When it comes to making baked goods look amazing, the more vibrant the color, the better. That’s true in almost every case, but particularly at Halloween where the spooky season lends itself to ideas of vibrant, ghostly, other-worldly colors. While store-bought food dyes have been our go-to source to produce these wild colors, there are a whole host of other plant-based, natural sources for food dyes that produce results just as vibrant and spectacular. 

Below are some colors you can produce at home using readily-available plants and baking ingredients. 

When you think of rhubarb, what comes to mind? I’ll start: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Since I’ve ever been aware of rhubarb as a plant, I’ve thought of it as something that goes in pies.

Watermelon is the very epitome of summer fruits. Colorful, cooling, soft, few things can compare with the magic that is dipping one’s teeth in this delightfully mushy fruit after a long swim at the beach or in the swimming pool. A summer BBQ table feels empty without it.

If ever there was a vegetable with a PR problem, it’s Brussel Sprouts. For every person that enjoys them, there’s someone else who absolutely despises their existence.

The first time I saw the word ‘cloudberry’ was on the outside of a Skyr Icelandic yogurt container. Even then, it seemed fake, like an ingredient one might find on a fantasy world menu, or in a novel.

Nowadays, jackfruit’s fame is owed principally to its meat-like texture. As veganism comes more fully into vogue, the search for plant substances that can mimic the taste and feel of meat becomes more urgent…

Usually when I talk about the wonder that is mushrooms, I see rolling eyes. If you know how awesome mushrooms are already, then I’m preaching to the choir.