Is it Cheaper to make or buy Cupcakes?
Whether it is a birthday, a special occasion, or just a Tuesday night; cupcakes are a super yummy treat! My kids prefer cupcakes over big cakes, and they are the perfect size for young kids.
With grocery costs constantly rising, it made me wonder what the cheapest way was to have cupcakes. We are going to breakdown the costs associated with homemade cupcakes, cake mix & premade frosting, and store-bought cupcakes. Then we will determine which option is the cheapest for cupcakes!
How much does it cost to make homemade cupcakes?
Cupcakes come in two parts, so I have found a basic recipe for the vanilla cake from Natasha’s Kitchen and the vanilla frosting SugarSpunRun. Let’s see how much it costs per cupcake to make them yourself.
| Cake Ingredients | Cost |
| 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour | 14.2 cents |
| 1 1/4 tsp baking powder | 2.3 cents |
| 1/2 tsp salt | 1 cent |
| 1/2 cup butter | 99.5 cents |
| 3/4 cup sugar | 25 cents |
| 2 eggs | 48 cents |
| 2 tsp vanilla extract | 6 cents |
| 1/2 cup buttermilk | 25.8 cents |
| Total Cost of Cake Part: $2.21 (12 servings) | Cost per serving: 18.4 cents per cupcake |
Now let’s breakdown the cost of the homemade frosting:
| Frosting Ingredients | Cost |
| 1 cup butter | $1.99 |
| 1/4 tsp salt | 1 cent |
| 3 cups powdered sugar | 68 cents |
| 3 tbsp heavy cream | 21.8 cents |
| 1 tsp vanilla extract | 3 cents |
| Total Cost of Frosting Part: $2.04 (12 servings) | Cost per serving: 17 cents per cupcake |
I priced out all the ingredients at my local Walmart because they have the lowest everyday prices. If these items are on sale at other stores, it may be even cheaper.
The total cost to make 12 vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting was $4.25. This comes out to 35.4 per cupcake.
Is it cheaper to make cupcakes from scratch or from a box?
Now let’s check to see if making cupcakes from a box and using tub frosting will come out cheaper than homemade.
The costs using cake mix:
| Cake Mix | Price, Store, # of cupcakes | Cost per Cupcake |
| Great Value white cake mix | $0.98 at Walmart, makes 24 cupcakes | 4 cents per cupcake |
| Betty Crocker white cake mix | $2.29 at State Bros, makes 24 cupcakes | 9.5 cents per cupcake |
| Duncan Hines white cake mix | $2.09 at Smart & Final, makes 24 cupcakes | 8.7 cents per cupcake |
| Pillsbury white cake Mix | $2.29 at Target, makes 24 cupcakes | 9.5 cents per cupcake |
| Baker’s Corner White Cake Mix | $1.09 at Aldi, makes 24 cupcakes | 4.5 cents per cupcake |
| Average Cost per Cupcake: | 6 cents per cupcake |
And now for the premade frosting:
| Premade Frosting | Price, Store, # of cupcakes | Cost Per Cupcake |
| Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting | $3.09 at Stater Bros, 13 cupcakes | 23.7 cents per cupcake |
| Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting | $3.79 at Albertson, 14 cupcakes | 27 cents per cupcake |
| Baker’s Corner Vanilla Frosting | $1.45 at Aldi, 14 cupcakes | 10.3 cents per cupcake |
| Betty Crocker Whipped Vanilla Frosting | $2.29 at Target, 14 cupcakes | 16.3 cents per cupcake |
| Great Value Vanilla Frosting | $1.36 at Walmart, 14 cupcakes | 9.7 cents per cupcake |
| Average Cost per Cupcake: | 17.4 cents per cupcake |
The average cost of a cupcake using a mix was 6 cents and the average cost of the frosting was 17.4 cents. This brings the total cost per cupcake to 23.4 cents by using a mix and premade frosting.
Using cake mixes and premade frosting is definitely a time saver, and when you compare the 23.4 cents for a mix & frosting to 35.4 cents for a homemade cupcake, it is a cheaper option as well!
How much do cupcakes cost at the grocery store?
Our last option is to go ahead and buy premade cupcakes from the bakery section of the grocery store. Let’s see how much they typically cost.
| Number of Cupcakes, Price, and Store | Cost per Cupcake |
| 6 Vanilla Cupcakes, $5.83 at Publix | 97.1 cents per cupcake |
| 6 Vanilla Cupcakes, $4.99 at Kroger | 83.1 cents per cupcake |
| 6 Vanilla Cupcakes, $5.99 at King Sooper’s | 99.8 cents per cupcake |
| 12 Vanilla Cupcakes, $15.29 at BJ’s Wholesale Club | $1.27 per cupcake |
| 6 Vanilla Cupcakes, $6.39 at Safeway | $1.06 per cupcake |
| 30 Vanilla Cupcakes, $19.10 at Sam’s Club | 63.6 cents per cupcake |
| 4 Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes, $5.29 at Sprouts | $1.32 per cupcake |
| 6 Vanilla Cupcakes, $4.48 at Walmart | 74.6 cents per cupcake |
| 12 Vanilla Cupcakes, $9.29 at Smart & Final | 77.4 cents per cupcake |
| 6 Vanilla Cupcakes, $5.00 at Food4Less | 83.3 cents per cupcake |
| Average Cost per Store Made Cupcakes: | 94.3 cents per cupcake |
It looks like the overall average for store bought cupcakes is about 94.3 cents per cupcake. This is way higher than I expected to be honest.
Is it cheaper to make cupcakes?
It is absolutely cheaper to make cupcakes yourself at home instead of buying them from the bakery section of a grocery store.
While making cupcakes from scratch is a little harder, it is not actually cheaper. The cheapest option for making cupcakes is to actually use a cake mix and premade frosting.
Are homemade cupcakes better than store bought?
Homemade cupcakes and store-bought cupcakes are both yummy. I am not going to lie and say one is hands down better than the other.
Just like different brands of cake mixes and frostings taste slightly different from each other, the trick is to find a brand or flavor that your family really likes.
Most of the store made cupcakes were decorated with simple sprinkles, which is very easy to do at home as well. If you’re looking for a little something extra, you can pick up little favors in the party section of Walmart or even the Dollar Tree.
After looking at the cost difference between store bought cupcakes and using a mix & frosting, I will definitely be baking cupcakes at home from now on.
As an added bonus, kids love to help bake cupcakes and it is a fun activity. Even little kids and can help stir batter and put muffin liners in a pan.
I am a huge fan of showing kids how something is made, and they seem to truly enjoy eating something they helped create!
For more price comparisons of making it versus buying it, check out “Is it Cheaper to make Pickles or buy them?” and “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Potato Salad?“
