A Guide To Homemade Natural Food Coloring

Making your own homemade natural food coloring is easy and fun! Ditch the artificial food dyes and learn how to make all the colors of the rainbow to color your food naturally using real, whole foods instead of synthetic artificial food dyes.

What Are Artificial Food Dyes?

Food dyes can be found in a variety of foods. It’s becoming more and more prevalent to find artificial colors added to foods you wouldn’t think they’d be added to, like salad dressings or even fruits and vegetables 🤨 😤. You’re probably most aware about the use of food dyes in baked goods or in vibrant candy and sugary beverages.

You might be familiar with seeing common food dyes listed on food labels, such as Red 40 (Allura Red), Red 3 (Erythrosine), Yellow 5 (Tartrazine), Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow), Green 3 (Fast Green), Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue), Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine).

What Artificial Food Dyes Are Made Of

Food dyes are artificially made from petroleum-derived chemicals to make food look more appealing, enticing you to buy them for their vibrant color. You can pretty much find food coloring in any color now! Which I agree is super fun, especially for baking and creating colorful dishes 🌈, however, artificial food dyes have become controversial for potential health risks they pose.

Common Foods Colored With Dye

While this is not a comprehensive list, food dyes are used in a variety of foods such as:

Candy
Frosting
Soda/pop
Juice
Baked goods: cake, cookies, pies
Popsicles
Popcorn
Ice cream
Cereal
Syrups
Flavored applesauce
Salad dressing
Condiments, like mustard, relish, and other sauces
Pickles
Jelly and jam
Yogurt
Canned vegetables and fruit
Dried fruits and vegetables
Oatmeal
Peanut butter (caramel color!)
Jerky
Soup
Vitamins and medications

I understand the use of food dyes from a marketing and sales perspective, to make our food look prettier, but it’s frustrating if you’re trying to be mindful of dyes in your food, huh? 😑

Potential Health Issues Cause By Food Dyes

I’m not going to get super in depth about potential health risks of consuming food dyes because it is somewhat of a controversial topic, however, it’s not uncommon to have heard that food dyes, especially the red and yellow dyes, have been associated with hyperactivity, behavioral changes, irritability, depression and difficulty sleeping- particularly in sensitive children. Some dyes are suspected to cause allergic reactions, and may cause cancer or tumors- though more research is needed.

For me, I try to avoid food dyes in anything I buy and limit the use of conventional dyes in my recipes. In fact, in January of 2025 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of Red no. 3, also labeled as erythrosine, in the United States! 🎉 This is a small step in the right direction but a big win for America! 👏🏻

How To Identify Dyes In Packaged Foods

The best way to identify if a food contains synthetic food coloring is to read ingredient labels and look for Red 40 (Allura Red), Red 3 (Erythrosine), Yellow 5 (Tartrazine), Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow), Green 3 (Fast Green), Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue), or Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine). You might also see caramel color.

Generally, you’re safe when buying fresh produce (I would hope!), but if a food looks “fake” and almost too colorful and perfect- maybe it is? 🤔

How To Make Your Own Food Coloring

You can easily make your own food coloring at home with food items you might already have in your kitchen! I think it’s fun to experiment with different foods to make beautifully colored dishes. You can use spices, supplements, or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables.

While I am not going to give you a specific recipe to make homemade food coloring in this post, I am going to give you some ideas of how to make your own (that’s why I am calling this a guide to making homemade natural food coloring) and break it down by foods and powders you can use. I use many of these natural food colorings in my dye-free recipes. Keep in mind, the more of a color you use, the different hues you’ll get, but the taste might also be altered.

Foods Used To Make Natural Food Coloring

How To Make Powder Food Coloring From Scratch

The easiest way to make your own powdered food coloring is by buying freeze-dried fruits and blending them into a fine powder in a food processor. You can also dry your own fruits and vegetables by baking them at low temperatures in the oven or dehydrating them in a dehydrator and then grinding them into a fine powder with a food processor. These powders can be added directly to the recipe. I usually start with 1 teaspoon of powder and add more as needed, taste testing in between to be sure the powder doesn’t alter the taste of my recipe. It also helps to sift the powder into the recipe to avoid any clumps.

Powdered Food Color Pros

– There are a lot of foods that are sold in powdered form that you can readily purchase, so you don’t have to make your own powders at home, which could be time consuming.

– You can add these powders right to the food you’re wanting to color.

Powdered Food Color Cons

– Foods in their powdered forms may be hard to find in stores, so you’ll most likely have to buy online.

– If you’re adding the powder directly to the food, it could clump. I suggest sifting the powder into the recipe.

– You may have to use a good amount of powder for the food item to actually show color, thus potentially altering the taste. This is particularly true for lighter colors, like yellow.

How To Make Liquid Food Coloring From Scratch

Making liquid food coloring can be made from juice, such as beet juice, either homemade or store bought- though it’s best if the juice is pure concentrated juice and not watered down. Fruit and vegetable purées can also be used but they need to be strained or they will be too thick and/or chunky. You can also simmer fruits or vegetables in a saucepan until they reduce (water evaporates) and then purée with an immersion blender. Tip: Reducing the liquid (evaporating the water) is a vital step in making sure the liquid color is as concentrated as it can be for the best results.

Liquid Coloring Pros

– Liquid food coloring may be more concentrated than powdered food coloring.

Liquid Coloring Cons

– You may need more than a couple drops as opposed to using synthetic food dyes and it might water down your recipe.

What Measurements To Use

When using powdered food coloring I suggest starting with 1 teaspoon and adding more as needed. When adding liquid food coloring, I suggest starting with ½ teaspoon and increase as desired, keeping in mind for both that the color will be more muted than conventional food dyes.

Ideas On How To Use Natural Food Dyes

There’s a variety of ways to use homemade natural food dyes. Again, this is not a comprehensive list so if there’s a dish that you like to add food coloring to, leave a comment below!

Frosting
Puddings
Smoothies
Pasta
Cake u0026amp; Cupcakes
Cookies
Custard
Ice Cream
Candy
Popsicles
Drinks
Yogurt
Hummus
Oatmeal
Rice
No-bake snacks u0026amp; sweet treats
Popcorn
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Coloring Easter eggs

Remember, it’s better to start by adding a little and increase as needed because adding too much liquid or powder could alter the recipe outcome.

Benefits Of Making Homemade Natural Food Coloring

– Aside from cutting out added chemicals that have the potential to cause negative health effects, using natural food coloring can actually add beneficial vitamins and minerals. And perhaps from foods you might not normally consume, like spirulina for example. Eating a variety of foods helps us to get all the nutrients our bodies need to thrive.

– Also, when you make your own colors at home, you know exactly what ingredients are going into your recipes.

– For me, the benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks when making your own homemade food coloring, but even better yet, there are some amazing brands that are working hard to provide natural food coloring for us! See below for my favorites!

Potential “Downsides” To Using Natural Food Coloring

– Now, because the color is coming from real food, you have to take into consideration that a small amount of flavor will remain, which is something that you don’t get with commercial colors. So that’s one “downside” to using natural sources of food coloring.

– Another thing to keep in mind is that natural food colors aren’t as concentrated, which means the color most likely won’t be as vibrant as when using synthetic coloring. And the more color you add, the more it’s going to taste like that ingredient. This may not matter much for when you’re using colors made from fruit, matcha, coffee, or cocoa- which are commonly used as main ingredients in recipes, but if you’re using spinach or tomato for instance, it can get a little tricky to be able to add enough to see the color but not so much that your frosting will taste like spinach, lol 😆.

– Colors can vary due to batches and harvests of food items

– It’s more time consuming to make your own food coloring at home and they don’t have as long of a shelf life.

– Sometimes natural food colors can become duller when exposed to heat, for instance in baked goods. In the case of these Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies it still works, but because I used beet powder they aren’t super vibrant red. I actually prefer pastel colors anyway.

Natural Food Coloring Powders To Buy

I really like the superfood coloring powders that Suncore Foods offers! (not sponsored) They have a wide variety of colored powders, their most popular being these:

Natural Liquid Food Coloring To Buy

If you prefer to purchase natural liquid food coloring, I like the Supernatural Plant-Based Food Coloring.

Naturally Colored Sprinkles & Chips

Baking Time Club is my favorite! Her sprinkles are gorgeous and they come in a variety of shapes. They’re also gluten-free and vegan!! I used the rainbow nonpareils in my Soft Italian Sprinkle Biscotti Cookies!

🎉 Use code HLV15 for 15% off Baking Time Club Sprinkles!

I also love Pure Food By Estee for their sprinkles but I’m obsessed with their rainbow candy coated chocolate chips! 😍 I used them in my Copycat Cosmic Brownies and Chia Pudding!

How To Store Homemade Food Coloring

How to store natural food coloring will depend on if it’s a powder or liquid. Powdered colors should be kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place. Homemade liquid food coloring should be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator.

Do They Expire?

Again, this depends on if it’s a powder or liquid. The powdered coloring has a longer shelf life. Purchased colored powders usually have a year expiration date and will be noted on the package. I would also use this as a guide when making your own powdered coloring at home. If the powder hardens, smells weird, or looks like it has mold, discard it. Liquid Food coloring will only stay fresh for a few weeks when kept in the refrigerator, since they are mostly made with fresh whole fruits and vegetables. Always be sure to test for freshness before using.

25 Recipes That Are Colored Naturally

💕 While I really do make a valiant effort to stay away from artificial food dyes and there’s a great selection of naturally colored recipes on the Healthy Little Vittles blog, not all of my recipes are completely dye-free. But I’m moving more and more away from artificial coloring every day.

Some of the health information in this blog post was sourced from Healthline.

Let me know down below in the comments section if this post was helpful or if you have any other questions about making your own Homemade Natural Food Coloring. Give it a five rating  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this guide in making their own food coloring from real, whole foods at home! Be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest with how you’re using these food colorings!

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