• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

In the Kitch

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Mother's Day
  • Recipe Index
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Mother's Day
    • Recipe Index
    • Guides
    • Tutorials
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    In the Kitch » Recipes » Holiday Recipes

    Updated: Nov 18, 2024 · Published: Dec 7, 2022 by Joss Dyckson · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Homemade Christmas Sprinkles

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Homemade candy sprinkles in jars with text overlay that says 'Holiday Sprinkles'.
    Christmas sprinkles in jar with holiday decorations.
    Christmas sprinkles in open jar with text overlay that says 'Christmas cookies sprinkles'.

    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.

    Red, green and white sprinkles in a small jar with a red ribbon and a spoon on the side.
    Jump to:
    • D.I.Y. Holiday Sprinkles: Festive, Edible, and Easy!
    • Ingredients & Tools
    • Recipe Tweaks
    • How to Make Christmas Candy Sprinkles
    • Tips For Making Christmas Sprinkles
    • Storage
    • More Holiday Baking You Will Love
    • 📋Recipe

    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 gift idea for family and friends!
    • They make great toppings for Christmas cookies, cupcakes, 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.

    Ingredients & Tools

    Christmas candy sprinkles ingredients labeled on light background.
    • 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

    • 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.
    • 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

    Frosting mixture in small bowl with spoon.

    Step 1: 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.

    Colored Christmas sprinkle mixtures in small bowls.

    Step 2: 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.

    Red, green and white Christmas candy sprinkle mixtures in piping bags.

    Step 3: Transfer the mixture into 3 piping bags with #4 Wilton tips (you will have three colors: red, green and white).

    Christmas candy sprinkle lines drying on wax paper lined baking sheet.

    Step 4: 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.

    Christmas candy dots drying on wax paper.

    Step 5: You can also make some small dots or other shapes if desired. Do this with each color.

    Christmas candy dots dried on wax paper.

    Step 6: 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.

    Christmas candy sprinkles on wax paper.

    Step 7: Use a knife to cut the horizontal lines into small Christmas sprinkles (or just use your hands to break them apart).

    Christmas baking sprinkles in jar with candle on the side.

    Step 8: Transfer to a small, airtight container. Use the Christmas sprinkles for your Christmas baking, desserts, drinks and more!

    Tips For Making Christmas Sprinkles

    • Try to keep the piping tip about ½" above the wax paper when piping. The tip shouldn't touch the wax paper.
    • 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!
    • 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.
    • One thing to keep in mind when adding your food coloring is that the color may fade slightly as the sprinkles dry, so be sure to add extra coloring if you want to maintain a deep and vibrant color.
    • 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.

    Storage

    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.

    Christmas candy sprinkles in decorated jar.

    More Holiday Baking You Will Love

    • Cranberry white chocolate cake pops sprinkled with cinnamon in decorative jar.
      Cranberry White Chocolate Cake Pops
    • Coffee cake loaf with Christmas decorations.
      Christmas Coffee Cake
    • Christmas spice cake pops with beige ribbons tied around the treat stick.
      Christmas Spice Cake Pops
    • Cranberry biscotti scattered on baking rack.
      Cranberry Biscotti

    If you tried this Homemade Christmas Sprinkles Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!

    📋Recipe

    Christmas sprinkles in jar with red ribbon.

    Homemade Christmas Sprinkles

    Joss Dyckson
    With this recipe, you can have festive red, green and white, edible Christmas sprinkles on hand to use in a myriad of different holiday desserts.
    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Resting Time 12 hours hrs
    Total Time 12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, garnish
    Cuisine American, Canadian
    Servings 16 tablespoons
    Calories 50 kcal

    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.
    • 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

    • Piping bag
    • #4 Wilton tip
    • Wax paper

    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.
    • Cutting 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

    Calories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 0.001gFat: 0.003gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 0.4mgFiber: 0.004gSugar: 12gCalcium: 0.3mgIron: 0.01mg

    Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.

    Want to see our recipes in action?Subscribe to our channel on Youtube!

    More Holiday Recipes

    • Cocktail syrups infusing in bottles.
      How to Prepare Cocktail Syrups
    • Roasted beets and turnips in wooden serving bowl.
      Christmas Side Dish: Roasted Beet & Turnip Duo
    • Gingerbread latte and gingerbread coffee syrup.
      Gingerbread Coffee Syrup (+ Latte)
    • Sliced bison roast on white serving dish with vegetables.
      Slow Cooker Bison Roast
    79 shares
    • Share7
    • Tweet
    • Email
    • Bluesky
    • Reddit

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Joss D author image.

    Hi, I'm Joss!

    I am the creator and editor of In the Kitch. I am inviting you on this food journey with me to learn, grow and bring out that inner chef in you. I hope to inspire you to get creative in your own kitchen!

    More about me →

    Mother's Day Recipes

    • Spring white wine sangria in wine glass.
      Spring White Wine Sangria

    • Strawberry shortcake ice cream in martini glasses with syrup pouring out of spoon.
      Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream

    • Lemon basil pasta with chicken and Parmesan cheese on plate.
      Lemon Basil Pasta (with Chicken)

    • Roasted white asparagus with capers and fresh dill.
      Roasted White Asparagus

    • Strawberry liqueur in jar with fresh strawberries on the side.
      Strawberry Liqueur

    • Iced lemon mousse in small jars.
      Iced Lemon Mousse

    Popular

    • Peanut butter soup in a speckled bowl.
      Peanut Butter Soup

    • Cake pop frosting in bowl with spatula.
      Cake Pop Frosting & Coating

    • Cake mix cake pops in small pails with sprinkles on top.
      How to Make Cake Pops with Cake Mix

    • Hamburger scrambled eggs in cast iron pan.
      Hamburger Scrambled Eggs

    • Electric skillet fried chicken in a dish.
      Electric Skillet Fried Chicken

    • Electric skillet pot roast with vegetables on serving tray.
      Electric Skillet Pot Roast

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    In the Kitch

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Statement

    About

    • About
    • The Team

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 In the Kitch

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.