Rainbow Cupcakes
Rainbow cupcakes are such an easy dessert to make! This colorful, fun treat is always the hit of the party! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, birthdays, or any occasion!

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Why I love this recipe
These rainbow cupcakes are one of those super easy desserts that make a big impact.
Every time I make these I get so many compliments! Little do they know that I “cheat” and use boxed mix and premade frosting for this rainbow cupcake recipe!
Ingredients
- white cake mix + ingredients on package
- vanilla frosting
- food coloring – Use gel food coloring to color the batter without affecting the taste. I recommend Wilton gel food coloring because it has the brightest colors and won’t thin the batter or affect the taste.
If you want to make the cake mix taste more homemade I recommend adding an extra egg, a package of vanilla instant pudding mix, and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in addition to the ingredients on the box. (More about how to hack a cake mix here.)
Step by step
Using a boxed mix makes these treats soooo easy!
- Prep a normal box of white cake mix in a large mixing bowl. Divide the batter into six separate bowls (do not use plastic bowls to avoid staining.)
- Add food coloring to the batter and stir to mix. I used red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple but you can use any combination you can come up with!
- After preparing the batter, spoon it in layers into a muffin pan lined with liners. I start with purple then work my way up the rainbow but you can add the batter in whatever order you prefer.
- Once you’ve added all of your colored batters, cook the rainbow cupcakes according to the box instructions and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- You can use any kind of frosting to top off these cupcakes. They are delicious with a cream cheese frosting, or you can hack a store bought frosting to top it off.
I like to add 8 ounces of cream cheese OR a container of cool whip to the store-bought icing and then whip it up in the large bowl on my stand mixer (affiliate link). It will fluff up and taste amazing with no need to start from scratch!
And of course, rainbow sprinkles are a must for the cupcakes too! I have also seen people use rainbow colored Airheads Extremes to form a little rainbow topper for the cupcakes instead of sprinkles.
Looking for more rainbow colored ideas? Try our Kool Aid cookies, funfetti cookies, or funfetti dessert cheeseball.
Storage
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze the cupcakes before frosting for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container (affiliate link).
Aren’t they so much fun?? No one will ever guess just how easy these rainbow cupcakes are! They are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, baby shower, birthday parties, or just anytime you want a simple, special treat.
If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
PrintRainbow Cupcakes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
Description
Rainbow cupcakes are so easy to make! This colorful dessert is always the hit of the party! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, birthdays, or any occasion!
Ingredients
For the rainbow cupcakes:
- white cake mix & ingredients on package
- gel food coloring
If desired, add in addition:
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 package vanilla pudding mix
For the icing:
- 1 container store bought white icing
- Sprinkles, optional
If desired, fluff in the mixer along with 8 ounces of softened cream cheese or one container of whipped cream
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix according to package instructions, adding extra ingredients if desired.
- Divide mix into six bowls and add different food color to each until the desired intensity is reached.
- Drop colored batter into lined muffin tin a spoonful at a time, layering the colors.
- Cook according to package instructions.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Whip frosting with extra ingredients in a stand mixer (affiliate link) if desired. Frost cupcakes and top with sprinkled is desired.
Notes
Nutritional information is for cupcakes without additional ingredients added in.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze without frosting up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 12.1 g
- Sodium: 85.3 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.5 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 24.8 mg
They look amazing, I can never get the colours as bright and vibrant! But I need to say, there is no such thing as St. Patty….It’s St. Patrick or St. Paddy, Patron Saint of Ireland, cause Patty is a girls name…
I used gel food coloring to get the colors bright-it really didn’t take much! And I changed it to St. Paddy’s-I didn’t know that! I just assumed Pat was short for Patrick so it would be Patty’s!
Thank you! Yeah for some reason Pat and Patrick goes to Paddy, it would make sense for it to be Patty! Crazy Irish logic! The Irish for Patrick is Padráig, so that could be where the dd is from!
What brand of gel colouring do you find the best?
These are amazing! I SO pinned them:)
Thanks Kelly! Aren’t they so cheerful?!
Those are absolutely darling! My 5 year old and I will be making these this week!
I hope your little one loves them as much as mine did-they were a big hit!
Awww these cupcakes look so cute!!! Love those fun bright colors! Perfect for springtime!
YUM! These are so CUTE – like adorable!!! I love using cool whip for cupcakes. Light on the calories so I can eat more cupcakes 😉
I agree these would be great for Easter. Or just for a fun springtime treat.
These are so pretty and look delicious. 🙂 Megan
How fun are these?!?!! Love them!
Cutest cupcakes ever! 😉 Pinned! Thanks for the sweet recipe! :*)
So much fun!
How fun are these?! I love the bright colors!
These are absolutely adorable! Perfect for spring!
so so pretty! pinning this for our next kid party!
OMG!! They are so fun and cute!!! I can’t wait to make these!!
Ok- How fun are these?! Yes please- these are like a party in your mouth!
So pretty! My little girl would go crazy for these!
OH my GOODNESS!!! these look delicious! These would be fun for a tie die party, too! YUMMY
I just saw these over at Practically Functional and thought OMG how adorable and then click the link and come to your site … EVEN better!!!!!! LOVE, Love Love everything rainbow!
Hello!!! These are THE CUTEST cupcakes for spring!! Pinning for sure. And probably not showing Katie, she’ll want to make them pronto. Love!
Thanks Janel! They were a lot easier to make than I thought and tasted great!
Hi Melissa, I LOVE how bright, colorful and just plain cheerful these cupcakes look! This was a bright pick me up to start my day. What a great cupcake for Easter or Spring! Thanks for sharing and am pinning these! Have a happy Wednesday. 🙂
Thanks so much Cindy! You have a happy Wednesday too!