With the rainy Spring days upon us, what better way to spend your time trapped indoors than to dye sprinkles! I've gotten asked a few times where I buy most of my sprinkles, so today I'm spilling the beans (or should I say spilling the sprinkles?) about where I find these tiny bits of fun.
My sprinkle collection originated years ago when my family would visit nearby Amish shops each summer. Their shops were filled with bulk goodies, but the tubs of super cheap sprinkles were my main plan of attack each time we visited. I'd walk out of those cute little shops with a plastic bag filled with about every color they had for sale (all for about $10!) and get strange looks from people who probably already knew sprinkle hoarding was in my future.
Now that I'm older, we don't make those trips as often as we used to, so it's safe to say that my sprinkle sources have changed. Now days, I usually just hit up Amazon to buy a big bag of white sprinkles & food coloring to concoct a palette of DIY sprinkles . Oh, how times have changed this 90's child.
I bought this set of gel food coloring a few months back, and it has been sitting on my craft table for this exact day. I used to use these type of gel colors when I was big into cake decorating, so I already knew how well they performed in the vibrancy department. I'll warn you now that this post is probably going to sound like a big sponsored advertisement for AmeriColor.
But considering they don't even know I exist, it's merely a happy customer who happens to have a sprinkle obsession. But seriously, the AmeriColor gel coloring is the best I've found and they pack a huge color punch, in even the tiniest drop of gel. Meaning, they will last forever because you don't have to use half a bottle in order to get the color you want!

For lighter/pastel colors, you seriously only need the tiniest amount of gel on the toothpick (about .25 inch). If you're wanting a more vibrant color, you can dip the toothpick further into the bottle. This method assures that you don't drown your sprinkles in too much dye, and it also helps you control the color more!

Materials/Where to Buy Supplies:
White Sprinkles // Food Coloring Gel
Plastic Ziploc Bagsย //ย Sturdy Toothpicks (Avoid flimsy ones that could break off)
I'm planning to use all these sprinkles in upcoming photoshoots, and the best part is that I can always mix more if I'm missing a certain color! If you're looking for a few ways to use these DIY sprinkles, hop on over here for some fun ideas! I hope this post was informative & helped all you curious cats who have been asking about this method.
This method also works for any type of white sprinkle (pearls, nonpareils, etc.), so have fun with it, and experiment with different kinds (although I haven't tried sanding sugar yet!). If you have any questions, leave them below and I'll be happy to help!
This is NOT a sponsored post by Americolor. All materials are personally recommended & loved!




Hi, won't the color bleed when you put them on top of cake icing? Thanks!
Hi Jessica! I haven't had that issue but I could see that maybe happening if the cake is somewhere warm. To prevent it though, you could add a drop of vanilla extract (or any alcohol based extract) to bag and it will help them dry even faster.
I'm going to make a note to do a more official test on this though and will add the notes to the post!
Hi Dian - Sure! With all features, all I ask is that only one image is used from the post and the link directs back to the actual post link (and not the printable PDF page).
Thanks, Melissa! I agree, AmeriColor is awesome because the bottles literally last forever. Plus, I always feel weird eating something with half a bottle of coloring in it, so the fact that you can still get vibrant colors without boatloads of dye makes me love it even more!
Oh, I love this story Tavette! Thanks so much for sharing! I've never thought of coloring regular sugar. I'm going to research this oven method and see what I find! :)
Yes! Coloring your own is the perfect solution to all those colors in between. I was just looking on Amazon and they have another fun set that has more neon colors...which I think I also "need."
PS. I approve putting sprinkles on your son's sundae. Sprinkles belong on everything! :)
I've never even thought of dying my own sprinkles. Would it work the same with Wilton gel colouring?
Wilton should work too! I just tried it with the navy blue Wilton gel I had on hand, and it seemed to work just fine! I can't attest to the vibrancy of the colors (considering I only have boring navy blue), but it would be worth a shot!