Food coloring is sold in three common formats. They are not interchangeable, and choosing wrong is behind most coloring failures.
Liquid coloring
The supermarket standard. Water-based, low pigment concentration, thin.
- Good for: tinting batters, drinks, dyeing eggs, playful projects with children
- Weak at: anything needing deep color. You must add so much that you noticeably thin the mixture
- Never for: chocolate
Gel coloring
Thicker and far more concentrated than liquid, usually water and glycerine based. The most common choice in home decorating.
- Good for: royal icing, fondant, cookie dough, cake batter, pastel buttercream
- Weak at: very deep shades in buttercream, where the added liquid softens your piping consistency
- Never for: chocolate. It will seize
Oil-based coloring
Pigment carried in a fat base so it disperses into fats rather than diluting them.
- Good for: chocolate, candy melts, cocoa butter, buttercream, ganache, macaron shells
- Strength: deep saturation with no consistency change
- Consideration: less suited to high-water applications like drinks or jelly
Side by side
- Chocolate: oil-based only
- Buttercream: oil-based preferred, gel acceptable for pastels
- Fondant and royal icing: gel
- Cake batter: gel or liquid
- Macarons: oil-based or gel, used sparingly
Concentration matters
Pigment strength varies enormously between brands. A well-made concentrated color is cheaper per finished batch than a weak one, even at a higher shelf price, because you use a fraction as much, and you avoid the off-taste that comes from over-adding a weak product.
What most bakers actually need
A good gel set for fondant and cookies, plus an oil-based set for anything fat-based. Between them you can color essentially anything that comes out of a bakery.
Color With Confidence
Yeast Bakers is an Authorized Dealer for Colour Mill, so every bottle you buy from us is genuine stock. Shop the full Colour Mill oil blend range, free shipping on orders over $25.