Make Your Own Colored Sugar

I haven't bought colored sugar crystals for decorating baked goods in a long time. I can't imagine spending around $1.50 for 4oz of sugar when it's so simple to color it yourself. You can color regular granulated sugar (which is what I do) or larger crystals if you prefer that look.

This is a ridiculously simple concept but it's a cost-saving effort that requires no special supplies and takes just a couple of minutes.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You need:
Sugar
Food coloring
Fork
Bowl
Plate

You can use liquid food color, gel food color or paste food color. Liquid is the easiest to mix into the sugar and only slightly more is needed to get deeper colors. If all you happen to have is powdered food color, mix some powder with a few drops of alcohol such as vodka, and use as you would liquid food coloring.

Step 2:

Put the sugar in a bowl and add food color.

Step 3:

Mix together using a fork or your fingers. As the color saturates all of the crystals, you'll get a good idea of how deep the color is.
Add more color or sugar to adjust the depth of color.

Step 4: Drying

When all of the sugar is saturated with color, spread the colored sugar on a plate and let sit out to dry. This may take an hour or so. Once the sugar is dry it will have large clumps. Break these up and the sugar will be free-flowing.

Comments

[creativegirlz]

Heres how my colored sugars turned out! loved it!!!

[evanmaguire112]

How many drop in food colouring

[evanmaguire112]

In sugar

[CrystalN23]

Is it possible to add flavors to the sugar

[Big_Kiwi]

Hi all I was woundering if any one knows how to make fairy (Candy) floss using little or no sugar, as I have just won a Candy floss machine but as my family are diabetics we can not have sugar. or do I just sell the machine

[AshleyL6]

If you have one of those hard candy cotton candy machines, you can add sugar free candies.

[krinklepeaches]

Hey there! I have a cotton candy macine myself and in my case it allows you to use hard candy. Many candies are sugar free but i dont know much about diabetics or anything but if your machine can't use hard candy just smash it up. You could put it in a baggie and hit it with a mallet. At least thats what i do. Hope that helped!!

[SP79]

Hi instead of alcohol to mix powder colour... What else can you use?

[Emily Q]

Thank you i used my sugar to make cotton candy

[barb1322]

I tried it with powdered icing sugar and found it didn't work and then tried with granulated sugar and it worked well. now I just need to zip it and make it into powdered icing sugar for my fondant. Thank you for sharing this information, hopefully it does what I need it to.

[SalhaA]

can it be used for dizines

like i put clored suger in a jar then put my mack up brshus there

[YoussefB]

To prevent solubility of sugar in water, its better to use alcooholique solution like whisky
It's contain less than 60% of wather..disolve color in powder in whisky than add drop to drop
On sugar with shaking...and put it in oven to dry

[ChildofGod25]

Thanks. worked wonderful.

[tammysue827]

how long does the color sugar last? do u have to use it immediatley or can u store it some were to be used later on? thanks

[MsMissyG]

Thank you! I was thinking there had to be a way to do this without all the nasty additives they put in the kind you find at the store...like confectioners glaze.....that stuff is made from BUGS!
{if you don't believe me check out this blog on it, or Google it}
http://www.vegblogger.com/blog/2010/03/confectioners-glaze-theres-something-buggy-about.html

[accursedmuffins]

What do you think food coloring is made of? It's the same stuff my dear.

[vmizzi]

Hi. Does the sugar discolour or the colour run if put in the fridge on buttercream? Thanks

[mzminty]

hi can somebody please help me!!!
im trying to colour 25kg of normal sugar without it getting wet. it has to be in 25kg batches.any help would be appreciated

[krinklepeaches]

try using paste food colors. They are relatively very dry or maybe find some powder food color and use no achohol or wetting component.

[breumer]

https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-colored-sugar/

Nice colors!