Orange (orange) food coloring is a great choice for making an interesting snack or carrot frosting garnish on carrot cake. However, most basic food coloring packages usually don't include ready-made orange. The good news is, for any need, you can make orange by mixing other colors or using natural dyes. Whichever method you choose, you can easily make your own frosting or cake with the perfect orange tint.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Mixing Colors to Make Orange
Step 1. Purchase red and yellow food coloring
You'll need to mix red and yellow food coloring to make orange. Both colors are common in most food coloring packages or you can buy them separately. You can buy red and yellow food coloring at grocery stores, convenience stores, specialty grocery stores, or from online marketplaces.
- If you want a darker orange, also buy brown or blue dye.
- Food coloring can be in liquid or gel form. Both can be used to create an orange color.
- If you're concerned about the chemicals in food coloring, buy natural dyes at organic food stores and online retailers.
Step 2. Select the shades of orange you want to create
Decide how young or old the orange is. For example, do you want a bright orange for a pumpkin cookie frosting or do you want a light orange to give the cupcakes a little tinge? With the desired result in mind, you can mix red and yellow in the right proportions.
Dark orange will have a greater proportion of red than yellow. Meanwhile, light orange will have a greater proportion of yellow than red
Step 3. Mix a few drops of food coloring with a certain proportion
If you want to make a bright basic orange, mix red and yellow in equal proportions. For example, pour 6 drops of red dye and 6 drops of yellow dye into a small glass bowl. Mix with a small spoon or toothpick.
- If you want a really bright orange, add 1 part yellow to 1 part red.
- If you want a burnt orange color, add 2 parts yellow, 2 parts red, and 1 part blue or brown coloring.
- If you want a light orange color, add 3 parts yellow to 1 part red.
Tip:
The pattern of food coloring in the bowl will not show the exact color of the frosting or whatever ingredients you intend to use. The actual shades of color will only be seen after the dye is added to the product to be colored.
Method 2 of 3: Color Test
Step 1. Prepare portions of food to be colored for testing, if possible
Generally, you will use orange food coloring to color the frosting. For perfect color, separate 15 grams (2 tablespoons) of frosting into a separate glass bowl.
- If you're going to use orange dye to color baked goods (cakes, breads, cookies, etc.) or other dishes, you can't test what the results will look like. In this case, you can only guess at the nuances and how much dye will need to be used.
- Place the frosting in a large bowl for easy mixing.
Step 2. Color these small portions with the prepared yellow dye
Add a few drops of the dye mixture at a time and stir this test portion until the color is even before adding more dye. While stirring, decide if the hue is correct or if you want to use a different mix of yellow and red. This will get you the right color.
- Keep in mind how much dye is added. This proportion is important when you need to recreate the color in larger numbers.
- As more dye is added, the orange hue will remain the same, but the color density will increase.
- If you don't like the hue, try again with a new trial portion and a mix of orange dye with different portions of red and yellow.
Step 3. Make more orange coloring in equal portions
Once the orange hue is correct, make a larger portion of the dye to color the entire frosting or baked goods. Use the same proportions, such as 1 to 1, but with a larger volume of dye. For example, the resulting color hue will remain the same if you mix 5 drops of yellow and 5 drops of red or 25 drops of yellow and 25 drops of red.
The amount of food coloring you need will depend on the type of product you want to color, how old the color is, and how much of the product you want to color. For example, for 150 grams (1 cup) of frosting, you will need about 15-80 drops of food coloring
Step 4. Add the correct proportions of food coloring to a larger portion of the product
Once you know how many drops of each dye are needed to color 15 grams (2 tablespoons) of frosting, use those proportions to color more frosting of the exact same color. Measure how much frosting is in increments per 15 grams (2 tablespoons). Then, multiply the number of drops of each color by the 15-gram (2 tablespoon) serving you have.
For example, you have 250 grams (2 cups) of frosting. That is, there are 16 servings x 15 grams (2 tablespoons). Multiply the number of drops of red and yellow dye used by 16 and the result can be used to color a larger portion of the exact same color
Method 3 of 3: Making Orange Food Coloring from Natural Ingredients
Step 1. Buy carrots, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin to make natural dyes
Go to a grocery store or market and buy the most orange carrot, sweet potato, or pumpkin you can find. You only need 2-3 carrots, 1 large sweet potato, or 1 small pumpkin to make your own food coloring.
- Carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin are the best produce for making orange coloring powder. All three contain a lot of beta carotene which is the source of the orange color.
- The natural sweetener in this vegetable is also perfect for coloring desserts and sweet treats.
Step 2. Peel, then slice the vegetables very thinly
Peel the skin of the vegetables so that the bitter part or layer is clean. Then, use a sharp knife to slice it very thinly. Thin slices will dry vegetables faster and more effectively.
The thinner the slices, the better. So, don't worry about thinness
Tip:
A mandolin (vegetable slicer) is a great choice for slicing vegetables, whether it's carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash. With a mandolin, all the slices will be evenly distributed and the vegetables will dry out at the same time.
Step 3. Place the sliced vegetables in the dehydrator in one layer only
Most dehydrators have racks that slide into the machine. Place the carrot, sweet potato, or pumpkin slices without overlapping them and space them apart. That way, air can flow evenly around the slices.
Keep in mind how much space is in your food dehydrator. If the slices are too many, chances are they won't go all in at once
Tip:
If you don't have a food dehydrator, dry the vegetables in the oven on the lowest setting. However, this will take longer and risk burning the vegetables before they dry out.
Step 4. Turn on the dehydrator until the vegetables lose their liquid content
Check the recommended times and temperatures listed on the food dehydrator. Generally, you will need to start the engine at 50 °C for several hours. However, this varies greatly as each vegetable has a different water content and the thickness will also affect the drying process.
- Check the vegetables approximately every hour to ensure they are drying evenly. You may need to rotate the shelf to allow all the parts to dry completely.
- For most foods, you can set the dehydrator to 50-60 °C. If the temperature is too hot, the vegetables will dry out faster, but may not be evenly distributed.
Step 5. Grind the sliced vegetables into a fine powder in a food processor or food grinder
Put all the dried vegetable slices in the bowl or machine you are using. Grind until the vegetables become a fine powder.
- This process will take some time. So don't just stop for a minute or two.
- You can also use a mortar and pestle to grind the vegetables, but this will take time and effort.
Step 6. Add coloring powder to the food you want to color
The amount can vary depending on what product and how much material you're going to dye. For a glass of white frosting, start with a tablespoon of orange powder. Mix evenly and keep adding until the color is to your liking.
- Remember, if you add a lot of powder, the taste of the colored food may change. This will be especially noticeable if you color the food with a subtle flavor.
- This natural powder is a great choice for creating subtle orange tones instead of flashy bright orange.
