Easiest Homemade Hummingbird Food Recipe (2-Ingredients!)
Making homemade hummingbird food is cheaper, easier, and healthier than buying pre-made food – and you only need 2 simple ingredients! Learn how to make your own hummingbird food quickly and easily to attract these beautiful birds to your yard.
DIY hummingbird food is simply cane sugar dissolved in water to make a natural nectar!
When To Make Hummingbird Feeder Food
Spring means that hummingbird season is starting! My whole family has so much fun watching these incredible birds fly through our yard and feed at the hummingbird feeder. My favorites are ruby-throated hummingbirds, but we only see them in Colorado occasionally as they migrate. Around my home, we commonly see Calliope hummingbirds.
As soon as I see azaleas and the forsythia bushes blooming in my yard, I know it’s time to start making homemade hummingbird food, since there’s not much else for them to feed on yet.
Timing by region in North America:
- Southern United States – February through November
- Middle – April through October
- Northern United States – May through September
TIP: If you’re unsure, wait to make DIY hummingbird nectar until the grass turns green, small flowers starting to emerge, and overnight temperatures staying above freezing.
Want to watch other amazing winged friends too? Check out How To Make DIY Bird Seed Ornaments!
How To Invite Hummingbirds and Enjoy Them
Hummingbirds might be some of the world’s smallest birds, but they flap their wings at an astounding average of ~50 beats per second! And it’s seriously cool to watch (and hear – it sounds like a miniature helicopter ‘whoop-whoop-whoop’)
All that flying burns some serious calories, so hummingbirds search out the natural flower nectar of approximately 1,000-2,000 flowers a day because they need to feed every 10-15 minutes to maintain that high metabolism.
Make some DIY hummingbird nectar and put it out to make their search a little easier – they’ll be grateful and come back for more!
The best way to enjoy hummingbirds is to set up feeders then sit and read a book in your outdoor space (or sit on your porch and watch the world)!
We’ve also seen male hummingbirds warning off other male hummingbirds – so cool!
Why make homemade hummingbird food?
Making this homemade hummingbird nectar recipe couldn’t be easier – seriously! It’s so easy and a GREAT project to have the kids help. 😘
I used to buy commercial hummingbird nectar from the store, but I once read that the National Audubon Society says that red food coloring or dye is not only unnecessary but probably not safe for hummingbirds.
That was a good reason for me to make DIY hummingbird nectar.
Many companies and people put red food dye in hummingbird food to attract the birds (notice how they love red flowers? It’s the color they love!)
Since I want to keep hummingbirds healthy, I looked up homemade hummingbird food recipes because I thought they would be safer. Unfortunately, many recipes for homemade nectar make use of red dye and other unnecessary ingredients.
After more research regarding the correct sugar concentration, I started making this DIY hummingbird food recipe with 2 simple ingredients – NO food coloring – and have never looked back!
Making my own food for them is:
- simple
- quick
- cheap
- contains no red dye
The best hummingbird feeders have a bright red color on it, which is a great way to attract the birds to the nectar!
How To Make Homemade Hummingbird Food
Skip buying commercial hummingbird food and follow these simple directions to make your own hummingbird nectar – it mimics the chemical composition of natural nectar!
Ingredients Needed
You just need TWO ingredients DIY hummingbird food! Gather together:
- 1 cup white sugar (NO raw sugar, honey, corn syrup, or molasses products)
- 4 cups water
DIY Hummingbird Feeder Food Instructions
Making your own hummingbird nectar recipe as easy as 1…2…3! Are you ready? Let’s go!
Step 1 – Prepare Your Hummingbird Feeders
To start the process, I clean my feeders and get them out and ready for the hummingbirds (see cleaning notes in the recipe).
It’s important to thoroughly clean your hummingbird feeders in between refills to ensure they don’t harbor bacteria or anything else that could harm your hummingbirds.
PRO TIP: I have two 32 oz Best Hummingbird Feeders and I LOVE them! They are the best in terms of being easy to use and clean!
Step 2 – Boil DIY Hummingbird Nectar
Simply combine and boil sugar and water (see the water ratio in the recipe card below) until the sugar dissolves.
Boiling the hummingbird sugar water recipe ensures that the ingredients are combined into nectar and removes any bacteria or other organisms that could make your hummingbirds sick.
DIY hummingbird food is simply cane sugar mixed with water…in other words, it’s natural nectar!
Step 3 – Add DIY Hummingbird Food To Your Feeder
Hang your feeder outside in a spot (like your garden) where you can enjoy watching the hummingbirds. Don’t forget your Homemade Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent to keep the mosquitoes away!
Making homemade hummingbird food couldn’t be easier, right?
Easy Homemade Hummingbird Food FAQs
Here are a few questions I often see readers ask about making this hummingbird foot nectar recipe.
In the summer months when the weather is warm, you need to clean feeders frequently (every 3-4 days) to prevent bacteria growth that could hurt those beautiful hummingbirds. Then refill with fresh nectar.
Safety Tip: If you ever see black spots in your nectar or feeder, empty it and clean it immediately.
Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (this could be 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water or 1/2 cup sugar with 2 cups of water).
Do not add red dye or use honey, brown sugar, or artificial sweeteners in your hummingbird mixture.
No, technically, you don’t need to boil the water. You do, however, need to heat your water hot enough that it will dissolve the granulated sugar you’re mixing in.
I prefer to boil it because it has happened where I tried only heating it just enough and found undissolved sugar at the bottom of my feeder. Since then, I’ve been boiling it.
Remember, use pure white cane sugar ONLY. No raw sugars or other sweeteners are safe for hummingbirds.
Yes, tap water and well water are fine to use – especially because you’re boiling it.
Avoid using distilled water because it’s stripped of natural minerals. And avoid using water softeners, which can add salts and minerals to water.
Normally, I recommend a 4-to-1 hummingbird food recipe sugar water ratio.
However, a 3-to-1 hummingbird nectar ratio can be good for hummingbirds during the spring and fall migratory periods when they can use the extra calories.
Hummingbirds may not come to your feeder if you have 1 or more of these issues:
– Unappealing nearby plants
– Hummingbirds can’t find the feeder
– Bees around the feeder
– Fermenting hummingbird nectar
– Seasonal migrants
– Potential predators nearby
Once your homemade hummingbird food is dissolved and has cooled to room temperature, it’s ready to put into the bird feeder.
Store any extra sugar water nectar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you see mold on any of your hummingbird nectar, dispose of it and make a new batch.
I recommend putting it in a place that gets part sun. Sunlight can help make a hummingbird feeder more visible to birds.
Unfortunately, direct sunlight can also make homemade hummingbird food spoil more quickly. The best place to position feeders is where they will get some sun (morning sun is best) but be shielded from the sun during the hottest part of the day.
Hummingbirds love a good nectar recipe, but so do bees, ants, wasps, hornets, and other insects that love sugar. Honey bees will swarm your hummingbird feeder when they don’t have other food sources nearby (usually early spring and late fall).
To make your hummingbird feeders less appealing to these insects, check the seals between the feeding ports and the reservoir to make sure there aren’t any leaks. Also, avoid overfilling the feeder because overfilling it will cause leaks (and attract unwanted small insects and bees).
As with many things, I think using organic is best when possible (and not cost prohibitive). I haven’t found using organic to be a problem when I make this simple homemade hummingbird food recipe. However, this is one of those situations where I would say “done is better than perfect.”
If you can use organic sugar, GREAT. If you can’t, I think this easy hummingbird food recipe is still WAY better than store-bought hummingbird food!
We have seen them at all times of the day, but we see them most often in the mornings and evenings.
How To Clean Hummingbird Feeders
It’s not hard to clean these feeders. But I have seen some readers ask about the process, so I thought I would include it here in case you’re wondering!
Supplies Needed To Clean Feeders
Make sure you gather these items:
- hot tap water
- bottle brush
- dish soap
- white vinegar
Hummingbird Feeder Cleaning Directions
When you clean your feeders, take care to rinse them out thoroughly so you don’t leave any dish soap or vinegar behind that could hurt those little guys.
- Remove any hummingbird food that’s still in the feeder.
- Rinse it out with hot water.
- Using a small amount of dish soap and a bottle brush, scrub down every part of the hummingbird feeder, inside and out.
- Rinse thoroughly with hot tap water.
- Run some white vinegar through the feeder to prohibit mold growth.
- Rinse thoroughly with hot tap water one more time.
How often should you clean your glass feeders?
In the cooler months, you could do it once every 7 days. However, in hot weather, you’ll want to clean them every 4-5 days.
Want To Attract Hummingbirds To Your Yard?
Although the feeder is red, planting the right plants nearby helps attract hummingbirds. These tiny birds are attracted to the color red, so pick flowers (especially tubular flowers) that have red. Red flower pots are great too! They also like bright colors in general (including pink and purple), but the red parts are clearly their favorite.
In our yard, we have azaleas, angel-wing begonias (my favorites!), petunias, and impatiens, among other flowers.
Other nectar-rich flowers that make good food sources include:
- Bee balm
- Cardinal flower
- Trumpet creeper (also called Trumpet vine or hummingbird vine)
- Asiatic Lily
- Coral honeysuckle
- Columbine
Homemade Hummingbird Feeder Recipe Tips
- I recommend replacing the nectar every 5 days…though I sometimes stretch it just a little longer.
- This is a case where more is better – aim to have at least 2 feeders, and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts!
- These tiny birds come back to the same feeders every year, so be sure to follow through and feed those incredible birds!
- Having red plants and flower pots nearby will help attract the birds to your feeders
- Make sure to thoroughly clean your hummingbird feeder before adding a fresh batch to it.
Important Tools For Making DIY Hummingbird Food
- Good quality feeders that are easy to clean and use
- Feeder brushes to make sure your feeders are thoroughly cleaned so the birds don’t get sick
Learn more:
Tell us in the comments: Do you have hummingbirds? Do you make DIY hummingbird food?
Pin For Later!
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Homemade Hummingbird Food
Materials
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cup water
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of sugar until it's dissolved, let cool.
- Use a funnel to pour the cooled liquid into the hummingbird feeder.
- Place humminbird feeder outside.
- Refrigerate any leftover nectar in a sealed, air tight container.
Notes
- I like having two feeders to ensure food is always available.
- When the food gets old, I make a new batch and put it out.
- Then I start the washing process of the old food container. I soak everything in warm soapy water, then use a special hummingbird cleaning brush to clean the bottle and lid.
- I also use toothpicks for the tiny holes on both sides of the lid. Make sure your feeder is very clean before allowing to air dry.
- Store for later use.
I have used that recipe for yrs.New to KY and was sad as I put out two feeders. No hummers took them in for a week. Put them on other side of patio. First day a male was there and now has 3 females. I do clean nectar every two days. They fly close to me like they are seeing who I am. Fun Fun.
Hey Carolyn! Aren’t they incredible creatures? Hummingbirds fascinate me and are a joy to watch – I’m so glad you were able to lure them to your yard with this hummingbird food recipe!!
We have 3 feeders out. And get lots of hummers. We have a male who shoos others away from one of the feeders, like it’s his personal feeder. He doesn’t go to the other feeders. I love to watch them swoop in, grab a drink & zoom off & come back a few minutes later. Some of them are so colorful. I have a female who hovers about a foot away from me when I’m outside sometimes. It’s like she’s thanking me for feeding them. I love my hummers!!!
That is awesome, Lynn! I love stories like that! Thanks for sharing!
What’s the secret to loading my feeder and it not all leak out?
Hi James! Have you tried using a funnel? That can be a huge help depending on which bird feeder you’re using!
I also put out a protein feeder for my hummingbirds. Its larger, round and bright red. I put fruit in it like bananas, apples etc. It attracts .fruit flies which the hummingbirds live and it provides them with a great source of protein. I have the two feeders hanging next to one another on tall shepherds hooks.
Hi Susan! Thanks for sharing! I hadn’t heard about a “protein feeder” for hummingbirds – that is so cool! Have you seen any hummingbirds catch/eat the fruit flies?
First time setting up for hummingbird feeders.
I do have the honeysuckle. That attracts them.
What a wonderful sight.
It’s a good feeling knowing that you can contribute to their food chain.
Thank you for the information.
Most helpful!
It’s fun, isn’t it? I hope you enjoy your hummingbirds!
P.S. Your photos are great!! 🙂
Thank you, Cindy!
Hey Heather. I know you from Bloggers Traffic Community.
I LOVE this!! Hummingbirds are incredibly wonderful little birds! I haven’t seen any in a long time, but I remember seeing them where I used to live, buzzing around a red-blooming vine in the yard. So, I can attest to their being drawn by the color red. I’d love to try feeding them.
Blessings,
Cindy, DIY Bohemian https://diybohemian.com/
Hey Cindy! Thanks for your sweet words! I love hummingbirds too, and the thing is that they are so easy to attract and enjoy! Good luck in your endeavors if you try to attract them to your yard!
Love my hummers, but will be leaving soon. I have 8 oz. feeders and I don’t fill them all the way. I find in hot humid weather the sugar water gets cloudy and funky in just a few day. They said they left theirs for several days no way do I do that ! I usually change mine every 3 days 4 at most. I don’t want those little guys getting sick.
This year we had a writhing spider web and I had a little female ruby throat get hung up as soon as I saw it I got her out got as much web off her and she flew off, they say will clean them selves so assume she did.
Then I moved the spider out of the area.
I am so happy when they arrive and sad when they leave, and I await their arrival in the spring. Hope all enjoy as much as I do!!
Thanks for the hummingbird feeder recipe. I always put mine out to late and I never get any hummingbirds. I’m going to try to remember it this year. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
We purchased a really pretty red feeder so we wouldn’t need the red dye anymore. Since moving into our new home last summer we haven’t seen may hummingbirds yet but they will find us! Looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday.
I’m looking to move to a small house this year. I would love to attract hummingbirds and have the plants they like and the hummingbird food. This sounds so fun. My sister feeds hummingbirds, they love watching them, and take pictures, too.
I love watching hummingbirds too! My family goes to a place up in the Colorado mountains each year to fish and hike, and that place has a TON of hummingbirds. It’s amazing to just sit and watch them do their thing. Good luck with your move this year, Rosie, and I hope you are able to get those hummingbirds to come to you! 🙂
Thank you, I will use this recipe!
I hope it makes for some happy hummingbirds at your house!
People spend so much money on hummingbird food and it is so easy and cheap to make.
You are so right!
I have additional information regarding the feeding of hummingbirds your readers might want to know: I don’t remember where we found this guide, but the rules for when to change the sugar water depends on the outside temperature. From 71-75° is every 6 days, 76-80° is every 5 days, 81-84° is every 4 days, 85-88° is ever 3 days, 89-92° every 2 days, and 93°+ should be changed every day.
The sugar feeds the bacteria that hummingbirds bring in on their beaks, so it’s essential to change the sugar water according to the schedule above. Of course, you could also watch to see how much the birds drink so you can more accurately guess how much to supply. It isn’t necessary to fill the feeders. We make about 32 oz. (always 1 part sugar to 4 parts water), put the appropriate amount in the feeder (enough to feed the birds according to the outside temperature) and put the rest in the refrigerator. Bring the sugar/water solution to room temperature before filling the feeder.
Be sure to clean the feeder before adding more solution, or it will also become contaminated. Take care of the birds! Thank you, Fonda
Thank you for that additional info, Fonda! It is very helpful, and we really appreciate it!