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Want to know how to make beeswax wraps?
Beeswax wraps are a popular way to wrap sandwiches, snacks & other food items. Breathable & completely natural, beeswax wraps make a great eco friendly alternative to plastic food wraps such as cling film.
So if you pack lunches daily or simply want to move away from plastic food coverings, beeswax wraps are a great option.
Beeswax wraps & pouches can sometimes seem a bit pricey though, so going the DIY route is likely to set you back less, especially if you use recycled cotton fabric.
Alternatively, you may simply prefer the DIY route to shop bought. Either way, learning how to make beeswax wraps is very easy to do.
Homemade beeswax wraps also make great gifts for eco conscious friends & family. Plus you get to choose the fabric too, which offers lots of opportunities to customise the design of your wrap.
DIY beeswax wraps only require a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to get started.
What You’ll Need To Make Beeswax Wraps
1 – 100% cotton fabric
2 – Grease proof paper
3 – Baking sheet
4 – Scissors
5 – Stick(s) of beeswax (you can also buy pellets)
6 – Grater
7 – Paint brush
Keep in mind, beeswax is greasy and will stick to your paintbrush, so it’s best to keep the paintbrush (and grater if you use one) solely for making beeswax wraps.
How To Make Beeswax Wraps Step By Step
Step 1 – Line a baking sheet with grease-proof paper and preheat your oven to 140 degrees/Gas Mark 1
Step 2 – Lay out your fabric & press it flat. You’ll find loads of cute, modern & vintage fabrics on places like Etsy. Or simply use an old patterned (cotton) sheet or duvet cover to keep costs down. Then cut your fabric into various sizes. You’ll find it helpful to have smaller sizes for fruit, nuts & snacks etc & larger pieces for larger items or covering bowls and leftovers.
Tip: Small (7″ x 8″), medium (10″ x 11″), and large (13″ x 14″) fabric sizes tend to work well to cater for a variety of uses. But you might want to experiment to find the sizes most useful to you.
Step 3 – Place your fabric on the grease proof paper face down (it’s the non printed side you want to coat with the beeswax).
Step 4 – Gently grate the beeswax onto the top of the non printed side of the fabric, so it’s evenly spread.
Step 5 – Place the baking tray in your preheated oven for around 3-4 minutes (you may need to adjust slightly depending on your oven) until the wax is melted.
Step 6 – Remove your beeswax wraps from the oven and gently spread the soft melted wax evenly over the fabric with the paintbrush. If there are gaps, grate a little more beeswax & pop back in the oven for a couple more minutes.
Note: You may find you’ll need to repeat this process a few times until you have a piece of fabric that’s completely coated in wax.
Step 7 – Once your beeswax wrap is cool enough to pick up by hand (or you use tongs), hang up to air dry with a peg or bulldog clip. If it’s a fine day, you can pop it on the washing line if you have one. You can also use a coat hanger if you don’t have pegs or clips to hand.
Once your beeswax wraps are dry, you’re all done & they’re ready to use.
How To Make Beeswax Sandwich Bags
Once your beeswax wraps are ready, you can also add some extra homemade touches, by customising them with pieces of Velcro, or buttons, for a more secure wrap, like the one pictured.
You can also sew them into sandwich bags or pouches.
14 x 14 inches works well as size for a beeswax sandwich bag.
To make your beeswax wrap into a sandwich bag, fold your beeswax wrap in half (with waxy side on the outside) and sew up the 2 sides, leaving the top open. Then turn the beeswax wrap inside out, so the waxy side is now inside the pouch, where the sandwich or snack, will sit.
There are also lots of good videos on Youtube that show you how to make beeswax sandwich and snack bags, in just a few simple steps.
How To Make Beeswax Wraps With Jojoba Oil & Pine Resin
Most shop bought beeswax wraps contain jojoba oil & pine tree resin. It’s these ingredients that give beeswax wraps the extra pliability you find in most commercially sold versions.
You can make perfectly functional beeswax wraps without these ingredients, but if you want to add them, it’s still fairly simple to do. You’ll need a double boiler, though, to safely combine your ingredients with the beeswax. Here’s a tutorial on how to do it.
How To Make Vegan Food Wraps
If you’re vegan or have a beeswax allergy, all is definitely not lost. You can easily make vegan food wraps, by using alternatives to beeswax, such as plant based soya or candelilla wax flakes.
Here’s a tutorial on how to make vegan food wraps.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to buy ready made plant based food wraps, here are some vegan friendly options.
How To Care For & Store Beeswax Wraps
To clean, rinse your homemade beeswax wraps in cold water & hang up to dry. Use a gentle dish soap & brush for a more thorough cleaning.
To store, fold your beeswax wraps & place in a drawer or basket. You can also roll them up & place in a jar.
Cared for properly, homemade beeswax wraps should last you around 3-6 months. Once you’ve been using them for a while, you can also try popping them back in the oven for a few minutes to re-melt the wax and liven them back up.
Once your beeswax wrap ceases to ‘hold’ its shape or starts to lose its stiffness/begins to unfurl when scrunched, it’s ready for the compost bin.
As beeswax wraps are 100% natural, they’re really easy to recycle or compost. They’ll usually biodegrade in around 3-6 months. Plastic food wrap, on the other hand, can take 100s of years to break down.
How To Make Beeswax Wraps – Conclusion
Learning how to make beeswax wraps is simple to do. You only need a few inexpensive ingredients & they make a great alternative to shop bought versions.
From homemade beeswax snack & sandwich wraps to vegan food wrap alternatives, there are lots of eco friendly options to make.
For more ideas on how to use beeswax wraps, see our Beeswax Wrap Guide.
