Hummingbird Food Recipe: The Easy Way

Creating the perfect hummingbird food recipe is simple and easy.

Because we love these little birds so much, we want to ensure they are properly fed. By making your own hummingbird food recipe, you can ensure they are receiving the right nutrients.

So the question is, why have you not made your own hummingbird food recipe before?

We’ll cover a simple hummingbird food recipe you can make at home with items in your pantry! Then, we’ll dive into the do’s and don’ts of hummingbird food, and how to best keep your local hummingbirds safe and happy. 

Hummingbird Food Recipe 

To make a simple hummingbird food recipe at home, gather these supplies and ingredients: 

• Bowl or large glass pyrex
• Spoon
• 1 cup water (filtered or spring water is best)*
• ¼ cup refined white sugar 

* Some sources recommend boiling the water. This will help remove bacteria from the water that could cause the sugar water to spoil more quickly.  

After gathering your materials, pour the water into the bowl or Pyrex. Mix the sugar until completely dissolved. Pour into the feeder and set outside. If you boiled the water, allow it to cool to room temperature before setting it outside. You can store any excess hummingbird food in the fridge for up to one week. 

You may want to make more or less hummingbird food. That’s fine as long as you stick to the 1:4 ratio (I part sugar to 4 parts water). This is the safest sugar-to-water ratio recommended for hummingbirds. It is close to the 21% sugar content of flower nectar. 

For example, my hummingbird feeder is about 16oz. Instead of mixing 1 cup of water with ¼ cup of sugar, I mix 2 cups of water with ½ cup of sugar. This gives me the exact amount of hummingbird food I need while keeping to the recommended 1:4 ratio. 

Maintaining Hummingbird Feeders

The most important part of having a hummingbird feeder is keeping it clean. Bacteria and mold growth on feeders can cause diseases in hummingbirds, such as candidiasis. This disease causes the hummingbird’s tongue to swell, so it cannot eat. Most often, this disease is fatal. 

You should clean your hummingbird feeders once a week in cool weather and twice a week in warmer weather. Discard any unused nectar when you go to clean your feeder. If you notice the hummingbird food is cloudy, immediately discard the nectar and clean the feeder. 

How to Clean a Hummingbird Feeder 

To clean a hummingbird feeder, you’ll need to first take it apart. Most feeders will have separate pieces that you can unscrew and clean separately. 

Place all the hummingbird feeder parts in a bucket or large bowl, and soak them in hot water with vinegar. Experts recommend avoiding soap. It can leave a residue on the feeder that may be harmful to the hummingbirds. 

Allow your hummingbird feeder to soak for 1-2 hours. The vinegar will help break down any mold or bacterial growth on the feeder. After soaking, thoroughly rinse each part of the hummingbird feeder. Allow it to dry before putting it back together. 

Common Hummingbird Food FAQs

What type of sugar can I use in my hummingbird food recipe? 

It’s best to only use white cane sugar. You should not use brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrup, or artificial sweeteners. Brown and raw sugar contain small amounts of iron, which may be harmful to hummingbirds. 

Some sources say to avoid organic sugar as well. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be a scientific reason for this (that I can find in my research). As long as the white cane sugar isn’t tinted or dark (which would indicate it might have iron), it should be fine, organic or not. 

There doesn’t seem to be much research on the different forms of sugar that are safe for hummingbirds. As such, there are conflicting opinions on what is safe vs what isn’t. What we do know is that white cane sugar is safe. It’s best to take the side of caution and use what we know is best for our hummingbird friends. 

Should I put red dye in my hummingbird food? 

No, red dye is not necessary for attracting hummingbirds. Red dye chemicals could be harmful to hummingbirds. Natural nectar from flowers is clear like the hummingbird food recipe you make at home. 

When should I put my hummingbird feeder out? 

If you live in an area where hummingbirds live year-round, you can put a hummingbird feeder out at any time. 

For areas in the United States where hummingbirds are a migratory species, check when they arrive in your area. Place your hummingbird food out around this time. Or, you can wait until you see the first hummingbird zoom by, and then set it out. That way, you don’t waste any hummingbird food. 

When should I take my hummingbird feeder down?

You can leave your feeder up until you haven’t seen any hummingbirds come to it for at least three weeks. There’s the chance for late-migrants to come by in late fall or early winter. So, you can even wait until December to take it down. Remember to clean it every week. Discard unused nectar while it’s still up (even if you don’t have any hummingbird visitors). 

How do I prevent ants and bees from eating my hummingbird food? 

Most often, the feeder itself is the cause of ants and bees taking over a hummingbird feeder. Some feeders allow easy access for ants and bees to get to the nectar. If you have this problem, especially with bees, you’ll want to get another type of hummingbird feeder. 

Ants can be a little trickier to prevent from accessing the nectar since they’re so small. Some hummingbird feeders have built-in moats. Ants fall into the moat before reaching the nectar. Or, you can buy a moat or “ant guard” to add to your existing hummingbird feeder. 

Let us know in the comments below about how your own hummingbird food recipe turned out!