How To Melt Crayons In The Oven

To Tutorial

Making new crayons out of old broken pieces sure is fun! Our family loves recycling those old bits into awesome new creations. Come along for all of our tips on how to melt crayons in your oven.

different homemade crayons made in the oven on white background.

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Ways To Mold Crayons

Cookie Cutters-See our mess-free way to make new crayons using cookie cutters.
Silicone Molds-There are so many fun shapes and molds out there. You can make large or small crayons for any holiday or special occasion.
Muffin Tins-Regular sized muffin tins or mini muffin tins can create awesome chunky crayons.
Foil Cupcake Liners-These are a lifesaver when making shaped crayons. It will help keep your crafting time a little more mess free.
Small Foil Container-After you melt the pan of color, you can use a knife to cut new sticks to use.

Oven-Safe Molds and Containers

Really anything that is oven-safe and can act as a mold for your crayons. You just want to be able to pop out the wax at the end. The fun part about using broken crayons to make new ones is that you can make all sorts of fun shapes.

different types of homemade crayons melted in the oven.

Recommended Supplies

These supplies will vary depending on which type of crayon you are making.

Cupcake Liners, Cookie Cutters, Muffin Tin or Silicone Oven-Safe Molds
Parchment Paper (not needed for silicone molds)
Old Crayons
Oven
Cookie Sheet (not needed for muffin tin crayons)
Optional: Cup For Water

Before You Begin

You will need to peel the wrapper off the crayons and break them into small pieces.

Use Water To Help Peel Off The Paper

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.

Break Crayons

Make small pieces and color piles to work from. The smaller the pieces the quicker they will melt.

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.

Melting Crayons In Oven

Step 1: Set Up Melting Station

For cookie cutter crayons and muffin tins, you would line the cookie sheet with parchment paper and add foil liners.

For silicone mold crayons you would place it on a baking sheet.

3 images of supplies used for melting crayons, silicone mold, muffin tin or cookie cutters.

Step 2: Fill With Crayons

Add crayon pieces about 2/3 up for the muffin tins and cookie cutters and all the way for the molds. When the crayon wax melts it will become a lot more compact.

silicone mold filled with crayons, cookie cutters with crayons and muffin tin with crayons.

Step 3: Bake In Oven

Cook your crayons for 9-11 minutes. Watch for the wax to completely melt. You do not want to overcook your homemade crayons.

different homemade crayons baking in oven.

Step 4: Take Out Of The Oven

Be careful your crayons will be very hot.

melted crayon wax in muffin tin, cookie cutter and silicone mold.

Step 5: Let Cool

It will take around 20 minutes for your crayons to cool. You will see them become more solid and cool to the touch.

solid crayons cooling in foil liners, heart shapes.

Step 6: Remove From Molds or Cupcake Liners

Carefully peel out the cool crayons.

thumb pulling back silver liner on DIY crayon with muffin tin in background.

You can lightly pull the edges of the molds and liners to help release the crayons.

thumb pulling back silicone mold around crayon.

Step 7: Have Fun With Your New Crayons

Craft FAQs

What is the best way to melt crayons?

The best way to make detailed and rainbow-type crayons is by melting them in your oven and in silicone molds. You will get a lot of detail and it is super easy and relatively mess-free.

What is our favorite method for making new crayons?

We love using silicone molds and mixing colors. Just make sure to watch the crayons melt and pull out immediately once the wax has melted.

What temperature is best for melting crayons?

Anywhere from 200 degrees F to 300 degrees F will work for melting crayons. The smaller your crayon pieces are and higher temperatures will require less time. The sweet spot for our oven has been 250 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Can you melt crayons in the microwave?

Yes, it is recommended that you melt the crayons in a microwave-safe dish or cup first and pour the wax into a mold afterward.

Do melting crayons smell?

Yes, they will give off an odor. If you can open a window and make sure that you pull out the crayons as soon as they have melted. Using very small pieces will also lessen cook time and the smell they give off.

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