These Pumpkin Cupcakes are made with a doctored-up cake mix, a 3-ingredient whipped frosting, and then dusted with sprinkles and pumpkin pie spice!

Close up photo of pumpkin cupcakes on a white cake stand with leaves in the background.

These Pumpkin Cupcakes are made with a doctored-up cake mix, a 3-ingredient whipped frosting, and then dusted with sprinkles and pumpkin pie spice!

With Pumpkin Spice season in full swing, you’ll want to grab another pumpkin-flavored recipe like my Pumpkin Dump Cake or Pumpkin Whoopie Pies to enjoy once these cupcakes are gone!

Close up photo of a pumpkin cupcake on a white table with a maroon napkin and more cupcakes and a glass of milk in the background.

These tender Pumpkin Cupcakes will satisfy your pumpkin cravings by combining instant pumpkin spice pudding mix, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice with a boxed cake mix! Finish them off the whipped cheesecake frosting and you’ve just met your new favorite pumpkin dessert!

Warm spices pair with fluffy cheesecake frosting that will have you wanting to keep these treats all to yourself! However, you’ll want to resist that urge as these really make such a great addition to all of your harvest gatherings!

Table of Contents

What I love About This Recipe!

Easy To Make! A recipe doesn’t get easier to make when it starts off with a boxed cake mix!
Frosting Variations! You can easily switch up the frosting flavor just by exchanging the cheesecake pudding mix for vanilla, caramel, or even chocolate!
Delicious Pumpkin Flavor! These cupcakes have a perfectly sweetened balance of pumpkin flavor just by using three simple ingredients!
Add In Some Chocolate Chips! Throw a cup of mini chocolate chips into the cupcake batter for pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes!
Make It A Cake! Want to make a pumpkin cake instead? No problem! This recipe can also be used to make a 9×13-inch cake or a 2 layered cake using 8 or 9-inch round cake pans!

Pumpkin cupcakes on a white cake stand with a maroon napkin under it.

Ingredient Notes

This Pumpkin Spice Cupcake recipe starts out like many of my other popular cupcake recipes, with a boxed cake mix! An unprepared box spice cake mix is the base of these cupcakes and then gets doctored up to pack in that delicious pumpkin flavor!

Finish off the cupcake batter by combining the cake mix with instant pumpkin spice pudding mix, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, whole milk, and vegetable oil. After they’ve cooled you’ll pipe on the light and fluffy cheesecake frosting!

To make this you’ll whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cheesecake flavored pudding mix. Once the cupcakes are frosted you can sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice onto each one for a put-together look!

Ingredients to make pumpkin cupcakes on a white table.

How To Make Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Preheat the oven and then beat all of the cupcake ingredients together in a large bowl or stand mixer.
Add the batter into cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners.
Reduce the oven temperature and place the muffin pan in the oven to bake.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and pudding mix to bowl and whip until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.
Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Dust each cupcake with Pumpkin Pie Spice.

Step-by-step photo collage showing how to make pumpkin cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

How To Store

You can store these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Keep in mind that storing them in the refrigerator does tend to dry the cupcakes out. For best taste, I recommend enjoying the cupcakes within 2 days!

Is There Another Frosting That I Can Use On These Cupcakes?

Yes! If you’d like to switch up the frosting you can try using a buttercream frosting such as my Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or a cream cheese frosting like the one I use in my Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe!

What Should I Do If I Can’t Find Any Pumpkin Spice Pudding Mix?

Not a problem at all! Just grab a vanilla pudding mix and add an additional teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice to the recipe!

A pumpkin cupcake with a bite taken out of it on a white table with a cake stand with more cupcakes and a glass of milk in the background.

Don’t get so caught up in the Pumpkin Spice Lattes and coffees that you forget to make delicious pumpkin-flavored desserts! Instead, just pair your pumpkin drinks with another incredible pumpkin dessert!

Pumpkin Scones – Made with pantry staple ingredients and ready in under an hour, enjoy them morning, noon, and night!
White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart – A gingersnap crust gets filled with creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling that’s been infused with white chocolate!
Moist Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Icing – This pumpkin pound cake is overflowing with warm fall spices and then topped with a 5 ingredient sweet icing!
4-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – Tender cookies made with a box spice cake, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, and chocolate chips!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Poke Cake – Dense pumpkin spice cake is soaked in sweetened condensed milk, loaded with chocolate chips, and finished off with a fluffy cheesecake frosting!

👋 Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!

Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!

This recipe was originally published in September 2014 and was updated in October 2021 with new photos and a slight change to the frosting recipe.

Pumpkin Cupcakes