Cute & colorful Peeps Bunny Cupcakes are the perfect Easter party dessert! Kids will go wild for these bright bunnies “peeping” out of the frosting!
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!!
Related: Click here to see what our readers chose as the BEST Easter candy of all time!
What You Need to Make Peeps Bunny Cupcakes
For your convenience, I’ve provided ad links to supplies used to make this recipe; see our disclosure policy here.
For the Cupcakes:
- Carrot Cake Boxed 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!
- Butter — Be sure to use unsalted butter!
- Whole milk — While whole milk makes a rich cupcake, you are welcome to substitute with other types of milk, even dairy free!
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- 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:
- Cream cheese — Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature so it is soft and easier to work with.
- Butter — Again, be sure to use unsalted! You’ll also want the butter to be at room temperature, like the cream cheese.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Toppings & Supplies:
- 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.
- Pastel sprinkles
- Plastic piping bag with star tip
- Muffin tin
- Easter cupcake liners
Free printable copy of ingredients/recipe available at bottom of post.
How to Make Easter Cupcakes with PEEPS
Remember how I said this was an easy recipe? All you do is beat together the cupcake ingredients on low speed until well incorporated, then scoop into a prepared muffin tin/liners and bake!
Told ya it was easy!
When the cupcakes are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool enough to handle.
To decorate:
Cut out a hole in the center of the 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.
Prepare frosting using our recipe below or you can use pre-made frosting as a time-saver. Scoop frosting into a plastic piping bag.
Pipe your frosting over cupcakes around the Peep candy using a star pastry tip for a “grass” effect. Top with Easter sprinkles and enjoy!
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:
- Bunny Butt Pretzels
- Nutter Butter Chicks Easter Cookies
- Easter Funfetti Cookie Cake
- Pop-Up Easter Egg Card
- Easter Bunny Napkins
- Easter Egg Sight Words Games
Grab a free printable copy of our Peeps Easter Bunny Cupcakes:
If you liked this recipe, please rate it!
PEEPS Bunny Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 box Carrot cake mix
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
For the Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar not packed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Toppings:
- pastel sprinkles
- 24 Peeps bunny candy
Instructions
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cake mix, butter, milk, vanilla and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase to medium speed for 2 additional minutes.
- Pour into baking cups in cupcake pan, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake 17-22 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
To 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. Add in the vanilla extract.
To 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!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Peeps Bunny Cupcakes on Pinterest:
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Viktoria says
Those cupcakes are adorable! If I would try to make them, I promise you, it would be a trainwreck
sravana says
Excellent blog for cupcakes, keep the good work up.
Michelle says
These are so cute! I love that you made them with carrot cake. How creative!