Magic Reindeer Food Recipe: The Official North Pole Version
Magic reindeer food is a five minute Christmas Eve tradition: rolled oats, a little birdseed, chopped dried cranberries, and a spoonful of red and green sugar sprinkles, mixed by small hands and scattered on the lawn before bed so Santa's reindeer can spot your house from the sky.
The oats feed the team, the sparkle marks the runway, and the winter birds are under standing North Pole instructions to tidy up whatever the reindeer miss. Below is the official North Pole version of the recipe, the poem to say while you sprinkle, and the answer to the glitter question every parent eventually asks. If you are building the whole Christmas Eve tradition from the ground up, start with our complete guide to letters from Santa, then come back with a measuring cup.
What is magic reindeer food?
Cookies take care of Santa. Magic reindeer food takes care of everyone else on the roof. Children stir it up in December, sprinkle it outside on Christmas Eve, and it solves two problems at once. The reindeer get a snack partway through the longest night of their year, and the sparkle catches the moonlight so a sleigh at altitude can pick your lawn out of a thousand dark backyards. Think of it as runway lights, except edible.
It also hands your child a real job on the one night of the year when waiting is unbearable. The team trains all year for this flight, as anyone who has read about what the North Pole is up to in summer already knows, and children take enormous pride in doing their part to fuel it.
What goes in the magic reindeer food recipe?
Five ingredients, and everything is probably in your pantry right now. The one rule the North Pole enforces without exception: every ingredient must be safe for the wild birds who finish the leftovers after sunrise. Oats and seed are exactly what they want for breakfast. The sprinkles just have to be the edible kind.
A batch takes five minutes and keeps for weeks in a folded bag. Here is the official mix, measured the way the elves measure it.
| Ingredient | How much | Why it goes in |
|---|---|---|
| Rolled oats | 1 cup | The base. Plain uncooked oats are the reindeer staple, and every winter bird's favorite breakfast |
| Sunflower seeds or plain birdseed | 2 tablespoons | Extra crunch. Comet asks for it by name |
| Dried cranberries, chopped | 1 tablespoon | A little red glow that reads clearly from sleigh height |
| Red and green sugar sprinkles | 1 teaspoon | The sparkle that marks the runway. Use the kind made for cookies, never craft glitter |
| One whispered wish | Exactly one | The ingredient that turns oats into magic. The elves will not package a batch without it |
How do you make magic reindeer food?
There is no cooking, which makes this the rare Christmas recipe a three year old can run. Assign the jobs by age and let it be theirs:
- Measure and pour. The youngest elf dumps everything into one big bowl.
- Stir eight times, once for each reindeer. Clockwise. The elves are firm about this and refuse to explain why.
- Whisper the wish over the bowl. One per batch. Whoever stirred gets to wish.
- Scoop it into a paper bag or a small jar and fold the top until Christmas Eve. Doubling for cousins and classmates is traditional.
Label the bag if you like. A crayon works beautifully, and nobody at the North Pole has ever docked points for spelling.
Is glitter safe in reindeer food?
No, and this is the one place the North Pole is strict. Craft glitter, sequins, and confetti are plastic, and conservation experts warn that glitter scattered outdoors causes stomach trouble for the birds and small animals who eat it off the ground. The RSPB, one of the world's largest bird conservation charities, has cautioned families against glittery reindeer food for exactly that reason.
The house rule is simple. If it could go on a cookie, it can go on the lawn. If it came out of the craft drawer, it stays inside for the paper chains. Sugar sprinkles give the sleigh all the sparkle it needs, and the morning cleanup crew stays safe and well fed.
What is the magic reindeer food poem?
Most families say a short verse while they sprinkle, and the saying matters more than the words. Plenty of versions float around the playground. This one is ours, written at our own kitchen table, and you are welcome to copy it onto a tag and tie it to the bag:
Sprinkle it soft on the snow or the lawn,
a shimmer for reindeer who fly until dawn.
Eight hungry friends and their red nosed guide
will spot your sparkle from their midnight ride.
So scatter your wishes, then hurry to bed
while dreams of the morning dance in your head.
By sunrise the oats and the magic are gone,
for reindeer remember each home they land on.
❤ Written for your family by Elf Carey
One reading, out loud, mittens on. An older sibling with a flashlight makes an excellent narrator.
How do you sprinkle reindeer food on Christmas Eve?
The ritual has an order, and the order is half the fun. Cookies on the plate first. The letter from Santa read one last time. Pajamas on. Then, as the very last thing before bed, coats over pajamas and everyone out to the lawn together.
Sprinkle in a wide arc on open grass or snow near the front door, not under trees or bushes. The team needs a clear approach, and the morning birds find an open patch faster. Leave the porch light on, because every good airport keeps the tower lit. Say the poem, take one long look at the sky, and head to bed at a speed that will astonish you.
For the year the questions start, the sprinkle pairs well with the rest of the evidence. A child who has been asking whether Santa is real sleeps easier after lighting the runway personally, and a clean patch of grass in the morning is its own kind of answer.
The part nobody warns you about is how long this little ritual lasts. From a verified buyer named Sherrie:
'Even at 15, my daughter still looks forward to her box. The cookie is her favorite, and she waits till Christmas Eve to eat it, and we still go out and sprinkle the reindeer food!'
- Sherrie S., Pennsylvania - Verified Buyer
Frequently asked questions
What is magic reindeer food made of?
Magic reindeer food is made of rolled oats, sunflower seeds or plain birdseed, chopped dried cranberries, and a teaspoon of edible red and green sugar sprinkles. Every ingredient is safe for the wild birds who clean up after the reindeer, and the finishing ingredient is one whispered wish.
Is glitter in reindeer food bad for birds?
Yes. Craft glitter, sequins, and confetti are plastic, and conservation groups like the RSPB warn that they can cause stomach problems for birds and small animals that eat them off the ground. Use sugar sprinkles made for baking instead, and the sparkle stays safe for everyone.
When should you put out reindeer food?
On Christmas Eve, right before bed. Make it the last thing your child does before sleep: cookies inside for Santa, reindeer food outside for the team, porch light on, then straight upstairs. The mix keeps for weeks in a sealed bag, so you can make it any December day.
What do real reindeer eat?
Wild reindeer graze on lichen, grasses, and leafy greens across the Arctic. Santa's team trains on a stricter North Pole diet, but on the big night they run on whatever loving families leave out on the lawn, and oats are famously their favorite.
Why is the reindeer food gone in the morning?
Reindeer eat fast, and the North Pole asks the winter birds to tidy up whatever the team misses, so the lawn is usually clean by breakfast. A bare patch of grass where the sparkle used to be is one of the morning's best pieces of evidence.
Light the runway, then land the letter
Reindeer food shows the sleigh which house is yours. A personalized letter from Santa proves he knows exactly who lives there.
Create their Santa letter →Backed by our 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
About the author
Co-Founder, Package From Santa®
Carey is a co-founder of Package From Santa® and a parent who has spent more than 20 years helping families create believable, personalized Christmas magic. Known around the North Pole as Elf Carey.
Related reading: Where does Santa live? Inside the North Pole in summer and How to get a personalized letter from Santa on the Package From Santa® blog.
