DIY Beeswax Food Wraps

I was first introduced to the amazing reusable beeswax food wraps at a craft fair about 8 or 9 years ago and have been hooked ever since. I cut down on waste, money, and I have to say they look rather cute! They replace single-use plastic wrap or foil and are a really cute gift, too! But over the years I have noticed they keep rising in price, as most things do. So I wanted to try my hand at making my own DIY beeswax food wraps!

There are several tutorials out there already but I wanted to try it for myself and figured I would share my experience with my awesome readers!

Go through your fabric scrap bin or head to your local fabric store to find some cute prints on 100% cotton. Wash and dry your fabric prior to starting this DIY. Your fabric can be any sizes that you want- I measured a few of my bowls and plates and glass casserole dishes to get an idea on how large to cut the squares. 10 inches to 13 inches is a good size and I also cut smaller pieces out for cheeses, muffins etc.

There seems to be two main recipes for beeswax food wraps: one with just beeswax and oil and the other with beeswax oil and resin. I didn’t have resin and Amazon was out of stock so I tried making it without.

Supplies:

beeswax pellets- I used 1 C to make 5 food wraps in various sizes

jojoba oil – about 3tsp

100% cotton fabric pieces cut to fit various bowls and containers- I did 7″, 10″ and 13″

foil

old paint brush

To Make:

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees.

Using a double broiler or candle pitcher, melt the beeswax on medium/low and add in the jojoba oil.

Line an old cooking sheet with aluminum foil and lay a piece of fabric flat on the sheet. Pop it into the oven for just a few minutes. This seems to help it absorb the wax a little better.

Pull the cooking sheet out of the oven with oven mitts and using an old paint brush, brush a light coat of the beeswax mixture on one side of the fabric just so it evenly saturates the fabric.

Return the cooking sheet to the oven and bake for about 5 minutes and then remove.

Carefully lift the wax-covered fabric from the cooking sheet with tongs ( I just used my fingers because it wasn’t that hot but tongs would probably be on the safer side) and let it cool for just a few seconds before laying it down flat on a piece of aluminum foil to finish cooling. You can hold the fabric up to see if there are any dry spots and add more beeswax and pop it back into the oven for a couple minutes.

And there you have it ! Once completely cooled, your DIY beeswax food wraps are ready to be used or gifted.

To use: press the wrap around your bowl or container and the heat from your fingers should help the beeswax stick to the bowl. They are great to wrap up sandwiches or leftovers but not great for anything that has moisture. I stick with dry foods and avoid wrapping up, say, a tomato or an avocado. Unfortunately they don’t stick very well when then get wet.

I have found that the more you use them, the better they work! They aren’t as sticky as the ones I have purchased in the past, but they do work OK. Above I have a bowl covered, a small block of cheese wrapped up, and a sandwich wrapped and tied with twine to make sure it doesn’t come undone in our picnic basket.

These are great for covering baked goods, wrapping up food for school lunches or picnics, and the cutest hostess or housewarming gift!

To clean your new beeswax food wraps: just rinse with cool water and hang to dry. Avoid rinsing with hot water because the beeswax does have a low melting point and could start to melt from the hot water.

Have you ever tried making your own beeswax food wraps? Has anyone made them with pine resin to compare the difference between the two recipes? Let me know down in the comments below!

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