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Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Cabbage Blue Food Dye

By Julia Everist
DIY Natural Blue Food Dye
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott

Mix equal parts blue with red food dye to make purple.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    About 1 cup

Ingredients

1/2 small head of red cabbage, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring cabbage and 3 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until cabbage is soft and liquid is reduced by about a third, 20–25 minutes.

    Step 2

    Remove cabbage with a spider or slotted spoon; discard. Add sugar to cabbage liquid and simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until liquid is a very deep purple and has reduced to about 1 cup, 10–15 minutes. Let dye cool, then stir in baking soda. Mix into frosting or royal icing to make desired color.

TagsCabbageLeafy GreensVegetableGluten FreeDairy FreeVeganVegetarianNut FreeEasySimmerEasterSpringBon Appétit
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