This post contains affiliate links.

My soft and fluffy vegan coffee cake is fully plant-based, made in a simple 9×13 pan, and built from pantry staples you likely already have. It’s intentionally unfussy with a tender crumb and designed to be the envy of your next potluck, brunch table, or just your Sunday morning baking.

A plate with two stacked pieces of crumb-topped vegan coffee cake drizzled with icing, with a fork taking a bite and a cup of coffee in the background.
save this recipe!
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

This is the kind of recipe I love developing because it looks simple but fails easily when ratios are off. During testing, we learned that “classic vegan swaps” like vegan butter and yogurt actually worked against us here, creating a heavy, bland cake and a streusel that melted away.

A more straightforward approach using vegetable oil and applesauce gave us a better rise, fuller flavor, and a cake that bakes evenly from edge to center, giving your the perfect vegan copycat dupe of your favorite Starbucks coffee cake.

  • Light, fluffy crumb that stays moist for days 🤤
  • Cinnamon sugar layer that stays defined after baking
  • Large sheet cake style that slices cleanly and evenly
A fork holds a bite of crumbly coffee cake with icing, resting on a speckled ceramic plate beside the remaining slice.
Sliced coffee cake with crumb topping and white icing drizzle, arranged on parchment paper with a serving utensil.

Be careful not to overbake

The key to a tender and moist crumb is to not overbake the cake. The toothpick should just come out clean. And since types of pans and every oven bake differently, you’ll need to keep an eye on the eggless coffee cake recipe towards the end.

Does it taste like coffee?

Nope! Coffee cake is designed to be enjoyed with coffee, not to taste like it. And while it’s very good with an iced brown sugar shaken espresso (another Starbucks copycat recipe), you can also add some espresso powder to the batter to make it taste like coffee.

A plate with a slice of crumb cake drizzled with icing, a fork cutting into it, a cup of coffee, and bowls of icing sit on a light surface.
The key to that crumble that stays crumbly is to chill it while you make the cake batter. This way, the butter doesn’t just melt away.

plays well with..

I love this dairy-free crumb cake as an afternoon treat with coffee, but it also makes a great breakfast. Pair it with tofu scrambled eggs and eggplant bacon (boh easy vegan brunch recipes) for a full meal.

Close-up of sliced crumb cake squares with a crumbly topping and white icing drizzled on top.
rate pin print remove ads

Easy Vegan Coffee Cake (Starbucks Copycat)

4 from 1 rating
By: Sarah Bond
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
This soft and fluffy vegan coffee cake is made with simple pantry staples and baked in a 9×13 pan—an easy plant-based brunch treat with a tender crumb and classic crumb topping.

Ingredients 

Streusel Topping

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 180 g
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar, 116 g
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar, 55 g
  • ½ cup unsalted vegan butter, at room temperature, 113 g
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt

Cake Batter

  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, 122 g
  • 1 cup vegetable oil, 236 mL
  • 1 ¼ cups almond milk, 274 g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, 376 g
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 196 g
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder, 13 g
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 2 g

Cinnamon Layer

  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 60 g
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 12 g
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar, 240 g
  • 2 Tbsp almond milk, 28 g
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
Save this recipe!
Enter your email & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Instructions 

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (recommended for easiest removal).
  • Streusel: In a medium bowl, combine all Streusel ingredients. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until sandy but cohesive.
    Use your hands to clump the streusel together into a mix of small and medium pebbly pieces. Refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
    A metal mixing bowl containing crumbly, light brown dough on a light-colored surface.
  • Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 ¼ cups almond milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.
    A mixing bowl with applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract, with a metal whisk resting inside, on a light-colored surface.
  • Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp ground cinnamon until evenly combined.
    A glass bowl containing flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon on a white surface next to a metal whisk.
  • Stir Batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. Small bumps from the applesauce are normal, so avoid over-mixing. The batter will be thick but pourable.
    A white mixing bowl with light-colored batter and a black spatula on a white surface.
  • Assemble: Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
    In a medium bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, and ½ tsp ground cinnamon for the cinnamon layer. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.
    Carefully pour the remaining batter on top and gently spread to cover.
    A baking dish lined with parchment paper is filled with cake batter next to a glass bowl containing crumbly brown topping, all on a light surface.
  • Bake: Remove the streusel from the refrigerator and sprinkle evenly over the top.
    Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs and top is lightly golden and set to the touch.
    A rectangular baking dish lined with parchment paper, filled with an even layer of unbaked crumbly streusel topping.
  • Icing: While the cake bakes, whisk together all Icing ingredients until smooth and thick but drizzleable (add a splash more almond milk if it's too thick).
    A metal whisk is resting in a glass bowl filled with smooth, pale batter on a light gray surface.
  • Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan, then slice it into squares. Drizzle or pipe the icing over the top. The icing will set as it dries, making the cake easy to slice, store, and transport.
    Rectangular iced coffee cake cut into 12 squares on parchment paper, with two cups of coffee, plates, and a serving utensil nearby.

Notes

Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerate for up to 5 days without drying out. Once the icing sets, the cake travels cleanly and stacks well.
Can this be made gluten-free? We haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour. However, 1:1 gluten-free flour often works very well in place of all-purpose. Other gluten-free flours will definitely result in a gummy texture.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Eat vegetarian cookbook.

Let's eat more plants!

Packed with over 100 reader-favorite vegetarian recipes, my cookbook is your go-to guide for easy, healthy meals that make plant-based eating a breeze.

grab a copy

You May Also Like

4 from 1 vote

Leave a comment

Question? Ask your question here! Sarah personally answers comments every weekday.

Rate this Recipe:




3 Comments

  1. Katie S says:

    Does other non-dairy milk work in place of almond? Thinking oat or soy

    Reply
    1. Sarah Bond says:

      Yes, either should work!

  2. Annie M. says:

    4 stars
    If you have no idea when you opened that bag of powdered sugar in your cabinet, don’t use it. Big mistake on my part. The cake is moist but I think it could be a little sweeter.

    Reply