SPRINKLES 101: VARIETIES AND USES

Do you know your jimmies from your cachous? Here is our deep dive into the world to sprinkles, to help you learn about all the different types of sprinkles and when to use them. Whether you want to bake with sprinkles or decorate with them, it pays to know the best type to use to get results you want. We also give insight into which sprinkles are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.

JIMMIES

AKA hail, decs, sugar strands

These are the classics that most people think of when they say sprinkles. Jimmies are long, thin and crunchy and come in a variety of bright rainbow colours. They don't bleed their colour much and hold their shapes well when used in batter or dough, making them perfect for using in funfetti cake recipes. The exception here is our hand-dyed pastel jimmies which won't hold their subtle colour during the baking process. Jimmies are also great for adding on top of things to decorate donuts, birthday cakes, cupcakes and so on. Sugar Lips jimmies are gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly. Pictured: Rainbow jimmies

NONPAREILS

AKA 100's and 1000's

Another classic sprinkle shape! Nonpareils are the tiny ball-shaped sprinkles we grew up with on fairy bread and hundreds & thousands biscuits. They are very small, about 1-2mm diameter. That said, they aren't great baking into batter or dough as they tend to disappear and bleed their colour a lot. Nonpareils are perfect for using decoration on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate and so on. We love them for adding little pops of texture and colour. Sugar Lips nonpareils are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan friendly (check the colours to confirm). We have a range of hand-dyed dainty nonpareils in modern earthy and pastel tones that give a custom finish to your decorating. Pictured: Dusty rose nonpareils

CONFETTI

AKA sequins, quins, sprinkle shapes

Confetti sprinkles are basically an edible party decoration! They often round, but also come a variety of shapes like stars, hearts, and festive holiday shapes. They range in size from 3mm to 7mm and are perfect for adding a bright pop of colour. Confetti sprinkles hold their shape and colour well when added to dough or batter, although the larger sized ones can be quite crunchy. When used to decorate treats they make a bold, bright statement. Sugar Lips rainbow sequins and confetti sprinkles are gluten free, and dairy free. Some confetti are not so it pays to check the ingredients first. Depending on the colours used they may be vegan-friendly also. Pictured: Mini pastel rainbow sequins

CACHOUS

AKA dragees, metallic pearls

Cachous are round ball-shaped sprinkles with a hard outer shell and shiny metallic finish. They range in size from 2mm to 8mm. Cachous are usually used for decoration as the larger ones can be too hard to bite. Traditionally cachous, or dragees, were used for weddings and funerals in Europe and Greece. Most cachous will contain gluten. Sugar Lips gold and silver cachous are among our top selling sprinkles! Pictured: Metallic gold cachous mix

SUGAR PEARLS

AKA pearls, balls, cachous

Similar to cachous, but without the metallic finish. Sugar pearls come in a range of sizes and can have either a shiny pearl or matte finish. We don't recommend adding these into batter or dough unless you want to break a tooth! They are hard and crunchy, but look super pretty as an elegant decoration for cakes and cupcakes. Some sugar pearls may be allergy-friendly but not certified. Check the ingredients first. Sugar Lips sugar pearls come in a mix of 2mm, 4mm and 8mm pearls. Pictured: Blondie pearls sprinkle mix

RODS

AKA macaroni rods, dragee rods, sticks, bars

Rod shaped sprinkles come in both shiny metallic and matte finishes. These are best used as removable decorations as they are very hard and crunchy. They often have a centre of raw spaghetti pasta. Rods are perfect for making a show-stopping statement in your decorating, or to arrange in an interesting pattern. They contain gluten. Sugar Lips have a range of both metallic and matte rod sprinkles. Pictured: Matte tiffany rods

SIXLETS

AKA chocolate balls

Sixlets are large chocolate balls with a shiny crunchy coating, around 10mm diameter. Similar to the size of a jaffa. We love using these in our sprinkle mixes and to add a bit of wow-factor to the top of decorated cakes and cupcakes. Sugar Lips have a range of sixlets in single colours. These are gluten-free, but some other brands might not be so always check the ingredients. Pictured: Lime green sixlets

SHAPES

AKA pressed candy

Sprinkles shapes are the most fun sprinkles you'll ever see! They come in a huge range of shapes and colours. They are fairly crunchy, but not as much as a sugar pearl, so are more edible. Shaped sprinkles are perfect for tying in your decorating to a party theme: unicorn horns, mermaid tails, crowns, hearts, cactuses and so many more. Add them to any basic sprinkle mix to make it suit your theme. Some shapes may be gluten-free but check the ingredients first. Pictured: Gold unicorn horns

SUGAR ROCKS

AKA rock candy, crystals

Chunky sugar is often used in decorating to give sparkling textured finish. Fine-textured sugar is known as sanding sugar and is great as a coating or to rim drinking glasses. We love using larger sugar rocks in our sprinkle mixes for a luxe geode effect. These are gluten free, but may not be vegan depending on if they have a glaze coated finish. Pictured: Diamond sugar rocks

GLITTER

AKA flakes, dust, sparkles, the best thing ever

Edible glitter is a magical creation! Tiny sparkling pieces of wonder that add that extra bit of wow to whatever they decorate. Fine glitter dust is perfect for dusting over finished treats or to mix into drinks for an uber fancy touch. Chunkier glitter flakes are used as a shiny addition to cake and cupcake decorations. We love the pictured tiny metallic glitter stars. They come in gold and silver and are the cutest little things ever. You will find them sold on their own in tiny jars and featuring in lots of Sugar Lips sprinkle mixes because we can't resist them. Note that some brand of glitter are non-toxic rather than edible so always check the ingredients. Sugar Lips uses edible glitter that is gluten-free and vegan. Pictured: Gold glitter stars

TO REVIEW

So if you want to bake sprinkles into a funfetti batter or dough, you'll want to use jimmies or confetti sprinkles for the best results. These sprinkles will hold their shape and colour the best when baked.

Cachous, sugar pearls and rods are the show-stoppers in the decorating world. But save your teeth and use sparingly, or if you can't resist their beauty just gently scrape them off before eating.

There are different gluten-free, dairy-free sprinkle options around but do check the ingredients first to make sure. Particularly colours, gelatin and glaze ingredients need to be checked as well for vegan and halal sprinkles.

When it comes to sprinkle mixes, the options are endless! If you can't find what you need we can help you out with a custom mix that suits your theme. Or assemble your own from our various smaller sprinkle components.

We'd love to hear any other questions you have about sprinkles! In case you couldn't tell, we love them alot!