How to Make Candles in Minecraft: A Comprehensive Guide
Learn how to craft, dye, light, and extinguish candles in Minecraft's 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update. Discover the easy crafting recipe, find the necessary materials, and explore various candle placement options, including on cakes.
In Minecraft's new 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update, a new, spectacular and fascinating light source has been introduced. While players already have torches and lanterns to decorate their buildings, candles were a long-lost feature. Now, thanks to the sea cucumber design, candles are a real part of the game.
Their appearance and placement is similar to the already existing sea cucumbers. You can place multiple candles on the same block, which will increase the light level they emit as a result. You can place up to four candles in one block, and some of them will also appear taller or shorter. Here's how you can make your own candles, colour them, and use them.
Crafting Materials for Candles
Candles have an incredibly easy crafting recipe, and they're not very expensive to make. However, if you plan on making many candles you will need to get yourself an apiary.
- 1 x String
- 1 x Honeycomb
How to get Honeycomb
- To get Honeycomb, you will need to get an apiary. The best place to start is usually a jungle biome that has lots of flowers. Flowers and trees where bees can spawn are the two major requirements. If you are near a flowering jungle biome, head there as it is the ideal place to have lots of bees.
- Find an apiary that is completely full. You may have to wait nearby for several days for the bees to fill up the hive. Then, build a campagnai under the hive and use your shears on the hive itself. This will cause the honeycomb to fall for you, and the campagnai will prevent the bees from becoming aggressive and attacking you.
- If you want to move a honeycomb you'll need to wait until you see bees moving in.
How to find string
- String is an easy item to obtain for this recipe. There are several common locations where you can find some. You can find a spider and kill it, which usually drops a spider eye and some string if you're lucky.
- Alternatively, finding an abandoned mine and mining the cobwebs that are usually abundant there with a sword will give you string.
- Chests in turrets and desert temples also have a chance of spawning some string pieces inside their loot chests, so be sure to check if you come across any.
How to make candles
The crafting recipe for candles doesn't require a three by three crafting grid, as you only need two squares for a candle.
Place the string vertically directly above the honeycomb, and you'll receive a default-coloured candle.
How to Make Coloured Candles
- All candles will initially have a natural, yellowish-white colour. If you want your candles to be coloured, you'll need to get some dyes and mix them with your candles.
- Any colour in the game can be used.
Also Read: Minecraft: How to Craft Rails and Where To Find Them in Your World
How to Light and Extinguish Candles
- Once you have your candles, you'll want to place them down and light them. You can place up to four candles on a block.
- After that, simply use a flint and steel to light them. Any arrows shot from a bow with a fire charge and flame magic also work if you don't have flint and steel for some reason.
- Candles can be extinguished by right-clicking on them or interacting with them by pouring water on them, such as to extinguish a fire source.
How to Use a Candle on a Cake
- A candle can also be placed on a cake. Just make sure the cake is full and not eaten from.
- Right-click on a cake to place a candle on it and then use the same methods described above to light them. The candle will fall off on its own once the cake is broken or completely eaten from.