How to Make Hummingbird Food (Nectar) Recipe
Hanging a hummingbird feeder is an excellent way to help support your local hummingbird population, and enjoy their presence in your yard. Come learn how to make hummingbird food (aka nectar) with this simple homemade hummingbird food recipe – without boiling!
It’s very easy and inexpensive to make your own hummingbird nectar. It’s also better for the birds than buying pre-made bottled nectar, which often contains chemical dyes and preservatives. Yet it’s important to follow the right steps so we don’t accidentally make our hummingbird friends sick!
This post will cover best practices to make homemade hummingbird food, including the right sugar water ratio, the best kind of sugar to use, what sugar to avoid, and other frequently asked questions. Then be sure to learn how to clean a hummingbird feeder here.
Looking for the best hummingbird feeders? I personally love this blue glass feeder and this adorable cactus hummingbird feeder. Both are beautiful, durable, and easy to clean! Explore all of my favorite gifts for bird lovers here.
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What Do Hummingbirds Eat?
Hummingbirds need to consume a significant amount of food each day to support their incredible metabolism and energy levels. Their primary food source is nectar from flowers, which fuels them with the carbohydrates they need. Hummingbirds also occasionally dine on small flying insects, spiders, sap, and pollen – which gives them a little protein too!
Homemade Hummingbird Nectar vs Flowers
The sugar in homemade hummingbird food offers a similar boost of carbohydrates as natural flower nectar. So, hanging a hummingbird feeder is a great way to augment (not replace) their natural food supply. Feeders provide a valuable food source for hummingbirds in the off season when flowers aren’t in bloom, especially for migrating birds in search of a place to refuel.
However, nothing beats the real deal! Please consider planting plenty of flowers that attract hummingbirds too, focusing on native nectar-rich flowers that bloom in different times of year. If you want to take it a step further, look into turning your yard into a certified wildlife habitat like ours!
RELATED: If you’re a bird nerd like me, come learn how to attract birds to your yard or garden (beyond hummingbirds) with bird houses, water features, shelter, feeders and more.
Hummingbird Food Recipe
Key Ingredients
- Pure white cane sugar. Do NOT use brown sugar, raw cane sugar, or organic sugar to make hummingbird food. Sugar that is not 100% white refined sugar may contain a small amount of molasses, which gives it a tan or brown tint. Molasses is rich in iron, and iron can be toxic to hummingbirds even in small doses! Do not use honey, agave syrup, or artificial sweeteners to make homemade hummingbird food either. Beet sugar is the only other suitable replacement for white cane sugar.
- Clean fresh water. Un-chlorinated water, filtered water, well water, or spring water is ideal, but most city tap water is fine to use as well.
- NO red food dye or preservatives! The colorful fake flowers that adorn hummingbird feeders is what get their attention. Therefore, you do not need to add red dye or other coloring to homemade hummingbird food. Rather, those unnatural substances can be harmful to the birds.
Sugar Water Ratio
The standard hummingbird food recipe sugar-to-water ratio is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water (a 1:4 ratio) which mimics the sugar present in flowers. For example, 1 cup of sugar and 4 cups of water, ½ cup sugar and 2 cups water, or what we often make – just a ¼ cup sugar to 1 cup water.
It is important to get the right balance because too much or too little sugar can be unhealthy, dehydrating, or otherwise harmful to the hummingbirds.
During the winter or cold weather, it is okay to to increase the sugar-to-water ratio to 1:3, or 1 part sugar to 3 parts water (but no more). This gives hummers some extra energy when they need help most. The slightly sweeter nectar also has a lower freezing point, preventing it from freezing as easily.
Instructions to Make Hummingbird Food
- Fully dissolve 1 part plain white sugar in 4 parts hot water (e.g. 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water) and stir until completely combined. You can do this by lightly heating a pot of sugar water on the stove, or by heating water in a tea kettle and then mixing it with sugar in a heat-safe bowl or glass. If your water gets really hot straight out of the faucet, you can simply mix hot tap water and sugar right in jar, glass, or bowl.
- Allow the nectar to cool down to lukewarm or room temperature before adding it to your favorite hummingbird feeder.
- Hang the feeder outside, and have fun watching your hummer friends enjoy their food!
- Store any extra leftover hummingbird food in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
- Keep in mind that it’s necessary to change and clean feeders at least weekly, and even more often during warm conditions. Therefore, it’s best to make hummingbird food in small batches (and don’t completely fill large feeders) to help reduce waste.
- Do not “top off” feeders with fresh nectar without emptying and cleaning them out first! If the food becomes moldy, cloudy, or otherwise grimy, immediately take down and clean the feeder. Moldy or contaminated feeders can be detrimental to their health. See more important maintenance tips and FAQ below.
No. Most experts say that it is not necessary to boil homemade hummingbird food. The most important thing is that the sugar dissolves completely in the water, so if you don’t boil it, simply be sure the water is hot enough to melt the sugar, and shake or stir the mixture thoroughly.
Frequently Asked Questions
During moderate weather, it’s best to change hummingbird food at least weekly. Every four to five days is ideal. During hot conditions (over 90F) feeders should be cleaned even more often, every two to three days. Failing to empty and clean feeders regularly can be very harmful to (or even kill) hummingbirds.
At the time of each weekly nectar refill (or more often), clean the hummingbird feeder by taking it apart, scrub all the nooks and crannies with a small brush, and rinse well with very hot water. Then at least monthly, soak and sanitize the feeder in either dilute bleach water or vinegar water. To use vinegar, combine 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water in a tub or bucket and allow the feeder to soak for at least an hour. Or, mix 1/4 cup household bleach per gallon of water and soak for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and air dry before refilling.
It’s best to hang hummingbird feeders at least 4 to 5 feet above the ground, out of the reach of cats and other predators. Choose a shady location if possible, since homemade hummingbird food spoils more quickly in the sun and heat. Do not hang feeders near a known nest. Finally, put it somewhere you can see to enjoy!
And that’s how to make homemade hummingbird food.
Thank you for your interest in supporting hummingbirds and local wildlife! I hope you’ll have plenty of magnificent little friends buzzing around your yard in no time. Fun fact: Did you know that hummingbirds can remember every flower they visit, and recognize the humans that tend to their feeders? So don’t be surprised if you’re met with a little sass if you don’t keep up with filling and cleaning them! Plus, gratitude when you do.
If you enjoyed this easy hummingbird food recipe, please spread the love and leave a review below!
Don’t miss these related articles:
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- The Top 7 Easy Annual Companion Flowers to Grow From Seed
- 10 Ways to Help Pollinators: Save Bees, Butterflies & Beyond
Hummingbird Food (Nectar) Recipe
Equipment
- Small pot or tea kettle
- Hummingbird feeder
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, un-chlorinated and filtered if possible
- 1/4 cup refined white sugar* (do not substitute with other sugars or sweeteners, see notes below)
Instructions
- Completely dissolve 1 part sugar in 4 parts hot water. Scale up or down as needed for your feeder(s). For example, use 1 cup of sugar and 4 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups water, or 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water. During winter: increase the sweetness to 1 part sugar to only 3 parts water (1/3 cup sugar and 1 cup water), but no more sweet than that!
- You can either lightly heat a pot of sugar water on the stove, or by heat water in a tea kettle and then mix it with the sugar in a heat-safe bowl or glass. If your water gets really hot straight out of the tap, you can simply mix hot water and sugar right in jar, glass, or bowl. You do NOT need to boil homemade hummingbird food, but do make sure the sugar completely dissolves.
- Allow the sugar water to cool down to lukewarm or room temperature before adding it to your hummingbird feeder.
- Hang the feeder outside in a shady location at least 4 feet above the ground, and have fun watching your hummer friends enjoy their food!
- If you make extra, store any leftover hummingbird food in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Thoroughly clean and sanitize feeders at least weekly. Every 4 to 5 days is ideal, and more frequently in hot weather. Do not "top off" the feeder by adding more nectar before emptying it first. If the food becomes moldy, cloudy, or otherwise grimy, immediately take it down and clean out the feeder.
Notes
42 Comments
Shipra Chawla
Hi, thanks for amazing and very helpful information. I have a question regarding the metal stands on humming bird feeder.
Do they get really hot during summer, we live in Texas, so that why little worried about heat. I have hung the feeder under a tree but still not sure. What do you think or suggest? Thanks
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Shipra, we haven’t heard much in regards to people who use metal trellises in really hot weather so I don’t think that should be an issue. A lot of times hummingbirds just hover as they drink at the feeder and choose not to sit while they feed. Hope that helps and good luck!
Pat Starr
I enjoyed the article on hummers, their care and feeding. Having lived in Southern California for years and having 3 large feeders right outside my kitchen slider with hundreds of them (and an occasional yellow crested oriole in spring) treating my feeders like LAX on a Monday, I still learned some things from your article and hope to learn more now that I’ve pulled up stakes and moved to Lake Havasu. Thanks for a most informative article!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thanks a lot Pat, good luck to you in your new home!
Judi
I finally conquered the ants with a product called Tangle Trap Sticky Coating. It comes with a brush in the cap to apply to the hanger. Just a few inches around the hanger will trap the ants. It lasts seemingly forever until the ants fill the trap. I use it in the garden on yellow plastic cups to catch as many white flies, etc. as possible. No issue for the bees.
Joe yos
Planning to put out hummingbird feeder for first time ever at our NJ home. Question – should we wait to put out before may or is there any benefit in putting out now, in January, for first time.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Joe, We have a link in the “When to hang a feeder” section that lists by state when one should hang a hummingbird feeder. They recommend late April to early May for New Jersey and you can take them down by early to mid October. There isn’t a benefit to putting it out now because the hummingbirds that visit your state are migratory. Thanks for your interest in helping out hummingbirds and enjoy!
Jeff K
You can withdraw my previous comment. After further reading, I found articles that say it’s OK to feed them this sugar water, even without other nutrients, because they use the energy from the sugar to hunt for insects, where they get much of their nutrients.
DeannaCat
Hi Jeff, Yep that is correct. Furthermore, the “commercial bottled” nectars you suggested we should look into are nothing but sugar too, plus preservatives and dye that have not proven safe for our little friends. There are none (that I am aware of) that contain protein. So this is indeed one of the healthiest ways you can help support their populations, in addition to planting plenty of nectar-bearing flowers. They also get a little protein by sipping nectar from flowers that have pollen inside, since pollen has protein. This recipe is approved by the Audubon society as well. Thank you for reading!
Ramy k
Hi Deanna .. thank you so much for this info.
I have a question about humming birds they always fight each other fir nectar. Is that normal?
Because of that I bought an extra feeder so they can share but they didn’t seem to be interested of using the second one?
Can you let me know please and thanks again.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Ramy, it is natural for them to zip around and chase each other, nothing to be alarmed about. Thank you for making the efforts to give our little friends an extra food source.
Kim jenkns
Great read…enjoyed it so much..love my hummers
Leontine Fox
Thank you for this wonderful info.
Heather
Do you ever have issues with wasps at your hummingbird feeder? Near the end of August the wasps get bad in my area and they swarm my feeder. Then the hummingbirds stop coming because there’s so many wasps.
Wondering if you’ve had this issue or know a solution?
DeannaCat
Hi Heather! We haven’t had any issues, but I have read that the design of the feeder can either make things worse or prevent bees entirely – and that you can make “guards” so that the hummers can feed with their long beak and tongue but the bees/wasps can’t get close enough to feed too. Here is a little article about it. I hope that helps!
Erin
How do you best deter ants and other insects from getting to the nectar?
DeannaCat
Hi Erin! We have never had any issues with insects at our feeder. If ants are an issue, I know there are some feeders with a built-in ant moat on top. I guess our bees are more drawn to the flowers in our yard, because they’ve never shown interest either. I have read that if bees are bothering the feeder, it may be a design flaw with that particular feeder, but I am not 100% sure about that… I’ve also read to avoid yellow colored feeders if bees and wasps are an issue, and keeping it in the shade should also help.