How to Colour Chocolate for Fantastically-Flavoured Rainbow Treats

Have you ever seen stunning displays of different coloured chocolate and wondered just how on Earth it was done? How did these confectionery connoisseurs and chocolate champions make something so wonderful to look at as well as to eat?

We used to as well – until we got into the business of making chocolate! And do you know something? It’s a whole lot easier than it might first seem. 

Take a look at our guide on how to colour chocolate below and soon you’ll be making mouthwatering magic in your kitchen. But be careful! You might make something so nice to look at that you feel it’s too much of a shame to eat it after!

How to Colour Chocolate

There are a few different ways to colour chocolate, but most will always start by recommending that you use white chocolate because it will help the colours show up. Some may suggest using candy melts because these often come in different colours anyway, but you should know these vary greatly in quality so may not be as recommended as using chocolate. 

You’ll also need to know how to melt chocolate before you begin. You won’t be able to stir anything together and colour the chocolate, otherwise!

There are also a few tips that might interest you and be of use before you begin:

• The ingredients list on your bar or bag of white chocolate should tell you if it was made from real cocoa butter or a substitute like vegetable oil. These substitutes are less likely to seize than cocoa butter if they come into contact with water
• To make sure there’s absolutely no chance of your chocolate seizing, ensure you’re making coloured chocolate with powder food dyes or oil-based food colouring, rather than water-based food colouring
• Oil-based food colouring is also best if you want light colours (so you’re only adding in a little bit), as too much of it can add a bitter taste and leave you with a stained mouth
• Make sure you’re using fresh chocolate for best results
• Use a thin dipping or coating chocolate if you want to create some lovely artwork
• Always beware that food colour made from oil is more concentrated than usual liquid dyes. As such, they will stain clothing, skin, and countertops – wear gloves and an apron (or old clothing you don’t mind getting stained) and make sure you’re ready to immediately clean up any spills

It’s also possible that your chocolate will seize if the food colouring you’re using is a different temperature to the chocolate itself. Yeah, we know, as if it wasn’t already difficult enough! Oil-based food colouring should be above room temperature. Other types of food colouring (like powder) can be at room temperature.

To raise the temperature of an oil-based food colouring, you should:

1. Place the closed bottle of colouring in a zip-seal bag; remove as much air as you can from the bag and seal it tightly
2. Submerge the bag in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes; the water should be warm to the touch, but not scalding hot
3. Shake the bottle once or twice during this time to help distribute the heat evenly and replace the water if it’s cooled off to room temperature
4. Remove the bottle from the bag and dry it thoroughly – you don’t want any stray droplets falling on the chocolate!

Once you have your chocolate (which should be chopped up) and your dye (any colour), you will need:

• A rubber or silicone spatula (wood can absorb moisture, meaning the chocolate could seize by accident)
• A saucepan
• A heatproof mixing bowl or small pan that can sit atop the saucepan
• A bowl
• A zip-seal bag

Then, you can start! 

Colouring Chocolate with Oil-Based Food Colouring

If you’re going to colour the chocolate with an oil-based dye, you should:

1. Start the process of a double boiler method (as described in the link we gave you before); this means heating 1 to 3 inches of water in the saucepan until it reaches a low simmer; dry the top container and spatula while you wait, even if they don’t look wet
2. Put the chocolate in the heatproof mixing bowl or small pan and place this on top of the simmering saucepan
3. Stir the chocolate until it has melted. Keep an eye on it while you do; white chocolate burns very easily, so keep the heat on the lowest setting or turn it off completely if you’re only melting a small amount
4. Once the chocolate has melted, shake the bottle of food colouring well and add in small increments
5. Stir all the colouring into the chocolate thoroughly before you decide if you want to add any more
6. As an optional step, you might also consider tempering the chocolate; see our guide on how to temper chocolate if you’re interested in this 
7. Leave the chocolate to set (at room temperature, or in a fridge or freezer)

Colouring Chocolate with Powder-Based Food Colouring

If you’re going to colour your chocolate with powder-based food dye, you should follow most of the same steps as we’ve listed above. The difference comes in when you start adding the dye. 

Powder-based food colouring should instead be added as soon as the chocolate starts to melt. However, it should still be added gradually and in small amounts until you arrive at the colour you want.

There you have it! You can then use the melted chocolate, which might now be red, blue, green, or even black or gold, to do all your baking and make all your desserts, just as you please!

Colouring Milk Chocolate

Most experts wouldn’t recommend trying to colour milk chocolate, because the darkness of the chocolate means the colour won’t show up appropriately. If you are going to try, it’s probably best to use darker dyes, like black.

Colouring Dark Chocolate

If it isn’t recommended that you use milk chocolate to make coloured chocolate, it won’t be recommended that you use dark chocolate, either! But again, if you are going to try, then a black dye will probably be the best option.

Colouring Chocolate Ganache

It’s easiest to colour white chocolate ganache if you want your cake decorating or dessert-making to use colours like red, blue, pink, or gold. Meanwhile, milk chocolate or dark chocolate ganache might be better suited to black dyes. 

You can also use both oil-based colouring and powder-based colouring to make a coloured ganache:

Oil-Based

These food colourings should mix well with a ganache and blend fairly easily. People often find it easier to get brighter colours this way, too.

Powder-Based

To combine a powder-based dye with a ganache, it first needs to be mixed with a small amount of cream. This turns it into a paste. However, it is possible even then that it won’t dissolve quite right or blend as well as an oil-based food colour, so we’d still recommend using that before trying powder.

Colouring Modelling Chocolate

There are about as many ways to colour modelling chocolate as there are to colour any other type of chocolate! To keep things easy, though, you might want to stick to putting a drop or two of food colouring into the modelling chocolate and knead until the dye is well-blended into the chocolate. Then you can just add more drops if you need the colour to be brighter.

Fancy Making Something Else?

We understand entirely if you’re looking to make more than one kind of treat, whether it’s for a party, a special occasion, or even just to share with friends or for when you feel like indulging. If you’re interested in learning how to make as many chocolate delights as possible, why not take a look at the other tutorials and how-to guides we have here on our website?

Now you know how to melt and colour chocolate, you can put that knowledge to even better use! Why not move on to learning how to make chocolate slabs? From there, you’ll have the info ready on how to make chocolate shards and how to make chocolate curls. To take it up a notch, you also can read all about how to make chocolate bombs and finish up by reading more on how to make a chocolate tree.

Of course, we also understand if reading up on all of this at once is a bit much. If you’d prefer to stick to one treat at a time and save the lessons for later, you can always take a look at ordering something sweet from us instead. 

We’ve got a gorgeous range of treats available to choose from (including several different coloured chocolate pieces!), whether you’d prefer something sweet and crispy, rich and indulgent, or just delightfully chunky! We can also personalise anything you ask us for if you’d like to send the treat as a gift.

Order Amazing Treats and Gifts Online

We have a huge confectioner’s collection ready to be ordered – whether you’re on your computer or your phone. All you have to do to get started is pick out the pieces you know you’ll love and pop them into your shopping basket. Arrange a date for delivery, complete the payment to place your order, and there you go! Your job will be done and ours will begin, getting creative and cooking up all the cool, cute, and colourful confectionery you desire.

Order everything you want and enjoy it as soon as possible. It should be with you in no time at all with a quick and easy delivery via Royal Mail! And you won’t have to worry about getting all the food colouring and dyes, or making a mess in the kitchen either. We’re perfectly happy to do that for you!