How to Make Beeswax Wraps Cheaply & Easily

Are you looking to make beeswax food wraps? Let me show you just how easy and cheap it can be with this full DIY guide.

I love sharing zero-waste DIYs with you, so today I want to share my tried and tested technique for how to make beeswax wraps. 

If you’re looking to go plastic-free in the kitchen, then these beeswax wraps make for a great alternative to using cling film, tin foil, or plastic Tupperware to store food in. And the best part is they are really easy to make.

Whilst you can easily buy food wraps now, I had all the supplies to hand. I had some fabric scraps left over from an old craft project. And I had some beeswax pellets left over from making beeswax candles and homemade nappy rash cream, so I decided to try my hand at making my own.

How hard could it be? Turns out, not very hard at all. I’ve been making them now for about seven years without fail, so let me share with you now my easy method to make your own beeswax wraps.

How To Make Beeswax Wraps

Here’s the full guide to make your wraps quickly and easily:

The Supplies You Need

• Freshly washed and dried fabric scraps in a variety of sizes. Try to use 100% cotton rather than synthetic fibres. This is because synthetic fabrics often repel the melted beeswax rather than absorbing it, leading to an uneven coating and a disappointing finish. The lack of absorption can also make the wraps stiff and difficult to mould properly around food or containers.
• Beeswax pellets
• A silicone basting brush
• An old oven tray you don’t mind getting beeswax on.
• Tongs

Method

• Preheat your oven to 85°C (185°F)
• Lay your piece of fabric flat on your oven tray. Sprinkle the fabric liberally with your beeswax pellets.
• Place the tray in the oven for around 5 minutes, until the beeswax has all melted. Keep an eye on it the whole time to avoid burning.
• Once all the beeswax has melted carefully remove the tray from the oven and quickly use your silicone basting brush to evenly distribute the beeswax. The beeswax will start to set as soon as you take it out of the oven so you want to do this bit quickly.
• As soon as you’ve distributed the wax, use the tongs to remove the fabric and hang it up to dry. It will take only minutes to set and then it’s ready for use. To do this, using the tongs, I hold my fabric above the tray for a minute to allow the beeswax to set (and to catch any drips). I then drape the fabric on my washing line.
• If you find you’ve got too much beeswax on your fabric then simply place it back in the oven for a few minutes until the beeswax has melted. Then brush down with your silicone brush again.
• To remove the beeswax from your oven tray and basting brush, wash them in very hot soapy water.

Have fun making these beeswax wraps – I find it can get a bit addictive!

How To Use Beeswax Wraps

You can use beeswax wraps in practically any way you see fit – for example, wrapping cheese. Just wrap the cheese in the wrap and use the heat from your hands to seal the ends. Got a leftover bowl of food? Simply place a beeswax wrap on top and again, using the heat from your hands, seal the wrap around the edges. The uses are endless!

See my notes on usage below for some more handy hints.

Beeswax Snack Pouches

My eldest daughter loves the little snack boxes of raisins. I’ve found it’s cheaper and less wasteful on the packaging front to buy a big 1 kg bag of raisins and make my own little snack packs of raisins using the beeswax food wraps and a bit of origami. Here’s how to make it:

• Take a square of beeswax-coated fabric and fold it diagonally, as in picture two.
• Fold down the left-hand corner, as in picture 3.
• Next, fold down the left-hand corner like in picture 4, lining up the edge with the previous fold.
• Now fold down the triangle that’s sticking up at the top.
• Flip it over and fold down the other triangle.
• Finally, open it up and fill it with raisins or any other snack of your choice

To seal, fold down the flap on the side that doesn’t have any folds in it. Then you are good to go!

Beeswax Wraps Usage Tips

Whilst beeswax wraps are great at storing your food without plastic, there are a few key points to remember when using them.

Heat & Cold Considerations

Firstly, the most important thing to remember is beeswax melts at a low-ish temperature. To be precise, the melting point of beeswax is around 62°C to 64°C. Therefore, any use that is going to be around or above that temperature is a big no-no. Think cold.

I, therefore, wouldn’t recommend using your wrap directly on hot food. Let the food cool first before wrapping it.

And like cling film, your beeswax wrap is for food storage only. Don’t use them in your oven or microwave. The beeswax will melt and will leave a big mess that will not be fun to clean up.

You can freeze your fabric wraps. I wouldn’t use it for long-term freezer storage though – only for the food that you plan on freezing in the short term. I would suggest that your wraps spend no longer than one month at a time in the freezer.

How To Wash & Dry Beeswax Wraps

With these heat considerations in mind, wash your beeswax food wrap in cold soapy water using a gentle eco-friendly washing-up liquid, like Bio D. I would avoid using alcohol-based washing-up liquid as it can degrade your beeswax.

When it comes to drying them, I would also recommend leaving your wraps to air dry. Whatever you do, don’t leave them on your radiator to dry! I also wouldn’t recommend putting your wraps in your dishwasher or washing machine. And definitely not your tumble drier!

For a full walk-through, do take a read of my guide on how to clean and wash beeswax wraps.

Food Safety

If you eat meat, then I would avoid placing your beeswax wrap in direct contact with raw meat. This is because you can’t wash your wrap in hot water to sterilise it. If you want to store raw meat using your wrap, I would put the meat in a bowl and use the wrap to cover the bowl.

What To Do When Your Wrap Stops Folding

When your beeswax food wrap stops losing the ability to fold, there’s no need to bin it. Simply wash and re-wax it in the same manner as above, and you’re ready to go again.

What About Resin?

As you can see, I don’t use resin to make my wraps, and I’ve had a couple of questions from readers about that omission. Specifically if my wraps are as good as ones made with resin.

Resin is often included in beeswax wrap recipes, but it isn’t strictly necessary. Resin tends to be added for its stickiness. Pine resin, in particular, helps the wraps cling to bowls, jars, and food items. That being said, resin isn’t essential for functional wraps – if you omit it you just have to rely more on the warmth of your hands to shape and seal your wraps.

I’ve tried using resin, and it can be tricky to work with. It’s quite sticky and can clump if not melted and mixed evenly. I prefer the simplicity of this technique, and I personally find the wraps work well. Just take a moment or two to shape them around your container or food and you’ll be fine.

I can’t wait to hear how you get on! Happy making!

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