These homemade sprinkles come together with just four simple ingredients and a few minutes of mixing. They’re colorful, sweet, and perfect for topping cookies, cakes, brownies, and ice cream. Best of all, you can customize them for every season and celebration without relying on store-bought decorations filled with extra additives.
If you’ve never made sprinkles at home before, you’ll be surprised how easy they are.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Only 4 ingredients – Simple pantry staples you likely already have on hand.
- Budget friendly – No need to buy specialty sprinkles for every holiday.
- Customizable – Match any season, party, or theme.
- Beginner friendly – No special skills or fancy tools required.
- Made from scratch – A small touch that makes homemade desserts feel even more special.
There’s something special about stocking a farmhouse kitchen with simple things made from scratch.
As often as we can, we bake our own bread, mix our own frostings, and simmer our own sauces — so why not make our own sprinkles too?
How to Make Homemade Sprinkles (Easy 4-Ingredient Recipe)
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 Teaspoons Milk or water
- ¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract optional, or other flavoring
- Gel food coloring preferred for vibrant colors
Instructions
How to Make Homemade Sprinkles
- Mix the Icing. In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.1 Cup Powdered Sugar, 2-3 Teaspoons Milk, ¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- The consistency should be thick but pipeable — similar to royal icing. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add milk one drop at a time.
- Add Color. Divide the icing into small bowls and stir in gel food coloring until evenly blended.Gel food coloring
- Gel coloring works best because it keeps the icing thick while producing vibrant color.
- Pipe the Sprinkles. Transfer the icing to a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe thin lines onto parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Keep the lines as straight and thin as possible. Or pipe tiny dots or other shapes.
- Let Them Dry. Allow the piped icing to dry at room temperature for 12–24 hours, or until completely hardened. Do not rush this step — they must be fully dry before breaking.
- Break into Sprinkles. Once dry, gently break the hardened icing strips into small sprinkle-sized pieces.
- That’s it — just a simple icing piped and dried into classic “jimmies.” Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Your Own Private Notes
Notes
How Much Does This Recipe Make?
With 1 cup powdered sugar, this typically yields: About ¾ to 1 cup of finished sprinkles Or you can say: Enough to generously decorate 24 cupcakes or a 9×13 cake If piped very thin, it can stretch even further.Tips for Success
Before you begin, here are a few simple tips to help your homemade sprinkles turn out beautifully every time: Start with a slightly deeper color.The icing will lighten as it dries, so mix your color just a shade darker than your final goal. Pipe thin lines.
Thin lines dry faster and break into classic sprinkle-sized pieces. Thick lines can take much longer to dry and may remain soft inside. Use gel food coloring.
Gel colors give vibrant color without thinning the icing. Liquid food coloring can make the mixture too runny. Allow plenty of drying time.
Sprinkles must be completely dry before breaking apart. In humid kitchens, this may take a full 24 hours. A dehydrator can speed things up.
If you live in a humid climate, a dehydrator set on low can help them dry more quickly and evenly. (Be sure not to overheat, or they may crack.) Customize the size and shape.
Break them into shorter pieces for confetti-style sprinkles, or pipe small dots, stars, or hearts for special occasions.
Nutrition
Natural Color Options
If you prefer to avoid artificial dyes, you can color your sprinkles naturally using pantry ingredients.
Try:
- Beet powder for pink
- Turmeric for yellow
- Matcha powder for green
- Cocoa powder for brown
- Blueberry powder for soft purple
Natural colors will be more muted than store-bought shades, but they give baked goods a beautiful, rustic look.
Do I Need to Use a Piping Bag?
A piping bag makes the process much easier, especially for creating long, even lines.
However, you don’t need anything fancy.
You can use:
- A reusable piping bag
- Disposable piping bags
- A zip-top plastic bag with a small corner snipped off
If using a zip-top bag, cut a very small opening to keep the lines thin and controlled.
Which Piping Tip Works Best?
If you have piping tips, a small round tip works best for classic jimmies.
Good options include:
- Round tip #3
- Round tip #4
- Round tip #5
These create thin, uniform lines that break easily into sprinkle-sized pieces.
If you don’t have tips, simply snip a very small hole in the bag — about the size of a pencil tip — and pipe carefully.
Remember, perfection isn’t the goal. A few variations in size are part of the charm of homemade sprinkles.
Optional Flavor Variations
Sprinkles are mostly decorative, but you can add subtle flavor if you like.
Use small amounts so the icing doesn’t become too thin:
- Almond extract
- Lemon or orange extract
- Peppermint extract (great for winter baking)
- Maple extract (lovely for fall treats)
- A pinch of cinnamon or espresso powder
Keep flavors light — just enough to complement the dessert underneath.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even though this recipe is simple, a few small missteps can affect how your sprinkles turn out. Here’s what to watch for:
Icing is too thin.
If the mixture spreads when piped, it’s too thin. Add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until it holds its shape.
Lines are too thick.
Thicker lines take much longer to dry and may stay soft in the center. Keep them thin for classic sprinkle size and even drying.
Not allowing enough drying time.
Sprinkles must be fully hardened before breaking. If they bend instead of snap, they need more time.
Using liquid food coloring.
Liquid coloring can thin the icing too much. Gel coloring works best for strong color and proper consistency.
Storing before fully dry.
Any moisture left in the sprinkles can cause clumping in storage. When in doubt, let them dry a few extra hours.
How to Use Homemade Sprinkles
Use these just like traditional jimmies:
- On frosted sugar cookies
- On cupcakes before the frosting sets
- Stirred into buttercream
- On brownies or bars
- Topping a scoop of ice cream
They adhere best when placed on fresh frosting or glaze.
Storage Tips
Store sprinkles in an airtight container at room temperature.
They will keep for up to 2–3 months as long as they are fully dried before storing. If they soften due to humidity, spread them on parchment and allow them to air dry again.
Why Did My Sprinkles Crack?
A little cracking is normal, especially when breaking the dried icing into smaller pieces. However, large cracks or crumbling can happen for a few reasons:
The icing was too dry.
If too much powdered sugar was added, the mixture may have been overly thick. Next time, add liquid a drop at a time until the icing is smooth and pipeable.
They dried too quickly.
High heat or placing them in a dehydrator at too high a temperature can cause surface cracking. Dry them at room temperature or on a very low setting.
The lines were too thin.
Very fine lines can become fragile once dry. Slightly thicker lines may hold together better while still breaking into classic sprinkle sizes.
Keep in mind — small imperfections are part of homemade charm and won’t affect how they taste or decorate your baked goods.
Why Are My Sprinkles Sticky?
Sticky sprinkles are almost always caused by moisture.
They weren’t fully dry before storing.
Even a small amount of trapped moisture can cause them to soften in an airtight container.
Humidity in the kitchen.
If you live in a humid climate, drying may take a full 24 hours or longer.
Storage container had moisture.
Make sure the container is completely dry before adding the sprinkles.
How to Fix Sticky Sprinkles
Spread them back out on parchment paper and allow them to air dry again for several hours. In humid conditions, a dehydrator on low can help restore firmness.
Can I Make These Ahead of Time?
Yes! Homemade sprinkles are perfect for making ahead, especially if you’re preparing for holidays, birthdays, or seasonal baking.
Once completely dry, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep well for2–3 months as long as they are fully hardened before storing.
For best results:
- Allow at least 24 hours of drying time before storing.
- Keep them in a cool, dry place away from humidity.
- Label the container with the date if making them far in advance.
If they soften slightly over time, simply spread them back out on parchment paper and allow them to air dry for a few hours.
Making sprinkles ahead of time is a simple way to stay organized in the kitchen — and it makes decorating day feel easy and stress-free.
A Simple Farmhouse Touch
Making your own sprinkles may seem like a small thing, but it’s one of those simple kitchen projects that adds charm to homemade desserts.
When you take the time to make even the decorations from scratch, it turns an everyday cupcake into something thoughtful and memorable.
And that’s what a wholesome farmhouse kitchen is all about — simple ingredients, made with care, shared with the people you love.
Easy and fun to make. Everyone loves breaking these apart too.