diff --git a/grammars/css.cson b/grammars/css.cson
index 6256e55..6e23e36 100644
--- a/grammars/css.cson
+++ b/grammars/css.cson
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@
   (?=\\s|:|$)
 '''
 'patterns': [
+  {
+    # Allow bare property declarations (CSS variables) at top level for code blocks
+    'include': '#rule-list-innards'
+  }
   {
     'include': '#comment-block'
   }