Gluten Free Easter Cupcakes with Peeps

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Coming up with delicious gluten free desserts for the holidays isn’t always easy. So, if you’re looking for a quick and easy recipe you can make for your Easter celebration, you’re probably wondering where to start. This simple recipe for gluten free Easter cupcakes uses Jello, marshmallow Peeps, and gluten free cake mix to create a delicious dessert everyone at the dinner table will love!

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how to make peeps cupcakes


If you’re a fan of Easter Peeps, you’re going to love this quick and easy recipe. That’s because you can use your favorite Easter candy to decorate the top of your cupcakes to turn them into adorable spring treats with just a few minutes of prep work.

This gluten free Easter cupcakes recipe is packed with Easter fun. In addition to using marshmallow bunnies as decorations, the cupcakes themselves are colorful treats that are perfect for spring.

Gluten Free Easter Cupcakes

The key to making these gluten free Easter cupcakes is picking the right ingredients. Since this cupcake recipe uses cake mix and Jello, it’s important to pick the best cake mix for the job. Keep reading to see what my favorite gluten free cake mix is (and an alternative idea if you can’t find it).

peeps cupcakes

One thing I love about this adorable Easter recipe is that you only need a handful of ingredients to prepare it! To make these easy gluten free Peeps cupcakes, you’ll need:

  • Gluten free white cake mix: I’ve tried several different gluten free cake mixes and have found the best one by far is Kinnikinnick Gluten Free White Cake Mix. This cake mix is the closest I’ve found to traditional white cake! But if you can’t find this brand near you, you can also make your cake batter from scratch using your favorite gluten free white cake recipe.
  • Jello: To color your gluten free cupcakes, you’ll also need Jello. I used strawberry Jello to make the pink cupcakes and berry blue Jello to make the blue cupcakes. You could make other colors to match more colors of Peeps, if you want, like lemon Jello for yellow cupcakes or grape Jello for purple cupcakes.
  • Butter: To make the buttercream icing on top, you’ll need room temperature butter. Make sure to set out your butter while the cupcakes are cooking so it has plenty of time to soften by the time you’re ready to start frosting.
  • Powdered sugar: The buttercream frosting will also need powdered sugar to sweeten and thicken it.
  • Vanilla extract: Add vanilla flavor to your buttercream with the help of vanilla extract. Always check the label on your extract to make sure it’s gluten free before adding it to your recipe!
  • Pink and blue food coloring: Gel food coloring is the best option for tinting your buttercream icing. On top of giving it a brighter color, gel coloring also helps your icing stay stabilized because it won’t add any extra moisture to the mixture.
  • Bunny Peeps: Top your cupcakes with bunny Peeps to give them a fun Easter look!

After looking at that list of ingredients, you may have a couple questions in mind, like:

  • Are Peeps gluten free? Yes! All marshmallow Peeps are gluten free and the packages feature the gluten free lable on them. That means you can top your Easter cupcakes with marshmallow bunnies without worrying about cross contamination in your dessert!

How to Make Gluten Free Easter Cupcakes

These Easter cupcakes are so simple to make! That means you’re going to want to whip them up for every Easter celebration you go to!

gluten free cake mix

To get started making these gluten free cupcakes, start by preparing the cake mix according to the package instructions. Prepare the mix up until the point the instructions say to pour the mix into a pan.

gluten free jello cupcakes

Before filling your cupcake liners with the gluten free cake mix, you’ll need to add your Jello to give the cupcakes color and flavor. First, separate the batter into two bowls. Add the strawberry Jello to one bowl and the berry Jello to the other bowl. Stir until the gelatin is fully mixed into the cake batter.

gluten free cupcakes for easter

When both of the colors are mixed well, scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. I suggest filling the cupcake liners around 2/3 of the way full of batter to ensure the cupcakes rise to the top of the liners after they’re finished baking.

Bake the cupcakes according to the package instructions, then allow them to cool in the pan until they’re safe to touch. After that, you can transfer your cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

buttercream icing

While your cupcakes are cooling, you can prepare your buttercream icing by beating together the butter and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.

Add half the powdered sugar to the bowl and a tablespoon of milk. Beat the frosting until thickened. Then, add the remaining powdered sugar and beat again. If the icing is too thick, add more milk until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.

Once you have your icing mixed, separate it into two bowls. Add pink food coloring to one bowl and blue food coloring to the other bowl. Beat each color into the icing until it’s well combined.

Transfer the colored icing to a piping bag with a large star tip to get the frosting ready to go on top of your cupcakes.

jello cupcakes

Pipe a circle of icing around the outer edge of each cupcake, leaving a small hole in the center of your frosting for your Peeps bunnies to sit. Pipe the blue frosting on top of the blue cupcakes and the pink frosting on top of the pink cupcakes.

peeps easter cupcakes

Once all the cupcakes have been iced, decorate the top of each treat with a marshmallow bunny. Just press the bunny into the open spot on top of each cupcake to secure it in place.

Gluten Free Easter Cupcake Ideas

These Easter Peeps cupcakes couldn’t be easier to make! But if you have questions as you’re making the recipe, I probably have the answer!

gluten free peeps cupcakes

These recipe tips and tricks are a simple way to adjust the recipe to suit your tastes and needs. Try these baking ideas as you’re preparing your own Easter dessert:

Make them with regular cake mix. These cupcakes don’t have to be gluten free! If you’re not worried about gluten, simply use traditional white cake mix to prepare your cupcakes. You can follow the instructions as written with that one substitution.

Use Peeps chicks instead. If you’re more of a chick fan than a bunny fan, simply swap out the marshmallow bunnies for Peeps chicks. You can use yellow Jello and icing to decorate your cupcakes to create a different Easter treat for your next get-together.

peeps cupcakes

Gluten Free Easter Cupcakes Recipe

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Use Jello and Peeps to make adorable gluten free Easter cupcakes for your celebration.

Ingredients

  • 1 box gluten free white cake mix (plus ingredients to prepare)
  • ½ package (3 ounce) strawberry Jello
  • ½ package (3 ounce) berry blue Jello

For the icing:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk
  • Pink food coloring
  • Blue food coloring
  • Pink and blue bunny Peeps

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with liners.
    2. Prepare the white cake mix according to the package instructions.
    3. Separate the batter into two bowls. Add the strawberry Jello to one bowl and the berry blue Jello to the second bowl. Stir to mix until the Jello is fully incorporated into the batter.
    4. Fill each cupcake liner around 2/3 full of the cake batter and bake according to the package instructions.
    5. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then prepare the icing by beating together the butter and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
    6. Add one cup of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk and beat until smooth.
    7. Add two more cups of powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk and beat. Then, add the remaining powdered sugar and beat to combined. If the icing is too thick, add more milk as needed.
    8. Separate the icing into two bowls. Add the pink food coloring to one bowl and the blue food coloring to the other bowl. Stir until the colors are fully mixed.
    9. Pipe the pink icing on top of the strawberry cupcakes and the blue icing on top of the blue cupcakes.
    10. Place a pink bunny marshmallow on top of the pink cupcakes and a blue bunny on top of the blue cupcakes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 188Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 73mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 0gSugar: 28gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

More Easy Easter Ideas:

Gluten Free Easter Treats with Mini Eggs

Rainbow Jell-O Easter Eggs

Dollar Tree Easter Crafts for Adults & Kids

Mini Easter Cheesecakes

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