Why buy Christmas sprinkles from the store when you can make your own at home? It is actually incredibly easy. With this recipe, you can have festive red, green and white sprinkles on hand to use in a myriad of different holiday desserts.
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D.I.Y. Holiday Sprinkles: Festive, Edible, and Easy!
- Christmas sprinkles take only 20 minutes of prep time to make!
- They are one hundred percent edible and can be used in any way that you would normally use store-bought sprinkles.
- You can also experiment with different colors and flavors, giving them your own personal touch.
- You can decorate the container with ribbons and turn them into a fun food gift idea for family and friends!
- They make great toppings for Christmas cookies, cupcakes, Christmas bundt cake or any other form of Christmas baking such as these gingerbread cake balls.
- They could even be used as toppings for drinks like hot chocolate, DIY hot chocolate spoons or cocktails.
- These sprinkles are gluten free and vegan, making them suitable for gluten free and vegan cupcakes.
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Ingredients & Tools
- powdered sugar - Powdered sugar is the main ingredient in Christmas baking sprinkles.
- light corn syrup - You can substitute with agave nectar if preferred.
- flavoring extract - This is optional but highly recommended. You can go with basic vanilla extract or you can pick another holiday flavor like peppermint or cinnamon.
- red and green food coloring - Liquid and gel color both work.
- wax paper - You will need this to let the Christmas candy sprinkles dry on.
- piping bags - To pipe the mixture onto the wax paper in lines, dots and other shapes.
- #4 Wilton tip - You can also go smaller (with a #3 tip) depending on how large you want your Christmas sprinkles to be. Keep in mind that with a smaller tip, the mixture will be harder to pipe but it is doable.
*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.
Recipe Tweaks
- Colors: You can experiment with adding varying amounts of dye to create unique shades of sprinkles. Of course, you may also opt to make additional batches with some other colors that you associate with the holiday, such as blue and white.
- Flavors: You can experiment with flavors as much as you can colors. Instead of vanilla extract, you may want to try peppermint, cinnamon or other holiday flavors.
How to Make Christmas Candy Sprinkles
Step 1. Combine Ingredients. Lay a few pieces of wax paper out on the counter. Combine the powdered sugar, cornstarch, water, syrup and extract together until smooth and divide the mix into three bowls.
Step 2. Add Food Coloring. Add red food coloring to one bowl. Repeat with the green food coloring in the second bowl and leave the 3rd bowl as is.
Chef's Note: The mixture will be thick but you will able to pipe it.
Step 3. Prep Piping Bags. Transfer the mixture into 3 piping bags with #4 Wilton tips (you will have three colors: red, green and white).
Step 4. Draw Lines. Using your piping bag, draw long, thin, horizontal lines across the wax paper.
Chef's Note: If you only have one tip, you will have to do one color at a time.
Step 5. Make Dots. You can also make some small dots or other shapes if desired. Do this with each color.
Step 6. Set. Let sit for at least 12 hours or overnight so they can dry and harden. Once dried, peel off the dots and/or other shapes you made.
Step 7. Cut. Use a knife to cut the horizontal lines into small Christmas sprinkles. You can also use your hands to easily break them apart.
Step 8. Store. Transfer the homemade Christmas sprinkles to a small, airtight container. Use the Christmas sprinkles for your Christmas baking, desserts, drinks and more!
Joss' Top Tips
- Don't touch the wax paper with the tip. Try to keep the piping tip about ½" above the wax paper when piping. The tip shouldn't touch the wax paper or it will be hard to get lines with even thickness.
- Pipe with ease. It may seem hard to get momentum at first when piping this thick mixture through the tip, but once the bag warms in your hand a little, it gets easier!
- Cut the wax paper. After the lines have dried, you may find it easier to cut the sheets of wax paper into 2 to 3 pieces with scissors before transferring to a cutting board. Then you can proceed with cutting the lines into sprinkles.
- Achieve vivid colors that last. One thing to keep in mind when adding your food coloring is that the color may fade slightly as the Christmas sprinkles dry, so be sure to add extra coloring if you want to maintain a deep and vibrant color.
- Don't stress if you don't have a piping bag. If you do not have piping bags, cutting the tip of a sandwich bag will work in a pinch; just be extra careful not to make the hole too large.
- Adjust your speed as you pipe out the sprinkles; you want your lines to be relatively thin and even. Keep it moving for straighter lines, but do not worry too much about making them perfect, since you will be chopping them into small pieces anyway and imperfection equals character.
Homemade Christmas Sprinkles FAQs
These Christmas sprinkles will keep for several weeks in your pantry, so you could easily prepare a batch early in the season and keep using them for holiday festivities as needed.
A small glass jar works well but you can also use sandwich bags or small plastic containers.
Yes! You can eat these sprinkles. They are sweet and delicious!
More Holiday Treats You Will Love
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📋Recipe
Homemade Christmas Sprinkles
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup or agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract - optional - or you can pick another holiday flavor like peppermint or cinnamon
- red and green food coloring - can use gel or liquid
Instructions
- Lay a few pieces of wax paper out on the counter. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cornstarch, water, syrup and extract together until smooth. Divide the mix into three separate bowls.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon light corn syrup or agave nectar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add red food coloring to one bowl and combine until desired color is reached. Repeat with the green food coloring in the second bowl and leave the 3rd bowl as is. The mixture will be thick but you will able to pipe it.
- Transfer the mixture into 3 piping bags with #4 Wilton tips (you will have three colors: red, green and white). If you only have one tip, you will have to do one color at a time.
- Using your piping bag, draw long, thin, horizontal lines across the wax paper. You can also make some small dots or other shapes if desired. Do this with each color. Let sit for at least 12 hours or overnight so they can dry and harden.
- Once dried, peel off the dots and/or other shapes you made. Use a knife to cut the horizontal lines into small sprinkles (or just use your hands to break them apart). Transfer to a small, airtight container.
- Use these Christmas candy sprinkles for your Christmas baking, desserts and drinks!
Equipment
Notes
- Yield: This recipe yields about 1 cup sprinkles.
- Piping Tip Size: A smaller tip like #3 will give you finer sprinkles, but it will be harder to pipe.
- Piping Tip: Try to keep the piping tip about ½" above the wax paper when piping. The tip shouldn't touch the wax paper. Keep it moving for straighter lines.
- Alternative to Piping Bag: If you do not have piping bags, cutting the tip of a sandwich bag will work in a pinch; just be extra careful not to make the hole too large.
- Wax Paper Tip: To making cutting easier once the candy lines have dried, I like to cut the wax paper sheets into 2 to 3 pieces with scissors and then transfer to a cutting board.
- Storage: These sprinkles will keep for several weeks in your pantry, so you could easily prepare a batch early in the season and keep using them for holiday festivities as needed. A small glass jar works well but you can also use sandwich bags or small plastic containers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Joss says
This is a super fun recipe! The sprinkles are perfect for holiday baking, treats and even drinks.