Making homemade hummingbird food is cheaper, easier, and healthier than buying pre-made food! Find out how to make hummingbird nectar and what you need to make the process extra quick and easy.
Here Come Spring and Birds: Prepare Some DIY Hummingbird Food
I cannot tell you just how much I love spring! Everything starts coming alive again, there's a fresh smell in the air, and I love the budding trees and blooming flowers.
Spring seriously makes my soul sing.
As soon as I see azaleas blooming in my yard, I know it's time to start making DIY hummingbird food, as there's little else for them to feed on at that point. Once the warm weather starts arriving and the flowers start blooming, the hummingbirds are close behind!
If you live in a region that is colder than North Carolina's climate, I recommend waiting to make DIY hummingbird nectar until you start to see the grass turning green, small flowers starting to come up from the ground, and the overnight temperatures staying above freezing.
Why Invite Hummingbirds into Your Yard?
Hummingbirds might be some of the world's smallest birds, but they flap their wings at an astounding ~50 beats per second! All that flying burns some serious calories, so hummingbirds search out approximately 1,000-2,000 flowers a day as they feed every 10-15 minutes.
Make some DIY hummingbird nectar and put it out to make their search a little easier!
If you've never heard the sound of one of these tiny birds in flight, you seriously need to put out some hummingbird food and experience it. Hummingbirds make a sound unlike anything I've ever heard – sort of a miniature helicopter ‘whoop-whoop-whoop'.
The best way to enjoy hummingbirds is to set up feeders then sit and read a book outside (or sit on your porch and watch the world)! We've also seen male hummingbirds warning off other male hummingbirds – what a cool experience!
How to Make Hummingbird Food – and WHY You Should Make it Instead of Buying it
Making homemade hummingbird nectar couldn't be easier – seriously! It's so easy to make, that it's a GREAT project to have the kids can help you do. 😘
Why Make DIY Hummingbird Nectar?
Before I show you how to make DIY hummingbird food, it's important to know why it's worth your time to do it.
I used to buy store-bought hummingbird nectar, but I read one time that the red dye is not only unnecessary but possibly harmful to hummingbirds. From then on I started making DIY hummingbird food without any food color and have never looked back.
Making food for them is simple, takes little time, and is cheaper than buying it from a store. Plus, it doesn't contain red dye! I do not put red dye in my food since it isn't needed.
As long as your feeder had the bright red color on it they should still be attracted to the nectar.
Don't miss these other great DIY activities for kids.
How to Make Homemade Hummingbird Feed
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.
I have two Best-1 32 oz. Hummingbird Feeders and I love them! They are the best in terms of being easy to use and clean!
To make this hummingbird sugar water recipe, you simply combine and boil your ingredients: sugar and water (see the ingredient ratio in the recipe)! Make sure to boil the water to remove 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!
Making homemade hummingbird food couldn't be easier, right?!
Want an Extra Boost for Attracting Hummingbirds?
Even though the feeder itself is red, planting plants they like nearby helps attract the birds. These tiny birds are attracted to the color red, so pick flowers that have red, pots that are red or stickers – really anything except for dye!
In our yard, we have azaleas, angel-wing begonias (my favorites!), petunias, and impatiens, among other flowers in our yard.
Other plants they love and food sources include:
- Bee balm
- Cardinal flower
- Trumpet creeper
- Asiatic Lily
- Coral honeysuckle
- Columbine
Important Tips For This Homemade Hummingbird Recipe
I recommend replacing the nectar every 7 days…though I sometimes stretch it just a little longer.
The same tiny birds travel to the same feeders every year, so I really work to keep the food supply available!
- 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
- If you make more nectar than will fit in your hummingbird feeder, keep the extra stored in the fridge.
Important Tools For Making DIY Hummingbird Food
- Good quality feeders that's easy to clean and use
- Feeder brushes to make sure it's well-cleaned so the birds don't get sick
Making Homemade Hummingbird Food is Easier Than You May Think! Give Your Hummingbirds This Easy Homemade Hummingbird Nectar Recipe and Watch Them Return Year After Year.
Tell us in the comments: Do you have hummingbirds? Do you make DIY hummingbird food?
Check Out This Video Showing You How to Clean Your Birdfeeder – it's important and easier than you may think!
Pin this DIY Hummingbird Food Pin For Later:
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 10-20 hummingbirds | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 10 minutes | 15 minutes |
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A simple and inexpensive homemade hummingbird food that will bring those incredible birds back year after year!
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- 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 cooled liquid into hummingbird feeder. Place humminbird feeder outside.
- Stir in 1 cup of sugar until it's dissolved, let cool.
- Use a funnel to pour cooled liquid into hummingbird feeder.
- Place humminbird feeder outside.
- Refrigerate any leftover nectar in a sealed container.
Hummingbird feeder cleaning notes:Â
- I like having two feeders to ensure food is always available.Â
- When the food gets old, I make a new batch and put it out.Â
- 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.Â
- 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.Â
- Store for later use.
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!
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!