Try these easy and fun Fruity Pebble Cupcakes for your next celebration! With just a couple pantry staple ingredients and a homemade frosting you will amaze your guests without much effort.

Kids love cereal. And cupcakes! So these fruity pebble cupcakes are the perfect option for a dessert and will bring huge smiles to your loved ones.

You’ve loved our Santa hat cupcakes and Valentine’s Day cupcakes, but these colorful cakes topped with swirls of frosting a perfect for birthdays or any day that needs brightening.

a closeup of a fruity pebble cupcake with one bite missing

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Semi-homemade cupcake recipe with a few tweaks to give it a homemade flavor.
Creamy, melt in your mouth homemade buttercream.
Fruity Pebbles cereal in the cupcakes and in the frosting.
Perfect for birthday parties or picnics!

Key Ingredients:

White cake mix: You could use a yellow cake mix if you don’t have white. Also, the exact ounces on the cake box don’t matter much. As long as it is a mix that makes a 9×13 cake size, you’ll be fine if the ounces are slightly off.
Buttermilk: If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can combine 1 cup of milk with 2 Tablespoons of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to “spoil” the milk.
Vegetable oil: Canola or coconut oil works well too.
Eggs: It is standard to use large eggs. Room temperature eggs blend into batters the best, too!
Fruity pebble cereal: You can use either brand name or generic fruity pebble cereal.
Powdered sugar
Salted butter: If you choose to use unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to help cut through all the sugar of this recipe. And make sure it is room temperature so it blends and creams well.
Half and half: Whole milk or heavy cream works as well.
Vanilla extract

How to Make Fruity Pebble Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin holders with cupcake liners and set aside.
Make the cake batter by whisking together cake mix, buttermilk, eggs, and vegetable oil until well combined.
Fold in the fruity pebble cereal.
Fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full with batter, and then bake in the oven for 18-21 minutes. Cupcakes are finished when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting.

Make the frosting:

Make sure to crush the fruity pebble cereal before adding it to the icing. If you don’t, it will be very difficult to pipe it through a piping bag.

Using a stand mixer, beat the powdered sugar and salted butter together until fluffy and completely combined, about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the crushed fruity pebbles, half and half, and vanilla extract and beat on high for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy.

ingredients for buttercream frosting in a bowl

How to Make Frosting Swirls

If you don’t have any frosting tips, you can use a plastic baggie and cut a small hole in the corner for a simple frosting solution. However, my favorite frosting tip is a 1M Wilton tip, which can be used in a normal piping bag (or plastic baggie). Start in the middle of the cupcake, create a tight spiral out to the edge, and then spiral back into the middle, finishing with a little pointy flourish right in the middle.

How do I store these cupcakes?

Cupcakes can dry out in the refrigerator but because these are frosted, they need to stay there anyway. Make sure they are in an airtight container and they should be good for 4-5 days.

Freezer Instructions: You can also store the cupcakes, unfrosted, in the freezer for up to 3 months. I do recommend wrapping them individually and putting them in an airtight container first.

Recipe Variations

When preparing the cupcake batter you can substitute water for the buttermilk and applesauce for the vegetable oil. This will lower the fat in the recipe but also slightly change the flavor.
Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the frosting to brighten the flavor.
Make this as a cake instead, and use more fruity pebbles to decorate the cake in a unique way. A sheet cake or a two layer cake would be pretty!

Fruity Pebble Cupcakes

4.69 from 22 votes

Try these easy and fun Fruity Pebble Cupcakes for your next celebration! With just a couple pantry staple ingredients and a homemade frosting you will amaze your guests without much effort.

Servings 24

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

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Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix (15.25 ounces)
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup fruity pebble cereal

For the frosting:

5 cups powdered sugar
1 cup salted butter room temperature
½ cup fruity pebble cereal finely crushed
2- 3 tablespoons half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin holders with cupcake liners and set aside.
Make the cake batter by whisking together cake mix, buttermilk, eggs, and vegetable oil until well combined.
Fold in the fruity pebble cereal.
Fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full with batter, and then bake in the oven for 18-21 minutes. Cupcakes are finished when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting.

Make the frosting:

Using a stand mixer, beat the powdered sugar and salted butter together until fluffy and completely combined, about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the crushed fruity pebbles, half and half, and vanilla extract and beat on high for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy.
Fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with frosting. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip. Frost the cupcakes.
Top with a sprinkle of fruity pebble cereal, optional, and then plate and serve.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Make sure to crush the fruity pebble cereal before adding it to the icing. If you don’t, it will be very difficult to pipe it through a piping bag. There is no need to crush the cereal before adding it to your cupcakes. In fact, it adds a delicious crunch to the inside of each cupcake!

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 cupcake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**