If you ask me, Halloween cupcakes are the best way to get kids excited about baking.

These fun Toy Story alien cupcakes bring together two things kids love – Halloween treats and their favorite three-eyed space friends. Green frosting and candy eyes turn simple cupcakes into adorable aliens that’ll make everyone smile.

They start with basic vanilla cupcakes that get topped with tinted buttercream frosting. Mini marshmallows and candy pieces help create those signature alien features we all recognize.

It’s a simple project that gets the whole family involved, perfect for Halloween parties or just a fun weekend activity.

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Why You’ll Love These Halloween Toy Story Alien Cupcakes

Quick and easy to make – With just a box cake mix and simple decorating, you can whip these up in under an hour, making them perfect for last-minute party prep.
Kid-friendly project – Children will have a blast helping you add the green food coloring and placing the candy eyes on these adorable aliens.
Simple ingredients – You only need a few basic items that you can easily find at any grocery store, no special baking skills required.
Perfect party treats – These cute alien cupcakes are guaranteed to be a hit at Halloween parties, birthday celebrations, or any Toy Story-themed event.
Beginner-friendly decorating – Even if you’re not great at cake decorating, the simple green frosting and candy eyes make these look professional and fun.

What Kind of Cake Mix Should I Use?

Any standard cake mix will work perfectly for these alien cupcakes, so feel free to use whatever flavor you have on hand or prefer. Vanilla and yellow cake mixes are popular choices since they provide a neutral base that won’t compete with the fun alien decorating, but chocolate or funfetti would be just as tasty. The key is to follow the box instructions to make 24 cupcakes, which usually means you’ll need eggs, oil, and water in addition to the mix. If you want to make these extra special, you could even use a lemon or strawberry cake mix to give your aliens a surprise flavor inside.

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Options for Substitutions

This fun Halloween recipe is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:

Box cake mix: Any flavor works great here – vanilla, chocolate, or funfetti all taste good under that green frosting. You can also make cupcakes from scratch if you prefer homemade.
White icing: Store-bought frosting saves time, but you can definitely make buttercream from scratch. You’ll need about 3 cups total. Cream cheese frosting works too and adds a nice tangy flavor.
Green food coloring: Gel food coloring gives the most intense color, but liquid drops work fine – you’ll just need more of them. Start with a few drops and add until you get that alien green shade.
Candy eyes: If you can’t find candy eyes, you can make your own using white chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips, or even pipe white circles with black dots using frosting. Mini marshmallows with chocolate chip centers work in a pinch too.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making these alien cupcakes is adding too much green food coloring at once, which can make your icing look muddy or uneven – start with just a few drops and gradually add more until you get that perfect alien green.

Another common error is placing the candy eyes on warm cupcakes, as the heat will melt the candy and cause them to slide right off, so make sure your cupcakes are completely cool before decorating.

Don’t forget to let your icing sit for a few minutes after mixing in the food coloring, as the color will deepen slightly and you might find you need less than you initially thought.

For the cleanest look, use a piping bag or offset spatula to spread the green icing evenly, and gently press those candy eyes into place while the icing is still soft but not wet.

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What to Serve With Halloween Toy Story Alien Cupcakes?

These fun alien cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties and go great with other spooky treats like chocolate chip cookies shaped like bats or pumpkin-flavored snacks. I love setting them out alongside some orange and black candies, maybe some candy corn or mini chocolate bars, to create a whole Halloween spread that kids will go crazy for. Since they’re already pretty sweet with all that icing, you might want to balance things out with some savory party snacks like popcorn or pretzels. Don’t forget to have some cold milk or apple cider on hand – trust me, you’ll need something to wash down all that sugary goodness!

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These adorable alien cupcakes stay moist and delicious when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just make sure the icing has set completely before covering them so the candy eyes don’t slide around. If your kitchen is really warm, you can pop them in the fridge instead.

Freeze: You can totally freeze these cupcakes for up to 3 months! I like to freeze them without the candy eyes first, then add those after thawing. Wrap each cupcake individually in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe container to prevent freezer burn.

Serve: If you’ve frozen your alien cupcakes, just thaw them at room temperature for about 2 hours before serving. The icing might look a little different after freezing, but they’ll still taste great. Add fresh candy eyes if needed to make them look their spookiest for your Halloween party!

Preparation Time	10-15 minutes
Cooking Time	20-30 minutes
Total Time	30-45 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Easy

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

Calories: 4100-4400
Protein: 12-16 g
Fat: 120-140 g
Carbohydrates: 730-780 g

Ingredients

1 box cupcake mix (yielding 24 cupcakes, baked)
2 containers white frosting
Green food coloring
2 packs candy eyeballs

Step 1: Tint the Frosting Green

2 containers white frosting
green food coloring

In a mixing bowl, combine the white frosting with green food coloring.

Mix until the frosting reaches your desired shade of green.

You can adjust the amount of food coloring to achieve the perfect vibrant hue.

Step 2: Pipe the Green Frosting Onto Cupcakes

green-tinted frosting from Step 1
1 box cupcake mix (yielding 24 cupcakes, baked)

Transfer the tinted green frosting from Step 1 to a piping bag and snip the end with scissors.

Pipe the green frosting onto each baked cupcake in a spiral pattern, creating a decorative top.

Step 3: Decorate with Candy Eyeballs

2 packs candy eyeballs

Carefully place three candy eyeballs in the center of the green frosting on each cupcake for a fun and spooky look.

I like to press them in gently so they stay securely in place.