Birdseed Ornaments are a fun holiday craft you can make with your kids. Hang them up outside, and watch the birds enjoy them in your own backyard.
If you are looking for more activities to make with your kids, try Christmas Tree brownies and my Oreo Mint Truffles.
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Why this DIY Birdseed Ornament Recipe is a Keeper
These super frugal birdseed ornaments are fun to make, and are a great holiday gift to your feathered friends. They work great for feeding hungry songbirds in winter, and are a great simple craft for kids.
- Easy Ingredients: Everything you need for these birdseed ornaments can be found in your house or local grocery store.
- Only 4 Ingredients: All you need to make birdseed ornaments is mini bagels, birdseed, peanut butter, and twine. All of the ingredients are edile and healthy for birds.
- Kid-Friendly: This is a fun craft to make with kids, especially around the holidays.
Where is the Best Place to Hang these Ornaments?
Hang the birdseed ornaments on a low tree branch. If you can, hang them close to the window so you can see birds eating the seed from inside your house.
Ingredient Notes to Make Birdseed Ornaments
- Mini Bagels: Mini bagels are easy to hang up, and serve as an edible ornament.
- Birdseed: Use wild bird feed to make the ornaments. Cracked corn and sunflower seeds also work great. Use one or two cups of birdseed, and be sure to pack it tightly.
- Peanut Butter: Smooth peanut butter will help the birdseed stick together, allowing the ornaments to hold their shape. Make sure to use peanut butter that isn’t highly processed. Use the back of the spoon to spread the peanut butter.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for Bird Seed Ornaments
- Bagels: Set out the bagels or toast them to dry them out.
Pro Tip for Our Feathered Friends
To ensure your ornament hangs securely, double-knot the twine around the bagel. You can also use a hot glue gun to attach a loop of ribbon or twine.
How to Make Birdseed Ornaments
These are the basic steps for making birdseed ornaments without cookie cutters. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Cut the Bagels
Add 1 cup of birdseed to a bowl, then slice the bagels into halves on a baking sheet. Spread a tablespoon of peanut butter onto each half.
2. Add the Birdseed
Place the peanut butter side of the bagel into the birdseed and gently push down. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to pack the seeds. This will hold the birdseed together and keep the ornaments from falling apart. Put a piece of twine through the hole of each bagel to create a loop and double knot. Let dry for several minutes, then hang the ornaments in a tree outside.
How to Store the Ornaments
- Storing: Store in a ziploc bag or airtight container until ready to hang outside. Extra birdseed can be stored in a mason jar or carton.
Variations and Substitutions for these Fun to Make Ornaments
- Bagels: Feel free to make these ornaments with different sizes or flavors of bagels.
- Gingerbread: Make these ornaments out of gingerbread for the squirrels and birds to eat. You can even use a cookie cutter to make them into gingerbread man shapes.
- Nut Butter: Instead of peanut butter, you can use other nut butters, like almond butter or cashew butter.
Easy DIY Birdseed Ornament Recipe FAQs
If you followed the instructions and enjoyed making these ornaments to feed your local bird species, leave a review. Reader interactions help us continue making content. If you love to cook, visit our page to see our recent posts and recipes.
If you freeze the ornaments before hanging them up to prevent mold, they can last for up to 6 months.
Instead of peanut butter, try using honey or a different nut butter.
Yes; use a different type of bread, pinecones, or even cookies.
Expert Tips for Making this Gift-Giving Recipe
- Add Nuts: Stir in some dried berries and nuts to your bird seed.
- Honey: Replace your peanut butter with honey or corn syrup.
- Variation tip: Pinecones or apple slices are a great replacement in place of the bread for these bird feeder.
- Cookie Cutter Birdseed Ornaments: If you’d like to make these ornaments with unflavored gelatin, dissolve a packet of gelatin into 1 cup boiling water in a small pot. Add birdseed to the gelatin mixture and stir.
Once the gelatin is completely dissolved, transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to harden. Use a mold or cookie cutter to shape the ornaments.
Fill the cookie cutter with the birdseed mixture. Take the ornaments out of the cookie cutter and use a straw to poke a hole to wind the twine through. Hang the ornaments outside.
Birdseed Ornaments
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Ingredients
- 2 Mini Bagels
- ¼ cup Peanut Butter
- 1 cup Birdseed
- 4 10- inch pieces Twine
Instructions
- Add about 1 cup of birdseed to a bowl.
- Slice the mini bagels into two halves.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on each bagel half.
- Set the peanut butter side down into the bowl of birdseed, and gently press down to cover it in birdseed.
- Put a piece of twine through the hole in the middle of each bagel, and tie in a double knot where the two ends meet.
- Hang on a tree for the birds to enjoy!
Christina’s Notes
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- Add Nuts: Stir in some dried berries and nuts to your bird seed.
- Honey: Replace your peanut butter with honey or corn syrup.
- Variation tip: Pinecones or apple slices are a great replacement in place of the bread for these bird feeder.
- Cookie Cutter Birdseed Ornaments: If you’d like to make these ornaments with unflavored gelatin, dissolve a packet of gelatin into 1 cup boiling water in a small pot. Add birdseed to the gelatin mixture and stir. Once the gelatin is completely dissolved, transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to harden. Use a mold or cookie cutter to shape the ornaments. Fill the cookie cutter with the birdseed mixture. Take the ornaments out of the cookie cutter and use a straw to poke a hole to wind the twine through. Hang the ornaments outside.
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- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
so cute and easy!!
What a fun idea. Fun to make and fun to watch birds eat!
So fun and easy to make. Very popular with the birds!
These birdseed ornaments were so easy to make and the birds loved them!
How much birdseed do you use?
Oh, sorry! 3/4 cup. I just updated the post! Thanks for pointing that out.
Hi! LOVE this idea! I will definitely be doing this with my 3-yr-old twin boys. 🙂
I am looking for the link to follow you on Facebook, but don’t see it anywhere. The only thing to the right of this page are to subscribe to the blog, top posts, calendar, blog roll, etc. No FB link. I could just enter your name as it appears of Facebook, but what is it? Would it be listed as Christina’s Taste Test Project? Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words, Kristen! Let me know how you make out with the birdseed biscuits! My son loves to be my “sous chef” so this activity was perfect for us! Plus, it’s a great handmade gift idea (which is what we did)!
To follow me on FaceBook, just use this link: http://www.facebook.com/ItsAKeeper or you can look up “It’s a Keeper”.
Good luck with the biscuits!
what a great little helper!
This was so much fun to do! I can’t wait to make them again with Joey! I did, however, find that the star shaped cookie cutters did not work well. They broke when I was trying to unmold them. You have to be very gentle! 🙂
UPDATE: The biscuits turned out AWESOME!!! I had a little difficulty getting the biscuit out of one of the star shaped cookie cutters, but the rest worked perfectly!! We’ll be making these again and again!
This is a great kid project! And, I think our feathered friends will agree!