Fruity Pebbles Donuts are fun to look at and delicious to eat. These baked cake mix donuts are easy to make and only require a handful of ingredients making them perfect for any occasion.
Fruity Pebbles cereal is nostalgic and reminds many people of their childhood. This sweet and colorful cereal starts by brightening your day. Cereal toppings for donuts are becoming increasingly popular, and I am jumping on board. They add an excellent sweet flavor and crunchy texture to these Fruity Pebbles Donuts.
This donut recipe from cake mix is colorful, fun, delicious, and incredibly easy to make! I love using cake mix for baked donuts because it is practically foolproof and only requires a handful of ingredients. Additionally, they come out moist and delicious every single time.
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Why you'll love this recipe?
- These baked donuts only require a handful of ingredients.
- Fruity pebbles treats are fun, colorful, and toddler-approved.
- Cake mix donuts are practically foolproof.
- Baked donuts in a donut pan are a much healthier option than frying.
- The Fruity Pebble cereal topping adds a delicious crunchy texture.
Ingredients
Boxed White Cake Mix: This recipe calls for one 16.25-ounce box of white cake mix. You can substitute for any flavor cake mix you would like. Note that the box instructions will call for different amounts of oil and eggs. Follow the ingredients and quantities used in this recipe and not on the box for these fruity pebble donuts.
Fruity Pebbles Cereal: They wouldn't be fruity pebbles doughnuts without this delicious cereal. Fruity pebbles are widely available at most major grocery stores, and they are hard to miss because of their beautiful rainbow color.
Egg - One large egg is all this recipe uses. Note that the amount of egg on the cake mix box will call for more. However, make sure to use the amount listed in this recipe.
Vegetable Oil: Most cake batters use vegetable oil. Alternatively, canola oil is a suitable substitution.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar, also known as confectioners sugar, is the main ingredient in the fruity pebbles glaze. Powdered sugar ensures the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter stabilizes the glaze for these donuts and gives it more flavor and richness.
Milk: These cereal donuts use whole milk in both the batter and the donut glaze.
How to Make Fruity Pebbles Donuts
The Donut Batter
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and combine cake mix, egg, whole milk, and vegetable oil in a large bowl.
- Mix the donut batter with a spatula until smooth.
- Then, add one cup of fruity pebbles cereal to the batter.
- Fold the fruity pebbles cereal into the cake mix batter gently.
- Next, add the donut batter to a large piping bag (or Ziploc bag) and snip the tip off the end to make a small opening to pipe the batter. Grease two large donut pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pipe the donut batter into the donut pans, making sure only to fill the donut pans halfway. Do not overfill.
- Bake the donuts for 11-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the donuts.
- Once done, allow the donuts to cool in the donut pans for at least 5-10 minutes before removing and transferring them to a wire rack. Allow the donuts to cool completely before frosting.
The Fruity Pebbles Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add the rest of the fruity pebbles cereal. Add powdered sugar, milk, and melted butter to another separate medium bowl.
- Mix the powdered sugar mixture with a whisk until very thick but no longer lumpy. You may have to add more milk one teaspoon at a time to thin the glaze until it comes together.
- Dip the donuts upside down in the powdered sugar glaze and allow any excess to run off. Then, dip the glazed donut in the bowl of fruity pebbles to coat it and place it back on the wire rack to set.
- Continue with the rest of the donuts until all donuts are complete. Eat immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
Variations for Cake Mix Donuts
These delicious cake mix baked donuts are fun to customize using different flavors and toppings. Here are a few of my favorite combinations and ideas.
- Chocolate cake mix with cocoa pebbles cereal
- Apple spiced cake mix with applejacks cereal
- Mini chocolate cake mix donuts with mint Oreos
- Soak fruity pebbles in the milk to be used for the donut batter. Then, strain them out before adding the milk to the batter. As a result, it will create fruity pebble-infused cereal milk for an extra delicious flavor.
- Birthday cake mix donuts with traditional sprinkles
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the donut glaze for extra flavor.
Substitutions
- Almond Milk - Exclude whole milk and use almond milk for the fruity pebbles, donut batter, and glaze.
- Gluten-Free Cake Mix - Regular cake mix is easily replaceable with gluten-free cake mix.
- Canola Oil - Canola oil is an excellent substitute for vegetable oil.
Expert Tips
- Only fill the donut pans halfway full with batter. The donut batter rises significantly in the oven and needs enough room to expand. As a result, if the donut compartments are filled higher than halfway, the hole in the middle of the donut will close up.
- Add only enough milk to the powdered sugar glaze until it becomes thick. If the glaze becomes too thin, the fruity pebbles cereal will not stick to it. Add two tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time to thicken a runny glaze.
- Cake mix box instructions will call for a different amount of eggs, milk, and vegetable oil than this recipe. However, the quantities listed in the recipe below are for baked cake mix donuts.
- Alternatively, if you do not have a piping bag, use a Ziploc bag with a bottom corner snipped off to pipe the fruity pebbles cake mix batter into the donut pans.
FAQ's
Traditional donut batter uses yeast as its rising agent. On the other hand, cake batter or cake mix uses baking powder or baking soda as its leavener.
Yes! If using a mini donut pan, bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. You may need to bake in several batches as this recipe will produce four dozen mini donuts.
To prevent sticking, grease the pans with nonstick cooking spray before filling with batter.
More Related Recipes
Mini Chocolate Cake Mix Donuts with Mint Oreos
Fruity Pebbles Rice Crispy Treats
Easy Mini Oreo Cheesecake Bites
Fruity Pebbles Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Donut Batter
- 1 box White Cake Mix (16.25 oz box)
- 1 cup Fruity Pebbles Cereal
- 1 large Egg
- ⅓ cup Vegetable Oil
- ¾ cup Whole Milk
Fruity Pebbles Frosting
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- ¼ cup Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Melted Unsalted Butter
- 1 ½ cups Fruity Pebbles Cereal
Instructions
The Donut Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and in a large bowl combine cake mix, egg, milk and vegetable oil.
- Mix the batter with a spatula until smooth and there are no more lumps.
- Add one cup of fruity pebbles cereal to the donut batter.
- Fold the fruity pebbles cereal into the cake mix batter gently, trying not to crush the cereal while stirring.
- Add the cereal donut batter to a large piping bag (or Ziploc bag) and snip the tip off the end to make a small opening to pipe the batter. Grease two large donut pans with nonstick spray.
- Pipe the donut batter into the donut pans, making sure to only full the donut pans halfway. Do not overfill.
- Bake the donuts for 11-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the donuts.
- Once done, allow the donuts to cool in the donut pans for at least 5-10 minutes before removing and transferring them to a wire rack. Allow the donuts to cool completely before frosting.
The Fruity Pebbles Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add the rest of the fruity pebbles cereal. Then , add powdered sugar, milk, and melted butter to another separate medium bowl.
- Mix the powdered sugar mixture with a whisk until very thick but no longer lumpy. You may have to add more milk one teaspoon at a time to thin the glaze until it comes together.
- Dip the donuts upside down in the powdered sugar glaze and allow any excess to run off. Then, dip the glazed donut in the bowl of fruity pebbles to coat it and place it back on the wire rack to set.
- Continue with the rest of the donuts until all donuts are complete. Eat immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
Donna @ Modern on Monticello says
My son may be grown now but he would still love these donuts! I had to pin it and make it a feature this week on the party. Thanks for sharing the recipe. #HomeMattersParty
Diane says
It's difficult to find knowledgeable people in this particular subject, but
you seem like you know what you're talking about!
Thanks