2025-03-04
HOW TO MAKE EDIBLE GLITTER
Two recipes for edible glitter using natural and accessible ingredients
Glitter on a cake is more than just a beautiful decoration—it’s pure magic! It adds a subtle shimmer and depth, making the dessert’s surface look more “alive” and striking
Glitter can also enhance the theme of a cake’s design. On space-themed cakes, it mimics the twinkle of stars. On winter cakes, it sparkles like glistening snow. For children’s cakes, it creates a fairytale-like effect. Glitter looks especially stunning on cakes with minimalist or monochrome designs—its delicate shimmer draws attention without overwhelming the overall look, creating an elegant accent.
We use both store-bought and homemade glitter. In this article, we’ll share two simple recipes—one based on starch and another using gelatin. Both recipes are easy to make, and the glitter is completely safe to use.
We use both store-bought and homemade glitter. In this article, we’ll share two simple recipes—one based on starch and another using gelatin. Both recipes are easy to make, and the glitter is completely safe to use.
Left: Gelatin-Based Glitter. Right: Starch-Based Glitter
Cornstarch Glitter
To fully cover a cake with a 16 cm (6.3 inches) diameter and 10 cm (4 inches) height, you will need approximately 3-4 batches of glitter.
Ingredients:
To fully cover a cake with a 16 cm (6.3 inches) diameter and 10 cm (4 inches) height, you will need approximately 3-4 batches of glitter.
Ingredients:
- Cornstarch – 10 g (0.35 oz)
- Cold water – 180 g (6.35 oz)
- Luster dust (Candurin) – 0.5 tsp
- Water-soluble or universal food coloring – amount depends on the desired color intensity.
How to Color the Glitter?
1. Pour cold water into a small saucepan, add cornstarch, and mix thoroughly until smooth.
2. Place over medium heat and stir constantly with a silicone spatula until the mixture reaches a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens and turns translucent (about 1 minute). The consistency should resemble gel or pudding.
4. Remove from heat.
- White luster dust is universal. It only adds shimmer without altering the color, so you can either tint the glitter any shade you like or leave it neutral—white-silver.
- Colored luster dust eliminates the need for extra food coloring since it gives the glitter the same shade as the dust itself. Keep in mind that some luster dusts become more vibrant when mixed with water—for example, light pink may turn into a rich raspberry hue.
- Any water-soluble food coloring will work, but liquid or gel-based colorings are the easiest to use. They mix evenly into the mixture, making it easy to control the intensity and blend shades.
- For the cleanest and most vibrant colors, use dry neon pigments.
1. Pour cold water into a small saucepan, add cornstarch, and mix thoroughly until smooth.
2. Place over medium heat and stir constantly with a silicone spatula until the mixture reaches a boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens and turns translucent (about 1 minute). The consistency should resemble gel or pudding.
4. Remove from heat.
We cook the starch paste.
4. Coloring the starch paste. Gel-based food coloring and luster dust dissolve easily, so you can mix them directly into the entire batch.
Dry food coloring takes longer to blend. To speed up the process, it's best to prepare a color concentrate first:
Dry food coloring takes longer to blend. To speed up the process, it's best to prepare a color concentrate first:
- Transfer a small amount of the cooked mixture into a deep bowl.
- Add luster dust and food coloring.
- Mix thoroughly until fully incorporated.
We start coloring the starch paste.
We adjust it to the desired shade.
5. Then, we add the remaining starch paste to our concentrate and mix again.
6. We line a baking sheet with a silicone mat and spread the mixture evenly in a thin layer. We find it easiest to use a silicone brush, but a spatula or palette knife can also be used.
6. We line a baking sheet with a silicone mat and spread the mixture evenly in a thin layer. We find it easiest to use a silicone brush, but a spatula or palette knife can also be used.
Instead of a silicone mat, you can use thick plastic wrap. We recommend lightly dusting it with luster dust (for example, using a large soft brush) to make it easier to remove the dried mixture.
7. Drying the starch paste.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 60°C (140°F) for 30–40 minutes.
- The exact time depends on the thickness of the layer and your oven.
- Remove it as soon as it is completely dry and no longer sticky to the touch.
- Be careful not to over-dry it, as it may start to turn yellow.
- Alternative method: You can also air-dry it at room temperature, but this will take about 24 hours.
The mixture has dried. It is brittle, and has curled at the edges.
8. Break the dried mixture into small pieces and grind it in a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor until you achieve the desired texture.
On the left – glitter crushed by hand, on the right – glitter ground with a food processor.
For a finer texture, you can use a coffee grinder or sift the glitter through a sieve.
For a finer texture, you can use a coffee grinder or sift the glitter through a sieve.
Gelatin-Based Glitter
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- Powdered gelatin (200–220 Bloom) – 30 g (1.05 oz)
- Cold water – 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Luster dust and food coloring
- Bloom the gelatin: pour very cold water over the gelatin, stir, and let it bloom for about 10 minutes. If using granulated gelatin, increase the blooming time to 40–60 minutes.
- Dissolve the bloomed gelatin: Melt it using your preferred method. We recommend the microwave, heating in 10–15 second intervals until all granules are fully dissolved.
3. Add luster dust and food coloring, then mix well.
4. Pour the gelatin mixture onto a silicone mat and quickly spread it into a thin, even layer before it starts to set.
4. Pour the gelatin mixture onto a silicone mat and quickly spread it into a thin, even layer before it starts to set.
Gelatin sets fairly quickly. If the mixture cools down and you can’t spread it into a thin layer on the first try, simply reheat it slightly and try again.
5. Let it dry at room temperature only (do not use the oven!) for 24 hours. The exact drying time depends on the humidity in the room.
6. Tear it into small pieces and grind to the desired texture.
6. Tear it into small pieces and grind to the desired texture.
Gelatin-based glitter is very dense and flexible, so it cannot be crushed by hand.
Choosing Between Starch-Based and Gelatin-Based Glitter
After working with both types of glitter, we ultimately preferred starch-based glitter. It’s simpler and faster to make, with several key advantages.
✅ Ease and Speed of Preparation. Starch-based glitter is quicker and easier to make, with the option for fast drying.
✅ Easier Coloring. Starch-based glitter is easier to tint, while gelatin-based glitter can sometimes develop an undesirable yellowish tint.
✅ Grinding
When to Use Gelatin-Based Glitter
Despite its challenges, gelatin-based glitter has one distinct advantage: it’s denser and more flexible. This makes it ideal for larger decorative elements, such as:
Edible glitter sticks easily to cream cheese frosting — it practically clings to the fresh surface without any extra effort. The same goes for buttercream: glitter adheres to it just as effortlessly as it does to cream cheese frosting. Ganache is a bit trickier — it’s best to apply the glitter while the ganache is still fresh and hasn’t set yet. If it has already firmed up, gently warm the surface with a hairdryer to soften it slightly, then apply the glitter. You can find detailed online lessons on our favorite cream cheese frosting, buttercream, and ganache on our website.
Final Verdict
⭐ Starch-based glitter is the more universal and practical choice. It’s faster and easier to make, color, and grind.
⭐ Gelatin-based glitter, while offering a unique flexible texture, requires more effort in preparation and handling.
After working with both types of glitter, we ultimately preferred starch-based glitter. It’s simpler and faster to make, with several key advantages.
✅ Ease and Speed of Preparation. Starch-based glitter is quicker and easier to make, with the option for fast drying.
✅ Easier Coloring. Starch-based glitter is easier to tint, while gelatin-based glitter can sometimes develop an undesirable yellowish tint.
✅ Grinding
- Starch-based glitter is brittle and can even be crushed by hand, requiring just 1 minute to grind.
- Gelatin-based glitter is more elastic, taking 3–4 minutes to process. A regular food processor struggles with it, as the glitter tends to bounce around inside the bowl instead of being ground.
- A coffee grinder might work better, but since we didn’t have one, we used an immersion blender in a narrow, tall container. Even then, the final texture remained coarse, making it unsuitable for certain designs.
- Starch-based glitter is more heat-resistant. It can be mixed into isomalt and used for lollipops with embedded glitter.
- Gelatin-based glitter shrinks, darkens, and burns when exposed to high heat.
When to Use Gelatin-Based Glitter
Despite its challenges, gelatin-based glitter has one distinct advantage: it’s denser and more flexible. This makes it ideal for larger decorative elements, such as:
- Sails
- Ruffles
- Edible lace
Edible glitter sticks easily to cream cheese frosting — it practically clings to the fresh surface without any extra effort. The same goes for buttercream: glitter adheres to it just as effortlessly as it does to cream cheese frosting. Ganache is a bit trickier — it’s best to apply the glitter while the ganache is still fresh and hasn’t set yet. If it has already firmed up, gently warm the surface with a hairdryer to soften it slightly, then apply the glitter. You can find detailed online lessons on our favorite cream cheese frosting, buttercream, and ganache on our website.
Final Verdict
⭐ Starch-based glitter is the more universal and practical choice. It’s faster and easier to make, color, and grind.
⭐ Gelatin-based glitter, while offering a unique flexible texture, requires more effort in preparation and handling.