Watermelon Cupcakes
Make these fun summer watermelon cupcakes! Bright green cupcakes with buttercream frosting that tastes like watermelon! Add mini chocolate chips for the watermelon seeds! Serve these cupcakes at a one in a melon themed party!
Kool aid has just revolutionized my buttercream frosting!
You can take any flavor of powdered kool aid and add it to buttercream and voila – now you have buttercream frosting that tastes like watermelon, mango, pink lemonade, kiwi-lime! The flavors seem endless!
Plus it’s such a fun way to jazz up cupcakes for a birthday party. These Watermelon Cupcakes would be so fun to serve at a summer birthday party or a “one in a melon” themed party!
How To Make Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
Our recipe calls for a lot of moist ingredients. We use egg whites instead of whole eggs, sour cream and milk. Using egg whites only gives the batter a nice white look. The sour cream and milk are where the fat, flavor, and moistness come into play.
Watermelon Cupcake Ingredients
- unsalted butter: makes the cake tender and helps with leavening
- granulated sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
- egg whites: binds the cake together by providing structure
- sour cream: adds moisture and creaminess
- milk: adds moisture
- vanilla extract: adds flavor
- all purpose flour: flour is necessary to build structure
- baking powder: helps to leaven and lift the batter, reacts with the sour cream
- salt: just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhances the other flavors of the cake
- leaf green gel food coloring: important for getting that vibrant green color
How to Make Watermelon Cupcakes
- In a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Add in the egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat lightly with the electric mixer.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Add in a small amount of Wilton’s “leaf green” gel food coloring until you get your desired green color.
- Fill the muffin liners 1/2-3/4 full. Bake for 17-19 minutes at 350º F or until a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick when inserted into the center. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Watermelon Frosting Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- watermelon kool aid powder mix
- red gel food coloring
- mini chocolate chips
How to Make Watermelon Frosting
The watermelon kool aid actually doesn’t add much color to the buttercream (adds a lot of flavor though!) so you’ll need some red food coloring to help create a watermelon pink color.
I used the no taste red gel food coloring from Wilton, adding a little at a time, but it actually takes a lot to even just get the buttercream this color. I have not tried using pink food coloring so I don’t know if it would create the same color.
Don’t forget to add the mini chocolate chips! They complete the look of these Watermelon Cupcakes!
Total Time Required
- 10 minutes to prep the batter
- 15 minutes to bake the cupcakes
- 1 hour, at least, to cool the cupcakes
- 15 minutes to make the frosting and frost the cupcakes
Recommended Piping Supplies
Piping bags – I love these bulk piping bags
Piping tips – Larger piping tips are better for frosting cupcakes. My go-to tips are the Wilton 1M, 2D, 12 and 199.
How to Pipe Frosting onto Cupcakes
I used a wilton 2D piping tip to pipe the frosting on these cupcakes. A wilton 1M and an Ateco 844 are both very similar to the 2D.
Start in the center of the cupcake, applying pressure to the frosting bag, going in a swirling motion until you reach the edge of the cupcake then lift the tip up and tip more frosting onto that base layer you just made, stacking the frosting and continuing in a swirling motion until you reach the center of the cupcake.
How to Freeze Unfrosted Cupcakes
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely. Wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap, then place inside a freezer ziplock bag or freezer storage container.
To thaw: place the bag or container of cupcakes on the counter overnight. Frost once fully thawed.
How to Make Gluten Free Cupcakes
This recipe turned out great using gluten free flour! We love King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Follow the directions as stated, but substitute gluten free flour for all purpose flour.
Tips
- Properly measure the all purpose flour using the spoon and sweep method.
- Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until they are combined. Over mixing could lead to dry, dense cake.
- We got our super bright green cupcake liners at Party City – they really seem to match the Watermelon Cupcakes perfectly!
- Store these cupcakes covered on the counter.
If you’re looking for more summer recipes try rainbow popsicles, cherry dump cake, and 3 ingredient fruit dip!
More Recipes
Watermelon Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, 1/2 cup
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk, I used skim
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- leaf green food coloring by wilton, or similar light green food coloring
Watermelon Frosting
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 1/2 cups
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp powdered watermelon kool aid mix
- small amount of red gel food coloring, to give the buttercream a pinkish color
- mini chocolate chips
Instructions
CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add in the egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat lightly with the electric mixer. In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Add in a small amount of Wilton’s “leaf green” gel food coloring until you get your desired green color. Fill the muffin liners 1/2-3/4 full.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes at 350º F or until a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick when inserted into the center. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Watermelon Frosting
- In a mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add in 2 cups of powdered sugar and the watermelon kool aid powder, beat together.
- Add in more powdered sugar as you see fit, up to 2 more cups,
- A small amount of red food coloring (to give the frosting a pinkish color), mixing one last time with an electric mixer until it’s smooth and combined.
How to assemble
- Place the buttercream in a large piping bag fit with a 1m wilton piping tip. Push the buttercream down into the bag. Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, starting in the center of the cupcake, swirling out, and then swirling back into the center, progressively stacking the frosting as you get to the center.
- Add mini chocolate chips on top of the buttercream.
These are absolutely adorable, and look so delicious too!
I have made these before and just love them. Was amazed at the flavor. Thanks for sharing.
These look delicious, and your photography is gorgeous!!
Oh goodness, thank you!
This is awesome! I’m so going to have to do this for my grad party!
These have got to be the cutest cupcake I’ve ever seen! So clever!
Love these. I will be trying them out at a picnic very soon.
is there any way to make these without kool aid flavoring?
Hi Ashley! I don’t believe so – the koolaid powder gives the buttercream the watermelon flavor.
in my life skills class we pureed a watermelon and put it in the frosting
So fun! & delicious!
I have used watermelon flavor jello
How was the red food coloring used in this?
Just fixed that, thank you!
I made these last weekend for a family reunion. In the interest of time I used a boxed white cake mix. This frosting is so delicious. Tangy and tart and mixed really well with the not too sweet cupcake. I loved them!!!! I am a huge citrus fan so I will use this frosting in different flavors. Thanks!!
This is the powdered Koolaid that you would normally add sugar to, isn’t it?
Yes, that is correct.
Thanks for the recipe, but not seeing when you add the green colouring. Want to do this with my girls club on Saturday.
Added it, thank you! <3
Cake mix
Can watermelon jello powder be used instead of the koolaid powder?
Hi Mindy! I’m not sure, but that’s a great question! If you try it, report back!
Yes gelatin can be substituted! I did it because I had trouble finding watermelon jello. Tastes just like watermelon
Is there an alternative to sour cream? Thanks!
You could try buttermilk or yogurt!
I actually tried a flavored jello on a frosting and I really couldn’t taste the flavor (orange) and I think it was a little too sweet ???? so I’m excited about trying the Kool aid…Thanks!
When is the egg added?
Right after you beat the butter and sugar!
Hi can you use water melon flavor oil from dram lorann. As im from Australia and we can’t buy water melon kool aid
Yes! I believe that would work!
Butter isn’t sold by the “stick” where I live. Can you please give an actual measurement for the butter? Thanks.
Rhonda, 1 stick = 8 tsps. or 1/2 cup
Hi! How much frosting does one recipe make? And can you use salted butter?
It makes enough to frost 12-18 cupcakes. And salted butter can be used, just don’t add any extra salt with it????
The frosting is waayyyyy too sweet, I would suggest using about half the amount of kool aid. However the cupcakes are delicious and these are so cute!
Kool-Aid doesn’t come sweetened. So the amount of kool-Aid doesn’t effect the sweetness. You must be using jello. .
Even if you don’t like using the watermelon flavoring, you can still tint the frosting.
These are adorable! Certainly the hit of a summer BBQ.
So darn cute!
These are pretty! Very pretty for summer parties!
These are absolutely adorable. I love that the buttercream is watermelon flavored! I love flavoring frosting with koolaid. So good !
I can’t find watermelon Kool-Aid. I’m using my own buttercream recipe and going to try Watermelon juice work in place of the milk. Hopefully it works!
Hi Stacey! A lot of stores should carry the watermelon kool-aids packets, check by the rest of the small kool aid packets!
Did it work? I always worry about stuff that says it’s watermelon flavored, as it tends to taste more like Jolly Ranchers than a watermelon.
The cupcakes are adorable! However, the watermelon kool-aid was so difficult to find. After 4 different grocery stores, I finally found it at Smart and Final.
After the kool-aid hunt, turns out the frosting was way too sweet. If I make them again I will omit the kool-aid.
Hi Anita! I’m sorry you had trouble finding the watermelon kool-aid. I have found it at Meijer and Walmart before. You can definitely use less kool-aid and less powdered sugar for a less sweet frosting.
Hi there! These look absolutely beautiful! I’m planning on making these for my best friend’s going away party (watermelon is her favorite fruit) but I don’t want to include the watermelon flavor to the icing. If I take it out, will the buttercream frosting still taste good or do you suggest using another recipe? Thank you!
Hi there! Your cupcakes look absolutely gorgeous! If I wanted to make these cupcakes without the watermelon flavor does your buttercream frosting work without the koolaid or is that what gives the frosting its flavor? If so, would just using another frosting recipe be better? Thank you! I’m making these for my best friend’s going away party and these really caught my eye.
I made these before in the states and my grandkids loved them. I’m now living in Cambodia and sour cream is extremely expensive and difficult to find. I was wondering if I could replace it with Greek yogurt.
Those are adorable! I had a recent cupcake disaster (over my daughter’s birthday cupcakes, no less!) so I’ll have to try some new ones to redeem myself.
What piping bag tip do you use? First time using a piping set. Thanks.
I used a Wilton 1M!
Hi what is Koolaid, is it powdered cordial! I live in Australia!
Oh gosh!! Koolaid is a powdered drink mix here in the US.
When using the boxed cake mix, do you include any of the other ingredients? Sour cream sounds good to me , so I was wondering if it could still be added to the box cake?
Hi Robin! If you want to use a box mix, we have a recipe for a doctored up white cake mix recipe. Follow that recipe and then add the food coloring at the end! https://thefirstyearblog.com/doctored-up-white-cake-mix/
I made these today for my baby’s first birthday party and they turned out perfect and we’re a big hit!! I cheated and used boxed cake mix but followed the instructions for everything else.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I made them for my daughter’s class birthday party (which is tomorrow) and they look amazing. Of course I need to perfect my piping skills as they don’t look like yours, but I don’t think 10/11 year old’s will care. The frosting is amazing! We couldn’t stop accidentally getting our fingers in it! :-)
These are so fun aren’t they?! Glad you guys were able to make them!
WHO DA THUNK IT????
Kool Aid??? Really????
I am so going to use this!!!! So many flavors to choose from.
Thank you for being an absolute GENIUS!!!!!
Haha, YES! Kool Aid is the best. Thank you!
These are the cutest cupcake I’ve ever seen. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
If I don’t want to use shortening in the frosting, I would use 3 sticks of butter? Also, if I am doubling the cake recipe should I double the frosting?
Yes, that is correct. Simply replace the shortening with butter. And yes I would double the frosting too!
I tried these using a pink food coloring in the frosting instead of red it was lighter than yours but I actually liked the paler ones too. My niece is having a 1 in a melon party next month and these are perfect. I can’t wait to try more flavors and I’m thinking red, white, and blue for the 4th of July.
That is so fun! Yes, you have to make it your own!
Looks so cute! Looks so summery too… and delicious!
Thank you, Suzanne!
My cupcakes taste good but came out very dense? Is there something I could have done wrong? Gotta get these right before the party in four days!
Hi Emily! Could you have over mixed the batter?
So good! I made these with my younger siblings and when they added the egg, they accidentally got a bunch of the yolk in (LOL) they were very worried that they wouldn’t turn out because we couldn’t get all of the yolk out, but they turned out fantastic! We all loved the kool aide in the frosting too!!
Hi! I purchased the green cupcake liners from party city but when I baked my cupcakes the liners don’t look as bright as yours. Did you double line your cupcakes or how did you get them to stay so bright green?
Thank you!
Hi Shannon! My liners stayed very bright green and I did not double them up. It’s possible that the liners have changed since I made this recipe in 2016.
The video clip references shortening in the frosting but does not list it in the frosting ingredients. How much do you put in?
I’ve switched over to using an all butter frosting instead of butter and shortening. If you prefer to use the butter and shortening recipe, simply swap half of the butter for shortening.
I am happy to report that these can be made with vegan butter, almond yogurt, and almond milk. And even watermelon juice in the frosting (turns it orange pink. So i added a bit a red) it made the frosting very fluffy. I made these for my 3 year old sister who has major food allergies (FPIES- dairy mainly) and she loves them! I had extra batter so I put them in donut molds. Makes great layered donuts!
How many cupcakes will this recipe make?
12 cupcakes!
Hi these look so cute!! I plan to make these for my nieces 2nd bday in a couple weeks, but we are doing them mini instead. I’ve read some review on the frosting being to sweet, any suggestions on the recipe to make it less sweet?? Any advice would be helpful!!! Thank you
Hi D’lynn! Less powdered sugar and / or less watermelon kool aid mix in the frosting would make the frosting less sweet. Frosting is all about taste, so you can add more as you make it!
I tried this today and the frosting was really gross. First was way too runny and then I refrigerated it to thicken and it ended up tasting like slightly watermelon flavored butter. It was inedible. :(
Hi Mandie! That doesn’t sound good! Did you use room temperate butter? Also, I notice when it’s really hot and humid outside buttercream frosting tends to become more runny – was the frosting outside at all?
Could not find powdered Kool-aid anywhere. Used the LIQUID Kool-aid watermelon flavor…. so so. Had to add a ton of vanilla to get rid of the funky taste.
Aw man I just asked if I could use the liquid. Dang. I guess I’ll have to order the flavoring
These are delicious!
If I were to try this with mini cupcakes, how long would you bake them?
Can I use the liquid sugar free watermelon flavoring from kool aid. I found it on Amazon. The grocery stores in my city do not carry look aid packets
Watermelon kool aid powder doesn’t exist
Hi Sara! It does exist! It may be harder to find because not all stores carry it consistently.
I made 4 dozen of these and they were adorable however the kids hated👎 the watermelon frosting koolaid flavoring and almost all ended in the trash. Leaving them with vanilla flavoring would have been a hit!!! They were 10 year old girls.
Gonna make these but not use flavoring.
Just need appearance on watermellon.
Question on cake part. To keep the cupcake super moist, would it be a good idea to use part butter and part oil? If so, what ratio? Thank you!
I made these for a school project and look amazing we could not find watermelon kool aid so we used watermelon crush and it is a great alternative.
I just made these today, and…..WOW! So easy to make and so yummy! I’m usually not a big icing fan, but the watermelon kool-aid powder made it so delicious! Will definitely make this again. My whole family loved them.
I just made these today, and…..WOW! So easy to make and so yummy! I’m usually not a big icing fan, but the watermelon kool-aid powder made it so delicious! Will definitely make this again. My whole family loved them.
The cupcakes were super moist. My batch only ended up making 8 vs 12. I was able to find the kool-aid powder at Walmart. I halved the icing recipe since I only had 8 and it worked out fine. Great recipe!
Can this recipe be used as a cake?
Yes! It will fit in a 9×13 inch pan.