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Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Beet Red Food Dye

By Julia Everist
DIY Beet Red Food Dye
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott

Natural dyes work best in royal icing (pictured here) or buttercream frosting, not cake batter. Here's how to make yellow food dye and blue food dye.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

3 medium red beets, peeled, quartered
1/2 cup sugar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring beets and 3 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until beets have lost their vibrant red color and liquid is reduced by about one-third, 25–30 minutes.

    Step 2

    Remove beets with a slotted spoon. Add sugar to beet liquid and simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until very deep red and reduced to about 1 cup, 10–15 minutes. Let dye cool before using.

TagsBeetRoot VegetableVegetableNut FreeGluten FreeDairy FreeVegetarianVeganEasyMeal PrepSimmerEasterSpringBon Appétit

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