taste the rainbow...
Look at you! You’ve got this plant-based life down to a science. However, there are still probably some products that seem like they would be vegan, but in fact, are not!
Artificial food dyes are one such exception. While most of these dyes are not made of animal by-products, a lot of them are tested on animals. They’re also made with harsh, unnatural chemicals that can be harmful in large doses. No thanks! The best way to avoid these inhumane and harmful dyes is to make your own from fruits and vegetable you can find in your own refrigerator.
To get any color you desire, you only need to make 3 or 4 colors that can be mixed to make any combination you would like. We’re going to show you how to make red, yellow, blue, and green dyes from, you guessed it, vegetables!
Don’t want to make your own? India Tree makes a great line of vegan food dyes you can buy online.
STEP 1: MAKE YOUR COLORS
RED or YELLOW: Juice beets for red, or raw carrots for yellow in a food processor adding small amounts of water a little at a time to thin out the juice. Continue to blend until you have a consistent texture, and strain out any pulp. Depending on how large your vegetables are, this will make varied amounts of juice.
BLUE: Boil chopped red cabbage and let simmer for about 20 minutes until the water is purple. Strain the liquid and add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda and the liquid will turn from purple to blue.
GREEN: Boil fresh spinach for about 5 minutes, and blend in a food processor adding water as needed until smooth. Strain and let cool.
STEP 2: MAKE YOUR PASTE
Now that you have your colored liquids, pour them into a saucepan and let cook until it creates a colorful paste.
STEP 3: DYE YOUR FOOD
Stir dyes into frosting, and dough to make colorful creations. Remember, a little goes a long way, so add coloring in moderation. You can always add more!
Don’t want to make your own? Here are some great natural food dye brands we love:
1. ColorKitchen Food Coloring ($1.95)
2. Confection Craft Natural Food Color ($5.29)
3. Beet Red Food Coloring ($1.95)
4. India Tree Gourmet Spices + Specialties, Set of 3 ($16.93)
Added bonus, try out your new dyes with these awesome recipes: Holiday Sugar Cookies, Animal Cookies + Homemade Halloween Candy Corn.
