How to give your royal icing the brightest colours with Colour Mill

Tip 1: Use only water-based colourings

With Colour Mill’s range of colourings, it can be a bit challenging to choose the right one. To get the perfect coloured royal icing, only use water-based colourings to prevent the icing from running. This means that Colour Mill’s Aqua Blends are the perfect choice for colouring!

Tip 2: Add colour slowly

Adding too much colour at once can make your royal icing too thin and runny, making it difficult to work with. It may even prevent the icing from drying properly. So, don’t add too much colour at once—start with one or two drops at a time. Mix well and then add more until you achieve the desired color. But don’t use to much colour at once if you want to make dark colours.

Tip 3: Allow dark colours time to develop

To avoid adding too much colour and preventing the royal icing from drying, it’s important to give dark colours time to develop. This is especially for colours like black, red, and navy blue. For black, first colour the royal icing a dark gray; for red, colour it deep pink and allow it to sit for a while to develop further. This way you will get the perfect dark colours with patience!

Differences between colourings and pigments

In addition to different types of colourings, it’s also important to understand the difference between colourings and pigments. Colourings make up 99% of food dyes available in stores. They are versatile, highly concentrated, and cost-effective.

Pigments, which Colour Mill colourings are made with, are different. Compared to dye particles, pigment particles are much larger and adhere to your royal icing instead of being absorbed into it. This ensures that Colour Mill colours do not fade, do not leave streaks, and can be layered without blending into each other.