How To Make Ice Lanterns (Ice Candles)

If it’s below freezing where you live, these ice candles can just live on your front porch or front steps all winter! But even if they only last a day or two, ice lanterns are a beautiful way to welcome guests to your home for a holiday party!

When the weather is consistently below freezing most days, I think it’s the perfect time for ice lantern decorations! They’re really quick and easy to make, and so gorgeous. Today’s tutorial will show you how to make ice lanterns (or ice candles) in a few simple steps.

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These DIY ice lanterns are super easy to make, plus you can make them for under $5! All you need are a few recycled cans, water, and some faux greenery which you can find at your local craft store.

How To Make Ice Candles or Ice Lanterns

• Time spent doing stuff: 15 minutes
• Time spent waiting around: 6-8 hours (it takes a while for these to freeze!)
• Total project time: 6-8 hours

• diagonal cutters

• two empty tin cans, one small enough to fit inside the other with at least 1/2″ of room on either side and at the bottom
• faux greenery and berries
• rocks or some other heavy item
• tape
• tea light candles

Clean out your tin cans and remove the labels. Don’t worry about the sticky label residue; it won’t hurt the ice lanterns if it doesn’t all come off.

Put a small amount of water (about ½ C) into the larger tin can. Then put the smaller tin can inside the larger one. The smaller tin can should be floating inside the larger one at this point.

Add a few rocks to the smaller tin can to hold it down so that the tops of both cans are level. Then add tape on all four sides to help hold the smaller tin can centered in the larger one.

Now cut apart your greenery and berries into smaller pieces and stick them down into the water between the two cans. The individual berries float, so I cut them into “sprigs” and just stuck the whole thing down the side of the can. This helped sort of wedge the greenery and berries between the two cans so they wouldn’t all float to the top.

Once you’ve added greenery everywhere, add a little more water between the cans, until the water is about 1/2″ to 1″ below the top of the can. If your water is already too full, pour some out. Remember, water expands as it freezes, so don’t fill it too full or the water will overflow as it turns to ice.

If it’s below freezing where you live, stick the cans outside overnight to freeze. If it’s too warm outside, just put them in your freezer overnight.

Once the water is frozen, run slightly warm water over the outside of the can and inside of the smaller can to help loosen the ice. Once the outsides melt a little bit you should be able to slide the ice lanterns right out of the tin can molds!

Stick a small tea light in the ice lantern, light it, and enjoy the glow of your ice candle! It’s just as pretty during the day too!

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How To Make Ice Lanterns or Ice Candles

5 from 4 votes

Ice lanterns are a beautiful way to decorate for winter, and you can make these for under $5! Learn how to make ice candles by following these simple instructions.

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Active Time 15 minutes mins

Freezing Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Yield 1 candle

Cost $5

Equipment

• diagonal cutters

Materials

• 2 empty tin cans one small enough to fit inside the other with at least 1/2" of space between the two cans on hte sides and at hte bottom
• faux greenery and berries
• rocks or another small, heavy item
• tape
• 1 tea light candle

Instructions

 

• Clean both tin cans and remove the labels. It's ok if some of the label residue remains.
  
• Put a small amount of water (about ½ C) into the larger tin can. Then put the smaller tin can inside the larger one so that it floats on the water.
• Add a few rocks to the smaller tin can to hold it down so that the tops of both cans are level. Then add tape on all four sides to help hold the smaller tin can centered within the larger one.
  
• Cut apart the greenery and berries into "sprigs" and stick them down into the water between the two cans, wedging them between the cans so they don't all float to the top.
  
• Add water between the cans until the water is about 1/2″ to 1″ below the top of the can.
• Put the cans outside or in the freezer overnight to freeze.
• Run slightly warm water over the outside of the larger can and inside of the smaller can to help loosen the ice. Once the outsides melt a little bit you should be able to slide the ice candle right out of the tin can mold.
  
• Place a small tea light in the ice lantern, light it, and enjoy the glow of your ice candle!

Notes

Remember, water expands as it freezes, so don’t fill the cans too full or the water will overflow as it turns to ice.

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