• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nourish Plate

  • Recipe Index
  • Instant Pot
  • Air Fryer
  • Contact
  • Privacy
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Instant Pot
  • Air Fryer
  • Contact
  • Privacy
×
Home » Desserts » Watermelon Cupcakes

Watermelon Cupcakes

published on August 13, 2022 | updated on December 4, 2022

Jump to Recipe
Watermelon Cupcakes Pin - Nourish Plate

Watermelon Cupcakes are perfect for summer gatherings and pool parties. They are colorful, fun and easy to make! Decorated with buttercream frosting and topped with mini chocolate chips for watermelon “seeds”.

Watermelon like cupcakes with mini chocolate chips as seeds

You can make these delicious cupcakes for any event, but they are particularly great for summer parties. This recipe is vegetarian and kid friendly. Check out my Red Velvet Cupcakes and Apple Cinnamon Muffins for other ideas.

Table of Contents hide
1 Why This Recipe Works
2 Ingredients
3 How To Make Watermelon Cupcakes
4 Tips For Making Watermelon Cupcakes
5 Frequently Asked Questions
6 More Summer Recipes
7 Watermelon Cupcakes

Why This Recipe Works

  • Easy to make: You’ll get fancy bakery quality cupcakes following this easy to make, step by step recipe.
  • Flavorful: This recipe uses a packet of watermelon kool-aid for the frosting, which gives the fresh sweet taste of watermelon for the buttercream frosting.
  • Right Buttercream Texture: Using Kool-Aid in the frosting gives it desired watermelon taste while keeping the texture smooth.
Overhead shot of watermelon cupcakes on a white plate

Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Watermelon cupcakes ingredients
  • Sugar – for this recipe, use granulated sugar. It adds flavor and sweetness to the recipe.
  • Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter for desserts to control the amount of salt in them. It helps with leavening and makes the cupcakes tender.
  • Eggs – they should be at room temperature to blend thoroughly in the mixture.
  • Yogurt – both plain yogurt and Greek yogurt work here. It adds moisture and a nice tangy flavor that balances the overall taste.
  • Heavy cream – for frosting.
  • Pure Vanilla Extract – try to choose the highest quality of vanilla extract that you can afford, as this results in a more delicious cupcakes.
  • Dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt: simple ingredients that you’ll find in the pantry.
  • Green and red food coloring – to brighten the green for cake batter and the red for frosting.
  • Watermelon frosting – for the buttercream cupcake frosting, use a packet of watermelon Kool-Aid. Mix it with butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream.
  • Mini Chocolate Chips – They are added to look like black seeds of a watermelon.

Complete list of ingredients with amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Watermelon Cupcakes

  1. Preheat the oven. Start by preheating the oven to 350°F/180°C. In the meantime, line the muffin pan with green cupcake liners.
  2. Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  3. Cream wet ingredients. Cream the butter with sugar in a large bowl, until it becomes smooth and lighter in color, about 1-2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time to make sure they are well incorporated in the batter. Add vanilla extract and yogurt to the mixture and mix well, then set aside.
  4. Combine. Add about ⅓ of dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix using electric mixer. Add the remaining of dry ingredients and mix until flour is incorporated in the mixture. Do not overmix.
  5. Add food coloring. Add green food coloring to get the desired green color.
  6. Bake. Fill the muffin liners ½ – ⅔ full with batter and bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before starting decorating.
Collage of three images showing how to make cupcake batter and bake in pan
  1. Frosting. Prepare watermelon buttercream cupcake frosting by creaming butter in a bowl, then gradually adding powdered sugar and kool-Aid powder. Mix till the frosting is smooth. Add vanilla, heavy cream and salt. Mix till smooth. As watermelon kool aid will not add much color to the frosting, add one drop of red food coloring to get the desired watermelon shade.
  2. Decorate. Put the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Make a swirl on the top of each cupcake starting at the center until you reach the edge of the cupcake. Then tip more frosting on the base layer in a swirling motion till you reach the center again. Finally, decorate with mini chocolate chips to look like watermelon “seeds”.
Collage of three images showing how to make pink watermelon buttercream and frost the cupcakes

Tips For Making Watermelon Cupcakes

  • Do not overmix the cupcakes batter so they turn out fluffy and moist.
  • Add more heavy cream to the frosting if needed, to get the right consistency for piping.
  • Decorate cupcakes with frosting after they have completely cooled down, to avoid the frosting from melting.
  • You can add any flavor of Kool aid powder to the buttercream frosting that suits your taste or theme better. You can chose raspberry, cherry, pink lemonade and strawberry, to mention a few.
  • Store cupcakes on the counter for up to 3-4 days.
Watermelon cupcakes on a plate

Frequently Asked Questions

If I don’t have decorating tips, can I still make watermelon cupcakes?

Sure, you can spread the frosting on top of cupcakes using a knife or spatula.

How to store watermelon cupcakes?

You can store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving.

How can I make gluten-free watermelon cupcakes?

You can make these cupcakes gluten-free simply by substituting all purpose flour with gluten-free flour.

Sliced watermelon cupcake to show the texture

More Summer Recipes

Here you can find more recipes that you can enjoy during summer. For main dishes, try these Grilled Chicken Tenders and Veggie Kabobs with Halloumi. This Pasta Salad is amazing with Avocado Cilantro Dressing. As for dessert, the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and this Chocolate Cheesecake will make your summer gathering an unforgettable one.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Overhead shot of watermelon cupcakes on a white plate

Watermelon Cupcakes

Fun Watermelon Cupcakes with buttercream frosting are perfect for summer gatherings and pool parties. They are colorful, flavorful and easy to make!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Watermelon Cupcakes
Prep Time: 22 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • green food coloring

Frosting Buttercream:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 ounces watermelon Kool-Aid drink mix unsweetened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • red food coloring
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Start by preheating the oven to 350°F/180°C. In the meantime, line the muffin pan with green cupcake liners.
  • Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  • Cream the butter with sugar in a large bowl, until it becomes smooth and lighter in color, about 1-2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time to make sure they are well incorporated in the batter. Add vanilla extract and yogurt to the mixture and mix well, then set aside.
  • Add about ⅓ of dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix using electric mixer. Add the remaining of dry ingredients and mix until flour is incorporated in the mixture. Do not overmix.
  • Add green food coloring to get the desired green color.
  • Fill the muffin liners ½ – ⅔ full with batter and bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before starting decorating.
  • Prepare watermelon buttercream cupcake frosting by creaming butter in a bowl, then gradually adding powdered sugar and kool-Aid powder. Mix till the frosting is smooth. Add vanilla, heavy cream and salt. Mix till smooth. As watermelon kool aid will not add much color to the frosting, add one drop of red food coloring to get the desired watermelon shade.
  • Put the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Make a swirl on the top of each cupcake starting at the center until you reach the edge of the cupcake. Then tip more frosting on the base layer in a swirling motion till you reach the center again. Finally, decorate with mini chocolate chips to look like watermelon "seeds".

Notes

  • Do not overmix the cupcakes batter so they turn out fluffy and moist.
  • Add more heavy cream to the frosting if needed, to get the right consistency for piping.
  • Decorate cupcakes with frosting after they have completely cooled down, to avoid the frosting from melting.
  • You can add any flavor of Kool aid powder to the buttercream frosting that suits your taste or theme better. You can chose raspberry, cherry, pink lemonade and strawberry, to mention a few.
  • Store cupcakes on the counter for up to 3-4 days.

Related Posts

  • Red Velvet Cupcakes
  • Vegan Banana Bread
    Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
  • No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
« Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Air Fryer Steak Fajitas »

Filed Under: Desserts

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review or Question

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Follow us on social media!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Sign up for the Newsletter & receive a FREE Instant Pot mini eCookbook!

* indicates required



Copyright © 2023 Nourish Plate