Name: Vegan Madeleines
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 130 g (1 cup + 2 tsp) plain (all-purpose) flour; 20 g (2 packed Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch); 1 ¼ tsp baking powder; ⅛ tsp salt; 100 g (3 ½ oz) vegan block butter/margarine (I use Naturli Vegan Block) (melted); 100 g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar; 90 g (6 Tbsp) thick non-dairy yogurt (I use the Coconut Collaborative); 50 ml (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy); 1 tsp vanilla extract; finely grated zest of 1 lemon

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Vegan Madeleines - these delicious vegan lemon Madeleine cakes are light, moist, delicate and very, very moreish! They are wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee or are an elegant addition to afternoon tea!

Vegan Madeleines on a white plate on a marble surface with a bowl of blueberries, dried flowers and a bowl of icing sugar.

These vegan Madeleines took quite a bit of testing to get right, but I think I've finally nailed It!

They are light, moist, tender little cakes that have that classic 'hump' (or nipple!) that Madeleines are known for.

They have a delicate lemon flavour and are so light and moreish that you could easily eat a whole trayful before you've realised it!

What Are Madeleines?:

Madeleines are a classic French cake. They are very small, light sponge cakes that are baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions giving them their classic appearance.

Traditionally they only contain four ingredients - eggs, butter, flour and sugar, though baking powder and flavourings are often added.

Obviously I had to make quite a few changes in order to successfully veganise them!

They may seem simple, but like most French patisserie they can actually be deceptively tricky to get right, so make sure that you follow the recipe exactly.

Vegan Madeleines on a white plate with a bowl of blueberries in the background.

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Madeleines?:

Thick non-dairy yogurt - this replaces the eggs and keeps the cakes moist. I use the Coconut Collaborative yogurt. I recommend using this one if possible, or another thick variety of yogurt if not. I have not tested any substitutions for the yogurt I'm afraid.

Vegan butter - you need to use a block butter/margarine, not the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking.

I use Naturli vegan block but Flora Plant Butter is also good. I haven't tested these with oil instead; as they are such simple cakes a lot of the flavour comes from the butter so I wouldn't recommend swapping it out.

Non-dairy milk - Use an unsweetened one if possible and definitely soy milk if you can, though any will work. I favour soy milk for baking as it has the highest protein content.

Caster sugar - caster sugar (superfine sugar) dissolves easily into the batter. You can use granulated instead if you can't get hold of caster.

Plain flour - just regular plain (all-purpose) flour. I haven't tested making these gluten-free. I suspect that a gluten-free flour blend would work, but you may need to add a little extra milk to compensate.

Cornflour - cornflour (cornstarch) helps to give the Madeleines a light, soft texture. You can swap it for more plain flour if you really must, but I strongly recommend using it.

Alternatively, if you have cake flour then you can use that in place of both the plain flour and cornflour, so a total of 150g cake flour.

Lemon zest - a bit of lemon zest gives the Madeleines a lovely lemony flavour. You can swap it for orange zest if you like; or omit it.

Baking powder - usually Madeleines have only a minimal amount of baking powder, or none at all, but they do contain eggs which help to make them light, and contribute to the rise and formation of the hump. To compensate I add a little extra baking powder instead.

Vanilla extract - this can be swapped for lemon or orange extract, orange blossom water or almond extract depending on what flavour you want your madeleines to be.

How To Make Vegan Madeleines:

(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)

These vegan Madeleines are straightforward to make but the batter does require chilling before it is baked.

Start by sifting together the dry ingredients - plain flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted vegan block butter, thick non-dairy yogurt, non-dairy milk, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until no dry lumps remain but do not over-beat the batter.

Step 1 - a four image collage of making the batter.

Now, cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. This step is very important so don't skip it. The batter will keep in the fridge overnight if needed.

Brush your Madeleine tray(s) with melted vegan butter. If you don't have a really good non-stick one then you will also need to dust it with flour and tap out the excess.

Place the tray in the fridge to chill along with the batter.

Once the batter has chilled, place a dollop of it in the middle of each depression of the prepared tray. Return any unused batter to the fridge.

Step 2 - filling the Madeleine tray with batter.

The exact amount of batter that you need is going to vary depending on your tray, so you may want to make a test batch to work it out exactly, but about a heaped tablespoon was the right amount for me.

You don't need to spread the batter out, but try and make sure that it follows the shape of the mold, rather than just sitting in a round blob.

Return the tray to the fridge for twenty minutes to chill while you preheat the oven.

Bake the Madeleines in the hot oven for 4-5 minutes, until they have formed their humps and are golden around the edges; then turn the oven down and bake for another 2-5 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Step 3 - the baked Madeleines in their tin.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then carefully turn them on their sides in the tin and leave them to cool completely. Placing them on a wire rack may squish the hump or mark the shell pattern which is why they are cooled like this instead.

If you only have the one Madeleine tray and still have batter in the fridge then you will need to wash and re-grease the pan, then pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill before filling it with the remaining batter, chilling for another 20 minutes and baking the rest of the Madeleines as above.

A pile of Madeleines on a white plate with a bowl of blueberries.

Top Tips:

For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them. A gram is always a gram, but a cup won’t always measure out the same amount.

You will need a non-stick Madeleine tray. Most Madeleine trays have 12 depressions. This recipe will make around 24 Madeleines so you will either need two trays; or do as I do and bake the Madeleines in two batches.

You can swap the vanilla extract for lemon extract if you want a stronger lemon flavour, or use orange extract, orange blossom water or almond extract instead.

Try dipping half of each Madeleine in melted chocolate.

These vegan madeleines really do need to be eaten on the day they are baked as they go stale very quickly. Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for up to one day.

How To Ensure Your Madeleines Have A 'Hump':

The distinctive hump, or nipple, that classic Madeleines have is created by placing very cold batter into a very hot oven.

In order to achieve the hump it is very important that you follow the instructions for chilling both the madeleine batter and the tray.

If you don't chill everything properly, and if your oven isn't hot enough, then you will end up with flat Madeleines. (They will still be tasty though!).

Can I Freeze These Vegan Madeleines?:

Yes these vegan Madeleines freeze well. Allow them to cool completely then freeze in an airtight freezer bag. Freeze them on the day they are baked to preserve freshness.

Allow them to defrost at room temperature. You can refresh them in a low oven for a couple of minutes before serving if you wish.

More Recipes For A Vegan Afternoon Tea:

Icing sugar dusted vegan Madeleines on a white plate with dried flowers and blueberries.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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4.86 from 7 votes