Glossary
Gel food coloring
Concentrated color that tints frosting and fondant deeply without adding extra liquid that could thin them out.
Gel food coloring is a thick, concentrated color used to tint buttercream, fondant and gum paste. Because it is far more concentrated than liquid food coloring, a small amount goes a long way, which matters when a recipe needs a deep, saturated color like red or black without thinning out the frosting.
The thickness is the whole point. Liquid coloring adds water to a mixture, and enough of it to reach a strong shade can noticeably loosen buttercream or make fondant sticky. Gel color adds almost no extra liquid, so a decorator can push a color much darker without changing the texture of what they are coloring.
Look at how a color performs once it sets, since some deep gel shades, especially reds and blacks, continue to intensify or shift over a few hours after mixing. Natural, plant-based gels behave differently from synthetic ones and sometimes need more product for the same depth of color. A common mistake is judging a color immediately after mixing instead of waiting to see how it settles.