Because the frosting is so essential in a perfectly decorated cookie, the food coloring you use is just as important. There are plenty of food coloring options out there, many of them superb, and you may use a brand and method totally different from mine. But I’ll share what I use and do with the disclaimer that this isn’t comprehensive, it merely works for me. At the end of this post, I included a COLOR CHART and link to a pdf you can print on 5 x 7 photo paper, if desired.
concentrated pastes vs. soft gel pastes
First and foremost, I use soft gel pastes exclusively. Craft stores usually carry the more accessible concentrated pastes. Both work well and in much the same way and both come in a huge variety of colors. So if your only option is the baking aisle of your craft store, then these will work fine. But I find concentrated pastes have a bitter, metallic taste. So I don’t use them. Instead I use:
(you’d think I own their stock,
but I promise I have no connection to the company other than as a customer)
where to buy soft gel pastesYou can find Americolor soft gel pastes at many cake decorating supply stores, or, click on their site HERE and click “LINKS” for a list of some web resources. Because of my biz, I can order directly from Americolor, but here are some links to find them retail (note: I’ve not ordered from some of these sites, so I don’t have first hand experience with all of them).
BakeDeco.com
beryls (they ship internationally)
sugarcraft
CountryKitchenSweetArt
Cincinnati Cake and Candy Supplies
(If you have a favorite online source, feel free to send it to me, and I’ll add it to the list!)
And from your suggestions in the comments… (Thank you!)
Into The Oven
Golda’s Kitchen (for Canadian bakers!)
which soft gel pastes to buy
To see the full line of 40 colors available, CLICK HERE. I don’t own all of them. I’ll let you be the judge of what colors you like best, of course, but here are the colors I own and use frequently. Some great colors are missing from my collection, but pretty much everything I need to decorate works with these colors, so I rely solely on these:
which size to buy: the pastes come in small, .75 ounce bottles, and larger, 4.5 ounce bottles (and even larger, but I think those are wholesale). Even with all the decorating I do, I buy the .75 ounce bottles. A few drops go a long way, so stick with these unless you have a business and decorate hundreds of cookies a day. Some colors take lots of drops to get the right shade, so you may consider the larger size if you decorate a lot (for example, white, black, brown and the darker shades of any color).
how to use soft gel pastes
You can add coloring to batches of buttercream frosting, to royal icing, to fondant and even to cake and cookie batter before baking.
some tips:
- always start with one drop and add more as needed. While some colors take a lot of drops, you can always add more, you can’t take it away (if you do go too far, add more frosting to lighten).
- for whole batches of frosting, simply add coloring (one drop at a time) to the mixing bowl when the frosting or icing is done and mix with the mixer.
- when making colors for cookie decorating, I usually work with about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of frosting for each color, mixing in a bowl then moving to a prepared frosting bag or a sealed container.
- you MUST use white coloring to make white frosting!!! Don’t try and use plain, uncolored frosting for your white. It won’t look right.
- to get different shades of one color, simply add more drops. Dark colors may take lots and lots of drops.
- you can mix colors, too, for different effects (for example, mix egg yellow and leaf green for lime, mix purple and royal blue for cornflower, etc.)
- the pastes work well to not affect the consistency of the frosting, but for colors that need lots and lots of drops (like white, black or dark colors), you may get a runnier frosting. Just compensate by adding more powdered sugar if needed to thicken.
- to mix coloring into fondant, simply add a couple drops to the top of a wad of fondant and knead very, very well until fully blended. If fondant gets sticky from overhandling, just let sit uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Below is a color chart with more tips on which pastes I use for which frosting colors. Again, this isn’t comprehensive! There are plenty more options.
Click on the chart to enlarge and or CLICK HERE to print on 5 x 7 photo paper with your color printer for a postcard to keep for reference.
UPDATE: how long will they last?
Another reason to love Americolor products? Their customer service is always spot on. Whenever I’ve dealt with the company, they are always quickly responsive. Joan asked in the comments about the shelf life of the soft gel pastes, and I realized I’ve used some of mine for years. Yikes! Well, I asked the company and they quickly responded as follows:
“This product will last many years if stored properly i.e. ambient temperature, away from any source of ultraviolet light. The reference to ultraviolet light is generally for the end user maintaining that any light source will fade certain FDA Certified Food Colors. If this product is stored in its carton the light radiation will not be a factor. Ambient temperature is defined as common range of 18°C (64°F) to 23°C (73°F) Variations in temperature +/- 20° will not affect product. After several years the Soft Gel Paste may break down, if stored properly the color will remain intact, generally recognized as safe for human consumption.”
Phew!!! Looks like I’m in the clear….
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56 Comments
This post is GREAT!!! And thank you for posting the "real" picture of your colors! When I saw this first "perfect" picture, I was feeling a little food coloring guilt!
I'll definitely be linking to this post in the future.
Great post! I've been using Wilton coloring for my cookie biz, but think I'm going to bite the bullet and invest in some Americolor! Thank you!
Thanks Bridget! (Oh, I can't even share the picture of the cabinet where I keep all my supplies. It was clean and neat for one day.)
Thanks "A Wedding Story"! I should probably add a note about Wilton in the post, too. While I don't use their colorings, I do LOVE Wilton for a million other things they offer (bags, couplers, tips, sprinkles, fondant, meringue powder, etc etc etc)
such a great post!!! so helpful!
Thank you for posting about the Americolor vs other food coloring. Now I have a better understanding and will go with Americolor…
Can these be used with white chocolate without ceasing it.
Great info. Thanks. I have only used Wilton and have been wanting to try Americolor. I will buy a set on my upcoming trip to the states. Also bonus points for the Beryl's link for international shipping! Yay! So hard to find good food coloring in Germany. Now I have an alternative.
Anonymous, you can use this coloring with anything you'd use coloring for, including white chocolate and candy melts, yes, though I find adding coloring to things you melt always tricky to time just right. If this is something you're good at, I would definitely try the pastes
Great information! Thank you. I do have a question about the Wilton paste food color. I purchased a bottle of pink a few months ago and when I used it for frosting it gave the frosting an odd flavor. What are your thoughts on this?
Joan, while Wilton products overall are great, their pastes (which are the concentrated pastes I mention above) have a metallic, bitter taste. There's nothing wrong with the one you got, that's the downside of those products. The Americolor soft gel pastes have no taste… that's why I love 'em! (Except for colors you need tons of, like black or red, you can sort of taste it then, but it's not very strong). They are a tiny bit pricier and harder to find, but totally worth it.
Thanks so much! This is so helpful and extensive!
Thank you so much for the information! One more question, what is the shelf life? I would purchase the smallest bottles.
Thanks again for a wonderful and educational post!!!!
Thank you for such a great tutorial! I am so grateful to have that color chart! I'm always experimenting to find the right color and hardly ever get it right =)
Good question Joan. Hmmm. I've had some of my (even small) bottles for, yikes, several years now and still use them. That sounds somehow wrong, even though they still look great. I'll email Americolor and ask them!
wow this was a SUPER helpful post!
I love Americolor. I usually order from Into the Oven at http://www.intotheoven.com.
Thank you so much for this post. I've been putting off buying decent food colouring because the cost was scaring me (I've just been using the $2 bottles from the supermarket). This weekend however I once again struggled to make black royal icing for outlining and spent half an hour alternating between adding food colouring and then more icing sugar to thicken. I think I shall go invest in some black soft gel paste now…
Great post! I love the mixing color chart…awesome!
btw, I linked you up in my latest post..hope you don't mind
thanks so much for this post. i especially love the color mixing chart. i've only used the wilton food coloring and now i know where that odd taste is coming from! i am definitely using the americolors from now on.
This post was helpful. And I have wondered about the self life of the concentrated pastes that I have. Some of them have been around for a while! And there is no expiry listed on them…
Thanks.
I know another site! I'm in Canada, and buy from goldaskitchen.com. Just for your canadian readers
Americolor soft gels, and they have the Wilton concentrate ones too
I'm a soft gel user too. Mostly because I love the squeeze tops
Oh, and I also wanted to note that I don't think you can use it for candy melts… but there is a product they sell that makes them work in chocolate…it's called flo-coat chocolate coloring agent.
Thanks Jenni! I added above. And I'll have to check out that product! I've added to candy melts with only limited success (it's worked, but also clumped a couple times, so that product sounds great…)
I haven't tried it yet either, but *almost* bought it! I don't colour candy melts often, but it would be a good product to have if you do! Thanks for checking out my cookies
(P.S. My gel collection is similar to yours, and looks just as messy lol… though I did actually "wash" them all and my storage bin last week. sigh!)
Hi! Thanx for your post! We don't have good food coloring in my country, so now i'm looking for as much info on Americolor as i can to order it on ebay or wherever.
I just have one question. And i'd be very greatful if you could help me as!
Are the usual colors of Americolor soft gel pastes BRIGHT enough?
I really want to bake a cake like this one: http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/4506/marinagiller.a/0_41994_2bb12fac_orig.jpg
But i'm not sure if i should buy "electric" colors only or usual ones would be enough to get those bright colours.
Thank you in advance!
Lucysd, if you are going to get bright colors, it would be from soft gel pastes like Americolor (you might need a lot of it). The Electric colors definitely. Looking at the pic you sent, I'd say: Electric Pink (for both the red and pink), Electric Orange, Lemon Yellow, might want to mix Electric Green and Leaf Green, Sky Blue (do they make an Electric Blue? Not sure, but if so, that'd work), and Regal Purple, unless they have an Electric Purple.
Thanks so much for the amazing resources and tips. I actually found the food color at Hobby Lobby for $1.18! I'm looking forward to your new book. Can't wait!
Wow, that's almost wholesale price! now I have to check for hobby lobbys around DC
I am very much an untrained amateur and make character cakes for my children's birthdays. After much trial and error, I discovered Americolor last December and love it. Easy to use and beautiful colours. Thanks for the colour mixing chart – that is just so useful for me – I'm printing it now.
You can buy the colours online in Australia from http://www.theraspberrybutterfly.com.au
and http://www.champagnecakes.com.au.
I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I use.
best wishes from Australia,
Janice.
Thanks Janice! I get lots of people from outside the US asking for resources to buy Americolor, and I never know where to send them. Now I have an Aussie link.
great info, question: after you make the colored royal icing, how long will it be good for?
In theory, if you keep the colored icing in the bags or in sealed containers, it should last a couple weeks. But after a week or so, it CAN start to break down, especially icing on the thin side.
Thank you for this tutorial. I have used the Wilton colors for years and always wondered about the taste… I thought I was doing something wrong! I decided to look online tonight for colors for Christmas cookies and found that the only baking supply store in my town ONLY sells Americolor pastes! I am so grateful for your informative review. It makes me feel more confident with my upcoming purchase.
Thanks so much for your excellent info! I was going to try your vegan cutout cookie recipe, but my daughter just passed her allergy test yesterday so she can have dairy baked into things. So I’ll try your regular ones.
I bought my set of Americolor at Amazon.com for a very reasonable price. Love them, and will never go back to the horrid grocery store liquid food colors
Thanks ARC! I totally agree about Americolor. Yay for your daughter passing her allergy test!
Hello
do you know were can I buy samericolor in San Francisco?
thank you
Americolor is CA-based, so more local cake decorating stores may carry it. I also hear the chain, Hobby Lobby, carries it, if there are any near you. Sur la table MAY carry it, but you’d have better luck at a cake decorating specialty store. You can also check the americolorcorp.com website and click under “links.” There are tons of resources there.
Thank so much for posting this!! I bought this without doing any research and I am so pleased with what I’ve read and I can’t wait to start using it. There isn’t much on how to use this food color out there so it’s appreciated!
Thank you Cassie!!
Can I use the Americolor soft gel paste for coloring hard boiled eggs.
I have done that, Liz, yes!
Thanks, Meghan! Do I also add vinegar??
Yes… I use food coloring in place of those store-bought tablets. Here’s a good link to how-tos: http://www.chow.com/recipes/28228-dyed-easter-eggs (though I don’t think you’ll need 40 drops. The gel pastes can separate a bit, so stir gently but well.)
If you’re dying the hard boiled eggs without the shell, use water, not vinegar, though.
I am reading this 2 years after the initial post and am going out tomorrow to a store in Salt Lake who carries them. I hate the bitter taste of some coloring and it is fantastic to find some without that. Thanks!
Thanks, Patrice! And two years later, I’d say exactly the same thing
!
I am going to make the switch to soft gel pastes. Great post! Thank you.
Does anyone ever use marshmallow frosting with paste food colors? I like the frosting better because it’s not so sweet, but it only gets to soft pastel colors with cheapy drops. I was wanting to try something different for my son’s birthday on Sun.
Definitely Loretta, I’d try these! They make such vibrant colors.
please i need to know the difference between the soft gel and the electric colors of americolors? and both can be used for icing, fondont and white chokolate?
Hi May,
Americolor food colorings are all “gel paste” colorings. The electric colors are the same consistency of the others, just brighter and more neon-like. You can use gel paste food coloring for icing and fondant, but for chocolate, I would suggest “candy colors,” made especially for candies with a higher fat content. I’m not sure if Americolor makes candy colors, but Wilton does, available in the craft store. Hope this helps!
i don’t know how to thank u for your fast reply and your explanation,, really it helped me alot
thanks again
I bought a couple about 2 years ago…they are rather “liquidy” now. Do you still think they are safe to use? I live in Hawaii so it’s obviously very hot & humid…
I bought some about two years ago and I noticed they are rather liquidy now. Do you think it’s safe to use still? I live in Hawaii so it’s very hot & humid. Thanks for your time
If they were exposed directly to heat and humidity, probably not, but kept in a dark place and sealed, they actually do last quite a few years! I had asked someone at Americolor about it awhile back, and that’s what they told me.
Hi! I bought just about the entire Americolor gel family (lol) but every time I use them, my icing dries very crumbly to the touch (it literally crumbles off the cookie) and I can’t seem to get the colors to come out right. I’m adding them in after the Royal icing is fully mixed. Has this ever happened to you?
It hasn’t… that’s really odd. Wonder if you got a bad batch? Though I doubt it, Americolor lasts a long time and is a quality product. I would actually contact the company. I’ve done that with questions before and they always respond, they are super nice. Their website: http://www.americolorcorp.com/ If you scroll to the bottom there’s a link that says “Email me” and they also have phone numbers. I bet they’ll have an answer for you!