How much you charge for cupcakes depends on several factors, including the size of the cupcakes, ingredients used, your competitor’s pricing, the time it takes to bake and make, and even the level of decoration intricacy… to name a few variables! But don’t worry in this post, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re an online baker, home baker, or own a storefront, we’ll break down each category, and by the end, you’ll know how to price your cupcakes!
Pricing cupcakes is a difficult task for many bakers. When it comes to baking, people often say, “the love goes into the ingredients,” but when it comes to pricing, you might want to consider how much time and money went into your cupcakes. Pricing is an important part of selling food online, at home, or in a storefront because if you price too high, then nobody will buy them. If you price too low, then there’s no profit for yourself (or any employees).
Weighing the cost of materials, time spent on baking and decorating, and overhead costs can lead to very different numbers, even for bakers in the same locale. Other factors to take into consideration when trying to figure out how much you’ll charge range from charging less per cupcake for a dozen and how to price mini cupcakes vs. normal size vs. jumbo and even filled cupcakes. While it seems overwhelming at first, you’ll be happy you have a complete pricing guide when all is said and done.
So, grab a pen and paper, pull up your favorite cupcake calculator, or use our favorite (mentioned below) and get pricing!
What Is The Average Cost of A Cupcake?
Right off the bat, we want to make sure we stress that pricing varies greatly by locale. So it’s important to do your research and find out the average price in your area and by type of business. A homemade cupcake will go for less than a storefront bought one while an online cupcake is going to go for more than a homemade, and a storefront in most cases due to the cost of shipping, which not only includes postage but packing materials.
Looking at storefront cupcakes in the Eastern United States, prices for a single cupcake with buttercream icing and minimal decoration range from $4 to $5.50 per serving. For a box of 12 standard-size cupcakes, you’re looking at around $40, and for dozen of mini cupcakes, it’s still around $20 bucks.
Most home bakeries will sell a single homemade cupcake for roughly $3, although some may charge more. Pricing a dozen standard-size cupcakes is around $25 and around $15 for 12 mini cupcakes.
Online bakeries tend to charge more due to shipping and packing materials. Take Sprinkles cupcakes. While they are very well-known, they charge $99 to ship a dozen cupcakes. This is in part due to their brand name, but even smaller-scale online bakeries tend to charge around $50 for a dozen cupcakes, which may or may not include shipping.
How Much To Charge For Cupcakes?
Ah, the loaded question – How much should you charge for your cupcakes? Well, if you just want a simple general answer with no business specifics, then here ya go. (Btw, we don’t recommend basing your pricing off of the info below. If you want a more in-depth look at how to price your cupcakes properly, keep reading!)
If you are baking highly decorated cupcakes for a wedding or a party, you might charge anywhere from $5 to $8 per cupcake. Whereas, if you are baking standard cupcakes with standard frostings, your cupcake price should fall anywhere from $3 to $5 per cupcake.
For mini cupcakes, you should charge around $1 – $2 per cupcake.
However, this isn’t a standard way of pricing. Your cupcake price should also depend on the customer’s preferences. If your customer ordered cupcakes that will cost you hours to make, you definitely have to charge more. But, if your customers only want plain cupcakes, even if it is a grandeur celebration, you should charge only a minimum. Pricing should still be based on the type and style of the cupcake you will be baking for your customers.
How much should A Business Savvy Baker charge for cupcakes
The price of your cupcakes will vary depending on five factors: the occasion at which they will be served, the size of the cupcakes, the cost of ingredients, the flavor combinations, and the decoration.
How To Price Cupcakes: Five Factors To Making a Profit
1. The Occasion
The occasion at which the cupcakes will be served should be a deciding factor on pricing. (YES, you can charge more based just on what the cupcake is for. In fact, this is common practice. )
Create a catalog of cupcake designs and flavors for different occasions, do not include pricing so that you are free to adjust as needed. People will pay more for weddings, large holiday celebrations, important life milestones, etc.
On the other hand, if the cupcake is a simple gift for Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, your cupcake pricing should stay in your normal range, depending on if it’s something special ordered, or readily available.
Pricing is a skill, and being able to gauge your customer and knowing your market will help you make a profit and thrive in a saturated market.
2. The Size
Cupcakes come in a variety of sizes. Some bakeries offer mini, normal, and jumbo-sized cupcakes. The bigger the size, the more ingredients you are using, which means the cupcakes will cost more. Likewise, mini cupcakes will cost less. To put it simply, the price depends on the size of the baked product.
Mini cupcakes are likely to sell for a third of the price of large cupcakes. For example:
Plain Cupcakes
- Mini cupcake –$2
- Standard-sized cupcake– $3.50
- Large/Jumbo cupcake – $5
Flavored Cupcakes
- Mini cupcake –$2.50
- Standard-sized cupcake– $4
- Large cupcake – $5.50
Heavily-Decorated Cupcakes:
- Mini cupcake –$3
- Standard-sized cupcake– $5
- Large cupcake – $8
Again, these are just examples of cupcake pricing based on size and difficultly. To ensure that you are not overpricing or underpricing, you may use a cupcake cost calculator.
3. The Cost of Ingredients
The cost of supplies heavily influences cupcake prices. If you are new in the cupcake business, you need to figure out the cost of supplies such as flour and sugar, as well as eggs, butter, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Supplies are typically priced between $0.45 and $1.00 per cupcake on average. Moreover, you also need to add the cost of frosting and other products such as the cupcake boxes and inserts, the mixers, dishes, measuring instruments, and others.
However, if you will be running a bakery, you also have to add the cost of maintaining your establishment and paying your employees.
Running a successful cupcake business, you need to keep track of your expenses. Knowing all the expenses of supplies is crucial when it comes to selling cupcakes or other baked products, as it allows you to keep track of your spending and revenues.
For you not to overcharge your customers and be fair when it comes to pricing, you should set a minimum number of orders. There is usually a minimum order quantity of 4 to 12 cupcakes. Then, the order amount might be divided by the total cost. In that way, you can have a profitable cupcake price and a fair price for your customers.
4. The Flavor Combinations
Cupcakes can also come in different flavor combinations. You may create a wide variety of taste combos with cupcakes. Some combinations of flavors may be more expensive than others. On average, cheaper flavor combinations such as chocolate and vanilla may cost $2.50 per cupcake. For specialty flavor combinations such as blueberry and cheese, the cupcake may cost $3 or $4.
5. The Decorations
Cupcakes with decorations may cost $3 or more depending on the intricacies of the design. Decoration can be anything from sprinkles to fondant decorations. Due to the fact that they constitute an added cost, the price of cupcakes will be increased.
Again, calculate the expenses and the time you spent making the cupcakes. Remember that time is also a precious commodity. The longer the time making the cupcakes, the pricier the cupcakes should be.
How much should I charge for regular cupcakes
If you are thinking of starting a cupcake business, you need to have a catalog detailing the cupcakes you offer and their pricing. This way, you will not be wishy-washy when it comes to your cupcake prices.
Here is a quick reference chart on how much you should charge for regular cupcakes.
| Regular Cupcakes | Suggested Retail Price |
| Single | $3.00 — $5.00 |
| Six Cupcakes | $15 — $30 |
| 12 Cupcakes | $32 — $55 |
| 24 Cupcakes | $60— $105 |
You may be wondering why it’s a lot cheaper when they buy more cupcakes. Bakers do these to entice their customers that buying six cupcakes can help them save money.
Again, pricing should depend on the five factors we discussed earlier.
The chart contains only suggested prices. Since you are the cupcake boss, the price adjustments are in your hands.
How much should I charge for mini cupcakes
Mini cupcakes are trendy these days. They are a hit among kids and adults alike.
Here is a quick reference chart on how much you should charge for mini cupcakes.
| Mini Cupcakes | Suggested Retail Price |
| Single | $1.50—$2.50 |
| Six Cupcakes | $8 — $14 |
| 12 Cupcakes | $15 — $27 |
| 24 Cupcakes | $32 — $55 |
What is a good price for homemade cupcakes?
A good price for homemade cupcakes can be anywhere from$ 2 to $3 dollars depending on the size of the products. Since it’s homemade, your cupcakes should cost less than the commercial ones. It is crucial that you study the competition and the cupcake market.
How much do custom cupcakes cost?
For custom-made cupcakes, their price should fall between $3 and $5. Again, your cupcakes, even though they are custom-made, should be a tad cheaper than their bakery counterparts.
How much should I charge for a dozen homemade cupcakes?
You need to entice your customers that buying more cupcakes can help them save money. Do not just multiply the price by 12. Calculate the price and give your customers a small discount. For example, a regular homemade cupcake costs $2, and 12 regular cupcakes should cost around $22-$23. In this way, your customers will opt to buy more because they can save a dollar or two from buying a dozen.
How to calculate the price of cupcakes to sell
Cupcake Cost Calculators
Technology is truly amazing. There is a website called bakecalc.com that lets users calculate how much you should charge for your baked goods. The technology is smart and intuitive. Moreover, it is really easy to use. Try bakecalc.com and make your life easy.
How do you price homemade baked goods
To determine the price of your cupcakes, you need to take into account five different factors: when they’ll be served; their size; the cost of ingredients; their flavor combinations; as well as the adornment they’ll have.
In addition, utility costs such as water and electricity should be considered. If you’ve hired people to help you with the preparations, you’ll want to include their wages in your calculations.
Keep a close eye on your expenses, because we want to run a successful cupcake business.
How do I decide upon a good profitable price regarding selling cupcakes
There are other factors that you should consider in pricing your cupcakes. The price per cupcake should be reasonable and profitable at the same time.
Read the other business factors that you should consider before selling your sweet, delectable snack:
Know Your Costs
Knowing your costs can be very time-consuming, but it is the most important one. Here are steps that you can undertake to calculate your baking costs:
- List all the costs of the ingredients.
- Next, add up the cost of the ingredients, materials, equipment, and utility expenses that you used.
- Consider your hourly wage rate as well. Time is a precious commodity! It shouldn’t be given freely.
- Now, divide the costs by the number of cupcakes you have produced.
- And there you have it! You now have your cupcake pricing!
Consider Your Location
Your business location matters as well. If you deliver your cupcakes, you also have to compute the gas you consumed going to the delivery address. Charge your customers for delivery free as well. If your cupcakes will travel to another state, inform your clients that they have to shoulder the overnight shipping fee.
Survey the Market
A business using cupcakes is quite prevalent. People are selling their cupcakes on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Bakeries can be found all over the place. As such, how do you differentiate yourself from the crowd? The best way to find out is to conduct a market study. Identify the needs of your clients and what other bakeries may not be willing to provide them. You must offer a cupcake that no one else has done before.
Know Yourself
Knowing yourself is an important key for a successful cupcake business. My late grandmother told me that we are the reflection of the food we cook. “If you don’t like yourself and what you’re good at, how can people love your food,” my grandmother added. Although it is a bit cliché, it is important to know yourself. Through it, you can identify what you are willing to tolerate and not. In running a business, there are compromises that you make, and knowing one’s self helps in determining what compromises you are willing to take.
Research Your Competition
Is there a difference between the prices I charge for my cupcakes and those of my competitors? Are there any alternatives? Are my cupcakes superior to those of my competitors for any reason?
These are the questions that needed answering. Remember, you are not the first person to sell cupcakes. If you want to thrive in this business, you have to know what you are going against. An old proverb once said, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” And there’s wisdom in that. You learn from others, so do your research!
Disclaimer! Be careful, though, not to focus on pricing alone. Researching your competitors is not done solely for the purpose of undercutting your rivals. Do not underpriced or overpriced your cupcakes because of how your competitors price theirs. Researching your competition means learning from them and gaining wisdom on how to do better.
Cupcake Business Thoughts
Running a cupcake business is not easy. There are no secret ingredients to your sweet success. Like baking a cupcake, running a business is hard, but it is all worth it in the end.
Price your cupcakes right, treat your customers well, and follow the tips in this article for finding that sweet pricing spot!
