How To Make Brown Food Coloring: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Make Brown Food Coloring PDF download Download Article Co-authored by Maria Short

Last Updated: February 24, 2025 Fact Checked

PDF download Download Article
  • Mixing Food Coloring
    • |
  • Making Natural Food Coloring
    • |
  • Video
    • |
  • Expert Interview
    • |
  • Expert Q&A
    • |
  • Tips
    • |
  • Things You'll Need
|Show more |Show less ARTICLE VIDEO X

This article was co-authored by Maria Short. Maria Short is a Baker and the Owner of Short N Sweet Bakery & Cafe in Hilo, Hawaii. With over 24 years of experience, she specializes in specialty desserts and wedding cakes. She graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine’s Pastry Arts Program with honors and studied at Baltimore International Culinary College. In 2019, Maria competed in the 6th season of the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. In 2010, she had a cake named one of “America’s Most Beautiful Cakes” by Brides magazine. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 794,811 times.

If you don't have brown food coloring on hand or don't want to go with the store-bought variety, there are ways to mix it up yourself at home. Read on to learn how to blend colors for that perfect brown and how to use common edibles like cocoa and coffee to make a natural brown with a little flavor kick.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 2:

Mixing Food Coloring

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  1. Step 1 Find two colored dyes that are opposites on the color wheel. 1 Find two colored dyes that are opposites on the color wheel. Red and green, orange and blue, or yellow and purple can all be combined to make brown.[1] [2]
    • You can use liquid or gel food dye. Gel food dye is usually preferred because you don't need very much to get vivid colors.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Brown Food Coloring 2 Mix the color in a 1:1 ratio. So for every 1 drop of red, add 1 drop of green.[3]
    • Mix your colors in a glass or stainless steel bowl. The dye can stain plastic bowls.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Brown Food Coloring 3 Play with the addition of colors until you reach the desired shade of brown.
    • Mix red and yellow in a 1:10 ratio (1 drop red to 10 drops yellow) for tan.
    • Add 1 drop blue for a darker brown.
    • Add red or yellow if the dye looks gray or black.[4]
    • Add orange and green to lighten a red and green mix and make tan.[5]
    • Add 1 drop of black dye for a very dark brown.
  4. Step 4 Remember that brown dye will darken as it dries. 4 Remember that brown dye will darken as it dries. You may think you have the perfect shade of espresso brown and then find the next day that is has deepened to almost black. Mix your dye lighter than you think you want so it has room to develop.[6]
    • If you are dying frosting, consider making it 1-2 days ahead of time so you know the true shade you are working with.[7]
    • If your frosting still isn't dark enough, add a drop of black dye or more of your brown.
    • If your frosting is too dark, add a little of the white frosting to dilute the color.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Make Brown Food Coloring 5 Add your dye a little at a time. It often takes a lot of brown dye to make a rich color, but you risk ruining your frosting, playdough, etc. by drowning it in liquid.
    6. Advertisement
Method 2 Method 2 of 2:

Making Natural Food Coloring

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  1. Step 1 Choose your colorant. 1 Choose your colorant. The colorant is what will provide the brown coloring for the dye. You can use ground espresso, instant coffee, cocoa powder, cinnamon, or black tea achieve brown.[8]
    • Remember that you may need a lot of dye to get a very dark brown, which means you will also get a stronger taste of the colorant. Cinnamon is great for light brown, but the taste might be overwhelming if you make a dark brown.[9]
    • Used in small amounts, you should not taste the colorant. It's ok to use a dill seed-based colorant for your buttercream if you use it very sparingly.[10]
    • You may not be able to get the same vivid colors with natural dye as you would with store-bought colors. Petroleum-based colors need only a few drops to add color, whereas you might need a lot of natural dye to add color. Most recipes will be ruined by the addition of too much coloring--they will taste weird or become too watery to use.[11]
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Make Brown Food Coloring 2 Steep colorants in water to make liquid dye. For every 1 cup of water, add 1 cup coffee, 1/2 cup cocoa, 10 tea bags, or 4 tablespoons of spice.[12]
    • Bring the water and colorant mixture to a boil.
    • Boil gently or simmer between 15-30 minutes.
    • Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
    • Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer to catch any unabsorbed granules. Store in a glass or stainless steel bowl, as the dye will not stain these materials.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Make Brown Food Coloring 3 Grind colorants in a coffee or spice grinder to make a powder dye. The key to a powder dye is that it must be extremely fine. If any of your colorants are coarse (like crystals of instant coffee), grind them further until they are a powdery consistency.[13]
    • Powder dyes are more concentrated, so you may be able to get a darker color using less of the powder dye. Keep in mind that too much can change the flavor of whatever you are dyeing.[14]
  4. Step 4 Add your dye a little at a time. 4 Add your dye a little at a time. Remember that too much liquid dye can ruin the texture and structure of whatever you are dyeing, especially frosting. Too much liquid or powder dye can affect the flavor, so be sure to taste as you go.
    • Make peace with the idea that you may not get the dark, vivid color you want from natural dye. Flavor and consistency is ultimately more important than getting that perfect shade.
    5. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

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  • Question What two food colors make brown? Maria Short Maria Short Baker Maria Short is a Baker and the Owner of Short N Sweet Bakery & Cafe in Hilo, Hawaii. With over 24 years of experience, she specializes in specialty desserts and wedding cakes. She graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine’s Pastry Arts Program with honors and studied at Baltimore International Culinary College. In 2019, Maria competed in the 6th season of the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. In 2010, she had a cake named one of “America’s Most Beautiful Cakes” by Brides magazine. Maria Short Maria Short Baker Expert Answer Green and red do! If the brown food coloring has a green cast, add more pink and a little bit of red to it. If the food coloring has more of a pink cast, add more green to the mixture. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 5
  • Question When starting with green, how do I get tan or beige? KaiLittlePony KaiLittlePony Community Answer Add a few drops of pink, depending on the shade of beige you want. The more pink you add, the darker beige it will be. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 13 Helpful 32
  • Question How do I make brown using gels? Community Answer Community Answer I have found that red and green work best. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 8 Helpful 48
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Tips

  • Wear an apron whenever you work with dyes so you don't ruin your clothing. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
  • When grinding large granules of instant coffee or large flakes of tea, adding up to 1 tsp of powdered sugar/starch/etc. (whatever your powder base is for that icing), helps the ingredient grind finer, without overly affecting the taste. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Things You'll Need

Mixing Food Coloring:

  • Glass or stainless steel bowl
  • Food coloring in primary colors (red, green, and blue)

Natural Food Coloring:

  • Water
  • Stove
  • Pot
  • Strainer
  • Glass or stainless steel bowl
  • Espresso, instant coffee, cocoa powder, cinnamon, or black tea
  • Coffee or spice grinder

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about making food coloring, check out our in-depth interview with Maria Short.

References

  1. ↑ Maria Short. Baker. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/602105/how-to-make-brown-icing-wout-brown-food-coloring#mbjCUjuTLLxBr9z7.99
  3. ↑ http://www.cakecentral.com/tutorial/20151/how-to-color-your-icing
  4. ↑ https://www.ehow.com/how_4797156_make-brown-food-coloring.html
  5. ↑ https://www.ehow.com/how_4797156_make-brown-food-coloring.html
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvTnVtpiQg
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvTnVtpiQg
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvTnVtpiQg
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McvTnVtpiQg
More References (5)
  1. ↑ http://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-natural-food-dyes/
  2. ↑ http://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-natural-food-dyes/
  3. ↑ https://www.ehow.com/how_4797156_make-brown-food-coloring.html
  4. ↑ http://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-natural-food-dyes/
  5. ↑ http://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-natural-food-dyes/

About This Article

Maria Short Co-authored by: Maria Short Baker This article was co-authored by Maria Short. Maria Short is a Baker and the Owner of Short N Sweet Bakery & Cafe in Hilo, Hawaii. With over 24 years of experience, she specializes in specialty desserts and wedding cakes. She graduated from L’Academie de Cuisine’s Pastry Arts Program with honors and studied at Baltimore International Culinary College. In 2019, Maria competed in the 6th season of the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. In 2010, she had a cake named one of “America’s Most Beautiful Cakes” by Brides magazine. This article has been viewed 794,811 times. 17 votes - 41% Co-authors: 15 Updated: February 24, 2025 Views: 794,811 Categories: Cake Decorating Article SummaryX

The easiest way to make brown food coloring is to mix equal amounts of red and green food coloring together. Adding a drop of blue food coloring if you want to make a cooler shade of brown. To make natural brown food coloring, add 1 cup (80 g) of coffee grounds or ½ cup (50 g) of cocoa powder to a pot with 1 cup (240 mL) of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Once the mixture cools to room temperature, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer. Add the liquid dye to your recipe just like you would with store-bought food coloring. To learn how to make brown food coloring with natural ingredients, scroll down! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Carmie Bradley

    Carmie Bradley

    Sep 17, 2017

    "What helped was how it told how many drops of each color and what to add to make the color you desire."
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Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Maria Short Co-authored by: Maria Short Baker 17 votes - 41% Click a star to vote 41% of people told us that this article helped them. Co-authors: 15 Updated: February 24, 2025 Views: 794,811 Carmie Bradley

Carmie Bradley

Sep 17, 2017

"What helped was how it told how many drops of each color and what to add to make the color you desire." Carol Walker

Carol Walker

Sep 14, 2017

"I needed several shades of brown for my candy I was making. Helped very well." Rated this article: Barbara Sandobal

Barbara Sandobal

Dec 12, 2020

"Thanks, that was so helpful. This site is awesome." Rated this article: Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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