DIY Organic Food Colouring

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

DIY Organic Food Colouring - containers of food colors next to a swirled cake I was chatting with a friend recently about how his kids are allergic to red food dye. It made me do some research, where I found that it contains plenty of chemicals, including petroleum. I decided to make my own food colouring from organic fruits and vegetables, and it was a total success! Here is how you can do it yourself at home. This is a great project to do with kids, too.

I used red cabbage to make a purple tone that turns blue with the addition of sodium bicarbonate. You can double the batch and only turn one half blue, keeping the other half purple, if desired. I added the blueberry step to show you how it makes another kind of purple tone. :)

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 5 colours

Supplies:

half a head of red cabbage, sliced into thin strips
water to cover cabbage
1/4 tsp natural sodium bicarbonate
half a cup of frozen organic spinach, thawed
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup blueberries
3 Tbsp water
1/4 cup cooked beets
3 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 cup water

DIY Organic Food Colouring - small cups and pot of fruits, veggies, and spice used

Steps:

To make the blue food colouring, place red cabbage in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - boiling red cabbage

Strain out the cabbage water into a bowl. (Save the cabbage bits for a recipe.)

DIY Organic Food Colouring - pouring through a strainer

Return the purple water to the pot and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - adding liquid from cabbage back to pot to boil a bit longer

Sprinkle in the baking soda, stir, and watch it turn blue.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - adding baking soda

To make green, puree the spinach and 1/4 cup of water together in blender until totally smooth. You can add a bit more water if it gets stuck.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - blending spinach and water

Push green mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - pushing spinach through a fine mesh sieve

To make purple, puree blueberries and 3 tablespoons of water in blender.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - blending blue berries and water

Push through a fine-mesh sieve.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - pushing blueberries through the sieve

To make pink, puree cooked beets with 3 tablespoons of water. Push through a fine-mesh sieve.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - blending beets

To make yellow, in a small pot, boil water and turmeric for a few minutes. Stir well. Allow to cool.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - boiling turmeric and water

Store colours in airtight containers in the fridge. They keep well for a couple weeks.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - glass containers of food colors

I use about a teaspoon of each for my batters and frostings. If you'd like a heavier tint, lessen any liquid in your recipe a bit, if possible, and add more colouring.

DIY Organic Food Colouring - using food colors in recipes

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Marg
Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 520 Feedbacks

September 9, 20180 found this helpful

And with fruit and veg to hand no more racing to the shop because you're run out! Great stuff! Also no packaging waste. I can't wait to try this. One thing I do wonder though - does it taste of spinach etc?

Marg from England.

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attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

September 10, 20181 found this helpful

No taste or scent whatsover! Amazing, right? When I put the turmeric in the batter, I thought, "Oh no, I can smell it!" But after it baked off, it was completely invisible. Please do try these! :)

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