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How to Dye Pasta Different Colors (Halloween Recipe)

April 21, 2016

This post was originally published on DIY Network’s blog Made + Remade in September 2015.

Looking for Halloween-themed recipes to make the season more fun for your kids?

Here’s one that my family loved: Black and Orange Macaroni + Cheese! Adding food coloring to cooking pasta is an easy way to mix new appeal into an otherwise classic dish.

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

And of course, if your kids love pasta for any other occasion (birthday spaghetti, Fourth of July salad, or on any ordinary Tuesday), remember that you can follow this same tutorial with different colored food coloring to change the color of the food.

The beauty of using Velveeta® with this recipe is that its creamy formula makes for a smooth and consistent cheese coating, with a classic american cheese flavor that gives the dish a great, orange splash of color.

Step 1: Bring water to a boil, and pour in the pasta.

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

Step 2: Add Food Coloring

Immediately after pouring in the pasta, pour a tablespoon of black food coloring into the boiling water. The water should tint completely black when you stir it with a spoon.

I find that black dye is very concentrated, and doesn’t have a tendency to dilute into a lighter shade of gray.

If you are using this tutorial as a guide for making, say, red pasta, you may need to adjust the amount of food coloring to avoid the red diluting into pink. You may also have more success dying red pasta if you begin with a base of orange-colored noodles.

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

Step 3: Finish Cooking the Pasta

Once the pasta has cooked, notice that it has absorbed the color of the food coloring.

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

Step 4: Drain Pasta

Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

Step 5: Add Cheese and Milk

Add in 12 oz. of cubed Velveeta® cheese, and 1/3 cup of milk. Or, better yet, Velveeta® cheese sauce!

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

Step 6: Stir on Low Heat 

Turn the range burner to low heat. Melt the creamy cheese into the pasta and stir it for 2-3 minutes to achieve even coverage. Consistent stirring will help you avoid burning the cheese to the bottom of the pot.

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

Step 7 

Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, and top with the remaining 2 oz. of Velveeta if you’d like. Then, enjoy your dish at a Halloween party or with tonight’s dinner!

Tips for dying pasta different colors, and a Halloween Recipe for the kids.

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DIY  / For the Kids  / HGTV + DIY Network Projects  / Kitchen

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. I've been a freelancer writer for 10+ years and you can find my work on popular home and garden sites, like HGTV.com. Follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note.

3 Comments


Leslie
October 1, 2019 at 11:28 pm
Reply

Hi,
This is perfect for my daughter’s Halloween birthday party! The only black food dye I’ve come across is the gel concentrate. Any idea of how much to use of that it could you share where you got the liquid?
Thanks so much!



Kate M.
September 1, 2021 at 7:42 pm
Reply

Darn it, someone suggested good food coloring and I was just at a baking supply store today, looking for squid or cuttlefish ink! I did doubt that the food coloring would dy itmy bad!



Debra McCracken
October 10, 2021 at 3:11 pm
Reply

Another site says 1/2 tube.



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