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    Home » Baking Tips

    How to Color Fondant

    Published: May 17, 2013 · Modified: Mar 1, 2023 by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 81 Comments

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    Learn everything there is to know about how to color fondant with gel colors. Follow these tips and tricks and avoid making little cake decorating mistakes.

    Today, I am sharing with you all my tips are tricks on "how to color fondant."

    As I continue baking and cake decorating, I am LEARNING new things.

    And nothing makes me happier than SHARING my knowledge with YOU.

    So, I have decided to do even MORE "how to" posts, especially for BEGINNERS.

    For instance... how to frost a cake, how to color fondant e.t.c.

    If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know either in the comments or through email. 

    how to color fondant 1

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    Anyways, today's post is focusing on "How to color fondant." 

    But first, let's briefly talk about fondant.

    There are many DIFFERENT brands out there. You can use WHATEVER fondant you like. 

    But, I normally use marshmallow fondant (MMF) which I make at home.

    My recipe is full-proof and tastes GREAT. It's also cheap and easy to make. 

    how to color fondant 2

    Here are some TIPS on how to color fondant:

    • When coloring fondant, you should ALWAYS use gel colors.
    • DON'T ever use liquid coloring to color fondant. They make your fondant very sticky and insanely difficult to work with.
    • Gel colors can be found in the cake decorating aisles at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. You can even order them online from cake decorating sites such as Wilton.
    • People think gel colors are pricey. They are actually quite CHEAP... about 2-3 dollars per bottle.

    how to color fondant 3

    • There are many different brands of gel colors out there. The two brands I use are Wilton and Americolor. Americolor gels are a few cents more expensive than Wilton gels. Americolor gel colors also seem deeper/brighter than Wilton's get colors. 
    • Gel colors are available in a HUGE range of shades. You can also mix different gel colors to create your own unique shades.
    • Gel colors are CONCENTRATED which means a little goes a LONG way. Your bottles will last you a very long time.
    • Along with fondant, gel colors can ALSO be used to color gum paste and frostings/buttercream icings.
    • Gel colors CANNOT be used to color candy melts or melted chocolate. You need to buy special oil based colors for that.
    • I highly recommend wearing disposable GLOVES when coloring fondant, especially if you are making red or blue or any other dark shade. These colors will STAIN your nails and fingers and it takes quite a few washings to get rid of them.
    • If your work area gets stained, just wiping with a wet cloth does NOT work well. However, these stains can easily be cleaned with some sort of a cleaning spray. I use Clorox sprays.
    • Finally, if you are planning on making a large quantity of the same colored fondant, it's better to just add color when you are making marshmallow fondant. You will already be kneading and mixing the marshmallows and sugar. So, you might as well add color too...just so you don't have to do it later.

    how to color fondant 4

    The steps for coloring fondant are fairly simple.

    This is what you need to do:

    Step 1: 
    Rub your work surface with some shortening.
    Bring out your marshmallow fondant.
    Knead it a little coz the warmth of your hands will make it more pliable.

    Dip a toothpick in your bottle of color and rub it onto your ball of fondant.

    how to color fondant 5

    Step 2:
    Now, use your hands to knead the color thoroughly into the fondant.
    It might get sticky. If that happens, rub some shortening on your hands and continue mixing.  

    how to color fondant 6

    Step 3:
    Once the color is fully mixed into the fondant, you may feel it's not deep enough.
    If that's the case, dip your toothpick in the bottle of color again and mix in more color and knead the fondant until you have the shade you want. 

    how to color fondant 7

    Step 4:
    Use your colored fondant immediately or let it sit for a day or two so that the shade becomes deeper.
    Fondant dries really quickly. When you are not using it, make sure to wrap it tightly in saran wrap and keep it at room temperature.  

    how to color fondant 8

    And you are done!
    Use your colored fondant to cut cut out cool shapes and decorate your cakes and cupcakes.

    Hope you found this "How to color fondant tutorial" helpful and if you have any suggestions for my next "how to" post, leave a comment or send an email.

    Tata my lovelies!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. louriecel rina

      April 03, 2016 at 10:26 pm

      if i color my fondant to black, will i let it sit first to deepen the color? how long will i sit for me to get the color i want? im planning to have my fondant with colors green and black on sunday. thanks

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        April 05, 2016 at 12:22 am

        Black and red are one of those colors that take very long to deepen and it's just better to buy them. However, if you only need a small quantity of black fondant, start with brown fondant and then keep adding black gel coloring until you end up with a very dark shade of grey fondant. Let it sit for at least a week and it will become black. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    2. Chandra

      May 03, 2016 at 4:03 pm

      How do I make skin colored fondant?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        May 03, 2016 at 10:08 pm

        Everyone does it differently. I start with white fondant and add a combination of red, brown and yellow gel coloring. Some people just use a bit of copper coloring and no other color.

        Reply
      • jean blasdell

        November 11, 2016 at 2:26 am

        i make skin colour with peach or paprika sugarflair gel colours.

        Reply
    3. Doreen

      August 28, 2016 at 8:59 am

      Brilliant tutorial, thank you! Can you tell me how to get a pearl effect on fondant please?

      Hello from France

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        August 29, 2016 at 9:11 am

        Hi Doreen! I am so happy this tutorial was helpful. For the pearl effect, I just use white fondant and use an edible spray at the end. They creates a subtle shine.

        Reply
    4. Heidi

      February 06, 2017 at 2:08 am

      Can you tell me how to get christmas red and royal blue on fondant I can never seem to get it right..

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        February 07, 2017 at 1:03 am

        Red fondant is a bit of a pain. You have to use a huge amount of coloring to get the color and that affects the flavor of the fondant. Same issue with making black fondant too. So, I have started buying both of those now. But, making royal blue fondant is pretty easy if you use Americolor royal blue gel coloring and very little black gel coloring. Hope this helps

        Reply
    5. Michelle

      February 17, 2017 at 6:28 am

      Hello! Thanks so much for your tutorials! I've never made a cake with fondant, but am going to attempt to make one for my son's first birthday in April. My question is, how far in advance can you make / colour the fondant before using it without the taste and texture being affected? Also, you mentioned adding the colour to the fondant as you make it. At what step would you add the colour? Thanks in advance!

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        March 24, 2017 at 9:55 pm

        You can make and color the fondant a few days or even a few weeks before you are about to use it but don't use fondant older than 1 month.
        If you are just making one color of fondant, you can add the gel color into the melted marshmallows, just before you start adding the powdered sugar.
        Let me know if you have any more questions.

        Reply
    6. Abeer Rizvi

      June 11, 2017 at 2:16 am

      Thanks for your feedback!

      Reply
    7. Patti

      June 20, 2017 at 11:10 pm

      Nice post. One thing to keep in mind. When coloring anything that is not going to be baked with gel color (it can also be used to color cookie dough and cake batter, etc.) it is important to color your icing, fondant, gum paste... whatever you are using in advance of when you want to use it. The color will deepen after a period of time. If you think you have the color you want, let it set for an hour or so, or overnight, then check the color again. And, make sure the color enough of to do your entire project -- it is very hard-- nearly impossible to exactly match a color if you run out. If you are using a type of liquid-gel, you can count how many drop of color you use and record this number, to duplicate a color, if using a jar and dipping a toothpick, there is no exact amount on a dip of a tooth pick.

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        June 21, 2017 at 12:59 am

        Great tips Patti! Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    8. Grace

      August 14, 2017 at 9:58 pm

      If you are not olanning on using the fondont right away, can you freeze it? How can you store it?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        August 15, 2017 at 2:48 pm

        I have never frozen fondant. I don't recommend it since I don't think it freezes well. You can wrap it in saran wrap tightly and place it in a ziploc bag at room temperature, away from humidity in a cabinet.

        Reply
    9. Jennifer Hamm

      September 02, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      MMF actually freezes very well. Wrap it tightly in Satan wrap and then put into a freezer bag, making sure to squeeze all the air out. Freeze. When you're ready to use again, take it out of the freezer bag (this is where the condensation will form) and allow to come to room temperature. Use as needed.

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        September 05, 2017 at 10:14 am

        Thank you for sharing that tip! I have to try it for sure.

        Reply
    10. Bb

      March 09, 2018 at 11:59 am

      I have used gel coloring in melted dipping chocolate many times without issue. I would however, not use it in legitimate chocolate.

      Reply
    11. Lesley

      March 28, 2018 at 3:08 pm

      When you cut out fondant to apply it to your cake how does it stick to the cake

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        March 28, 2018 at 9:17 pm

        The icing on the cake acts like a glue and the fondant sticks to that.

        Reply
    12. ether

      April 11, 2018 at 7:49 am

      what makes colored fondant shine?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        April 11, 2018 at 12:41 pm

        You can brush edible luster dust all over the fondant-covered cakes and that gives it a shine.

        Reply
    13. Lisha

      May 24, 2018 at 8:41 am

      Hi there! I have little edible figures that’s already painted red. I couldn’t find them in cerise pink. How can I repaint them?

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        May 28, 2018 at 10:08 pm

        You will have wait to paint until the figures are fully dry and then you can paint them with vodka and food coloring mixed together.

        Reply
    14. Paulette

      September 13, 2018 at 9:39 am

      Hi thanks for the great tips, just wondering if you have a recipe for the marshmallow fondant, if you woul'nt mind sharing with me, cause I always buy mine and it is fairly costly. Please and Thank you

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        September 14, 2018 at 12:14 pm

        Yes, here's my recipe. It's so good and so cheap! https://cakewhiz.com/how-to-make-marshmallow-fondant/

        Reply
    15. Glory

      October 09, 2018 at 11:59 pm

      Thank you so much for this tips, please what if I over added my gel colour and my fondant became much wet, what do I do to revive it.

      Reply
      • Abeer Rizvi

        October 10, 2018 at 10:34 pm

        You can mix in powdered sugar to reduce the stickiness and that would greatly help in handling it easily again.

        Reply
    16. Melissa

      October 01, 2019 at 11:15 pm

      I find it helpful to add the gel coloring while the marshmallows are in a gooey state before mixing in the powdered sugar. The distribution of color is achieved much quicker without streaking. But only add it in small increments as to not over color. Or to not make to intense.5 stars

      Reply
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    Hello, I'm Abeer Rizvi, the author and founder of CakeWhiz.com—a cherished dessert blog dedicated to baking, cake decorating, doctored cake mix recipes, and all things sweet. As a skilled food writer, baker, recipe developer, and cake decorator, I take pride in wearing multiple hats.

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