How to Make Natural Food Coloring at Home

For anyone who wants to avoid the additives in commercial food coloring, it is possible to make natural food coloring from fruits and vegetables. The colors produced this way may not be as vivid as commercial dyes, but they contain no artificial additives. Below are the fruits and vegetables used for each color and how to prepare and store the coloring. How do you make red, pink, and orange? To make red, juice 3 medium beets and simmer the juice with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Adding one packet of baking soda to the same mixture after it boils turns the color pink; a color that is too dark can be lightened by adding water. To make orange, prepare 5 to 6 medium carrots in the same way, simmering them with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Add 1 to 2 spoonfuls of each of the three colors to the desired baked good. How do you make purple and green? For purple, run red cabbage through a juicer and simmer the juice with 4 to 5 spoonfuls of granulated sugar until it thickens. For green, simmer the juice of one bunch of spinach in the same way with 5 to 6 tablespoons of sugar. For both colors, straining the juice through cheesecloth after juicing helps give the coloring a smooth consistency. How do you make blue and yellow? To make blue, simmer two 200 ml measures of blueberries with 1 spoonful of granulated sugar; the color may darken as the simmering time gets longer. To make yellow, add safflower or saffron directly to batter or cream. Saffron releases its color more easily when soaked in water or warm milk for a few minutes. Safflower is a more economical alternative to saffron and can be preferred when coloring larger amounts. How should homemade food coloring be stored and used? Syrup-like coloring made by simmering can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week. It does not need to be used immediately after preparation; use it as needed. When added to batter, cream, or glaze, these colorings may not produce as bright a color as commercial dyes, so for the best result, gradually increase the amount until you reach the desired shade. Measure carefully, because adding too much coloring can thin the batter. Which recipes can use homemade food coloring? Homemade food coloring is most often used in cookie dough, cake frosting and glazes, colored pasta dough, and moldable doughs such as fondant. Since syrup-like coloring is a liquid ingredient, you may need to make a small adjustment to the amount of flour or starch to keep the dough from becoming too loose. These natural colorings offer a safe and eye-catching alternative for recipes meant to look colorful, such as birthday cakes, cookies made for children, or holiday candies. If using more than one color in the same dough, separate a portion of dough for each color and color each portion separately to prevent the colors from mixing. Use a heavy-bottomed pot while simmering to prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom and burning, which helps produce a cleaner color. Remember that the coloring thickens as it cools, so leave it a little thinner than desired while hot. Using organic or minimally processed fruits and vegetables gives a brighter color and cleaner flavor.