Soft, fluffy homemade funfetti cupcakes that are worlds better than anything you will find in a box! They’re quite easy, too.
I recently developed a homemade funfetti cupcake recipe that may just be easier than your store-bought mix. So fluffy, so soft, spiked with vanilla, and bursting through the seams with colorful speckles.
I made a batch of yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting (with sprinkles!) for my birthday earlier this year and they were an instant hit. While my original homemade yellow funfetti cupcakes are outstanding, I wanted a fluffier, whiter, and cakier cupcake that is still as simple as my original recipe. And, well, as simple as a boxed mix. I found a winner. Using easy everyday ingredients, this homemade recipe only takes about 25 minutes AND tastes 1,000% better than anything on the store shelves.
All-purpose flour, leavening agents (baking powder & soda), salt, white sugar, 1 stick of melted butter, vanilla extract, yogurt (or sour cream), and milk. Doesn’t that sound easy? The dry ingredients are tossed together by hand. Grab a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and mix together the melted butter and sugar.
The back of your funfetti box mix probably calls for oil and not butter. I love using oil in cake and cupcake recipes because it brings the finished baked good SO much moisture and a delicate texture. However, I decided to use butter in my recipe because the addition of plain yogurt (or sour cream) does a great job keeping things moist and soft. Plus, you still get a buttery taste.
To the sugar/butter mixture, you will add the egg, yogurt, vanilla, and milk. Whisk it all up by hand. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients. Use a bit of elbow grease and stir out all the lumps. The batter will be thick.
Be careful adding in your sprinkles. If you are using nonpareil sprinkles (the little balls), their colors will quickly bleed into your batter. I used nonpareil because they are my favorite. I had to be sure to gently mix them into the batter to avoid tie-dye cupcakes.
Which wouldn’t be so bad though, right?
Divide your batter evenly between 12 muffin liners and bake at 350F. You’ll know they are finished when a toothpick comes out clean.
I used a Wilton 12 piping tip (a round tip) to frost the cupcakes. Frost the cooled cupcakes however you prefer—slathering on with a knife or piping on with a tip.
The cupcakes are so soft, moist, and fluffy with a buttery smooth taste. The frosting is fluffy, thick, and so easy to throw together. If you’d prefer a chocolate frosting, I suggest my chocolate buttercream. It’s smooth, rich, and extra creamy. I used a Wilton 1M swirl tip for the chocolate version:
More Classic Cupcakes
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Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft, fluffy homemade funfetti cupcakes that are worlds better than anything you will find in a box! They’re quite easy, too.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt*
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (not nonpareils)
Vanilla Buttercream
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in sugar—mixture will be gritty. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 minute. Stir in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick. Slowly stir in sprinkles, but do not overmix because the sprinkles will bleed their color.
- Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners and bake for up to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- Make the frosting: in a medium bowl, beat the softened butter on medium speed with an electric handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Turn mixer off and add confectioners’ sugar, cream, and vanilla extract. Mix on low for 1 minute then increase to high speed and beat for 3-4 full minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if frosting is too thick. Add salt if frosting is too sweet (I usually add 1/4 teaspoon). Frost cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 5. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Yogurt: You can use plain or vanilla regular/Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Milk: You can use regular milk, soy milk, or almond milk.
- Frosting: Feel free to top with chocolate buttercream instead.
- Mini Cupcakes: For 24 mini cupcakes, bake 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Hi! I was looking at your recipe for chai cupcakes, but would prefer to use whole eggs
instead of egg whites. This is my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe. Could I adapt this recipe to leave out the sprinkles, steep the milk with a chai tea bag, and add the spice blend from the other recipe? Thanks!
Hi Cait, we haven’t tested it so can’t say for sure, but you can certainly try it! Let us know how the cupcakes turn out!
I am a fan of most of your recipes but this was a complete miss for me. After reading the reviews, I decided I would use the cake flour I have instead of AP. The cupcakes were so dense – don’t know what went wrong given reviews said cake flour would make the cupcakes lighter in texture. I also thought there were too many sprinkles in the cupcakes – some settled on the bottom of the cupcake (reminded me of what can happen with raisins or blueberries if not tossed in flour). Definitely very disappointed.
Is there any changes needed to double of triple this recipe?
Hi Alyson, For the absolute best texture we recommend making two separate batches.
Any more tips on mixing the nonpareils? I mixed very slowly and only a few stirrers and all the color bled! :/ The batter is now purple and the sprinkles are white. I barely stirred but I don’t know what else to do. Any tips?
Hi Elise, they tend to bleed. These days, I save them for decorating instead of using in a batter. (Not sure if they have changed over the years, this post is old.) Sadly, it’s hard to avoid!
I’ve had good luck with the Great Value (Walmart) brand sequin style rainbow sprinkles. No bleeding unless you let the batter sit too long. Mixes in nice and clean and comes out with nice pops of vibrant color.
Hi Sally! Can we get this recipe updated with grams!
Hi Lisa, the recipe card has been updated with gram measurements. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
If you’re curious, I just made the cake part with unflavored, unsweetened almond mil, cause I have a lot of that and no cows milk. Turned out delicious and fluffy!
Is it best to use cake flour for cakes/cupcakes? I try to follow recipes exactly as they are written but I was wondering if I should substitute the all-purpose for the cake flour? Thank you in advance.
You can use and equal amount of cake flour with no other changes. Our updated Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes uses cake flour for a lighter texture.
Does the icing make enough for just one dozen cupcakes?
Hi Mary, yes, the frosting yields enough for the 1 dozen cupcakes. Should you need more frosting, you can use our vanilla buttercream frosting recipe, which yields slightly more.
My husband came across your chocolate cake recipe and sent it to me. We made it and fell in love. Since I have made several others and have yet to have a baking fail. Thanks so much for sharing your tried and true recipes!
I’ve probably made this recipe a dozen times over the years and I don’t know that I ever rated it!! These are foolproof, so delicious, and a total crowd pleaser. Easily the best cupcake recipe of all time.
The only note I would have is that if you decided to add the measurements by weight, that would be so awesome!
These were great but I wish the flour was listed in grams! I had to stop and do math!
Made this for a kid’s party and everyone was talking about how great the cupcakes were. Much better than a funfetti mix. I made this at high altitude (5000 ft +) and I added a Tbs more milk, increased the baking temp by 20 degrees, and then started checking the cupcakes for doneness at 18 minutes. This recipe is a keeper for me.
My child has a mild egg allergy. Possible to replace in the recipe?
Hi Julia, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this recipe so we’re unsure of the best substitute. If you’re interested, here are all of our naturally egg-free recipes.
My daughter has multiple food allergies too. As a sub for eggs in baking quick breads and cookies applesauce has always worked best for me. 1/4c for 1 egg. Sometimes you have to up the vanilla extract or other extract a bit to ensure the applesauce flavor doesn’t come through. Sometimes I also decrease the sugar a little even when using unsweetened applesauce. Hope that helps.
Question, I want to make these but have some conflicts this weekend. Could I make this batter on a Friday and not bake them until Sunday? Or would you recommend baking them Friday and freezing them?
Hi Emily, We don’t recommend baking the batter ahead of time. The leaveners are activated once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, and it’s best to bake it right away. You could bake the cupcakes and make the frosting on Friday, store both in the refrigerator, and then frost Sunday. Hope this helps!
Is there a difference in the texture between these cupcakes and the simply perfect vanilla cupcakes?
Hi Holly, these are a little more buttery and a tad denser. Still one of my favorites! I love the flavor.
Can I replace the yogurt? I don’t have anything listed
Sour cream would be the best replacement!
Can i use cake flour?
Should i still use the baking powdr and baking soda?
Hi Aisya, You can use and equal amount of cake flour with no other changes. The updated Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes uses cake flour for a lighter texture
Tried a couple different funfetti cupcake recipes and this came out more moist than the first recipe. Overall delicious esp with chocolate cream cheese frosting. However, the cake is more dense than most cupcakes — is there some adjustment I should make to get a more light and fluffy cupcake? should i use cake flour instead?
Overly dense cupcakes (and cakes) are usually a product of over mixing the batter. An easy fix for next time! These top 10 tips for baking the best cupcakes will also be helpful. We’re so glad you enjoyed these!
For the buttercream – is it ok to double the recipe or is it better to make two separate batches (like it is with the cake)?
Hi Megan, buttercream recipes can easily be doubled, as long as your mixer can handle the volume. Shouldn’t be a problem for this one!
These cupcakes were the bomb! So good, I love the slightly tangy taste from the yogurt. Love these, so easy and way better than the box version! Put buttercream icing on them. Awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Hello there, looking to make cupcakes. Typically Ill just use a cake recipe to make cupcakes, but noticed there is a different between the cake recipe and cupcake recipe for funfetti. Is there a major difference in the two?
Thank you much
I didn’t like these, my batter was not thick but very thin or loose liquid batter.
Could I use buttermilk in this recipe? If so, would I adjust the amount of yogurt?
Hi Erica, yes, you can use buttermilk to replace both the milk + yogurt. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Is it a 1:1 substitution for both?
I love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times and it always turns out great! I do have a question, now that I just moved to a higher elevation 5000ft. What adjustments do I need to make to continue making these fabulous cupcakes at a higher altitude? Thanks!
Hi Gail, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. We know some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html Glad to hear you’ve been enjoying this recipe!
I made these this week for a coworkers birthday and they were amazing!
Everyone complimented me on everything being perfect!
What would you sub for yogurt? We’re currently out as baby can’t have dairy.
Hi Kristi, You can use sour cream instead of the yogurt.
What would the baking instructions be if I wanted to make this a 9×13 cake?
Hi Georgia! We recommend following our recipe for white cake instead (follow the baking instructions for a 9×13 in the reicpe notes). It makes the perfect amount of batter. You can fold in 1/2 -2/3 cup of sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils) to that batter to make a funfetti cake. Enjoy!
These turned out perfect for me. I made the mini versions because I wanted to have the smaller portions. I love the buttery flavor and I have to say, I prefer them to the egg white only version. I got more than 24 and needed 1.5 times the frosting quantity. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks, Sally, you really have the best baking recipes.