I receive a lot of questions about what brands of edible paints I like best and would recommend for various effects. I adore trying out different types of colors and definitely have my favorites. While there are so many amazing brands out there, here are three I currently can’t live without (these brands are all FDA-approved and 100% edible).
Edible Art Paint
Ahh, my first love. I generally use these colors in one way or another in most of my pieces.
Edible Art Paints are available in a wiiiiiide variety of colors, including many metallics and shimmery shades. The way I work with them (lots of blending and soft edges) they’re not always completely opaque, so I find I sometimes need at least a couple of coats to get super-saturated tones. For this reason, I generally use these paints on top of a pre-colored base of fondant or icing. The colors also mix together beautifully, allowing you to achieve pretty much any shade your heart desires.
These paints can take awhile to dry, which can be frustrating if your goal is multiple layers or you’re on a tight deadline. But it makes them great for blending because you have an extended work time. I also find that the thin consistency and longer dry time make these paints great for detail work because they don’t clump up or make your brushes gummy. Honestly, aside from dry time, there’s just a certain forgiving ease about working with this brand. They’re also easy to clean, so no worries about stained work surfaces or ruined brushes.
Finish:
Matte, pearl and metallic
What I use them for:
- Fluid painting
- Spatter effects
- Blending and achieving softer edges
- Detail work
Tips:
- Shake them really well before using. I find these colors take foreverrrr to dry if not well-mixed.
- Allow each layer to dry before adding more paint, otherwise you run the risk of wiping off your previous work if the paint’s still tacky.
- Speed up dry time with a dehydrator or fan.
Cost:
Anywhere from $6.50-$14.00 per 15ml bottle, depending on where you shop
Where to buy:
Poppy Paint
When used straight out of the bottle, Poppy Paint is INCREDIBLY opaque and dries insanely fast (seriously, almost in the blink of an eye). It’s also waterproof and won’t smudge once dry. These qualities make this brand great for color-blocking, basing out colors and achieving hard edges. They also paint on almost anything, so are pretty damn versatile.
Another way to extend their versatility is by adding Poppy Paint thinner or a high-proof alcohol, like Everclear. With enough thinner, these paints can achieve the consistency and effect of watercolors and will spread, diffuse, and pool, providing lots of creative options for organic-style painting, drippy effects and overlapping of transparent colors. The level of transparency you can achieve is seriously gorgeous.
Poppy Paints can basically only be cleaned with alcohol, so keep that in mind when working with them. Instead of using my regular paint palettes, I generally drop these colors onto sheets of acetate for easier clean up. I also use cheaper brushes when working with them because they clump up quickly and dry hard, requiring alcohol and sometimes a bit of scrubbing to get brushes completely clean, which can lead to fraying and splayed bristles.
These colors don’t always mix together particularly well. You can lighten shades by adding white and play with analogous colors (those next to each other on the color wheel, like yellow and green). But they don’t always do quite what you’d expect when mixing complimentary colors. For instance, blue + red = more of a grayish tone than a purple.
Finish:
Matte and pearl. They also sell a gloss that produces a wonderfully juicy, high-gloss finish.
What I use them for:
- Color blocking
- Basing out designs. This is what I use on my portrait cookies for teeth and whites of the eyes (literally only seconds of dry time so I can immediately add details on top).
- Painting directly onto naked cookies and pie crusts.
- With thinner/alcohol to create various watercolor-type effects.
Tips:
- Keep Poppy Paint thinner or a clear alcohol, like Everclear, handy for extending dry time, creating watercolor effects, and regenerating palette colors that are drying too quickly.
- Keep isopropyl alcohol handy for all Poppy Paint-related clean-up.
- I personally don’t recommend the metallic colors because I find they dry with a very noticeable metallic tang and grainy texture.
Cost:
From about $7.00-$10.00 per 30ml bottle
Where to buy:
- https://www.etsy.com/shop/SugaryEssentials
- https://www.etsy.com/shop/LOLLICAKESBYELLA
- https://beesbakedartsupplies.com
The Sugar Art Elite Color & Diamond Dust
This is a fairly new brand for me, but I already find myself relying on it quite heavily. The Sugar Art Elite Colors and Diamond Dusts are powder formulas that prove extremely multifaceted. And the quantity of available colors literally makes my heart go pitter-pat (so many beautiful colors!).
Elite Colors can be used straight out of the jar like petal dusts. Or they can be mixed with liquid to achieve different paint-type consistencies. They can also be added directly to royal icing to create some truly beautiful hues. I’ve been primarily using these colors in their powder form. I love applying them as edible makeup to my portrait cookies, and using them as petal dusts to add dimension to rolled roses and other floral details.
Diamond Dusts have a shimmery, glittery effect and are 100% safe to eat (unlike Disco Dust and similar other “non-toxic but not meant for consumption” glitters). While I have yet to capture the full effect in photos (I’m working on it!), in person it provides an extremely pretty sparkle and shine that’s glittery enough to delight any princess or unicorn fanatic.
What I use them for:
- Primarily as dusts for edible makeup and to add dimension to 3d elements such as flowers and leaves.
- I’ve also just begun playing with these colors by adding liquid and using them as paints (though as of writing this, I’ve mostly used them as transparent washes of color and haven’t experimented much with other opacities).
- Diamond Dusts add a beautiful sparkle and can likewise be used dry (by spraying or sprinkling them over wet royal icing) or mixed with liquid and painted on.
Finish:
Matte
Tips:
- This brand is great for playing and experimenting because you can use it in either wet or dry format.
- I use small, fluffy eye makeup and concealer brushes for applying the dry powder. I also maintain a very soft touch and apply it in subtle layers, building up to the final desired color.
Price:
Starting at $5.00-$8.00 for 2.5g
Where to buy:
Thanks for the tips and information! I will definitely be using this cheat sheet. ❤
Glad you found it helpful! I love trying out new brands and types of edible color. I’ll try to post a follow-up with more of my faves =)