Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes (Simple Festive Dessert)
These Red, White and Blue Cupcakes are a festive, fun treat perfect for patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. With vibrant stripes of red and blue Jello inside fluffy white cupcakes, each bite is as cheerful as a firework show. Topped with light whipped frosting and festive sprinkles, they're easy to make with a boxed mix and a fun surprise once you take a bite.
Perfect for hosting a backyard BBQ, heading to a potluck, or just celebrating with the kids, these Jello-filled patriotic cupcakes are a guaranteed hit. The best part? You only need a few simple ingredients, and no piping bag required.
If you love festive desserts as much as I do, be sure to try our Red, White and Blue Dump Cake and Red, White, and Blue Trifle.
Jump to:
Ingredients
With just a quick trip to the grocery store, you will be ready to make this simple recipe.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- White Cake Mix: Acts as the white color for this dessert. You can use whatever is your favorite flavor.
- Blue Jello: Provides our blue color and adds sweetness.
- Red Jello: Gives our pop of red color.
- Boiling Water: Dissolves the Jello.
- Cold Water: Helps to start the setting process of the Jello.
- Cool Whip: An easy way to frost the cupcakes.
For this easy recipe, you'll want to have on hand a 12-cavity muffin tin, measuring cups and spoons, kettle and a wire rack.
Variations
- Cake Mix: Use a yellow or vanilla cake mix instead of white if that's what you have on hand.
- Jello: Swap the flavors to your favorites, like raspberry, cherry, berry blue, or blue raspberry.
- Frosting: Use homemade whipped cream, stabilized whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, or buttercream instead of store-bought whipped topping.
- Sprinkles: Change up the look with themed sprinkles, sanding sugar, or edible stars.
- Patriotic Cake: Divide the batter into three bowls and tint one red and one blue before layering the colors into the pan for a fun patriotic surprise.
How to Make Red, White and Blue Cupcakes
Look at how simple it is to make this fun patriotic dessert.
Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-tin cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Spray with non-stock spray, if desired and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl prepare cupcake batter according to cake mix box directions.
Add 5 tablespoons batter into each of the muffin cups in prepared cupcake pan (you might have a small amount of waste). Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cupcakes with moist crumbs.
Set on a wire rack and cool slightly, then poke 4 holes in each cupcake about ½ to 1cm in diameter (I used a chopstick) about ¾ of the way into the cupcakes.
Prepare blue Jello in a small bowl or spouted measuring cup by adding 1.5-ounce Jello mixture (half of a small box), followed by ½ cup hot water. Stir until dissolved then add ¼ cup cold water.
Repeat for the red Jello.
Carefully spoon Jello mixtures into alternating holes, pouring one color into each hole. Each cupcake will have two blue holes and two red holes.
Refrigerate cupcakes for 60 minutes to allow Jello to set.
Add Cool Whip and any patriotic sprinkles when ready to serve.
Hint: Use a chopstick or end of a wooden spoon-avoid going all the way through the cupcake to prevent leaks.
Recipe Tips
- Pour Slowly: Spoon or pour the Jello gently to avoid oversaturating or mixing the colors.
- Cool Completely: Make sure the unfrosted cupcakes are fully cooled before poking. If you are on a clock to get these prepped, you can put them in the fridge to cool them.
- Refrigerate after Jello: Give them at least 60 minutes in the fridge to soak in the color and firm up.
Our Patriotic Dessert Lasagna is a great no-bake favorite that's perfect for feeding a crowd.
More Recipes For 4th Of July
Storage Suggestions
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, place unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Alternatively, you can place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: These are a great make ahead recipe, you can pull the cupcakes out of the fridge, poke the holes in the cupcakes, prepare your Jello and then allow them set in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
- More Red, White, and Blue Desserts: Red, White, and Blue Pretzel Salad, Fresh Fruit Cups, Jello Cups, and our M&M Cookie Cake are all fun and festive treats to bring to your gatherings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Poke Cupcakes
Absolutely. We have a recipe for a Red, White and Blue Poke Cake that you can follow along with for exactly how to make it.
Yes, you can make the cupcakes and leave them unfrosted in the fridge for a few days before serving. We recommend frosting and decorating them shortly before serving since sprinkles can start to melt and the colors will bleed.
More Recipes
Ready to get cooking? Save time by having a grocery list automatically generate for you by clicking the "Add to Shopping List" below.
Red, White and Blue Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-Tin Muffin Tray
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Kettle
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce box white cake mix plus box ingredients
- 1.5- ounce blue Jello ½ box
- 1.5- ounce red Jello ½ box
- 1 cup boiling water divided
- ½ cup cold water divided
- ½ 8- ounce tub frozen Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-tin cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Spray with non-stock spray, if desired and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl prepare cupcake batter according to cake mix box directions.
- Add 5 tablespoons batter into each of the muffin cups in prepared cupcake pan (you might have a small amount of waste). Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cupcakes with moist crumbs.
- Set on a wire rack and cool slightly, then poke 4 holes in each cupcake about ½ to 1cm in diameter (I used a chopstick) about ¾ of the way into the cupcakes.
- Prepare blue Jello in a small bowl or spouted measuring cup by adding 1.5-ounce Jello mixture (half of a small box), followed by ½ cup hot water. Stir until dissolved then add ¼ cup cold water.
- Repeat for the red Jello.
- Carefully spoon Jello mixtures into alternating holes, pouring one color into each hole. Each cupcake will have two blue holes and two red holes.
- Refrigerate cupcakes for 60 minutes to allow Jello to set.
- Add Cool Whip and any patriotic sprinkles when ready to serve.
Notes
- Use a chopstick or end of a wooden spoon-avoid going all the way through the cupcake to prevent leaks.
- Spoon or pour the Jello gently to avoid oversaturating or mixing the colors.
- Make sure the unfrosted cupcakes are fully cooled before poking. If you are on a clock to get these prepped, you can put them in the fridge to cool them.
- Give them at least 60 minutes in the fridge to soak in the color and firm up.
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any recipes you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
These sound so fun and festive! How do you get the Jello stripes to stay so neat inside the cupcake? Would love to try this for our holiday party!
Pouring slow is the best way! Use a container that keeps you nice and steady.
Love this patriotic cupcakes, what an amazing idea!!
Thanks - they are fun ones for any time of year, really!
Perfect red white and blue dessert but you can use any colors you like! My son picked purple and blue and they turned out great. We had so much fun making them together. TFS
Oh that is a perfect combination too. You really can customize it to your favorite colors or flavors. Thanks for the feedback.
These are so delicious and moist- the sweetness from the Jello balances well with the light frosting too.