Sprinkles are so fun to make and they last a LONG time. You can make them long, short, bright or muted and add an easy but very festive and personal flourish to any dessert.
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Vanilla: This is totally optional, feel free to use more water if you’d like to skip or add another flavor like almond extract..
Food Coloring: I used gel food coloring but any kind will work. See below for a list of natural colors to use.
How to Make Homemade Sprinkles
1. Sift a cup of the powdered sugar into a large bowl. It’s important to sift so no small clumps clog your piping tip later on.
2. Add the light corn syrup, vanilla if using, and 1.5 tbsp water.
3. Beat until smooth. You can add more water a teaspoon at a time if needed. Once smooth add the remaining powdered sugar and mix. The final consistency should be thick but smooth and flowing.
4. Separate the icing into however many batches you’d like then mix food coloring in until desired color is reached. The sprinkles will fade a bit as they dry so go ahead and add a bit more color than you might otherwise.
5. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 3, 4, or 5 tip and then pipe straight lines onto a piece of parchment paper. Don’t worry if they’re crooked or wavy because you’ll be breaking them up anyways. You can also pipe small dots for confetti sprinkles if desired. Allow them to dry out overnight.
6. Once your sprinkles are dry you can chop them with a knife or break them apart with your hands. Since they’re homemade you can cut them to any length you like. I actually love the look of really long ones sprinkled on top of a cake but any size will look nice.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
- To pipe straight lines keep the tip half an inch above the paper; squeeze and pull forward.
- Add a bit more food coloring than you think you need. The sprinkles will fade a bit as they dry.
- No piping tip? No Problem! Just snip the tip off of a plastic sandwich bag or roll a piece of parchment paper into a piping bag.
- This is a great activity to do with kids. If little ones are helping you in the kitchen just have them break the sprinkles with their hands instead of using a knife. It’s more fun and safer.
- You can easily double this recipe for a larger batch. The sprinkles keep for quite a while so it’s nice to have some on hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some natural colors I can use?
Yellow: Turmeric
Pink: Raspberry juice or powder.
Green: Matcha Powder
Blue: Blue spirulina
Do I need a piping tip to make these?
You don’t need a piping tip. I made a batch by snipping the tip off of a piping bag and it works just fine. You can also use a sealable plastic storage bag instead or even roll a piece or parchment paper into a piping bag.
How long do homemade sprinkles last?
Your sprinkles will last about a year. Make sure to keep them in an airtight container so they are protected from humidity.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Homemade Sprinkles recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Homemade Sprinkles
Equipment
- Piping bag and tip or plastic sandwich bag
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar divided
- 2 tbsp water cool
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional
- Gel food coloring
Instructions
- Sift the a cup of the powdered sugar into a large bowl then add the corn syrup, vanilla if using, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and beat until smooth. You can add more water a teaspoon at a time if needed.
- Once smooth sift in the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined. The final consistency should be thick but pipeable.
- Divide the icing into batches if you're making different colored sprinkles then mix in food coloring until the desired color is reached.
- Transfer to piping bags either fitted with 3, 4, or 5 tips, or with the tip snipped off then pipe lines onto a sheet of parchment paper and set aside to dry out overnight.
- Once dry you can cut the sprinkles into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Notes
- To pipe straight lines keep the tip half an inch above the paper; squeeze and pull forward.
- Add a bit more food coloring than you think you need. The sprinkles will fade a bit as they dry.
- No piping tip? No Problem! Just snip the tip off of a plastic sandwich bag or roll a piece of parchment paper into a piping bag.
- This is a great activity to do with kids. If little ones are helping you in the kitchen just have them break the sprinkles with their hands instead of using a knife. It's more fun and safer.
- You can easily double this recipe for a larger batch. The sprinkles keep for quite a while so it's nice to have some on hand.
- Pipe lots of small dots for confetti sprinkles.
Nutrition
Hi John! I love the idea of making my own sprinkles, especially since it looks like a fun recipe to have my daughter help with too! Any idea on how to adapt the recipe for chocolate sprinkles??
how FUN!
I haven’t made these yet but what a fun idea! Now I can have colored sprinkles customized to whatever I am making or my color scheme. I love it! ❤️