I make these yellow cake mix cookies when I need cookies but don’t want to measure flour, baking soda, or sugar separately Four ingredients, one bowl, 20 minutes, and you get soft, chewy cookies that taste like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
The easiest cookies made with cake mix, no seriously!
Most cookie recipes require softened butter, precise measurements, and chilling dough. This version skips all of that.
The cake mix already contains flour, sugar, leavening, and flavorings, so you just add eggs and oil to bind everything together.
The vegetable oil keeps them soft without the wait time butter requires. The dough is thick enough to scoop immediately—no chilling, no spreading into pancakes.
Duncan Hines yellow cake mix works best because it bakes up tender without tasting artificial (I tested Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker Butter Yellow side by side). They bake in 9 minutes and taste like chewy sugar cookies with whatever mix-ins you throw in.
Fan of easy cookies? Try my 3 ingredient Nutella cookies or almond flour peanut butter cookies.
Key ingredients and why they matter
To make these yellow cake mix cookies, you’ll just need the yellow cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and mix-ins of your choice!
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Cake mix: Duncan Hines classic yellow is the winner. It has better texture and less chemical aftertaste than other brands. One standard box is 15.25 oz—close enough to 15 oz that it doesn’t matter.
- Eggs: Bind the dough and add structure. Room temperature eggs mix more easily but cold eggs work fine.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps cookies soft and moist. Canola oil or melted coconut oil work too. Don’t use olive oil—the flavor is too strong.
- Mix-ins: Chocolate chips are classic. Sprinkles make them look festive. M&Ms add crunch. Use ⅓ cup total or the dough gets too loaded.
Best Yellow Cake Mix Box
To figure out which yellow cake mix box was the best (not just for these cookies, even for making cakes) – I tested four of the most common brands: Betty Crocker (regular yellow, and the butter yellow), Duncan Hines classic yellow, and Pillsbury moist supreme yellow.
I tested these brands across three dimensions, by making cakes (following the box recipe) and cookies (following this recipe!)
- Moisture: I wanted to make sure that the cake or cookies were wonderfully moist, because who likes a dry cake or cookie?!
- Flavor and Sweetness: I was looking for a cake mix that was sweet, but not overly so. I also wanted them to turn out fluffy and delicious.
- Price: I was looking for the best value for money with this cake mix. Most of the cake mixes were in the ballpark but there were some subtle differences.
TIPS & TRICKS
Shruthi’s top tips
- Don’t overbake. Pull cookies when centers still look slightly underdone. They firm up as they cool. Overbaked cookies turn dry and hard.
- Space cookies 2–3 inches apart. They spread more than you think. Crowded cookies merge into one giant cookie.
- Use a cookie scoop for even sizing. This recipe uses a 2 tablespoon scoop. All cookies bake evenly when they’re the same size.
- Larger cookies need more time. If using a bigger scoop, add 1–2 minutes to bake time.
- Let cookies cool on the pan. They’re too soft to move immediately. 5 mins on the hot pan finishes cooking the centers without drying out the edges.
- Dough doesn’t need chilling – it’s thick enough to scoop, bake right away.
- Room temperature eggs mix faster, but cold eggs work (mix a little longer!)
- Don’t skip parchment paper if possible. Cookies stick to ungreased pans even if they’re nonstick.
How to make the best yellow cake mix cookies!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil to a large mixing bowl.
- Then, using a spatula, stand mixer (paddle attachment), or hand mixer, combine them well. Note that the cookie dough will be quite thick.
- Then, fold in your chocolate chip cookies (or other toppings).
- Use a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) to measure and place cookies on a baking sheet, evenly spaced, with at least 1-2 inches between the cookies. This is important since the cookies will spread out when they bake.
P.S., I use this baking sheet, which is insanely non-stick and just incredible! But if you’re using a baking sheet that’s not as non-stick, please use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat! - Bake this recipe for ~9 minutes until they’re brown.
- You want the cookies to look slightly underdone in order to get the perfect, fluffy cookie consistency. If you like your cookies crisper, bake them for an extra minute. Serve these yellow cake mix cookies hot so you can enjoy them ASAP!
How to serve yellow cake mix cookies
Yellow cake mix cookies are best served slightly warm so the centers stay soft and the edges stay chewy. Pair them with a cold glass of milk, crumble them over vanilla ice cream, or stack them on a dessert board with fruit and chocolate for an easy crowd-pleaser. They also make great lunchbox treats and quick after-school snacks—just let them cool completely before packing so they don’t stick together.
Variations
- Try different mix-ins: Semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips all work. M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces add color and crunch. Rainbow sprinkles make them look like birthday cake. Chopped walnuts or pecans add texture. Butterscotch or peanut butter chips change the flavor completely. Dried cranberries or raisins work if you like fruit.
- Make them vegan: Replace eggs with flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons water, mixed and rested 5 minutes) or Just Egg.
- Change the cake mix flavor: Chocolate cake mix makes fudgy cookies. Funfetti cake mix already has sprinkles. Lemon cake mix works with white chocolate chips.
- Add spices: Stir in ½ teaspoon cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon nutmeg before baking.
Storage and reheating suggestions
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. I love this set of airtight containers for storing everything at home!
You can also freeze them by letting them cool completely and placing them in a freezer bag for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, let them defrost at room temperature before indulging!
More easy cookie recipes
Check out these other amazing, easy cookie recipes:
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookies
3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies
Yellow Cake Mix Cookies
Equipment
- 1 cookie scoop 2 tablespoon scoop
Ingredients
- 15 oz yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines recommended
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, or sprinkles, M&Ms, or other mix-ins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper if not using a nonstick pan.
- Add cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula, stand mixer (paddle attachment), or hand mixer until just combined. Dough will be thick—this is normal.
- Fold in chocolate chips (or other mix-ins of choice).
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion dough onto baking sheet, spacing cookies 2-3 inches apart. They spread significantly during baking.P.S., I've linked my favorite cookie scoop and it's literally never failed me!
- Bake 9 minutes until edges are set and just starting to turn golden brown. Centers should look slightly underdone—they'll continue cooking on the hot pan after removal. For crispier cookies, bake 1 additional minute.
- Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Video
Notes
- Best brand of cake mix: I tested four different brands of yellow cake mix to determine which one made the best cookies. Duncan Hines classic yellow was my favorite (tested against Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker Butter Yellow).
- Make this vegan: The cake mixes I tested were all vegan. So, replace eggs with flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons water, mixed and rested 5 minutes) or Just Egg.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Freeze in a freezer bag for 2-3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Toppings: You can customize this cookie so easily! The two most popular options are to add chocolate chips or sprinkles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very quick, easy, tasty!
I used 2 extra large eggs.
I chopped some white chocolate as an add-in.
I am not a fan of using vegetable oil much anymore, but still had some, so I did use it.
Substitution for that vegetable oil?
These are like clouds ☁️🍪
I made this and it tasted just like vegetable oil it was very gross. I could not taste the cake mix and when I ate the cookies with m&ms it was vegetable oil flavored m&ms. I even added butter and the vegetable oil was the only star of this recipe.
Hi Chrissy – I’m sorry to hear that! Was the vegetable oil fresh? I wonder if it had expired or been spoiled somehow. I make these often and have never had that issue before (and with a couple different types of cake mixes too). Another possibility is that adding butter and vegetable oil might have exceeded the ratio of fat needed in the recipe.
Super easy and quick cookies and they tasted so good! I want to try and make them with egg candy for eatser with my kids.
These cake mix cookies were super easy and so fun to make! We added in mini chocolate chips. Yum!
These cookies came out so good! They were perfectly soft and chewy and were so easy to make. I used chocolate chips, but I think I may have to make them again with some crushed mini eggs for Easter. Thank you!
I loved making these with my boys this week. They each got to pick their own mix in and make it their own. And the boxed mix was exactly what we had on hand.