Complete Guide
Color mixing guide in pastry
All mixing formulas to get the ideal colors with your food colorings. Primary, secondary, tertiary, pastel, and metallic shades.
Basics of colorimetry in pastry
The mixing of food colors is based on the subtractive color model. Three primary colors (red, blue, yellow) serve as the base to create all other shades. By combining them two by two, you get secondary colors. By adjusting proportions, you access tertiary shades and infinite nuances.
This guide offers precise formulas in milliliters to achieve reproducible results, whether you’re preparing a birthday cake or a wedding order. Dosages adapt to all pastry bases: buttercream, ganache, fondant, royal icing, macarons.
Results vary depending on the dye brand, the base to color, and the concentration. Always start with small amounts and adjust gradually. For deep reds and intense blacks, let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour for intensification.
The 3 primary colors
Primary colors are the building blocks of any color composition. They cannot be obtained by mixing; they are purchased directly.
The 3 secondary colors
Secondary colors are obtained by mixing two primaries in equal parts. They are essential bases for cake design.
Green
1 ml blue + 1 ml yellow. Balanced mix that gives a meadow green. Use as a base for pistachio, mint, sage shades.
Orange
1 ml red + 1 ml yellow. Bright orange, ideal for Halloween, autumn cakes, citrus trompe-l’oeil.
Violet
1 ml red + 1 ml blue. Balanced violet, base for lavender, plum, eggplant, magenta shades.
Tertiary colors
Tertiary colors are obtained by mixing a primary with a secondary. Six key shades to know to expand your palette.
Chartreuse
1 ml green + 2 ml yellow. Tangy yellow-green, perfect for lemon, kiwi, tropical fruit desserts.
Turquoise
2 ml green + 1 ml blue. Fresh blue-green, widely used for baby boy showers and marine themes.
Pink
2 ml violet + 1 ml red. Warm pink, ideal for Valentine’s Day, baby girl showers, children’s birthdays.
Amber
1 ml orange + 2 ml yellow. Warm yellow-orange, perfect for caramel, honey, autumn.
Azure
1 ml orange + 1 ml blue. Sophisticated gray-blue tone, ideal for modern wedding cakes.
Magenta
2 ml purple + 3 ml red. Deep rose-red, intense and vibrant for signature pieces.
Light and dark shades
By adjusting the primary proportions, you get lighter or darker variants of each secondary color.
Light green
1 ml blue + 2 ml yellow. Tender spring green, perfect for Easter.
Dark green
2 ml blue + 1 ml yellow. Deep fir green, ideal for Christmas and forest themes.
Light orange
1 ml red + 2 ml yellow. Soft orangey peach, base for salmon and coral.
Dark orange
2 ml red + 1 ml yellow. Intense burnt orange, perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Light purple
1 ml red + 2 ml blue. Soft lilac, perfect for spring wedding cakes.
Dark purple
2 ml red + 1 ml blue. Deep aubergine, elegant base for sophisticated pieces.
Advanced shade creations
Advanced shades require precise dosages to faithfully reproduce natural tones. Widely used on wedding cakes and artisanal pastries.
Peach
3 ml orange + 1 ml red. Warm flesh tone, ideal for spring cakes.
Lavender
3 ml light purple + 1 ml blue. Powdery blue-violet, signature of high-end wedding cakes.
Salmon
3 ml light orange + 1 ml yellow. Delicate pink-orange, perfect for baby girl showers.
Mint
3 ml light green + 1 ml blue. Soft aqua green, ideal for modern weddings and birthdays.
Coral
3 ml dark orange + 1 ml red. Trendy red-orange, signature of contemporary wedding cakes.
For deep reds (Valentine’s Day, Christmas) or intense blacks, do not try to achieve them by mixing. Pure black and red pigments are so concentrated that they require specific formulations from manufacturers. Buy them directly as pre-formulated colorants.
To intensify a bright shade without overdosing: prepare your colored base, cover it with cling film, and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature. The color naturally intensifies without adding pigment.
Pastel shades
Pastel shades are made starting from a very lightly colored base. Rather than adding white which dilutes the mixture, add just a tiny amount of the initial colorant: 1 drop per 100g of mixture is enough.
Colour Mill colorants offer a dedicated "Pastels" range: Baby Pink, Lavender, Sky Blue, Mint, Peach. These colors are already formulated for pastel finish, with no dilution or complex adjustment needed.
Edible gold and silver
Metallic gold and silver shades cannot be obtained by mixing classic edible colorants (red, blue, yellow). Their characteristic shine comes from light reflection on metallic pigments, a property liquid or gel colorants do not have.
To achieve a true metallic finish in pastry, use specific metallic edible powders (gold, silver, copper, bronze) based on approved edible pigments (E174 for gold).
Metallic edible powders always give better results than colorant blends. Investing in 2-3 lustre powders (gold, silver, copper) covers 95% of high-end cake design needs.
Our recommendation to get started
Colour Mill, the modern cake design reference
To apply all these formulas with a professional finish, Colour Mill colorants are our reference. High concentration (1 drop per 100g of mass), oil blend formula compatible with fats (buttercream, white chocolate) and classic preparations (fondant, royal icing), over 50 colors including a signature pastel range. Gluten-free, lactose-free, kosher and halal.
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