It’s summertime, which means watermelon season! And these Watermelon Cupcakes are the perfect summer treat. They are not only easy to make but also delicious!
These sweet and fluffy cupcakes are perfect for summer parties. So get ready to enjoy a delicious slice of summer with these watermelon cupcakes.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These watermelon cupcakes are light, refreshing, and perfect for summer!
- They’re easy to make and always a hit at parties or potlucks.
- Kids and adults alike love these fun cupcakes.
- These adorable cupcakes would look amazing on your 4th of July dessert table.
If you love cupcake recipes like this one, you may also enjoy this Cotton Candy Cupcakes recipe.
🛒Ingredients
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Cupcake Ingredients:
- white cake mix
- vegetable oil
- egg whites
- water
- clear vanilla – it’s important to make sure that it’s clear.
- watermelon flavored gelatin (I found mine at Kroger)
- Green food coloring
- Green cupcake liners
Frosting Ingredients
- salted butter, softened
- clear vanilla
- watermelon flavored gelatin
- powdered sugar
- half and half or whole milk (not pictured)
- Dark pink and/or red food coloring
- White Sanding Sugar, divided
- mini chocolate chips
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Watermelon Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners and set it aside.
Add cake mix to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, add in your oil, egg whites, and water and mix on medium until well incorporated.
Add in your ½ package of watermelon gelatin and vanilla.
Next, add in your green food coloring until the desired color is achieved.
Add batter into the muffin tin until each is about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting Directions
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla, remaining watermelon gelatin and ¼ cup sanding sugar.
Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, while adding a bit of the half and half or milk in between each cup. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until creamy. Add in your pink food coloring. Add a bit of red if you want a deeper color.
Prepare a piping bag and fill the bag with frosting and frost your cupcakes.
If you desire, sprinkle with your white sanding sugar. Then top each cupcake with a handful of the mini chocolate chips. Makes 24 cupcakes.
Hint: Because you are adding vanilla to the cake mix and the sanding sugar to the frosting, the watermelon flavor is more subtle and pleasant. It doesn’t punch you in the face like other recipes.
🥄 Equipment
Here is a list of the kitchen tools that you need to make this fun cupcake recipe.
- Green cupcake liners
- cupcake pan
- mixing bowls
- hand mixer or electric mixer
- piping bag with large round tip
🥫 Storage
Store cupcakes in an airtight container for up to five days. I recommend storing these cupcakes at room temperature. However, you can store them in the fridge if you prefer.
If you want to make these cupcakes ahead of time, I recommend baking the cupcakes and storing them in the freezer. Then, when you are ready to serve them, thaw the cupcakes and frost them.
💭 Tips
- Be careful not to overmix your cupcake batter, mix the batter until just combined.
- Don’t have watermelon gelatin? You could use another flavor of gelatin or even Jell-O.
- Make sure that your frosting ingredients are at room temperature. Using cold ingredients will result in a lumpy frosting.
- Add the food coloring drops slowly so that you don’t accidentally add too much color.
- I don’t recommend using natural food coloring because it won’t give you the same vibrant color.
- If you want a more watermelon flavor, try adding a drop or two of watermelon extract to the frosting.
- Use whatever size piping tip you have on hand, I used a Wilton 1M tip.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Yes, you can use any flavor of cake mix that you like. However, using a cake mix of a different color will change the color of the cupcakes and they will not look as green.
No, you don’t have to use clear vanilla, but it will result in a deeper colored cupcake.
I don’t recommend using natural food coloring because it won’t give you the same vibrant color.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cute cupcakes, try these delicious recipes:
- Hot Cocoa Cupcakes
- Cadbury Egg Cupcakes
- Chocolate Mini Egg Cupcakes
- Lucky Charms Cupcakes
- Rudolph Cupcakes
🧾Watermelon Cupcakes
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Watermelon Cupcakes
Equipment
- 24 Green cupcake liners
- Cupcake Pan
- mixing bowls
- hand mixer or electric mixer
- piping bag with a large round tip
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla
- ½ package of watermelon flavored gelatin
- Green food coloring
Frosting Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla
- ½ package of watermelon flavored gelatin
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons half and half or whole milk
- Dark pink and/or red food coloring
- 1 cup White Sanding Sugar divided
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line a standard muffin tin.
- Add cake mix to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, add in your oil, egg whites, and water and mix on medium until well incorporated.
- Add in your ½ package of watermelon gelatin and vanilla.
- Add in your green food coloring until desired color is achieved.
- Add batter into the muffin tin until each is about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Directions for Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla, remaining watermelon gelatin and ¼ cup sanding sugar.
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, while adding a bit of the half and half or milk in between each cup. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until creamy. Add in your pink food coloring. Add a bit of red if you want a deeper color.
- Prepare piping bag and fill bag with frosting and frost your cupcakes.
- If you desire, sprinkle with your white sanding sugar. Then top each cupcake with a handful of the mini chocolate chips Enjoy!
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix your cupcake batter, mix the batter until just combined.
- Don’t have watermelon gelatin? You could use another flavor of gelatin or even Jell-O.
- Make sure that your frosting ingredients are at room temperature. Using cold ingredients will result in a lumpy frosting.
- Add the food coloring drops slowly so that you don’t accidentally add too much color.
- I don’t recommend using natural food coloring because it won’t give you the same vibrant color.
- If you want a more watermelon flavor, try adding a drop or two of watermelon extract to the frosting.
- Use whatever size piping tip you have on hand, I used a Wilton 1A tip.
Nutrition
