Brown is a versatile and earthy color that can be used in many types of foods and beverages. While pure brown food coloring can be purchased, brown is more commonly made by mixing other food colorings together. The specific colors that are blended to create brown depend on the desired shade of brown. By combining different hues and amounts of other food colorings, everything from light brown to dark brown can be achieved.
Primary Colors That Make Brown
The primary food colorings that are mixed together to create different shades of brown are:
| Red | Yellow | Blue |
Red, yellow, and blue are the three primary colors in color theory. When mixed together in different proportions, these three colors can create every shade of brown imaginable. Here’s a closer look at how each primary food coloring contributes to making brown:
Red – Adding red food coloring brings warmth and richness to a brown shade. It also darkens the brown. The more red added, the darker and more mahogany-like the brown becomes.
Yellow – Yellow food coloring brings vibrancy and brightness to brown. Adding yellow makes brown lighter, warmer, and more golden. The more yellow, the lighter and more golden-brown the shade.
Blue – Blue food coloring cools down brown shades and makes them darker. Adding blue food coloring creates deeper, cooler-toned browns leaning towards grey or black. The more blue added, the cooler and darker the brown gets.
Secondary Colors That Make Brown
In addition to the three primary colors, the three secondary colors can also be combined to create different hues of brown:
| Orange | Green | Purple |
Here is how each secondary food coloring affects the shade of brown:
Orange – Orange contains red and yellow, so it brings a golden, reddish quality to browns. Adding orange makes brown warmer and brighter.
Green – Green is made from blue and yellow, so it neutralizes brown shades a bit. Adding green food coloring creates muted, earthy browns.
Purple – Purple contains red and blue, so it results in deep reddish-brown hues. More purple makes brown shades darker and richer.
You can experiment mixing different amounts of the primary and secondary colors to create every brown tone you need for your baked goods, frostings, sauces, and more.
Shades of Brown Food Coloring
While custom mixing allows for endless brown shades, there are also some handy pre-mixed brown food colorings available:
| Light Brown | Medium Brown | Dark Brown |
These provide a quick way to get standard shades of brown without having to blend them yourself. Let’s look at each shade:
Light Brown – A warm, golden tan shade. Useful for making bakery goods look freshly baked.
Medium Brown – A neutral milk chocolate hue. Great for chocolate frostings and candy.
Dark Brown – A deep, rich chocolate brown. Perfect for dark chocolate desserts.
Having these pre-mixed colors makes it easy to quickly add brown accents to all kinds of desserts, from cakes and cookies to ice cream and pudding.
Natural Foods That Make Brown
In addition to using food coloring to make brown, there are many natural ingredients and foods that lend a brown hue:
| Cocoa powder | Coffee |
| Caramel | Maple syrup |
| Soy sauce | Molasses |
Here are some ways each food naturally contributes brown color:
Cocoa powder – Adds a rich chocolate brown color, perfect for cakes, frostings, sauces, and desserts.
Coffee – Contributes a dark, roasted brown and adds robust flavor as well. Great for tiramisu, buttercream, and chocolate desserts.
Caramel – Provides a golden brown hue with buttery, toffee flavor. Delicious in caramel sauces, candies, pies, and ice creams.
Maple syrup – Imparts a pale, warm golden brown and sweet maple flavor. Wonderful for pancakes, waffles, pastries, and granola.
Soy sauce – Gives a deep, dark brown coloring with savory, umami taste. Useful for glazes, Asian marinades, and sauces.
Molasses – Offers an extremely dark, bittersweet brown and strong robust flavor. Excellent in gingerbread, baked beans, barbecue sauce, and vinaigrettes.
These natural brown foods allow you to avoid artificial dyes while still adding appetizing, brown color to recipes.
Unexpected Colors That Make Brown
Believe it or not, some unexpected food colorings can also be combined to create brown shades. Here are some surprising color combos that result in brown:
| Pink + Green |
| Orange + Purple |
| Red + Green |
Let’s look closer at how these unconventional color mixtures make brown:
Pink + Green – Mixing pink’s red tones with green’s blue tones makes a muted, earthy light brown. Vary the pink-to-green ratio to control the exact shade.
Orange + Purple – Combining the red tones of orange with the blue tones of purple makes a neutral medium brown. Adjust the amounts for lighter or darker browns.
Red + Green – The yellow and blue aspects of green neutralize the red to create various deeper brown tones. Add more green for darker browns.
Don’t be afraid to experiment mixing any colors you have on hand – you may stumble upon the perfect unexpected brown for your needs.
Food Coloring Amounts for Brown
The specific amounts of food coloring needed to make different shades of brown depends on several factors:
– Intensity of the food colors – Some brands are more vibrant than others.
– Quantity you are coloring – Larger amounts of icing or batter will need more food coloring added.
– Desired darkness of brown – Darker browns require more food coloring.
There are some general food coloring guidelines that provide a starting point for making brown:
| Light brown | 3-5 drops food coloring per 1 cup of icing or batter |
| Medium brown | 5-7 drops food coloring per 1 cup of icing or batter |
| Dark brown | 7-10 drops food coloring per 1 cup of icing or batter |
But it’s best to experiment in small batches first, taking notes on how much of each color you added until you get the perfect shade of brown.
Tinting Icing and Frosting Brown
One of the most common uses of brown food coloring is tinting icing and frosting. Here are some tips for coloring icings brown:
– Use gel food coloring for deeper color intensity vs. liquid food coloring
– Mix into icing slowly and gradually until desired shade is reached
– Add a touch of brown to white icing for an antique, vintage look
– Pair brown icing with orange and yellow icing on cookies for a retro, 70’s color scheme
– Frost cupcakes or cake layers with light, medium and dark brown icing for a striking ombre effect
– Add cocoa powder and brown food coloring to buttercream for chocolate frosting
– Drizzle brown icing over dulce de leche or caramel filling for tempting bakery-style treats
Whether you’re decorating cupcakes, sugar cookies, or layer cakes, brown frosting is a versatile choice that pairs well with almost any flavor.
Conclusion
Brown may seem like a simple color, but in fact many different food color combinations can be mixed together to create the perfect shade of brown. The three primary colors – red, yellow, and blue – form the foundation for all brown tones when blended in various ratios. Orange, green, and purple secondary colors can then be added to modify the brown. For convenience, pre-mixed light, medium and dark brown food coloring is also available. And natural ingredients like cocoa, caramel, maple, and coffee lend authentic flavor and color to brown foods. With this guide, you should feel equipped to whip up the ideal brown food coloring, icing, or frosting to elevate any dessert.
