How to Make Edible Food Paint + Edible Paint FAQs (2024)

Easy tutorial for how to make edible food paint and gold food paint. The paint takes seconds to make and can be used for cookies, cakes, fondant, and more!

Making edible food paint and edible gold paint is easy and there are so many fun things you can do with them! I use them on my baked goods to make them more eye-catching.

You can use edible food paint on anything, but it works best on a flat, light-colored surface that isn’t super porous. Great examples are fondant cakes and cookies with royal icing. You can also paint on chocolate with a slightly different recipe. I’ve included that in the recipe box below.

Read on for recipes for edible food paint and edible gold paint!

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Edible Paint Recipe

Edible food paint only takes two ingredients and a few seconds to make! You’ll notice that I used vodka as the base for the paint. The alcohol will evaporate as the paint dries, so when it is ready to eat it will be non-alcoholic, and safe for kids treats. You can also use lemon extract for the base, but you may have a bit of a lemon taste on your final product.

Cookies Decorated with Edible Food Paint

To get a bold vibrant design like the painted rainbow cookies above, make the paint as concentrated as possible. If you put too much liquid on your baked good, it will start to erode the surface and leave an indent. Another fun idea is splatter painted sugar cookies.

Painting with Food Coloring

The best coloring to use for edible food paint is gel food coloring. This allows you to add concentrated color that pops. Food gel coloring comes in many colors. I suggest getting a variety pack if you are just getting started. You can also use the food coloring you find at the grocery store but the colors won’t be as vibrant.

How to Make Edible Gold Paint

Edible gold paint is easy to make using edible gold luster dust. My motto is, ‘gold makes everything better’. It’s so amazing!

Use just a few drops of vodka so the paint will be very concentrated. If you use too much, it will separate from the vodka. Stir it frequently, and take the paint that is closest to the bowl edge so you can press the brush up the side of the bowl and squeeze out some of the liquid.

Gold paint will also work for all of the desserts I mentioned above (cookies, cakes, fondant, macarons). It will also work for chocolate but must be very concentrated or it won’t adhere.

Macarons Decorated with Edible Food Paint

As an experiment, I even tried edible food paint on French macarons. These splatter painted French macarons turned out really well! It’s best to use a fine paintbrush as adding too much paint makes the crust start to erode.

Frequently Asked Questions about Edible Food Paint

• Can this paint be used on chocolate?
  • You need to get special edible chocolate paint as paint made from food coloring won’t adhere to the waxy surface of chocolate.
• This paint has vodka. Is it safe for children?
  • The alcohol evaporates once the paint dries, so there is no alcohol left when it is ready to eat. That makes it safe for children.
• Can I use something other than vodka for the paint?
  • You can use lemon extract for the paint, which might give a slight lemon flavor. I would not recommend vanilla extract as the brown color can discolor the paint.
• Does the brand or proof of vodka matter?
  • No, you can use any vodka for this recipe.
• Can I use water for edible food paint?
  • Water doesn’t evaporate like alcohol so it will sink in and disrupt the surface of your food.
• Will “icing color” work for this paint?
  • Icing color is the same as gel food coloring and will work for this recipe.
• Will liquid food coloring work for this recipe?
  • Gel food coloring is best as it will give the strongest color. Liquid food coloring will work but will give a fainter color.
• Can you use edible food paint on marshmallows?
  • Edible food paint will bleed on marshmallows. It is best for painting large sections and won’t work as well for detailed work. If you do want to try detailed work I would use the thinnest brush available.
• Can I use edible food paint for lollipops?
  • No, this recipe won’t work well for lollipops or hard candy.
• Will this edible food paint work for pie crust or bread?
  • Unfortunately, this recipe won’t work on pie crust or bread.
• Will this edible paint work on glassware or baking dishes?
  • No, it won’t unfortunately.
• Can I use this recipe to paint on pineapple or fruit?
  • This edible food paint will work to color large sections of fruit but won’t work for detailed work. The colors will also change depending on the color of the fruit.
• Does edible food paint taste bitter?
  • Once dry, edible food paint should be tasteless. If you use lemon extract you might notice a very faint lemony taste.
• Will this food paint recipe work in an airbrush?
  • This recipe won’t work in an airbrush. You need to buy special paint for airbrushing.

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Ideas for Using Edible Food Paint

Use edible paint to makeSplatter Paint French Macarons

Use edible paint to decorate cookies –Splatter Paint Heart Valentine Cookies

Another painted macaron idea –Painted Floral French Macarons

Use edible paint and gold paint for cookies –Artist’s Palette & Paintbrush Cookies

Edible paint works for fondant too!Painted Fondant Cookies

Another idea for using edible paint to decorate a fondant cake –Painted Watercolor Cake

Gorgeous edible paintPainted Watercolor Sugar Cookies

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