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This is the BEST recipe for Funfetti Cupcakes! This easy cupcake recipe is homemade – never use a box mix again!  These are soft and moist cupcakes full of colorful sprinkles topped with the best vanilla buttercream – you never knew homemade cupcakes could be so good.

A close-up of colorful cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Sprinkles are scattered around on a light surface, enhancing the festive appearance.

Pillsbury may have made these popular with their confetti cake mix, but I’ve been making these funfetti cupcakes for years from scratch! I first posted them after Jordan’s 9th birthday and I’ve been making them ever since.

I love sprinkles so putting them in and on top of cupcakes is a thing I love to do. Rainbow sprinkles make everything better (just ask my sprinkle pancakes and coffee cake!) You can use any color of sprinkles for any holiday or party (like the 4th of July).

These are the perfect birthday cupcakes: a simple yellow cupcakes that are soft and moist with a fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting and topped with more sprinkles. You’ll never need to use a store-bought mix again once you try this perfect cupcakes recipe.

A collection of funfetti cupcake ingredients is arranged on a marble surface. Items include melted butter, sprinkles, eggs, flour, sugar, buttermilk or milk, vanilla paste or extract, salt, and baking powder, each labeled.

How to make Funfetti Cupcakes

  1. This is my classic moist vanilla cupcakes recipe, which uses classic cupcake ingredients (like all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, and vanilla).
  2. My recipe calls for buttermilk but you can use any kind of milk you want (even nondairy milk). This is similar to when people add sour cream to cupcakes; but I use buttermilk instead.
  3. I always start with melted unsalted butter but you can also use vegetable oil in place of butter.
  4. The best sprinkles to use are rainbow jimmies. Make sure to use a good quality sprinkle (not cheap dollar store ones). Grocery store baking aisle sprinkles are fine, or buy them in bulk like I do. While you can use nonpareils, I don’t recommend them because they tend to melt in the batter.
  5. I always use a large cookie scoop to portion my cupcake batter – that way every cupcake is the same size.
  6. My secret for making the best frostings: use heavy whipping cream! It’s genius and it makes it so creamy and rich.
  7. My favorite frosting tip is the 1M. It gives those pretty swirls and it’s pretty much the only tip I use. Top these cupcakes with a liberal coating of more sprinkles and you have the best funfetti cupcakes ever.

Variations & Substitutions

  • I also sometimes add a few drops of almond extract for some extra flavor.
  • Funfetti Cupcakes with filling – turn these into piñata cupcakes or fill them with whipped cream or make rainbow cupcakes.
  • You can make these dairy-free funfetti cupcakes by using vegetable oil and non-dairy milk instead of butter and buttermilk in the cupcake. Leave them plain or make frosting with vegan (non-dairy) butter sticks.
  • Use different color sprinkles for different occasions.
  • Bake this as a cake in two 9-inch rounds, three 8-inch rounds or a 9×13-inch pan. This recipe will make 75 mini cupcakes. Half the recipe to make less.
A vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting and colorful sprinkles, with its wrapper partially peeled away. More similarly decorated cupcakes are in the background on a white surface.

Perfect Funfetti Cupcakes Frosting

These simple cupcakes could be frosted with almost any kind of frosting. Homemade frosting is SO GOOD. No matter what, use heavy cream in your frosting. It’s a game changer. And always top with extra sprinkles.

How to Store Cupcakes

  • Storing: Once they’re made, store them in the refrigerator loosely covered but let them come to room temperature before serving.
  • You can make the frosting ahead of time, up to a day before, and store it in the refrigerator. Just let it come to room temperature before frosting. (And if you’re like me and forget to take it out, you can heat it in the microwave on 5-10 second increments, stirring between each, until it’s smooth enough to spread.)
  • Freezing: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in large gallon size resealable bags for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the frosting in an airtight container. Freeze frosted cupcakes in an airtight container.
A vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting and colorful sprinkles, with its wrapper partially peeled away. More similarly decorated cupcakes are in the background on a white surface.

Funfetti Cupcakes Recipe

4.86 from 21 votes
This is the BEST recipe for Funfetti Cupcakes! This easy cupcake recipe is homemade – never use a box mix again! 

Recipe Video

Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield 24 cupcakes
Serving Size 1 cupcake
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Ingredients
 

For the Cake:

  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 ½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup sprinkles jimmies

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake pans with liners.
  • Whisk salt, baking powder, and flour in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer, cream sugar into melted butter until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then mix in vanilla extract.
  • Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, mixing gently between each addition. Mix until just combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Stir in sprinkles.
  • Pour batter into prepared pans and bake as directed. Cool completely before removing and frosting.
  • Bake Time: 24 cupcakes: 14-17 minutes // Two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans: 24-27 minutes // 9×13-inch pan: 30-40 minutes // 75 mini cupcakes: 13-16 minutes

For the frosting:

  • Beat butter until smooth with a hand or a stand mixer. Note: if you’re using a hand mixer be sure to use a very large bowl to avoid wearing the powdered sugar.
  • Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat on medium speed until crumbly. Mix in salt and vanilla.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream at a time, mixing between each addition, until the frosting is smooth and the desirable consistency.
  • Frost cupcakes as desired.
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Recipe Notes

  • For best results, use jimmies for sprinkles. Wilton or CK or Cakemate are good brands to use and don’t dissolve. Do not use nonpareils – they dissolve in batter.
  • Store in the refrigerator but enjoy room temperature.
  • Cupcakes and frosting can be frozen separately for up to 2 months. Thaw to assemble.
  • Use your favorite color sprinkles to mix it up!

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 175mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Step-by-Step Photos

1. Prepare: preheat the oven and line your pans with cupcake liners.

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collage of 3 photos showing how to make Funfetti Cupcakes

2. Dry Ingredients: Whisk salt, baking powder, and flour in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

3. Wet Ingredients: Using a hand mixer, cream sugar into melted butter until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then mix in vanilla extract.

collage of 3 photos showing how to make Funfetti Cupcakes

4. Mix: Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, mixing gently between each addition. Mix until just combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Stir in sprinkles.

5. Bake: Pour batter into prepared pans and bake as directed. Cool completely before removing and frosting.

Visit my Amazon Sprinkle Shop for all my favorite sprinkles to use in recipes!

Other Funfetti Recipes you’ll love:

Other fun birthday cupcake recipes:

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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4.86 from 21 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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20 Comments

  1. Hi Dorothy-I love your recipes & your website!! I have a question about these Funfetti cupcakes. What effect does the melted butter provide versus creaming butter and sugar?

    Reply

  2. I wanted to leave an honest review for these. I made them yesterday for my SILs baby shower. The batter was very thick. The cupcakes turned out really dense. And it took more like 20-24 minutes to cook. I also got 26 pretty large cupcakes out of this recipe. I think the liquid ratio is off just a little bit. They feel and taste more like a cross between a cookie and a cupcake.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for letting me know – can you let me know what kind of butter you used? And how you measured your flour?

      Reply