Food colouring is a great way to enhance and take your dishes to the next level for professionals and individuals who enjoy playing around in the kitchen. With edible colour, you can achieve everything from brightening up your food to even adding some pop to your cocktails. But with so many different types and colours of food colouring out there, it can take a lot of research to know where to start. That’s why we prepared a quick guide to every type of food colour there is to help you find out what you’re looking for and become a pro yourself. Add some colour to your culinary adventure!
Gel Food Colouring
One of the basic and most known types of food dyes is gel food dye. It is known for being super opaque and achieving a super vibrant colour (however, you can still use it sparingly for a more pastel shade). It’s important to note, that gel food colouring is water-based and should be used in water-soluble foods, however, most are formulated to be thicker, which makes them suitable for cookie dough, meringue buttercream, icing, fondant, macarons marzipan and more.
One of the brands that produces gel paste food colouring is Over The Top, which comes in beautiful rainbow shades, but they also make neat neon gel colours, that make all of your food colouring wishes come true. Sprinks Gel Colours are also super pigmented and versatile as well. Not only do Sprinks gels come in soooo many colours, but you can also mix them up with Sprinks Oil Base, to make them suitable for colouring fatty foods, such as chocolate, or you can mix them up with Sprinks Paint Base to make an edible paint ready for painting on top of your creations. Wilton Food Colouring is one of those iconic brands, known all over the baking world for their great quality and strong colours, however, it is not vegan, unlike Over The Top and Sprinks.
Oil Food Colouring
Just like you should use water-based food colouring for water-based foods, you should do the contrary for oil-based foods. Oil colouring is the perfect way to dye chocolate, buttercream, ganache, cake batters, Cocoa Butter, etc.
Our absolute favourite Oil Food Colouring is Colour Mill. It is an Australian family-owned business, with a range of over 55 Edible Oil Colours to make your treats bold and bright. Its formula loves being paired and mixed with everything buttery and fatty, and it will create a seamless colour throughout. The pigments in Colour Mill Food Colouring really pack a punch, so make sure to add it drop by drop and mix as you go to achieve the desired hue. For best results, and if you have time, let your mixture sit overnight.
Edible Dusts
Edible dust is another way to create more interest in your pastries, confections and other creations. You can dry brush them on top of fondant, chocolate or buttercream surfaces, but dust can also be mixed with a few drops of almond (or other) extract or a spirit and brushed on top of fondant like that – the technique you use depends on the effect you want to achieve. Dry brushing will create a blended shadow effect, as you can layer it and blend it out on your fondant, chocolate, etc. This makes the dry brushing edible dust technique perfect for realistic floral and natural elements on your cake. Wet brushing is used to paint onto your goods, and adding shimmer when using luster dust shades.
Sprinks produce great luster dusts you’ll love! Available in a ton of colours, they will make great paint for your chocolates and fondants, even though they make for a more sheer and light finish. Other great options are Rolkem dusts, which come in a bunch of different colours, that can be dusted on and end up looking super opaque and shimmery, but they also come in so-called crystal dusts, which have that extra shine to them, when dusted onto your sweet goodies. When dry dusting, you can also play around with painting a layer of extract or a spirit onto your fondant before brushing on the dust.
Edible Colour Sprays
Edible colour sprays are a fantastic food colouring tool to elevate the appearance of your baked goods and give them an extra burst of excitement! If you’re looking to add some pizzazz to your cakes, cupcakes, cookies, or any other baked item, then edible colour sprays are an excellent and versatile tool to consider. These sprays will make your baked goods look eye-catching and festive by adding an airbrushed effect and sparkles to your creations.
Wilton’s colour mists are a popular brand of edible food colour sprays that can add a shimmer effect to your baked goods. These sprays come in different colours, giving you the flexibility to choose the one that suits your specific needs. With the shimmer effect, your baked goods will look even more glamorous and sophisticated, making them perfect for special occasions or as gifts for loved ones. What’s great about these colour sprays is that they are extremely easy to use – simply shake the can well and spray it onto your surface of choice about 20 cm away. It’s so easy!
Edible Paints
In this article, we’ve already mentioned that you can mix Sprinks Gel colour with Paint Base to create a consistency that you can paint on your baked goods. But you can also buy edible paint alone. With these, you can do detailed work or cover entire cakes, depending on what you’re looking to achieve.
One great option for edible paints is Edibleart’s range of edible paint palettes. Edible art comes in a wide range of colours, from metallics to pastels, which are all creamy in consistency and will allow you to create your own edible masterpiece painting. Besides, these are super easy to use and they offer versatility as well – create gradients, paint eloquent designs, dainty lines or write. Just dip your brush and unleash your inner artist. Truly a best friend for creative food colouring! Edibleart’s products also include water-activated edible paint, to help you achieve a water-colour look. Don’t forget to shop for the right brushes as well, while you’re at it. PYO’s paintbrush sets are made from food-grade materials and are small enough to be used by kids to create a fun time for the entire family.
Edible Markers
Just like felt tips, you can use edible pens for adding detail and colour to sugar pastes, moulds or dry royal icing. Our favourite way to use edible markers is on sugar cookies with icing. The icing on top makes for the perfect blank slate, that just calls for being drawn, painted and written on – and you can use them in the same way for cakes, cupcakes, sugar flowers and other pastries. Most edible food pens are available as double-sided with two different thicknesses, and since these are, obviously, edible you can make it a fun activity for your kids as well!
Edible Airbrush Colours
An airbrush colouring set can be a game-changer for anyone looking to add a touch of sophistication to their sweet creations. With airbrushing, you can elevate your cakes, cupcakes, chocolate lollies and even more by adding soft blended shapes on top. Although using an airbrush is relatively easy, it takes some practice to master planned and detailed airbrushed motifs and to create realistic shadowing and blending effects on your cakes. However, with a bit of effort and practice, the results will be worth it, and your creations will look even more professional and polished.
Here are some ideas on how to use airbrushing to your advantage.
- Firstly, the obvious way to use airbrushing system is to colour it into a base colour to create a seamless finish, with no brushstrokes and irregularities, and to generally make it look perfect.
- Secondly, another obvious way is to create shadows and highlights on your cakes, chocolate etc. Simply pick a colour slightly lighter than your base colour and airbrush it onto the parts you’d like to highlight and pick a slightly darker colour to add depth and dimension.
- Thirdly, we also love using it for gradients! Pick a few colours that complement each other and create the perfect gradient by blending those colours together with airbrushing. You can also add silhouettes by cutting a shape into parchment paper, placing it on top of your base, and airbrushing over it to create a silhouette.
In the end, food colouring is a versatile tool that can enhance and transform the appearance of your baked goods and culinary creations. You can have so much fun with everything from gel food colouring to oil-based dyes, edible dusts, and colour sprays, plus there are various options available to create a variety of effects. Each type of food colouring has its unique features, and by understanding how to use them correctly, you can achieve the desired hue and effect on your baked goods. Doesn’t matter if you’re adding colour to your batter or prefer adding finishing touches on top, coloured culinary adventure can be a fun and creative way to express your personality and style, so don’t be afraid to experiment and explore the world of food colouring.
Food colouring – Quick FAQ
How much food colouring to use in icing?
The amount of food colouring you should use in icing generally depends on what intensity you’re going for. For a regular intensity, the usual amount brands suggest using is 2 drops per cup, so if you’re going for a pastel look, we’d recommend 0.5 to 1 drop per cup of icing. A good rule of thumb is to add a drop, mix it in and add more if needed, so you don’t oversaturate your mixes.
What food colouring is best for buttercream?
Since buttercream is a fat-based food, it mixes best with oil-based food colouring. Colour Mill is an Australian-based brand that produces well-loved and trusted oil-based edible colouring.
Is edible paint a thing?
Edible paint is a thing used by professional or amateur home cake decorators. You can use it to colour cakes, cupcakes, cookies etc or just paint dainty details. It comes in a variety of formulas, so make sure you know what effect you want to achieve before purchasing.