What Colors Make Burgundy Icing? (Frosting Colors)

Have you ever wondered what colors make burgundy icing? How to Make Maroon or Burgundy Icing and Frosting? Look no more. We´ve got you covered.

If you love baking and would like to try a deep and dramatic icing color for your cakes or cookies, then burgundy icing could be a good choice.

So, what colors make burgundy icing? To get burgundy icing color, you can mix other shades of ready-made red, purple, brown, or blue icing, or create a custom burgundy icing color using different amounts of purple, red and/or blue coloring on a a base of plain or chocolate icing. However, burgundy icing can be produced by a number of color and ingredient mixing options. Some companies produce ready-made burgundy icing.

Read our article to find out more about how you can buy, make, and use delicious burgundy icing.

What color is burgundy?

Burgundy is a deep, dark red-purple which is named for the color of burgundy wine, from the Burgundy region in France.

While exact color perceptions can vary from individual to individual, ‘burgundy’ is normally slightly less brown than ‘maroon’, and is often synonymous with ‘bordeaux’ or ‘wine’.

If you need to achieve a precise shade of burgundy for your icing, it is best to use a color chart to identify your end goal and be prepared to experiment a few times with food color mixing to reach it.

Read also: What Do You Get When You Mix Red and Black? (Combination Meaning)

Can I buy burgundy icing?

Some brands produce ready-made burgundy icing which you can buy off the shelf and use straight away to decorate your baking.

Other companies sell ready-mixed burgundy food coloring, which you can add to your icing at home to create the shade you want.

Which colors can I use to make burgundy icing?

By mixing your own burgundy icing, you can achieve the exact shade of burgundy color you want. You can either mix different colors of icing or mix food colorants and add these to a plain or chocolate base icing.

You will always need some variety of red coloring or icing but different shades of red (crimson, scarlet, vermilion, cherry, etc..) will produce different final shades of burgundy.

Remember that food colors in icing will often deepen over 24 hours and as they dry on your cake or cookie. If you’re baking for a special occasion, and want a very specific shade of burgundy, you should practice your recipe in advance to ensure the final result meets your needs.

Also, be aware that lemon juice and other acids can react with food colors to change their shades. Violet colors may become more blue, or brown shades more green, for example.

If you’re making a burgundy citrus icing, try a small batch first in case the final color is not as you anticipate.

How to make deep burgundy wine fondant icing >> Check out the video below:

Purple and red

Purple is a color that already contains shades of both red and blue. By adding more red color to a purple icing or coloring, you can create a burgundy shade.

Red and blue

To create burgundy begin with your red shade and add blue color or icing in very small quantities until you reach the shade required.

Depending on the type of blue or red you start with, you may want to lighten or darken the final result with small amounts of white or brown.

Read also: What Do You Get When You Mix Red And Blue? (3 Colors of Light)

Chocolate icing with red icing

For a deeper color like burgundy, you can sometimes produce a better final result and use less actual coloring when you begin with a chocolate rather than plain base icing.

To create this type of burgundy icing, gradually add small amounts of red icing or coloring to chocolate icing until it reaches a burgundy color.

 If your chocolate icing is very dark, you can add lighten it by adding plain white icing.   

Can I make natural burgundy icing without artificial colors?

Yes, while many food colorings are artificial there are also natural food coloring options available to buy online or in stores in many countries. You can experiment with these to produce burgundy colors for your icing.

Natural sources of purple coloring include extracts, juices, or powders from blackcurrants, blueberries, or purple sweet potato.

Sources of red include extracts, juices, or powders from beetroot, red berries, or red cabbage. Sources of blue include extracts of blue butterfly pea or blue spirulina.

Suncore Foods sell a range of different natural coloring powders derived from fruit and vegetable sources.

Color Garden and several other brands available online or in supermarkets also sell plant-sourced food coloring in liquid or powder form.

Is burgundy icing vegan?

Vegans choose not to eat or wear any animal products. Whether or not your burgundy icing is suitable for vegans depends on the food coloring you choose to mix your colors.

Using plant-based colors will result in a vegan-friendly icing. If buying ready-mixed icing or colors, check for a symbol on the packaging indicating that the product is suitable for vegans.

Be aware that some red food colors are based on a substance called cochineal, derived from beetles. As this is an animal product, it would never be suitable for vegans.

When would I use burgundy icing?

Burgundy is a good icing choice for a dramatic main cake icing color, or as an additional color to add shading or detail to a cake with a different base icing color.

Burgundy can be a good choice for coloring icing roses and other flowers or fruits.

Can any icing type be a burgundy color?

Yes, while you may not be able to buy ready-made versions of all icing types, there is no reason why you can’t mix your own burgundy shade of all icing types.

From royal icing, through buttercream, to glacé icing and fondant, all can be colored in red-purple.

Some consistencies of food coloring, (liquid, powder, paste, spray etc) will work better with certain consistencies of icing.

You may want to experiment to find the best combination for your baking project with burgundy icing.

A final word…

If you’re planning to make burgundy icing for your next baking project, we hope we’ve given you some good ideas and tips to think about.

Remember, for special occasion cakes or cookies, always plan ahead and do a trial run if you can, including mixing the exact color of your icing.

This will help you achieve the exact shade of burgundy icing you want.

Enjoy!

References

https://colorgarden.net/

https://suncorefoods.com/