How To Easily Make Crayons In The Oven With Silicone Molds

Do you have a bunch of crayons laying around? This is the coolest way to recycle and use those old crayons to make new crayons using silicone molds. Get the whole family involved in making DIY crayons in your oven.

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These DIY crayons are perfect for treat bags, Valentine’s party favors and gifts. We are so excited to use our homemade heart crayons soon. 

Can you use silicone molds for crayons?

Yes, you most certainly can. Silicone molds come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and designs and are a great way to recycle old crayons into brand new creative ones in your oven. 

Where can you buy silicone molds?

We were so lucky when walking through the clearance section at our local craft store after Valentine’s Day. We were able to score these heart molds for less than a dollar each. My only regret was I did not buy more. Baking molds like ours always go on sale once the holiday is over and you can find them in so many fun shapes.

Can silicone molds go in the oven?

Yes, these make sure that you are purchasing silicone molds that say oven safe. Our molds said they were oven-safe, freezer safe and heat-resistant up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 

How To Easily Peel Crayons

Seriously I wish I had known this sooner from other crayon art and craft projects we have done.

Soak the crayons in warm water for about 10-15  minutes. Some of the papers will honestly just fall off. You can even twist your hands over the paper to easily get some of the more stubborn crayon papers to come off. 

We think the water technique is the best way to get the paper wrapper off. But, you can also take an Exacto knife and cut the paper off. However, that is not really the family-friendly way to get it done.

Instead, get the whole family involved by helping to peel and break crayons. This is such a fun way to help little ones build hand strength.

Note that the smaller the pieces you break, the faster the crayons will melt. We actually liked having little larger pieces. We think that it gave our silicone mold crayons a little more of a tie-dye effect instead of just all melting to make new solid colors.

What if you don’t want to peel the paper wrappers off the crayons?

Please don’t put the paper in the oven. However, you can purchase unwrapped crayons if you are in a pinch for your own DIY crayons. 

Different Ways To Consider Melting Crayons

We do know you could use a heat gun, microwave or even a blow dryer to melt crayons. However, the oven really is the easiest way. 

How To Involve The Family In Crayon Making

Even the youngest children can help make decisions about the colors they are using in this fun project. Our oldest was able to even understand that red and green might not work out too well because they are opposite on the color wheel. 

Without even realizing it our children were discussing the primary colors, similar colors and color theory well trying to guess how their new crayons may come out. It truly is so much fun and doesn’t cost much to do.

We did attempt a rainbow crayon, but the darker colors seemed to overtake the brighter ones. Colors that are similar or next to each other the color wheel seemed to work better than too many different colors.

We also loved when the white crayon melted in. The best part about this fun idea is that you can just experiment with colors and see what happens!

What crayons are best to use?

It is odd enough that our past experiences confirmed that Crayola crayons are the most vibrant and easiest to melt. Some of the other brands of crayons actually take a little bit longer.

We know this from doing different melt crayon canvas projects with a hair dryer. Any brand of crayon will work to create fun new crayons in different shapes and sizes using molds and your oven.

What if I don’t have silicone molds for crayon making?

If you don’t have silicone molds you could try melting crayons in old mini muffin tins or using old metal cookie cutters.

How To Melt Crayons In The Oven In Silicone Molds

Step 1: Take The Wrapper Off

Peel the crayon wrapper off of the crayons. Soaking in water for 10 minutes can really help with the process.

Step 2: Preheat Oven

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3: Fill Molds

Place broken crayon pieces in molds. Overfill the molds (especially if they are like are smaller hearts). The crayons melt to fill every empty space. 

Step 4: Place In The Oven

Put silicone mold on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven.

Step 5: Cook For 8-10 Minutes

For the small molds, cook for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to watch for when they are fully melted. You do not want to overcook them.

Step 6: Pull Out Of Oven & Let Cool

Once you see that the crayons have fully melted, pull them out of the oven immediately. The wax will be very hot and liquid. How long your newly formed crayons need to cool will depend on the size of your molds. 

After 20 Minutes

In the image below, you can see that the melted wax has solidified and was cool to the touch after about 20 minutes.

Step 7: Remove Them From The Mold

Once one is completely cool to the touch, you can carefully push it out of the heart mold.

Adult Supervision Needed

Warning! My kids were very excited to see the crayons.

Even with me standing right there they were tempted to touch the pan or melted wax. It all looks very cool, but make sure you don’t let anyone touch the hot surfaces and hot wax.

Be careful when handling the baking sheet and crayon molds. Also, don’t leave them unattended because you never know who might get curious.

Notes On Melting Times

Please note: our large molds took about 12 minutes at 300 F and took about 30 minutes before I was comfortable pulling the crayons out of the molds. Do not rush this part. You don’t want to break your awesome creations.

We also tried to melt the crayons at 200 degrees F, but it just was taking too long. We found the sweet spot at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember just like with baking all things can vary, so just keep a close eye on your melted crayon wax as it is happening. 

Factors That May Change Your Melting Time

• The size you cut or broke your crayons. Small pieces will not take nearly as long to melt as larger pieces.
• Your molds are different sizes.
• Your oven runs differently than mine (sorry not really a baker to tell you why)
• The brand of crayons or even colors used. In past crayon projects, we have found that certain colors have a higher melting point than other colors.

Want another amazing crafty idea that is super budget-friendly?

Make super-soft playdough with our DIY no-cream of tartar slow cooker playdough recipe or a homemade oobleck recipe without cornstarch.

Honestly, your kids will play with either for hours and you can make it with items you probably already have!

Follow us on Pinterest or YouTube for more arts and crafts ideas!

My family honestly couldn’t believe how awesome our DIY crayons looked once we could peel them out of the heart molds!

If you like this easy tutorial, be sure to give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.