Kids will love this cute Christmas candy sleigh made from their favorite holiday treats! Makes a super cute DIY Christmas gift idea or decoration! We’ll show you how to make a candy cane sleigh with photo step by step directions and a video tutorial.
Candy Cane Sleigh
How fun is this candy sleigh?!
Not only is it super cute, our candy Santa sleigh is actually functional — you can slide it around and the back of the sleigh holds quite a bit of loose candy. We put about 2 cups of Hershey’s kisses inside!
My 4-year-old daughter is obsessed with this little treat that we made! She’s been playing with it all morning, and is actually showing impressive discipline in not eating any of the parts!
This candy cane sleigh was super easy to build and it makes a great inexpensive gift idea for teachers, family, and friends. This is one that kids can help make and personalize with their favorite candy.
You can even find a candy Santa Claus and have him “drive” the sleigh!
Related: Check out our Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats too!
What You Need to Make a Candy Sleds for Christmas
For your convenience in re-creating our candy sleigh DIY, I’ve provided shop-able ad links to some of the products used; disclosure policy available here.
- 1 large flat candy bar (we used Hershey’s Candy Cane Bars – they are delicious!)
- 4 candy canes
- 8 round peppermints
- 7 Ghirardeli peppermint bark squares (my fav!!)
- Hershey’s kisses
- Glue gun
How to Make a Candy Sleigh
Check out the photo step by step directions below to see how to make candy Santa sleighs. There’s also a free printable “recipe” card at the bottom of the post!
Use a hot glue gun to attach a round peppermint to each candy cane. The candy canes will be the sleigh rails, and the peppermints will connect them to your sleigh base, which is your king size candy bar.
We also used glued an extra round peppermint where the two candy canes connect, to provide extra support.
Once all sleigh rails are attached and the glue is dry, flip your sleigh so that it is right-side-up.
Use a hot glue gun to make a basket with the Ghirardeli chocolate squares. Leave the side facing the front open.
Glue two Ghirardeli squares on top of each other at the front of your sleigh to make a seat cushion. Glue two round peppermints to those chocolate squares to make the seat back.
Fill your sleigh basket with any type of candy you like. We used Hershey’s kisses.
Can you use different candy?
Sure! We used things that we have on hand, as well as things that remind us of a sleigh, like candy canes.
You could try using different flavors of candy canes, or even a miniature version! The possibilities are truly endless — we just give an example here to get you started.
How long will the candy last?
If kept at room temperature, your candy sleigh should last the holiday season! I wouldn’t recommend keeping it longer than that of course, because it’s actually food. We live in Texas, so it would melt in storage and I’d be afraid it would attract bugs.
In any case, my kids pretty much begged to eat our candy cane sleds every day so it wasn’t really an issue! They were so excited after Christmas to finally enjoy them!
More DIY Christmas Gift Ideas
- Christmas Wreath Napkin Rings
- Kid-Made Grandparent Gift Ideas
- DIY Gold & Concrete Succulent Planters
- Quilled Christmas Lights Card
- Cardboard Tube Christmas Tree Craft
- Christmas Stocking Pop-Up Card
- Christmas Tree Picture Frame
- Paper Snow Globe Ornaments
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Candy Sleigh DIY Printable Directions
If you love this recipe, rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Candy Cane Sleigh (with Video Tutorial)
Ingredients
- 1 large flat candy bar Hershey's bar or similar
- 4 candy canes
- 8 round peppermints
- 7 Ghirardeli chocolate squares individually wrapped
- Hershey's kisses
Instructions
- Use a hot glue gun to attach a round peppermint to the middle of each candy cane. (The candy canes will be the sleigh rails, and the peppermints will connect them to your sleigh base, which is your king size candy bar.
- Glue each sleigh rail to the underside of your large candy bar, along the edge. Glue a round peppermint between the candy canes and the candy bar, where the two candy canes connect on each side.
- Once all sleigh rails are attached and the glue is dry, flip your sleigh so that it is right-side-up.
- Use a hot glue gun to make a basket with the Ghirardeli chocolate squares. Leave the side facing the front open.
- Glue two Ghirardeli squares on top of each other at the front of your sleigh to make a seat cushion. Glue two round peppermints to those chocolate squares to make the seat back.
- Fill your sleigh basket with more candy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More of our favorite easy Christmas party treats for kids:
- “Mistletoe Margaritas” Christmas Margarita Recipe - November 30, 2023
- Peppermint Christmas Tree Craft - November 29, 2023
- Santa Clausmopolitan Cocktail - November 28, 2023
Elle says
What a cute idea! I would be really excited to receive this from someone.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Thanks Elle!