How to Make Edible Glitter

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Edible glitter is a fun garnish sprinkled on cakes, donuts, cookies, and other baked goods. Although ready-made glitter is also available, you can make your own because it’s easy and fun. Different methods will produce different results in the size, sparkle, and color of the glitter. Experiment with different styles to find the one that works best for your project.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Simple glitter made of raw sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) raw or cane sugar
Liquid, gel or natural food coloring

Fine emulsion made of Gum-Tex or tylose powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) Gum-Tex or tylose powder
At least teaspoon of food coloring spray or glitter powder
4 tablespoons boiling water

Brightly colored glitter made of Arabic Gum

1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) gum Arabic
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) hot water
Food coloring spray or glitter powder (minimum teaspoon)

Glitter glitter made of gelatin

1 tablespoon (15 ml) unflavored gelatin powder
3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water
At least teaspoon of food coloring spray or glitter powder
Liquid food coloring (optional)

Simple glitter made of raw sugar

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Preheat the oven to 177 degrees Celsius and line the baking tray with parchment paper. You can also use a silicone baking sheet if you have one, but don’t use cling film, as it’s not oven-safe. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Measure out ¼ cup (60 ml) of raw or cane sugar. Look for large granulated sugar, often labeled as “raw” or “cane sugar.” Sand sugar is much finer grained and will have less sparkle. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You can also use granulated sugar if you want more color than sparkle.

Mix the sugar with a few drops of food coloring in a small bowl. Food coloring can be in liquid or gel form. You can also make your own food coloring using natural ingredients like vegetable juices, fruits, and spices. Continue mixing until the color is completely dissolved and blended with the sugar. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

To create new colors, you can try mixing different colors, for example green can be mixed with 1 drop of blue and 2 drops of yellow.

Fine emulsion made of Gum-Tex or tylose powder

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Preheat the oven to 135 degrees Celsius and line the bottom of the baking tray with parchment paper. You can also use a silicone baking sheet if you have one, but don’t use cling film, as it’s not oven-safe. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Measure out 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of gum-Tex or tylose powder. Gum-Tex and tylose powder are white fine powders used to make fondant and icing sugar. You can buy these ingredients at your grocery store, craft store, or online. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Mix flour with glitter food coloring in small bowl. Start with about ¼ teaspoon of glitter powder and add gradually until desired color and intensity is achieved. ^{[9] X Research Source}

If available, you can also use spray food coloring instead of glitter powder. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Stir 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of boiling water with the ingredients in a bowl. The mixture will be thick, so you should try to grind all the lumps. Mix until the ingredients are well mixed with the water. Eventually, the gum-tex or tylose will turn into a paste. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Try adding the water slowly, one spoon at a time to avoid clumping.

Spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. The thinner the mixture, the quicker the baking time will be, but be sure to spread it evenly so that the mixture is evenly baked at the same time. You can use a food brush or a cake spatula to level it evenly.

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Bake the mixture in the oven until completely dry. The exact baking time depends on the thickness of the mixture spread on the tray, but is usually around 30 minutes. When done, the mixture will harden and peel off the tray. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Wait for the glitter to cool and break it into small pieces. Once the glitter has cooled down, you can cut it with scissors or use your hands to break the larger piece of glitter into smaller pieces to fit in a coffee grinder or food processor. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Use a coffee grinder or food processor to continue grinding the glitter. Place the glitter flakes in a coffee grinder or food processor, close the lid and blend until smooth. ^{[14] X Research Source}

You can try using a spice grinder attached to a coffee grinder if you have one.

Sieve tinsel to separate large pieces of glitter. Grind the large pieces again so that the glitter is uniformly smooth. However, you can skip this step if you are satisfied with glitter with different sizes of beads. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Store glitter in an airtight jar or container. Edible glitter can be kept for many months but will gradually decrease in luster. You should store glitter in a dry place and avoid sunlight to prolong its shelf life.

Brightly colored glitter made of Arabic eraser

Glitter glitter made of gelatin

Measure 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of unflavored gelatin powder into a small bowl. Avoid flavored gelatin powders, which are usually colored. The unflavoured variety can be mixed with colorants and shimmery moisture without affecting the taste.

Mix 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water in a bowl. Use a spatula or spatula to stir thoroughly until the mixture thickens. Mixing time may take 5 minutes. If white foam appears, you can scoop it out with a spoon. ^{[21] X Research Source}

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Add spray or glitter powder food coloring. Start with a small amount (about ¼ teaspoon) and mix more until desired color is achieved. For extra sparkle, look for spray food coloring with a pearlescent sheen.

For a deeper color, you can add a few drops of gel food coloring of the same color. ^{[22] X Research Source}

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Pour the gelatin mixture onto a large plastic sheet. A plastic cutting board or baking tray lined with cling film will work. Try to pour in the center of the plastic sheet so that the gelatin doesn’t spill over the edge. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

If the mixture does not spread all over the surface of the plastic sheet on its own, you can use a spatula to flatten it. ^{[24] X Research Sources}

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Wait overnight for the glitter to harden. If you are in a hurry, you can shorten the time by placing the mixture in front of a dehumidifier or a slightly open fan. When the gelatin is completely dry, it will curl up and peel off the plastic sheet. ^{[25] X Research Sources}

Use a coffee grinder or food processor to finely grind the glitter. You may have to break the gelatin sheet into smaller pieces to fit the blender. Close the lid and blend until smooth. ^{[26] X Research Source}

Try using a spice grinder attached to a coffee grinder if you have one available.

Advice

Edible glitter is a great garnish for baked goods, but it can also be sprinkled over drinks. Next time try sprinkling some around the rim of your cocktail for a sparkling and fun drink.
You can also use salt to make edible glitter. The problem here is that few people like it salty enough to sparkle! ^{[28] X Research Sources}

Things you need

Simple glitter made of raw sugar

Baking tray
Stencils or silicone baking sheet
Small bowl
Spoon or spatula
Sealed box for glitter (optional)

Fine emulsion made of Gum-Tex or tylose powder

Baking tray
Stencils or silicone baking sheet
Small bowl
Fork or whisk
Food brush or dredge (optional)
Coffee grinder or food grinder
Sieve
Sealed box for glitter (optional)

Brightly colored glitter made of Arabic eraser

Baking tray
Stencils or silicone baking sheet
Small bowl
Fork or whisk
Small and clean food brush or paint brush
Sieve (optional)
Sealed box for glitter (optional)

Glitter glitter made of gelatin

Small bowl
Spoon or spatula
Large plastic sheets, such as a plastic cutting board or a baking tray lined with food wrap
Spoon (optional)
Coffee grinder or food grinder
Sieve
Sealed box for glitter (optional)

Ingredient

Simple glitter made of raw sugar

Fine emulsion made of Gum-Tex or tylose powder

Brightly colored glitter made of Arabic Gum

Glitter glitter made of gelatin

Steps

Simple glitter made of raw sugar

Fine emulsion made of Gum-Tex or tylose powder

Brightly colored glitter made of Arabic eraser

Glitter glitter made of gelatin

Advice

Things you need

Simple glitter made of raw sugar

Fine emulsion made of Gum-Tex or tylose powder

Brightly colored glitter made of Arabic eraser

Glitter glitter made of gelatin

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