These adorable Peeps Bunny Cupcakes, with colorful bunnies peeking out of the frosting, are a guaranteed hit at any Easter party!

peeps cupcakes surrounded by Easter grass

Easter Bunny Peep Cupcakes

It’s that time of year again…Peeps are back in stores!!

Whether or not you love the taste, you’ve got to admit that Peeps are just about the cutest candy! That’s why they’re perfect to create fun and festive Easter recipes, like these bunny cupcakes.

The best part about this recipe is that it’s surprisingly EASY with our box cake shortcut.

But don’t worry, we didn’t just whip up a box of cake mix and call it done…

We added a few key mix-ins to make our box cake taste like carrot cake made from scratch! You’ll love how easy and fast this recipe is…and everyone else will love how delicious they taste!

Plus, just look how darn cute those little bunnies are!! Swoon!!

Ingredients

For your convenience, I’ve provided ad links to supplies used to make this recipe; see our disclosure policy here.

For the Cupcakes:

1 Box of Carrot Cake Mix — This is the base of our cupcake batter, but we’ll jazz it up with some mix-ins for rich, fluffy, and flavorful cupcakes!
1 cup Butter — I recommend using unsalted butter.
1 cup Whole milk — While whole milk makes a rich cupcake, you are welcome to substitute with other types of milk, even dairy free!
3 Large Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Shredded carrots — Adding real carrots takes our carrot cake cupcakes to the next level, so they taste like you made everything from scratch!

For the Frosting:

8 oz Cream cheese — Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature so it is soft and easier to work with.
4 Tablespoons Butter — Again, be sure to use unsalted! You’ll also want the butter to be at room temperature, like the cream cheese.
2 cups Powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Green Food Coloring — You can use plant-based
PEEPS bunny marshmallow candy — These adorable Easter bunny PEEPS are only available in stores for a limited time, so stock up when you see them! We also linked to them on Amazon if you can’t find them in your local grocery store.
Easter pastel sprinkles

Kitchen Tools Used

Instructions

To Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F and fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Prepare the Batter – In a large mixing bowl, beat together the carrot cake mix, butter, milk, vanilla and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase to medium speed for 2 additional minutes.
Bake the Cupcakes – Scoop batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake 17-22 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Make the Frosting – Cream together the cream cheese and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract and green food coloring.
Decorate – Cut out a whole in the center of cupcake in which to place a Peep. You want the bottom 1/3 of the Peep to fit inside the cupcake so it will stay in place. Pipe your frosting over cupcakes around the Peep candy using a star pastry tip for a “grass” effect. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!

4 step photo collage showing how to make Peeps bunny cupcakes for Easter.

Video Demo:

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Peeps Gluten-Free?

Yes, the Peeps bunnies pictured are listed as gluten-free on the Peeps & Company website.

If you’d like to make these cupcakes gluten-free, you’ll want to look for a boxed cake mix that is gluten-free -OR- try one of our from-scratch gluten-free cupcakes recipes:

Gluten-free white cupcakes recipe (omit the filling)
Gluten-free strawberry cupcakes

Are Peeps Dairy Free?

Yes, Peeps are dairy-free and lactose-free. However, they are not vegan or vegetarian, as they contain gelatin.

If you’d like to make our Peeps cupcakes lactose-free, simply swap your favorite non-dairy milk for the whole milk in the batter ingredients.

For lactose-free frosting, skip the cream cheese and use 2 cups of butter (altogether). Add non-dairy milk a Tablespoon at a time, if needed, to soften the frosting while mixing.

More of our favorite Easter recipes and crafts:

Peeps Easter Bunny Cupcake Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Peeps Bunny Cupcakes

These adorable Peeps Bunny Cupcakes, with colorful bunnies peeking out of the frosting, are a guaranteed hit at any Easter party!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Holiday

Keyword: cupcakes, desserts, Easter, Peeps

Servings:

Calories: 275kcal

Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom

Cost: $12

Equipment

Muffin tin
Mixing bowls
Piping bag