Description
Make safe, tasty hummingbird nectar with simple ingredients. Attract colorful birds to your garden with this easy recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups (1 liter) of clean, filtered water
- 1 cup (200 g) of white granulated sugar
- Optional: a splash of lemon juice (1 tsp) to prevent mold
Instructions
- Boil the water: Bring the 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a saucepan. This step kills any bacteria that might be present.
- Add sugar: Reduce the heat to low and stir in the 1 cup of sugar until it’s completely dissolved. The mixture should look clear and slightly syrupy.
- Cool the solution: Remove the saucepan from heat and let the nectar cool to room temperature. If you’re in a hurry, you can place the pot in a sink filled with ice water.
- Optional lemon addition: Once cooled, stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. The acidity helps inhibit mold growth, especially in humid climates.
- Transfer to feeder: Carefully pour the nectar into your hummingbird feeder. Fill to the top of the feeder’s reservoir, but leave a little space to avoid spills when birds land.
- Set up the feeder: Hang the feeder in a shaded spot, about 6–10 feet off the ground, and away from direct sunlight to keep the nectar fresh longer.
- Refresh regularly: Replace the nectar every 3–5 days, or sooner if it looks cloudy or has a strange odor.
Notes
- Use filtered or bottled water to avoid chlorine or mineral buildup.
- Never add honey, artificial sweeteners, or food coloring—these can be harmful to hummingbirds.
- Clean the feeder with hot, soapy water every 2–3 weeks to prevent mold.
- Place feeders near native flowers to give birds a natural food source.
- During hot weather, add a small piece of ice to the feeder to keep the nectar cool.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 420mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
Keywords: hummingbird nectar recipe bird feeders