I Tried 6 Confetti Cake Mixes and This Is the One I’ll Be Buying Again and Again

When it comes to putting on an effortless celebration, boxed cake mix is a timeless shortcut for whisking up a delicious (homemade-ish) dessert to show your loved ones how much you care. Sure, you can go all out with a German chocolate or red velvet cake, but what’s more festive than a sweet treat bursting with bold rainbow colors?

With just a few kitchen staples like eggs, milk, butter, or oil—and less than an hour of your time—you can create a bakery-worthy dessert right at home. However, this only works with the right boxed cake mix. To find the best one worthy of celebrating your most beloved friends and family, I set out to test six different confetti cake mixes and discovered the one worthy of your precious time.

How I Chose the Confetti Cake Mixes

There are plenty of well-known brands, like Pillsbury and Betty Crocker that dominate the boxed cake mix market. But for this experiment, I wanted to go “outside the box” and include some alternatives you can find at major grocery stores or retailers. I focused on options with a vanilla or white base and colorful sprinkles or chips mixed into the batter. I also chose ones that only require a few basic add-ins, like oil, milk, water, or eggs.

How I Tested the Confetti Cake Mixes

First, I followed the instructions on the box of each cake mix, adding the required ingredients to make the batter and baking the desserts accordingly. I chose to make cupcakes so I could better compare how each one rises against the others. To keep things consistent, I decorated them with the same cream cheese frosting to see how they tasted with a sweet topping (and noted which ones felt too cloying). I judged the picks by their fluffiness, airiness, and tenderness, as well as the brightness and even distribution of the rainbow sprinkles.

The Best Store-Bought Confetti Cake Mixes, Ranked

6th Place: Trader Joe’s Celebration Cake & Baking Mix

At first glance, this Trader Joe’s Celebration baking mix seems like a great all-in-one option, as it includes the cake mix, frosting, and sprinkles. However, it doesn’t quite live up to expectations. The batter is easy to make—just add eggs, milk, and oil—but the results are disappointing. The cupcakes didn’t rise properly, and instead of forming stunning domes, they spread out flat without much airiness. The flavor is underwhelming, with an artificial vanilla aftertaste that becomes overpowering after a few bites. Even worse, the sprinkles were poorly distributed throughout the cake, leaving the crumb dull and lacking that festive rainbow hue.

5th Place: Sur La Table Confetti Cake Mix

Sur La Table stands out from the rest when it comes to finding the latest Le Creuset or KitchenAid releases, but its baking line could use some improvement. I was drawn to the brand’s confetti cake mix because it includes frosting, which is a nice touch. However, I was disappointed when I tried the finished product and found it had a dense texture. I suspect this may be due to the fact that the mix calls for melted butter instead of oil. (Since butter contains water, it can make the crumb stodgy and result in a firmer bite!)

4th Place: Great Value Deluxe Moist Confetti White Cake Mix

Of all the cake mixes I tested, this one from Great Value is the only one that asks for egg whites in the batter, which really helped give the dessert its light, airy texture. The first bite was promising—the cake was spongy with a nice buttery and vanilla flavor. However, it didn’t quite deliver on the confetti-wow factor. There were only a few scattered rainbow sprinkles visible in the crumb, which was a bit unfortunate.

3rd Place: Betty Crocker Mug Treats Rainbow Chip Cake Mix

I grabbed this mug cake mix on a whim while shopping for my testers, mainly because I didn’t expect much from a microwavable dessert. But that’s the fun of experiments—sometimes, I’m pleasantly surprised by the results. All you need to do is add water to the rainbow chip mix, whisk it together, and in less than a minute, you’ll have a warm, tender, and surprisingly flavorful treat. Just keep in mind it’s best eaten right away, as it won’t keep its nice texture for hours. My only critique is that the colorful speckles in the crumb aren’t too bright, so you may want to top it with more sprinkles. That said, I can see this being awesome for a solo celebration or an intimate get-together when you want something quick, easy, and sweet to ring in good vibes.

2nd Place: Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix

I can always count on Betty Crocker for a dependable carrot, lemon, or red velvet cake mix, and its confetti flavor is no exception. All you need to add is eggs, oil, and water, and after some whisking and baking, you’ll have a cake that’s light and spongy. In addition to its stellar texture, the cake has a subtle vanilla flavor, and the “Party Rainbow Chips” add a nice burst of sweetness with each bite. However, the sprinkles’ colors are a bit muted, so they don’t pop out as much compared to other brands.

1st Place Winner: Pillsbury Funfetti Premium Cake Mix

All you need to make this Pillsbury Funfetti batter are a few simple ingredients—water, oil, and eggs. The result is a soft, spongy cake that tastes like it came straight from a bakery. The moment I took a bite, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia thanks to its familiar, delicious vanilla flavor. It’s buttery and sweet without being too cloying, making it the ideal base for any rich frosting you want to spread on top.

This Pillsbury batter creates nearly perfect domed cupcakes with a light, airy rise. When you take a bite, you’ll find the sprinkles sporadically mixed in with vibrant red, blue, and yellow specks that give the treat a fun, celebratory feel.