These nacho cupcakes are a fun treat to serve up to the kiddos. Perfect for any taco theme party, fiesta, or when you're looking to get creative with your desserts.
Recipe: $5.01 | Per Serving: $0.21 | Yields: 24 cupcakes
These are nacho average cupcakes (get it? haha..food pun)
These cupcakes are sweet little works of art and each one can be customized to look unique. They are sure to turn a few heads at any party or get together.
They'd be great for a taco or fiesta themed party "Taco 'Bout a Party" or "Taco Twosday" for example.
Some other great foods to serve would be Lazy Enchiladas With Taquitos, Easy Dorito Taco Salad, and this Quick Horchata Recipe.
We love to create fun and unique cupcakes for the kids and these nacho cupcakes are only one of the many. For more ideas make sure to check out my Dinosaur Cupcakes and Seedling Cupcakes.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- The recipe is easy! From boxed mixes to canned frosting, this recipe is super quick and easy to assemble. Just a few ingredients and steps from start to finish.
- They're fun! My kids talked about them for days because they couldn't get over the idea of nachos for dessert (they must have forgotten about me making them Ice Cream Nachos a few months ago).
- These are kid friendly. From the prep steps to the assembly and of course, the snacking, this recipe is very easy to put together and can enjoy. Grab your kids and set up an assembly line and everyone can decorate their own!
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Yellow cake mix- you will need to use a box of yellow cake mix that has been prepared according to the package directions for making cupcakes.
Vanilla frosting- Use a can of vanilla frosting to cut down on time and effort. Any brand will work fine.
Yellow food coloring- This is what is needed to give the frosting a melted cheese appearance.
Mike & Ike candy- We only need the red and green candies from the box, so feel free to enjoy the other colors as a snack while prepping!
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🧾 Substitutions
Cupcake flavors. If desired, you can use any flavor of cake mix underneath your nacho-like toppings. This means you can select chocolate cake mix, or any other flavor you may already have on hand.
Nacho chip variation. Use cinnamon sugar chips or make Air Fried Cinnamon Sugar Chips for a more authentic appearance.
🔪 Instructions for Nacho Cupcakes
Step 1: Add your cake mix, eggs, oil and water to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together to combine.
Step 3: Divide the batter into paper lined muffin pans.
Step 4: Bake as directed on the cake mix package.
Step 5: Swirl the yellow food coloring into the frosting until completely blended.
You want a few drops of yellow so that it looks like melted cheese. Adjust the color as needed.
Step 6: Separate the red and green Mike and Ikes from the rest. You can discard the other colors.
Step 7: Chop the red ones into pieces and slice the green ones thinly.
Step 8: Place the frosting into a piping bag or a sandwich baggie with the corner snipped.
Step 9: Pipe a smooth flat swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
Step 11: Spread out the frosting to make a cheesy base.
Step 12: Place a few cereal pieces on top of the frosting. Pipe a little more frosting on top of the cereal to resemble melted cheese.
Step 13: Put a few pieces of the cut candy on top of the “cheese.”
Serve & enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Room temp. These nacho cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 to 5 days at room temperature. The cereal will soften as the cupcakes age, so if you want them crispy, it's best to assemble them right before serving.
Freezer. Yes, these cupcakes can be frozen and thawed later. To freeze them, assemble them in a single layer in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! I used boxed cake mix recipes because they're so convenient and easy, but you are more than welcome to use homemade cakes and frostings for this!
Mix together ¼ cup of granulated sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon until blended. Cut 2 large flour tortillas into small triangles with a pizza cutter. Spray the tortillas with olive oil and coat all sides in the sugar mixture. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 5 minutes at 425F.
If desired, you can add a dollop of strawberry jam to the toppings on your nachos. This will look a lot like salsa, which adds a little more color, flavor and helps to make your nachos look a little more realistic.
❤️ More Delicious Kid Approved Recipes
If you tried these Nacho Cupcakes, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Nacho Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25oz) yellow cake mix, prepared ($1.80)
- 1 box (5oz) Mike and Ike candy ($1.24)
- 4-6 drops yellow food coloring
- 1 tub (16oz) vanilla frosting ($1.58)
- 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal ($0.39)
Instructions
- Bake cupcakes per package recipe and cool completely.
- Separate the Mike and Ike candies by color. Chop the red ones into pieces and slice the green ones thinly. Discard the remaining colors.
- Swirl the yellow food coloring into the frosting until completely blended. You want a few drops of yellow so that it looks like melted cheese. Adjust the color as needed.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag or a sandwich baggie with the corner snipped.
- Pipe a smooth flat swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
- Place a few cereal pieces on top of the frosting.
- Pipe a little more frosting on top of cereal to resemble melted cheese.
- Put a few pieces of the cut candy on top of the “cheese.”
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- Cake Mix Options: Any flavor can be used, like chocolate or others on hand.
- Cinnamon Topping Substitutes: Use cinnamon sugar chips or homemade Cinnamon Sugar Chips instead of cinnamon toast crunch cereal for appearance and taste.
- Storage: Store cupcakes in airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Assemble just before serving for crispy texture.
- Freezing: Freeze assembled cupcakes in airtight container for up to 3 months.
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