Okay, let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. It’s 9 PM, you just remembered you need cookies for tomorrow’s bake sale, and your pantry is basically empty except for that random box of cake mix you bought three months ago. Enter these magical 3 ingredient cake mix cookies that will literally save your sanity.
What makes these cookies so brilliant isn’t just how ridiculously easy they are, it’s that they actually taste incredible. Like, people-will-ask-for-the-recipe incredible. The cake mix does all the heavy lifting with perfect ratios of flour, sugar, and leavening, while you just add two simple ingredients to create that soft, bakery-style texture everyone loves.
Trust me on this one. Once you make these 3 ingredient cake mix cookies, you’ll wonder why you ever stressed about homemade cookies again.
*Before You Start: You’ll find more explanation here than a basic recipe. That’s intentional—the aim is to educate, not just instruct.
Six Reasons You’ll Be Baking These on Repeat
❀ Seriously quick: These cookies go from mixing bowl to oven to your taste buds in under 20 minutes, including bake time. Perfect for when a sweet craving hits and you don’t want to wait.
❀ Impossible to mess up: Even if baking isn’t your thing, these cookies practically make themselves. The recipe is forgiving, so you’ll get soft, delicious cookies every single time.
❀ Any flavor you want: The sky’s the limit. Funfetti, chocolate, lemon, strawberry—whatever you have in your pantry can become a cookie. It’s a simple way to match your mood or use up ingredients.
❀ Stay soft for days: Unlike some cookies that harden overnight, these stay tender and chewy for multiple days. Perfect for packing in lunches, sharing with friends, or sneaking a midnight snack.
❀ Kid-friendly: My 8-year-old can whip these up solo with just a little oven supervision. They are simple enough for little hands to help measure, mix, and shape.
❀ Cheap: You can make two dozen or more cookies for about the same price as a fancy coffee drink. Delicious, homemade treats without breaking the bank.
The Three Little Things That Make Cookie Magic Happen
• 1 box (15.25 oz) cake mix – Literally any flavor works. Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, store brand—doesn’t matter. Just avoid the sugar-free ones because they’re weird and don’t hold together properly.
• 2 large eggs – Room temperature is nice but not essential. Cold eggs from the fridge work fine, they just take an extra stir or two to blend in.
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil – This is what makes them impossibly soft. You could use melted butter instead (let it cool a bit first), but oil keeps them tender longer.
Want to jazz them up? Add one of these:
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini ones distribute better)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup sprinkles (stir in gently at the end so they don’t bleed)
• A teaspoon of vanilla extract never hurt anyone
Quick tip: Those cake mix boxes last forever in your pantry. Way past the expiration date. The worst that happens is they lose a tiny bit of rising power, but for cookies? Who cares.
The Easiest Step-By-Step You’ll Ever Follow
1 Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Do NOT skip the parchment unless you enjoy scraping cookies off pans with a butter knife.
2 Dump everything in a bowl. Seriously. Cake mix, eggs, oil—all of it. No fancy order, no room temperature requirements, no stress.
3 Stir until it looks like cookie dough. Should take maybe 30 seconds with a wooden spoon. Don’t overthink this part. When you can’t see dry cake mix anymore, you’re done.
4 Let it sit for a couple minutes. The dough needs a hot minute to hydrate. Perfect time to clear the mixing bowl out of your way and maybe steal a tiny taste.
5 Scoop onto your cookie sheets. Cookie scoop makes life easier, but two spoons work fine. Make them about golf ball-sized and give them some room to spread—they’re not shy about taking up space.
6 Bake for 8-10 minutes. Here’s the thing: they’ll look underdone when they’re actually perfect. The edges should be just barely set, but the centers will still look soft and maybe a little wet. That’s exactly what you want.
7 Leave them alone for 5 minutes. Let them chill on the hot pan to finish cooking. Then move them to a cooling rack or just eat them warm (no judgment here).
8 Store however you want. Airtight container, cookie jar, hidden in the pantry where the kids can’t find them—your choice. They stay soft for about a week.
The Tiny Details That Make or Break These Cookies
❀ Pick your cake mix flavor strategically. Chocolate makes fudgy cookies that are amazing with white chocolate chips. Funfetti gives you instant party cookies. Lemon is surprisingly incredible and makes people think you’re fancy.
❀ Don’t flatten the dough balls. This isn’t regular cookie dough—these 3 ingredient cake mix cookies know how to spread themselves. Flattening them just makes them thin and crispy instead of soft and chewy.
❀ Trust the timer, not your eyes. These cookies look raw when they’re done. Seriously. If they look fully baked in the oven, they’re probably overdone. Pull them when the edges are set but centers still jiggle slightly.
❀ Double the batch without thinking twice. Two cake mixes, four eggs, 2/3 cup oil. Same method, double the cookies. Perfect for when you need to feed a crowd or want to freeze some dough balls for later.
❀ The finger test works perfectly. Gently press the center of a cookie. If it springs back but still feels soft, they’re done. If your finger leaves a dent, give them another minute.
Nutrition Breakdown
Per cookie (makes about 30):
• Calories: 95
• Carbs: 14g
• Protein: 1g
• Fat: 4g
• Sugar: 10g
• Sodium: 115mg
❀ These numbers are estimates and will vary depending on your cake mix brand and any add-ins.
Everything You’ve Wanted to Ask About Cake Mix Cookies
➲ Do sugar-free or gluten-free cake mixes work?
Sugar-free ones are a disaster—they fall apart and taste weird. But gluten-free cake mixes (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill) work perfectly! Same measurements, same method, same delicious results.
➲ Why did my cookies spread into pancakes?
Usually means your kitchen is too hot or you used too much oil. If it’s summer and your house is warm, stick the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. Also double-check that oil measurement—a little extra goes a long way.
➲ Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely! Scoop the dough, freeze the balls on a cookie sheet, then bag them up. Bake straight from frozen, just add a minute or two to the time. Game changer for busy weeks.
➲ My cookies turned out dry and crumbly. What happened?
You overbaked them. These 3 ingredient cake mix cookies should look slightly underdone when you take them out. Also make sure you measured that 1/3 cup of oil correctly—too little makes them dry.
Final Word Before You Go Preheat the Oven
Look, these 3 ingredient cake mix cookies aren’t going to win any fancy baking competitions. But they will save your butt when you need homemade cookies fast, keep your kids happy, and honestly taste way better than they have any right to. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones.
❀ Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (Ready in 15 Minutes!)
❀ Rich & Soft Fudgy Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies (Ready in 30 Min!)
❀ Quick & Delicious Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (20 Min prep)
❀ Healthy Date Snickers Recipe (Ready in 20 Minutes!)
What’s your favorite cake mix flavor for these cookies? I’d love to hear! Drop a comment and let me know. Chocolate chip lovers always come out in full force, but team Funfetti has some serious devotees too. It’s so fun to see all the creative flavor combinations everyone comes up with.
If you want to save this recipe for later, don’t forget to pin it to Pinterest so you can find it easily next time a cookie craving hits. Your future self will thank you when you can whip up a batch in under 20 minutes.
3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box 15.25 oz cake mix, any flavor
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil in large bowl until combined.
- Let dough rest 2-3 minutes.
- Scoop dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are set but centers look slightly underdone.
- Cool on pan 5 minutes before transferring.
