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?
Well i wanted to make sugar crystals and not buy food cooloring but i guess ill try. BTW THE RECIPE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!
Thanks!
I was hoping to dye apple blue for a child’s birthday – to my knowledge, apples are acidic, so would they turn blue with this, or would they turn back to purple?
I would think that it wouldn’t work. Sorry for the late response. Happy Birthday to your child!
My son wants a blue ice cream cake. Do you think it will stay blue when mixed with frozen ice cream even though it is a dairy product?
I think so as the color is pH driven, not temperature driven. Enjoy!
Hi there,
Here in Asia, we have a plant known as butterfly pea or more commonly known as blue pea. The flowers are a beautiful purplish blue colour and are harvested and dried. When steeped in hot water, the blue pigment seeps out and the pigmented water is used as a natural colouring for food or enjoyed as a tea. Just a little input, hope it can helps.
Oh how lovely!!! I just looked up the plant – it’s beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
I just looked it up too, what a gorgeous flower! I found the organic tea bags and loose dried flowers on Amazon.com. I’m sure other places sell them too. I also found the seeds to grow your own flowers! Apparently they are a type of hibiscus?
Thanks, ladies, for the great ideas for natural blue food dye you can make at home!
Oh wow- didn’t know they had tea. Amazing! I found a source for natural colors yesterday and am taking to them next week about purity, etc.
If anyone is interested in natural cobalt blue, I have the perfect solution.
Its extracted from a blue flower which grows abundantly in my garden.
I have made blue bread from it. Unfortunately I cannot attach the photo here to show how beautiful the color is.
If interested , u can email to me
What is the flower called? Interesting!
I am interested. I am trying to make an earth cake for my daughter and it sounds like mixing the cabbage with dairy will turn it purple.
I got a great color blue from the red cabbage water and a tiny bit of baking soda but when I added it to the cream cheese-powdered sugar frosting, it immediately turned purple like the original cabbage water. Any suggestions? I need it for cake tomorrow morning!
Did you have an acid in the frosting?
The cream cheese is the acid. Dairy is very acidic.
Would fruit puree works to dye frosting? The base for my frosting is cream cheese, honey or vanilla. It’s for dog’s birthday cakes…
I think so but it will change the texture quite a bit.
Will this dye work on fabric?
Yes, it should.
No not really. It’ll take a little color, but it’ll fade quickly. For the most color, you want to use a different recipe, not one that’s food safe. Soak chopped red cabbage in cold water for a week. Mordant the fiber with alum. Soak the fiber in the dye. The longer you soak the deeper the color will be. Soda is not necessary to get a blue with this, but adding an acid or base will shift the color. Soda will shift it green and acid will shift it purple. The color is not very fast and will fade to grayish over time.
Sorry my question wasn’t clear. When you make a batch of coloring do you know how long it will last if you don’t use it all up. Could you freeze it?
It was clear. I’m sorry but I don’t know how long it will last. I assume it would freeze. If you add something acidic to it, the color will change.
I’m trying to make a blue punch or juice for my daughter’s birthday but everything I add the blue color to changes to pink. I saw you said if you add acidity, it changes color. Any ideas on how I could add it to a juice to make it stay blue?
No, sorry. I think we’d need to look for another way – like blueberries?
ok, we’ll try some fruit! I guess this cabbage coloring works best with solids. Thank you for sharing about the cabbage. My 3 year old and I loved doing this experiment together and we look forward to a healthier way of making food coloring in the future. Thanks for helping me teach my little one a healthier lifestyle!
Well, it works without an acid medium, which is the issue here. Thanks so much and you are very welcome!
Was wondering how long the batches of coloring last.
I don’t know- sorry. I felt that the frosting held its color, though.
After adding the first 1/2 tsp of baking soda, the cabbage water turned a deep emerald green. Since your recipe says to keep adding 1/2 tsp at a time until it turns blue, I continued to do so. 2 Tbsp later, still green. . . I am going to try again and start with a small pinch of baking soda. Perhaps 1/2 tsp was too much?
I’m not sure. Sorry . Perhaps something else went wrong?
Green is the other end of the cabbage spectrum. Purple is acidic, Green is basic.
This is so cool, love the idea, I am trying to dye my hair but my mom won´t let me so I was going to use food coloring but it is obviously not good for your hair… So I am looking for a natural blue food coloring of some sort, does anybody think this cabbage dye would work??? Does anyone have suggestions cuz I am willing to take them… 🙂 Merry Christmas to everyone by the way…feel free to email me suggestions… :p
It wouldn’t stay on your hair if it works. Sorry! Merry Christmas!