Best Vegan Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping (Gluten-free Option)

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This vegan coffee cake has an ultra-moist, fluffy sour cream cake, a thick ribbon of cinnamon sugar, and a buttery crumb topping. It’s baked in a square pan for tall, coffee shop-style slices. I baked this sour cream coffee cake for others and even non-vegans were asking for the recipe—that’s how good it is!

Emily’s Recipe Notes

Flavor: Sweet vanilla cake, lightly spiced filling, buttery topping.
Texture: Ultra-moist and fluffy with a soft, tender crumb.
Difficulty: Easy! The three components are simple to mix and layer.

Baked vegan coffee cake topped with cinnamon streusel and a thin vanilla icing drizzle in a square pan. — buttery moist vegan coffee cake with cinnamon streusel

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Coffee Cake

I originally published this coffee cake recipe back in 2020, and it was definitely time to give it another round of testing. The old version was a spiced maple cake with oat streusel, but after developing my vegan sour cream coffee cake muffins, I knew I wanted to use that same soft, rich cake as the starting point for a new full-size version.

And this one is so so so much tastier. Everyone who tried it said it was the best coffee cake they’ve had. The dairy-free sour cream gives the cake a tender crumb that stays moist for days, while a layer of cinnamon sugar runs through the center and creates that classic coffee cake flavor.

What is Coffee Cake?

Despite the name, classic coffee cake isn’t coffee flavored, but is meant to be the perfect treat to pair with your morning cup of coffee or tea.

If you’re a coffee lover looking for a coffee-flavored treats, I have a delicious Vegan Coffee and Walnut Loaf Cake and these espresso flavored cookies that you can bake up! They use instant coffee powder for an intense coffee flavor.

P.S. if you’re in the mood for more vegan baked goods, be sure to try out my Classic Vegan Cinnamon Buns, this Pumpkin Banana Bread and these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls next!

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients like vegan butter, dairy-free sour cream, cinnamon sugar and more. — what you’ll need to make the cake

Vegan Sour Cream

Vegan sour cream is the key to the rich, moist texture. You can use a store-bought option (like Violife) or make my homemade vegan sour cream. Sour cream acts as an egg substitute, so no eggs are needed here!

If you don’t have sour cream, substitute an equal amount of thick, unsweetened dairy-free yogurt. I prefer Forager’s Unsweetened Coconut + Cashewmilk Yogurt for baking.

Vegan Butter

Softened vegan butter is used in both the cake batter and the crumb topping. Creaming it with the sugar adds air to the batter, while the butter in the topping helps the crumbs become crisp when baked.

Make sure the butter is softened but not melted. I prefer Country Crock Plant Butter for this recipe, but you can find more options in my guide to the best vegan butter for baking.

All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour gives the cake enough structure while keeping the crumb soft. For the most accurate result, weigh the flour in grams or spoon it into the measuring cup and level off the top. Scooping it directly from the bag can pack in too much flour and make the cake dry.

Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum; I tested it with King Arthur’s GF All Purpose Blend and it works great.

Dairy-Free Milk

The milk loosens the sour cream batter so the cake bakes up fluffy. I prefer soy milk, but unsweetened oat, almond, or cashew milk will also work.

Bring the milk to room temperature before mixing. Cold milk can cause the softened vegan butter to firm back up and make the batter harder to combine evenly.

Vanilla Bean Paste

Vanilla bean paste gives the cake a strong vanilla flavor and adds those tiny vanilla bean flecks. You can substitute vanilla extract if that’s what you have on hand.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is used in both the filling and the crumb topping. The filling creates a defined cinnamon sugar layer through the center of the cake, while the topping adds extra warmth.

How to Make Vegan Coffee Cake

Exact ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below!

Flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened vegan butter in a bowl for the crumb topping.

Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl, then set it aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the crumb topping.

Finished cinnamon streusel with medium-sized buttery crumbs in a white bowl.

Cut in the softened vegan butter until medium-sized crumbs form. Set aside for the crumb topping.

Make the DF + Eggless Sour Cream Cake Batter

Creamed vegan butter and sugar with a light, fluffy texture in a glass mixing bowl.

In a large bowl, cream the softened vegan butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy.

Vanilla bean paste added to the dairy-free coffee cake wet ingredients.

Add the vanilla bean paste and vegan sour cream, then mix until smooth. Mix in the room-temperature dairy-free milk.

Flour, baking powder, and salt added over the wet ingredients for dairy-free coffee cake.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Thick vegan coffee cake batter mixed until smooth in a glass bowl.

Then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until combined.

Assemble and Bake!

Eggless coffee cake batter smoothed into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan.

Spread half the batter in a greased 8×8-inch pan.

Scoops of dairy-free coffee cake batter placed over the cinnamon sugar filling.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the batter, then carefully spread the remaining batter on top.

Vegan coffee cake covered with cinnamon streusel and ready to bake.

Scatter the crumb topping across the surface and lightly press it into the batter so it stays in place.

Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

🍽️ Serving

Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before using the parchment overhang to remove the cake. Let it finish cooling on a wire rack before slicing.

TIP: Let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes before drizzling the icing on top. This will prevent the icing from melting.

🧪 Why This Recipe Works

This coffee cake uses a few simple techniques to create a soft, rich crumb without eggs or dairy.

Creaming the softened vegan butter and sugar incorporates air into the batter before the baking powder takes over in the oven. This gives the cake a lighter texture while still keeping it sturdy enough to hold the cinnamon sugar layer.

Vegan sour cream adds moisture and body to the batter. Its richness helps tenderize the crumb, so the cake stays soft instead of becoming dry or crumbly.

The 8×8-inch pan also makes a difference. It gives the batter enough height to create thick slices with a distinct cinnamon center, rather than the thinner pieces.

Square of eggless coffee cake with a cinnamon center and icing drizzle lifted on a fork. — the irresistible vegan coffee cake

Tips for the Best Texture

Use room-temperature ingredients. This helps the vegan butter, sour cream, and milk combine into a smoother batter.
Measure the flour carefully. For the most consistent texture, use the gram measurement. If you’re using cups, spoon and level the flour rather than scooping it from the bag.
Use softened, not melted, vegan butter. You need softened butter to cream with the sugar and to form distinct crumbs in the streusel.

Vanilla icing drizzled over a slice of dairy-free coffee cake with cinnamon streusel. — adding icing to the vegan crumb cake

Common Questions + Tips

My batter looks too thick, is that right?

Yes! This cake batter is very thick. This is what helps keep it moist.

How is this coffee cake eggless?

To make this vegan coffee cake egg-free, it uses vegan sour cream (or sub dairy free yogurt). This acts as the binder and egg replacer in the recipe.

Could I make this recipe into muffins?

Yes, but I recommend following my tested vegan sour cream coffee cake muffins recipe. It includes the oven-temperature change needed to give the muffins a taller rise without drying them out.

What can I substitute for vegan sour cream?

Use an equal amount of thick, unsweetened dairy-free yogurt. A thinner yogurt may make the batter looser, but it should still turn out really well.

Can I bake it in a 9×13-inch pan?

This amount of batter is written for an 8×8-inch pan. A 9×13-inch pan would make the cake much thinner and require a shorter baking time. You could try doubling the recipe for a 9×13” pan, however I haven’t tested this so I can’t recommend exact bake times.