Homemade Natural Blue Food Coloring
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Today I am sharing something that I never thought I would make: a Homemade Natural Blue Food Coloring Recipe.
Natural blue food coloring is one of the hardest colors to make naturally—but there are a few options that actually work and one of them costs very little to make.
Most of the time I try to keep things simple in the kitchen since my life is really busy, but sometimes I like to have a little extra fun with food to make our whole food/allergy-friendly kitchen more interesting, especially true when our kids were little.
But artificial food coloring is just a no go for me.
There are a few ways to make natural blue food coloring. Some work better than others depending on what you need it for.
- Red cabbage – the best DIY method (explained below)
- Blue spirulina – the most vibrant blue, great for frosting and smoothies
- Butterfly pea flower – a bright blue that changes color depending on acidity
Below, I’ll show you how to make blue food coloring at home using red cabbage, plus tips for getting the best color.
Why I Made This Blue Food Coloring
Our boys skated in a local charity hockey league and for their season finale, the team members were going to receive a cupcake decorated with frosting to match their uniforms.
It would have been simple if they'd been on a green, red, or yellow team, but blue?!
I had a good Carob Muffin recipe that I could use for healthy cupcakes and then the green source from these Mint Fat Bombs would work, and turmeric is great for yellow and beets work for pink. But blue?
I initially told my boys not to get their hopes up, but I figured something out and I think you'll love it too.
Reasons to Avoid Artificial Food Colors
We all know that those artificial food colors are not healthy. I mean, who thinks that eating something fake is good for you?
Here are some things to consider. Artificial food colorings:
- are suspected of having links to behavioral and health problems.
- can have aluminum in them. When you see, “FD & C Yellow Aluminum Lake” on an ingredient label, you can know that you will be eating aluminum. There is discussion about this form not being as toxic as other forms, but I would prefer to take no chances here.
- can contain barium or zirconium.
How to Use This Natural Blue Color
You could use this natural blue food coloring for any of the following:
- dying Easter eggs
- paper mache projects
- crafts
- fun creative food ideas (blue mashed potatoes, anyone?)
How to Make Natural Blue Food Coloring (Red Cabbage Method)
Here are the basic instructions with some process images. For the complete information, scroll to the printable recipe card.
- Boil cabbage
- Reserve water
- Add baking soda to the water
Photo 1: Reserved cabbage water.
Photo 2: The final result: homemade natural blue food coloring.
Money Saving Tip: Use filtered water for cooking the cabbage and then, though it is pretty well boiled, you can still eat the leftover veggies for dinner. Try topping them with Moroccan Vinaigrette and Chaat Masala.
Recipe Notes
- Natural food coloring is prone to fading quickly. If your color isn't that deep to begin with, you won't have much margin for fading.
- Don't try to make this blue too dark by adding a bunch of baking soda to the water if you're using it for food, or you'll end up with baking soda-flavored food.
- The color in the cabbage juice itself is not particularly sensitive to temperature, but the mixture of the baking soda with the juice is. So you will want to add the color after the food item has cooled, or else only add it to food items that will not be heated.
- If you're making frosting, note that this method creates a softer, more muted blue—blue spirulina typically will create a brighter result.
When Natural Blue Food Coloring Won't Work Well
Natural blue food coloring is very sensitive to pH:
- Acidic ingredients in your recipe (like lemon juice or yogurt) will turn it purple
- Using too much baking soda can push it toward green
- Heat can dull the color
For best results, add the coloring after cooking and use it in neutral or slightly alkaline foods.
Homemade Natural Blue Food Coloring
Ingredients
- Half-head red cabbage (yes, I said “red cabbage!”)
- Water
- Baking Soda
Instructions
- Wash the cabbage and cut out the stem.
- Chop into small pieces.
- Place cabbage pieces in a pot and add water until the cabbage is covered.
- Simmer for 10 minutes and then drain.
- The resulting liquid will be purplish (see photo #1 above).
- Gradually add baking soda, ½ teaspoon at a time, until you get a nice blue hue (see photo #2, above). Be careful, because the baking soda will add flavor to the coloring. If you are using the color for something you will be eating then you need to be especially careful how much you add. Since it is the alkaline quality of the baking soda that causes the red cabbage juice to turn blue, you can also add spinach juice, green tea, or another alkaline ingredient.
Notes
- The color in the cabbage juice itself is not particularly sensitive to temperature, but the mixture of the baking soda with the juice is. So you will want to add the color after the food item has cooled, or else only add it to food items that will not be heated.
- Natural food coloring is prone to fading quickly. And the if your color isn't that deep to begin with, you won't have much margin for fading.
- Don't try to make this blue too dark by adding a bunch of baking soda to the water if you're using it for food, or you'll end up with baking soda-flavored foo
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Don't Feel Like DIYing?
If you'd rather not have to make your own natural blue food coloring or would like an option that will work for an acidic recipe, here is a link to a set of good natural food coloring including blue.
What will YOU use this Natural Blue Food Coloring for?
What a great idea, thank you! I’ve been searching for recipes for natural dye because the organic ones are too expensive and dont really work.
You are so welcome! So nice to meet you. Just checked out your s’mores pops – yum! We are off sugar, so I would have to tweak it but YUM!!!
Thanks! I totally understand- I recently did a sugar detox, and overall have been doing great since, but, ice cream in the summer just gets me lol. Congrats on taking on sugar though, it’s one of the biggest health concerns since they put in in everything!
It was hard. I was a complete addict. But it had to be done. I fear where I would be had I not done it. Take care!
Thanks for your reply Adrienne. Don’t know about the article. I was looking up natural colouring alternatives for red velvet cake, besides using beets. And all the recipes had a note to make sure the backing soda had no aluminum in it because it affects the ph level and would affect the colour outcome. And I was in the bulk barn a while back looking for washing soda, to make my own laundry soap with and they had a double action baking soda with a “without” aluminum on the bin card. I didn’t know until reading the red velvet cake recipe, that baking soda had aluminum. So I thought I would pass on the info.
Thanks. I think, from all I have been reading on the internet that it is misinformation. It’s the powder than can have a form of aluminum in it. But I do appreciate it!
Just wanted to point out that regular baking soda contains aluminum. However you can find aluminum free baking soda at places like The Bulk Barn, or I am sure other stores that specialize in baking equipment and ingredients, or possibly the health food store.
Hi there. I have heard this too, but according to this post it isn’t true. Hope this helps. (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore) I do have a post on aluminum-free baking powder. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/make-your-own-baking-powder/
Hi, I love to use blueberries and simply squeeze them and they make a great blue color to my frosting. I own an all natural and organic skin care company and love to use fruits and/or veggies to color my soaps, etc.
Love that – don’t they typically make it come out purple?
So glad you posted this one again! I had forgotten all about it – perfect timing…16 days ’til my little boy turns 4! A cake is in order 🙂
Oooh great! Would LOVE to hear how it turns out!
I was wondering why you can’t heat the blue dye? I’m looking for a way to dye cake blue to make a July 4th flag cake and this seems perfect. Will it not dye at all? Will it go back to being purple?
The color will change if you heat it. I am not sure how much but I have read this in several places that not only this mixture but also many natural colors will change if heated. Maybe make one cupcake and see or do the frosting instead?
Dos you try baking something with this dye color? I want to try a cake for my son’s birthday!
*did you
My cellphone changed to dos kkk
I think it should work just fine as long as it isn’t acidic. Good luck!
I am hopefully making some blue meringue cookies for a baby shower, and I am going to try this even though I need to heat the meringue albeit on a low temperature. Am I doomed or could this work? Would using something other than baking soda like the green tea be a better idea for this application?
I am not sure but I am reading in several places that natural dyes are heat sensitive. That being said, low temps (like those used for meringues) should be better so I would try a small batch and see – sounds like fun!
Hi!! thank you for sharing this great recipe!
I would like to know whether this can be used as a natural dye for hair as well.
If not,do you happen to know any other natural blue hair dyes that can be made at home?
Thank you 😀 x
Boy I have no idea. If you try please let me know :).
We have a wonderful blue flowering creeper called Clitorea Ternatea Linn. If you squash the flowers in a little warm water it releases a very good, edible, blue dye that the Malaysians use to colour some of their local sweets. If you can find these seeds, and have a warm place for it to grow, it will grow quite easily – just like a pea creeper really.
What a nifty idea? I wonder if you could make tie-die T-shirts with it.
Hmmm- not sure Enzie – I think so!