Dragees substitute

Best substitute

Nonpareils

Use the same amount by volume as the dragees you are replacing

Best for cupcake tops

Different texture

Nonpareils, the tiny round sprinkles, are the cheapest close match and go on in the same quantity, though they read as a fine scatter rather than distinct beads. For actual pearl-sized beads, plain white or coloured sugar pearls are the same thing without the metal finish, and small round candies such as Sixlets work at a slightly larger scale. If it is specifically the metallic look you are after, brush edible silver or gold lustre dust onto white sugar pearls. One thing worth knowing before you hunt for the real thing: metallic silver and gold dragees are frequently labelled for decorative use only rather than for eating, so check your packet and remove them before serving if it says so.

Other dragees substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Sugar pearls or candy beads, non-metallic
Close match
Use the same amount
The same product as a dragee minus the metal finish, so the size, the shape and the hard crunch are all identical.
What changes
They come in white, ivory, pastels and pearlised finishes, and the pearlised ones get remarkably close to the look of a silver dragee under cake light. This is the straight swap if you can find them.
Best for
wedding cakes, piped border accents, holiday cookies, anywhere you want distinct beads
Look for them labelled as sugar pearls, sugar beads or edible pearls. Unlike metallic dragees these are unambiguously food, so nothing needs picking off before serving.
3Lustre-dusted sugar pearls
Close match
Use the same amount
The best answer for the metallic effect with no ambiguity about eating them.
What changes
Tip white sugar pearls into a small bowl or bag, add a pinch of edible silver or gold lustre dust, and shake until coated. The finish is a soft satin sheen rather than the mirror-bright shine of a true silver dragee, which honestly looks better on most cakes anyway.
Best for
wedding and anniversary cakes, New Year and holiday cakes, metallic colour schemes
Do this dry and before you place them, since brushing dust onto pearls already stuck to icing leaves smears. Use dust labelled edible rather than non-toxic, which means decoration only.
4Small round candies such as Sixlets, mini M&Ms or mini Skittles
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by count, though they cover more area
Noticeably larger and chunkier, and they bring flavour where a dragee brings none, which changes the character of the decoration from restrained to playful.
What changes
Sixlets are the closest of the group because they come in metallic finishes and are properly round. The chocolate ones soften and can bloom or smear in a warm room.
Best for
birthday and children's cakes, cake pops, bold colourful patterns
These are much heavier than dragees, so they slide down the side of a cake unless the icing is firm or you press them in. Add them close to serving.
5Pearl sugar, also called nib sugar
Different texture
Use the same amount by volume
Chunks of compressed sugar, opaque white, irregular rather than round, and famously resistant to melting in the oven, which makes it the only option on this list you can bake with.
What changes
It gives a crunchy, snowy, rustic look instead of a polished bead. Genuinely different visually, but excellent where you want white crunch rather than jewellery.
Best for
Belgian waffles and liege dough, sweet buns and scones, anything baked with the decoration on
This is the one substitute here that survives the oven. Dragees and sugar pearls both soften and can crack or discolour if baked.
6Piped royal icing dots
Taste and texture differ
Pipe as many as you need
Free, in any colour you like, and placed exactly where you want them, which no bought decoration can match.
What changes
Piped with a small round tip they dry hard with a domed top, so the shape is close to a half-bead. What they lack is shine: royal icing dries matte, so they look like icing dots rather than pearls unless you brush them with lustre dust once dry.
Best for
precise patterns and borders, colour-matched decoration, cookie decorating
Let them dry several hours before moving the cake or they will smudge into commas. A drop of corn syrup in the icing gives a slight sheen.

What is Dragees?

Dragees is the confectioner's name for the small, hard, glossy sugar beads used purely as cake decoration, sold as sugar pearls or sugar beads and, in their metallic finishes, as silver balls and gold balls, and their job on a finished bake is crunch and sparkle rather than flavour.

Cooking tips

Metallic silver and gold dragees sit in an odd regulatory place. Silver is not an approved colour additive for food in the United States, so American packets are commonly marked for decorative use only, while the same product is permitted as a food colour in the European Union. Read the packet you actually bought, and if it says decoration only, take them off before anyone eats the cake.
Dragees are genuinely hard, hard enough to chip a tooth or a dental crown. Keep them off cakes meant for small children and older guests, or use nonpareils, which crush easily, instead.
They dissolve slowly from the bottom up on any wet icing. Placing them on freshly made buttercream the night before a party gives you dull beads sitting in little damp craters by the time it is cut, so add them as late as you can.
Pick them up with tweezers or the tip of a barely damp fine brush. Fingers warm and dull the surface, and a wet brush leaves visible water marks around each bead.
Store the tub airtight and away from steam. Once dragees pick up humidity they go tacky, clump into lumps and lose their shine permanently, and no amount of drying brings the finish back.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the dragees out?

Yes, always. Dragees are decoration and nothing else: they contribute no flavour, no structure and no moisture. A cake without them is exactly the same cake. If the design looks bare, a piped border, a dusting of sanding sugar or fresh berries fills the space just as well.

Are silver dragees safe to eat?

It depends where you bought them. In the European Union silver is permitted as a food colour, and dragees sold there are food. In the United States silver is not an approved colour additive for food, so packets are typically labelled for decorative use only. Read your packet, and where it says decoration only, treat them like a candle: lovely on the cake, removed before eating.

What is the difference between dragees, nonpareils and sugar pearls?

Size and finish, mostly. Nonpareils are the tiny round sprinkles, about a millimetre across and soft. Sugar pearls are bigger, three to eight millimetres, hard, and usually white, ivory or pastel. Dragees are the same size as sugar pearls but with a shiny metallic or high-gloss coating. All three are decoration only.

Can I bake dragees onto cookies or bread?

Not well. In the oven they soften, spread slightly, can crack, and metallic finishes go patchy and dull. If you need a decoration that survives baking, pearl sugar or nib sugar is the right choice, since it is designed for exactly that. Otherwise add dragees to cooled cookies with a dot of icing or melted chocolate.

How do I get a metallic look without buying dragees?

Shake white sugar pearls in a bag with a pinch of edible silver or gold lustre dust before you place them. You can also brush lustre dust onto piped royal icing dots once they are fully dry. Both give a satin metallic sheen and both are unambiguously edible.

Related substitutes

More baking substitutes

Dragees substitute

Other dragees substitutes

2Sugar pearls or candy beads, non-metallic

3Lustre-dusted sugar pearls

4Small round candies such as Sixlets, mini M&Ms or mini Skittles

5Pearl sugar, also called nib sugar

6Piped royal icing dots