Inspired by her baking heritage and a desire to move away from artificial ingredients, baker Cheryl Day, author of Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking, shares her time-honored techniques for creating stunning Natural Food Dyes. Just like her grandmother in the 1940s, you can harness the vibrant power of fruits, vegetables, and spices to bring a spectrum of colors to your frostings, glazes, and more. Forget mysterious chemicals; discover the beauty and simplicity of natural food dyes made from your pantry and produce aisle.
Cheryl Day’s guide showcases how to create homemade food coloring from everyday ingredients like cabbage, berries, and turmeric.
Cheryl’s journey into natural food dyes began with a family legacy. Growing up surrounded by women who were passionate bakers, she inherited generations of cherished handwritten recipes. It was in her mother’s journals, reading about her grandmother Hannah’s beautifully tinted cakes, that Cheryl’s curiosity sparked. She wondered, how did her grandmother achieve those delightful colors at a time when commercial food dyes weren’t readily available?
Southern bakers, known for their ingenuity and resourcefulness, likely turned to nature’s palette. Inspired by this, Cheryl began experimenting, transforming simple grocery store finds like freeze-dried strawberries, vibrant raspberries, plump blueberries, and even humble purple cabbage into a rainbow of natural food colorings. These weren’t just colors; they were “beautiful gifts of nature,” as pretty to create as they are to admire in your baking.
Now, every time Cheryl bakes and uses these natural food dyes, she feels a connection to the “creative whimsy, innovation, and practical methods” of her grandmother. This legacy of passed-down recipes, now infused with natural food dyes, has become one of her most treasured inheritances. From delicate pastel pink cookies to buttercream roses in sunny yellow, her grandmother’s inspiration lives on in every naturally colored dessert she crafts.
These natural food colorings are incredibly versatile and can be incorporated into any frosting or icing recipe you love. Imagine a smooth, flawlessly decorated canvas with a confectioners’ sugar glaze, or the textured richness of whipped buttercream frosting. Perfect for adorning cookies, cakes, muffins, waffles, doughnuts – the possibilities are as colorful as your imagination!
Crafting and Using Your Own Natural Food Coloring
Making natural food coloring at home is surprisingly easy, offering a wonderful and wholesome alternative to store-bought options. The biggest advantage? You have complete control over the ingredients, steering clear of the unpronounceable chemicals often lurking in commercial food dyes. These vibrant, plant-based food colorings are ideal for tinting icings and frostings, bringing a touch of nature’s beauty to your holiday sugar cookies and gingerbread creations. However, it’s worth noting that these homemade food dyes are best used in frostings and glazes, not directly in batters or doughs, as the oven’s heat can sometimes diminish their vibrant hues.
A plate of sugar cookies showcasing the pastel and vibrant colors achievable with natural food glazes.
As you embark on your natural food dye adventure, remember to don an apron – a lesson learned from experience! When adding the natural colorings to your icing or frosting, start with a small amount and gradually increase until you reach your desired shade, whether it’s a soft pastel or a rich, deep hue.
An added bonus of natural food dyes is the subtle flavor they can impart. Berry-based dyes, for instance, offer a delicate fruity note that complements your baked goods beautifully. And don’t worry about cabbage-flavored frosting! The sugar in the blue-tinted dye effectively neutralizes any cabbage flavor, leaving only a gorgeous blue hue.
For storage, these homemade food colorings can be kept in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, consider freezing them in ice cube trays for up to a month. Simply thaw completely before using and your natural food dyes will be ready to add a touch of natural color to your next baking project.
Natural Food Dye Recipes: A Rainbow in Your Kitchen
Here are Cheryl Day’s simple recipes to create a spectrum of natural food dyes using ingredients from your kitchen:
Radiant Red
For a beautiful red hue, mix 2 teaspoons of strawberry powder with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until you achieve a smooth paste. If you don’t have strawberry powder on hand, you can easily make your own by grinding freeze-dried strawberries in a clean spice blender or using a mortar and pestle.
Pretty Pink
To create a delicate pink, combine 2 cups (240g) of raspberries with 1/4 cup (57g) of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, then let it cool slightly. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. Return the liquid to the saucepan and simmer until it reduces to about 1/4 cup, reaching an orange juice-like consistency. Allow it to cool completely before using your raspberry food dye.
A selection of natural food colorings, displaying the range of consistencies from paste to syrup achievable with homemade methods.
Vibrant Purple
For a rich purple shade, combine 2 cups (290g) of fresh blueberries with 1/4 cup (57g) of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the blueberries burst and soften. Mash the berries and strain them through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, again achieving an orange juice-like consistency. Let your blueberry food dye cool completely.
Brilliant Blue
To make a stunning blue dye, combine 2 cups (190g) of shredded purple cabbage with 1 1/2 cups (341g) of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for about 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (discard the cabbage). Return the liquid to the saucepan, add 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar, and simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the liquid deepens to a purple color and reduces by half. The magic happens when you stir in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda – watch as the liquid transforms into a gorgeous blue! It will become syrupy and intensely colored. Allow your cabbage-based blue food dye to cool fully.
Pastel buttercream frosting swirls, naturally dyed and ready to elevate cakes and cupcakes with soft, beautiful colors.
Sunny Yellow
For a cheerful yellow, combine 1/4 cup (57g) of water with 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and simmer until reduced by half, forming a thick paste. Let your turmeric food dye cool completely. A word of caution: turmeric is a potent natural dye and can stain, so handle with care!
Lush Green
Create a vibrant green by simply mixing 1 teaspoon of matcha powder with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl, stirring until you have a smooth paste. This effortless method yields a beautiful matcha green food dye.
Ultimately, making homemade food colorings is a rewarding endeavor for bakers who appreciate the extra touch of DIY and natural ingredients. For those seeking a shortcut without compromising on natural ingredients, there are also excellent natural food dye sets available, like this one from King Arthur Baking. Whether you choose the DIY route or opt for a convenient set, embracing natural food dyes is a wonderful way to bring vibrant, wholesome color to your baking creations.
Adapted from Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking by Cheryl Day (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2021.
Cover photo by Haylie Waring.
