oil here, although I would avoid coconut oil because it may make the cake too dense.
apple cider vinegar: You could also use white vinegar or lemon juice, if you prefer.
vanilla extract: Adds more depth of flavor to the cake. I recommend using real vanilla extract instead of an imitation vanilla because real vanilla contains more complex flavors.
Tips for the Best Coffee Cake
Avoid over-mixing: As with many baking recipes, you'll want your coffee cake batter to retain some lumps. If you mix it too much, your finished cake may be too dense.
Secure the parchment paper: The cake batter for this recipe is thick, and it will need to be spread around the pan. Using oil and clips can help keep your parchment paper in place and make it easier to spread the batter.
It will rise! When you're spreading the cake batter in the pan, it may seem like there's not enough batter. Just try to spread it as evenly as possible. It rises a lot in the oven, and you'll end up with more cake than you think.
Serving & Storage
Slice and serve this cake when it's still warm. If you're serving a large crowd and don't plan on having leftovers, you can drizzle the icing on top of the entire cake. However, if you won't eat it all right away, it's better to just drizzle icing on the slices you plan to serve.
Store leftover slices of coffee cake in an airtight container or zip-top bag. At room temperature, this cake will stay fresh for about 3 days, or you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week. The icing can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or in the fridge for 2 weeks. For longer storage, you can keep this cake in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag.
To reheat the cake, I like to warm it in the air fryer for about 5 to 6 minutes at 350°F/180°C, or until it's warmed all the way through. You can also reheat it in the oven at the same temperature.
FAQ
- Does coffee cake contain coffee? No, coffee cake doesn't typically contain coffee. It's called coffee cake because people usually eat it while drinking coffee.
- Is crumb cake the same thing as coffee cake? While the two are similar, crumb cakes usually have a much thicker layer of streusel on top with a dense cake, while coffee cake is made with a lighter cake and a thinner layer of streusel.
- Can I make this recipe gluten-free? I haven't tested this recipe with any gluten-free flours, so I'm not sure how it would turn out.
More Vegan Breakfast Recipes
If you're looking for more vegan breakfasts that will make any day feel like a holiday, try one of these recipes:
Watch This Recipe as a Video
The Best Vegan Coffee Cake
Yield9 pieces
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Pin itIngredients
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 1/3 cup vegan light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup vegan light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons vegan butter, melted and cooled
Vanilla Sour Cream Cake
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegan sour cream*
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Icing Drizzle
- 3/4 cup vegan powdered (icing/confectioner's) sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon plain, unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), then prepare an 8x8-inch square cake pan. Start by greasing the inside of the pan, then cut two pieces of parchment paper to the width of the pan, but long enough to hang over the edges of the pan. Place one piece of parchment inside the pan from top to bottom and press it to stick it to the oil or vegan butter, then attach it to the edges with two clips. Grease the parchment paper, then lay the other piece of parchment paper inside the pan from left to right, attaching it in the same way. Finally, grease the last piece of parchment.
In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup of vegan brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar filling, then set it aside.
In a separate small mixing bowl, prepare the streusel topping by mixing together 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Then, stir in the melted vegan butter until the entire mixture is moist (don't over-mix it) and set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the cake: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
Add in the wet ingredients: sugar, sour cream, oil, milk, vinegar, and vanilla, then mix until the batter is just combined. Don't over-mix it; there should still be lumps remaining, and the batter should be very thick, as shown in the photo.
Spread half of your coffee cake batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.* Then, spread the cinnamon sugar filling evenly on top. Top that with the rest of the cake batter, then sprinkle your streusel topping on top of everything.
Remove the clips from your parchment paper, then bake the cake at 350°F (180°C) for 45 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, prepare the icing. Sift together powdered sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl, then whisk in almond milk. You should have a consistency that can be poured and drizzled, but isn't so thin that it will be absorbed by the cake. If it's too thick, mix in an additional 1/2 teaspoon of milk. If it's too thin, add additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
When your cake is done, set the pan on a wire rack and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan, then cut into squares. Serve warm with a drizzle of icing.
Notes & Hints
Make sure you measure your flour accurately. For the best results, switch to metric and weigh your flour. If you're measuring with cups, use a spoon to add flour to the cup, then level it off; don't use the cup to scoop the flour.
To make homemade vegan sour cream, blend 1 cup raw cashews, soaked, 1/3 cup water, 4 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a blender until smooth. (Makes about 1 cup)
The batter for this coffee cake should be very thick, and it may seem like there's not enough batter to spread in the pan. Spread it as evenly as possible, and the cake will expand and rise to fill the pan during baking.
This coffee cake can be made a day in advance; just bake it as usual and leave the icing off. In the morning, warm the coffee cake in an oven or air fryer and drizzle the icing on top.
Nutrition Data
Serving Size 1/9 of recipe
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 510 | Calories from Fat 171 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 19g | 24% | |
| Saturated Fat 8g | 40% | |
| Trans Fat 0g | ||
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% | |
| Sodium 386mg | 16% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 82g | 27% | |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% | |
| Sugars 49g | ||
| Protein 5g | 10% | |
| Vitamin A 3mcg RAE | 0% | |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B12 0mcg | 0% | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium 91mg | 7% | |
| Iron 1mg | 6% | |
| Potassium 27mg | 1% | |
| Zinc 0mg | 0% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.
Tofu That Doesn't Suck.
FREE EMAIL BONUS: 5 days of recipes that turn your boring tofu blocks into culinary masterpieces!
Leave a Comment
I love reading comments! I'll do my best to answer questions, too. If you made the recipe, please leave a star rating, it helps support the blog so I can make more recipes and articles. Thank you!
Loading comments...