How to Make Beeswax Wraps Cheaply & Easily

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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.

Hello! It’s been a little while since I shared a DIY with you, but today I want to share my tried and tested technique for how to make beeswax wraps. 

If you’re looking to reduce your single-use plastic consumption, 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.

We stopped using cling film and tin foil a long time ago. We switched to using parchment paper to wrap our food in before popping it in the fridge or freezer or storing food in glass jars or Tupperware tubs.

All of this has been doing the job pretty well. However, I’ve been trying to find an alternative to parchment paper as I’d like to be able to not buy so many single-use products, like parchment paper. I also wanted to find a way to transport my lunch without the need for bulky Tupperware tubs. Those things are a pain to carry around all day! So, lo and behold, the answer I was looking for: the beeswax food wrap!

how to make beeswax wraps

I had some fabric scraps left over from an old craft project. And I also had some beeswax pellets left over from making beeswax candles and homemade nappy rash cream so decided to try my hand at making my own. How hard could it be? Turns out, not very hard at all. Let me share with you now my easy method on how to make beeswax wraps.

How To Make Beeswax Wraps

how to store food without plastic

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

You Will Need

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 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 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 very quickly.
  • As soon as you’ve done this 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 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

how to fold beeswax wraps

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.

how to fold beeswax wraps uk
  • 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!

origami fold

Beeswax Wraps Usage Tips

beeswax food wrap

There are a few points to remember when using beeswax wraps.

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 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. 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, simply wash and re-wax it in the same manner as above.

How to make beeswax wraps cheaply and easily

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34 Comments

  1. Just came across your article after buying bees wraps. So simple to make and follow your instructions – Many thanks.

  2. Love this. I am a quilter so have lots and lots of cotton fabric plenty I will never use for quilts. Great way to use them up and do my bit to be eco friendly. Could start to make and sell some perhaps.😆

  3. I notice you’ve just said ‘fabric scraps’ where everyone else seems to be specifying 100% cotton. I’ve got some charity shop duvet cover fabric that I suspect may be poly cotton. What are your thoughts on this. Have you used poly cotton? Thanks. (I’m going to do both bees wax and soy wax versions)

  4. Other methods mention the use of pine resin and jojoba oil mixed in with the beeswax to make the overall wrap more malleable and clingy. How have you found yours with only using beeswax? Do they cling well? Also, you say apply the beeswax pellets liberally but other methods say not to use too much as too thick dried wax with just crack.

    Really excited to give these a go though!

    1. I am keen to know this too. I’ve tried just beeswax and find the covers aren’t as malleable or clingy as I would like/expect. I also tried a cotton fabric that I had spare from making a blind and beanbag but the fabric was too heavy and became too stiff. I’ve read others have tried jojoba oil and pine resin but it’s not combined well and all gone a bit wrong.

      Thank you for the article and advice. Would love to hear more!

  5. These seem like an excellent idea.
    But I’d like to comment that both baking parchment and foil can be re-used lots of times. Foil can be washed like normal washing-up and parchment just rinsed under the tap. It’s fragile when wet but drape it over the tap or whatever and it soon dries.

  6. Has anyone done this in a gas oven? I worry about the cloth catching fire in a gas oven, but I’d really like to try making some.

    1. You can place fabric between 2 sheets of parchment and iron on low. Use an old towel so you don’t get wax on ironing board fabric as wax will ooze out.

  7. Hi! This sounds like great idea! Do you know of any alternatives to beeswax that are suitable for vegans?
    Thanks!

  8. Yes, I too was wondering how much bees wax would be needed and if you sew the edges to stop them fraying.
    Great article, Thank you :0)

    1. Hi Andie,

      I’ve not found a need to sew the edges to stop fraying, as the wax seems to do a good enough job at stopping that – but by all means you could sew the edges just to be sure! I’ve found a generous handful of beeswax is sufficient – it all depends on how big the size of your fabric is. If you find that when the beeswax melts and it’s not enough to saturate the fabric, just add some more until the fabric is saturated.

  9. Thank you for this article ! I made 10 bees wax wraps from different sizes for less than 20e which is absolutely nothing compared to what they cost if you buy them already made :) I have fabric leftovers and still a ton of bees wax I’m gonna use to make candles. Plus the where super fun and easy to make. Love it! :D

  10. Hi! Do you find that if you used a wrap to transport a sandwich that the beeswax can be tasted on the sandwich? Thank you!

  11. What a brilliant idea. Silly question do you need to coat both sides of the fabric with the beeswax?
    Just love readying your blog, thank you for sharing your ideas.
    Karen

    1. Hi Karen, I’ve found the beeswax generally seeps through to the other side of the fabric in the oven, but if it’s looking patchy simply add a bit more beeswax and pop back in the oven. Good luck!

  12. I wish I’s drew this article before I spent £45 on shop bought beeswax wraps! I will be making my own in future though, thank you.

  13. Love this. We saw some of these in the US but were quite expensive and of course I wanted all three sizes! So this guide is brilliant, and I have lots of pretty Liberty Fabric waiting for a project like this! Thanks for sharing :)

    1. My pleasure Jeska! I only meant to make three wraps but I ended up making about 10 – was quite addictive once I started making them! Also seemed like a lovely and practical way to use my leftover Liberty squares! Hope you enjoy making them!

  14. Thanks for the handy reminder that I really must try this some day. I have got all the stuff I need, just need to make the time to actually do it!

  15. This is awesome – definitely going to try making some! I also plan to make the beeswax nappy balm from way back on your blog – so the beeswax will come in very handy!