These Pomegranate Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting look and taste as decadent as red velvet cupcakes, offering a fun and festive alternative for any special occasion or holiday season! Decorate your frosted cupcakes with pomegranate arils and let those compliments roll on in!
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While I’m definitely a huge fan of all things cutesy when it comes to the holidays, sometimes a little sophistication goes a long way and these stunning pomegranate fruit cupcakes are a great mixture of simplicity and class!
The cupcake bases are moist and fluffy, sporting a bright pinkish-red color, and then topped off with mouth-watering cream cheese frosting that’s been tried and tested in my kitchen for years, with no complaints I might add.
Add a little extra flair to these pomegranate cupcakes for that special occasion like Thanksgiving or Christmas by sprinkling some pomegranate arils on the frosting. They store well in the refrigerator and can also be made ahead of time to spare you the mad rush that usually accompanies the festive season.
The use of cake mix and pudding mix in these cupcakes makes them one of my favorite shortcut recipes that I just can’t wait for you to try!
If you like our Banana Cupcakes with Strawberry Mascarpone Frosting, then you're going to love these Pomegranate Cupcakes!
❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe makes a generous amount of cupcakes (that being about 24 cupcakes)! You can easily double or halve the recipe depending on your needs.
- These cupcakes are really simple to make but are stunning additions to your holiday dessert menu! The added pomegranate arils really make these cupcakes something special to look at.
- Like most cupcakes, you can easily make the cupcake bases and frosting ahead of time to be stored separately and then assemble them just prior to serving. Nothing beats a little preparation.
🧂 Ingredients
Please note: This is meant to be a brief overview of the pudding mix cupcakes recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- white cake mix
- vegetable oil
- egg whites
- cheesecake pudding mix
- organic pomegranate soda
For the Cream Cheese Frosting, you will need cream cheese, unsalted butter, milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. I also added the remaining cheesecake pudding mix, pink food coloring, and fresh pomegranate arils.
🔪Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven at 350℉ and spray/line a standard muffin tin in the meantime.
- Add all the cupcake ingredients (except the pudding) to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium using a hand or stand mixer until you achieve a smooth consistency.
- Add only half of the cheesecake pudding to the mixing bowl and mix till fully incorporated.
- Add the batter to the muffin tin and stop when each is ⅔ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. You can test with a toothpick which should come out clean. Adjust the baking time if necessary.
- Allow the baked cupcakes to completely cool before adding the frosting.
For the Frosting
Get the full Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe here.
Equipment
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- Measuring Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup and Dry Measuring Cups
- Cutting Board and Santoku Knife
- Stand Mixer or hand held electric mixer
- Muffin Tin
- Piping Bag with star tip
- Spoonula
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⏲️ Storage
To Store: These pomegranate fruit frosted cupcakes store well for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
Make Ahead and Freeze: You can also freeze these cupcakes without the frosting, making sure that you only store your cupcakes in the freezer once they’ve completely cooled.
To Thaw: Thaw your frozen cupcakes overnight in the fridge and frost just prior to serving.
⭐ Tips
✔️Fill each of the paper liners only two-thirds of the way full of cupcake batter so that it has room to rise.
✔️Be sure that the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting.
📖 Variations
We recommend that you try our pomegranate cupcake recipe for the first time just as it is written for the best results because that is how the recipe has been tested.
However, the next time you make it, you might consider one of these different ways of making this great recipe.
- Instead of pink food coloring and milk, use three tablespoons of pomegranate juice to make the Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Add a spoonful of pomegranate jam to the center of the cupcake using a cupcake corer (yes, that's a thing!)
- In addition to the fresh pomegranate seeds, you could also use chocolate pomegrate candies.
- Use a mini muffin tin to create mini cupcakes, which are great for kids.
You could make these cupcakes in a variety of different flavors by changing the type of soda and fruit. For example, an orange cupcake version would be amazing!
🍴 Serving Suggestions
These beautiful cupcakes are perfect to serve at parties. For the holidays, consider serving the cupcakes alongside Pomegranate Punch!
For birthdays or other get-togethers, these make an elegant addition to any dessert table. Arrange a trio of small desserts like our Easy Mini Cheesecakes and Magic Bars Recipe with Shortbread Crust with the cupcakes.
😋 Similar Recipes
Next time, try one of these delicious recipes:
- Banana Pudding Cupcakes Recipe - another scrumptious pudding mix cupcake recipe when you need a treat fast.
- S'mores Cupcakes Recipe - ditch the campfire and make a batch of S’mores cupcakes with graham cracker crust, chocolate cake, and marshmallow frosting!
- Easy Lemon Cupcakes Recipe - these bright and cheerful lemon cupcakes will add a light and zesty note to any afternoon tea time indulgence.
You'll also love our fun root beer float cupcakes, they're great for bake sales, parties, and potlucks.
Not ready to make these super easy shortcut cupcakes yet?
Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Pomegranate Cupcakes
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Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
Frosting Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- remaining cheesecake pudding
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons half and half or whole milk
- pink food coloring optional
- 1 large piping bag
- 1 large round frosting tip
- fresh pomegranate arils if available
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven at 350℉ and spray/line a standard muffin tin in the meantime.
- Add all the cupcake ingredients (except the pudding) to a large mixing bowl and mix on medium using a hand or stand mixer until you achieve a smooth consistency.
- Add only half of the cheesecake pudding to the mixing bowl and mix till fully incorporated.
- Add the batter to the muffin tin and stop when each is ⅔ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. You can test with a toothpick which should come out clean. Adjust the baking time if necessary.
- Allow the baked cupcakes to completely cool before adding the frosting.
For the Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes with the aid of an electric hand or stand mixer until it’s light and fluffy.
- Mix the remaining ½ pudding and vanilla into the creamed mixture.
- With care, slowly mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time with 1 tablespoon of half and half in between each cup. Continue mixing for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the mixture appears creamy and forms stiff peaks. It’s important to not overmix the frosting though!
- Prepare and fill a piping bag with the frosting and start to frost your cooled cupcakes.
- Add the pomegranate arils (optional).
- Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
- Large piping bag with star tip
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