How to Create Orange Food Color

Orange food coloring is great for preparing fall-themed dishes or making carrot cake frostings. However, most basic food coloring sets are not available in orange. The good news is that no matter what dish you prepare, you can always create orange by combining other colors or using natural coloring ingredients. No matter which method you choose, it’s easy to create frosting or baked goods with the perfect orange tint.

Table of Contents

Mix orange with other colors

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Buy red and yellow food coloring. You need to combine red and yellow food coloring to make orange. Both colors are available in food coloring packs, or you can buy them separately. Red and yellow food coloring is available at markets, supermarkets, bakeries or online stores. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you want a deep orange color, you need to buy more brown or blue food coloring. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Food coloring is available in liquid and gel form. You can use both to mix orange.
If you’re worried about chemicals in food coloring, just buy natural colors at natural food stores and online.

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Select the tone you want to create. You must determine the intensity or lightness of the orange color on the finished product. For example, do you want bright orange food coloring for your pumpkin cookie frosting or light orange for cupcakes? By visualizing the result, you can mix red and yellow in the right proportions. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Dark orange will have a greater proportion of red than yellow, and lighter orange will have a greater proportion of yellow than red.

Mix food coloring in a certain ratio. If you want to create a basic bright orange food coloring, mix red and yellow food coloring in equal proportions. For example, place 6 drops of red food coloring and 6 drops of yellow food coloring in a small glass bowl. Stir the color evenly with a spatula or toothpick. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If you want to create a true bright orange color, you need to add 1 part yellow and 1 part red.
If you want a deep brown orange, add 2 parts yellow, 2 parts red, and 1 part blue or brown.
If you want a light orange color, just mix 3 parts yellow with 1 part red.

Tip: The food coloring in the bowl will not be the actual color of the frosting or any color added. Only when adding color to the food to be colored will you know the exact color tone.

Color test

Prepare some food for the color test (if possible). In most cases, you will use orange food coloring to color the frosting. To create the perfect color, you can take 2 tablespoons (about 16g) of cream in another glass bowl. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If using orange food coloring in baked goods or other foods, you cannot experiment with the color. In this case, you will have to guess the color and ratio to use.
Put the cream in a relatively large container so you can stir it easily.

Add the color you just created to the test food. You will add a few drops of color at a time and stir the test portion well before continuing to add colour. While stirring, see if the color is the same as you want or if you want to mix the yellow and red in a different ratio. Here’s how to create the color you want. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Note the amount of color you add. This is important when you need to color large volumes of food.
As you add more colors, the orange tone will not change but the color will deepen.
If you don’t like the current color tone, try again on another test portion and mix the new orange with a completely different ratio of reds and oranges.

Mix more orange food coloring with the same ratio. Once you’re satisfied with the orange food coloring you’ve just blended, add more color to color the entire icing and baked goods. You still apply the same color ratio, such as 1:1, but increase the number of colors. For example, a color mixed with 5 drops of yellow and 5 drops of red will be the same as a color made from 25 drops of yellow and 25 drops of red.

The amount of food coloring to use will depend on the type of food to be colored, the intensity of the color and the amount of food. For example, for 1 cup (about 130g) of frosting, you will need about 15 to 80 drops of food coloring. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Apply the desired color ratio for larger volumes of food. Once you know how many drops of color you need to get 2 tablespoons of frosting of the desired color, you can apply that ratio to create the same color for more frosting. Measure out the amount of frosting you have in 2 tablespoons. Next, multiply the number of drops of each color by the amount of frosting you just measured in 2 tablespoons.

For example, with 2 cups (approximately 260g) of frosting, you’ll have 16 2-tbsp servings. Multiply the number of drops of red and yellow used by 16, and that’s the number of drops of color you need to mix the same color for a larger volume of food. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Orange food coloring from natural ingredients

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Use carrots, sweet potatoes, or pumpkins as natural colorants. You can go to the market or supermarket to buy carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins that are dark orange. Just 2-3 carrots, a large sweet potato or a small pumpkin is enough for you to create food coloring.

Carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes are the most suitable crops for making orange powder. They’re all high in beta-carotene, which is what gives them their orange color. ^{[9] X Research Source}
The natural sweetness of these produce also pairs perfectly with desserts and sweet treats that require coloring. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Peel and cut the selected fruit and vegetables into very thin slices. You need to peel off the bitter skin or the surface of the fruit. Next, use a sharp knife to cut the fruit into thin slices. Slicing them thin will help you dry them faster and more efficiently. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Vegetables need to be cut into as thin slices as possible, so don’t worry if you accidentally cut the slices too thin.

Tip: The grater is a useful tool for chopping vegetables, whether it’s carrots, pumpkins or sweet potatoes. Moreover, when using this tool, the slices are all the same size and will be dried at the same time. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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Place a layer of freshly cut slices in the dryer. Most food dryers have a compartment or blister that can be pushed into the machine. All you have to do is layer the carrot, sweet potato or pumpkin slices separately. This way, the air will circulate evenly around each slice. ^{[13] X Research Source}

You need to pay attention to the gaps in the food dryer. If there are too many thin slices, you may not be able to stack them all in one go.

Tip: If you don’t have a food dryer, you can dry fruits and vegetables by putting them in the oven on the lowest setting. However, this will take a long time and may cause the slice to burn before it dries. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Run the dryer until the slices are no longer wet. You can refer to the list of suggested times and temperatures provided with the dryer. In most cases, you will run the machine for many hours with temperatures around 52°C. However, this is a factor that varies from case to case, as each vegetable has a different amount of water and their thickness also affects the drying process. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Check the slices every hour or make sure they are evenly dried. You may need to rotate the grill so that the entire slice is evenly dried.
It is recommended that you run the food dryer between 52–60°C. If you choose a higher temperature, the vegetables will dry faster, but they may not dry evenly.

Grind the slices into a fine powder using a food processor or spice grinder. Place the entire dried slice in the bowl of the machine you are using, and blend until you have a smooth dough. ^{[16] X Research Source}

This can take a long time, so don’t give up after you’ve let it run for a minute or two.
You can also use a pestle and mortar to pound the slices into a fine powder, but this will take a lot of time and effort.

Add flour to the food you want to color. The amount of flour to add will vary, depending on the type and amount of food to be colored. For one cup of white frosting, you can try adding 1 tablespoon of the orange powder first. Stir well and continue to add a few teaspoons of powder until you have the desired color.

Note, adding more pigments may change the taste of the food to be colored. Mild foods are often affected.
Natural pigments are suitable for creating a light orange color, instead of a bright and bold orange. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Things you need

Mix orange with other colors

Red food coloring
Yellow food coloring
Blue or brown food coloring (if needed).
Small glass bowl
Small spoon or toothpick

Color test

Small glass bowl
Large glass bowl
Plastic spatula or spatula

Create orange food color from natural ingredients

Carrots, sweet potatoes or pumpkins
Razor blades
Knife
Planer (if any)
Food Dryer
Food blender or spice grinder
Spoon

Steps

Mix orange with other colors

Color test

Orange food coloring from natural ingredients

Things you need

Mix orange with other colors

Color test

Create orange food color from natural ingredients

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