How to Get Super Red Buttercream Frosting. If you're looking for a bright and vibrant Super Red Buttercream Frosting to top your cake, then you've come to the right place! This recipe is easy to make and I'm sharing tried and true tips to get really bright red frosting every time.
With simple ingredients, the right red food coloring, and a few good practices, you'll be able to solve this neverending problem of the pink, coral, and not-so-red, red frosting.
I even have a couple of bonus tips for going from bright red to dark red frosting, if that's your goal.
Originally published January 2017, republished September 2023
With Christmas, then Valentine's Day just around the corner, the need for bright red buttercream will shoot up and the questions will start rolling in. Why? Because red buttercream can be problematic
This is one of those problems everybody in the cake decorating world has had problems with at one time or another. In fact, for years I struggled with this myself!
I hope by sharing these simple tips, maybe some of you won't have to struggle as much as I did! So let's get to it!
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- Substitutions
- How to Make Red Frosting
- Video
- Red Buttercream Recipe Pro-Tips
- #1 Use Gel Food Coloring to Make Red Frosting
- #2 Start with white or light frosting (or pink... keep reading!)
- #3 Plan Ahead: Make Your Red Frosting A Day Early
- #4 How to Make Red Food Coloring Darker
- How to store Red Buttercream Frosting
- FAQ
- More Buttercream Recipes:
- Recipe
Ingredients
When you're figuring out how to make red icing, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have quality ingredients.
- Butter, room temperature - I almost always use salted butter, but unsalted would work just as well. You may want to add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter to offset the sweet a little bit.
- Vegetable shortening* - I use Crisco and only Crisco. You can also skip this and use all butter if you want, but the frosting will not be as stable.
- Powdered sugar (aka confectioners sugar)
- Water or milk - this is used to thin the frosting to the consistency you need. I mostly use milk but water does the job as well! You could also use heavy cream if you want.
- Vanilla extract - don't skip out on using quality vanilla extract, or homemade vanilla extract if you have it. This really make the frosting so much more delicious!
- Butter vanilla - this is optional but I swear it's what makes my clients go crazy for my buttercream. It really makes the buttercream smell so great and enhances the butter flavor!
- Pink gel food coloring - this is optional, see pro tips below
- Tulip Red gel food coloring (or other options listed in the post)
Substitutions
Butter & Vegetable Shortening: this recipe calls for equal amounts of butter and shortening. For super stable (in heat) frosting, you can use all shortening. OR you can use all butter and skip the shortening if you want. The buttercream won't be as stable but will be even more delicious!
Tulip Red Gel Food Coloring: as mentioned below, you can use other gel colors if you like - such as Americolor Super Red or other brands of red. As long as it's a gel color, I'm confident you can make it work.
Want to avoid the bitter aftertaste that comes from some red food coloring? Use Red Powdered Food Coloring.
Another substitution for the red gel coloring is a red powdered food coloring. This will yield a gorgeous red buttercream but be warned, you will need a LOT of the powder. However, as mentioned above, it has no bitter aftertaste, so that's a big "pro" for powdered colors.
How to Make Red Frosting
The recipe below is my vanilla buttercream recipe + the instructions to make it red! Let's get started so you'll know how to get red buttercream.
- Add the butter and shortening to the mixing bowl and cream together. I prefer to do this in my Bosch mixer but you could use any stand mixer or even a hand mixer if that's what you've got!
- Scrape down the sides to be sure that it's completely mixed together.
- Add the vanilla and butter vanilla flavors to the creamed mixture and mix again.
- Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar, a little at a time until completely incorporated. This will take time and might make a mess (unless you use a Bosch Mixer). Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl often. When all the sugar is added, your frosting will be super thick and dry.
- At this point, start adding tablespoons of milk or water to "thin" the frosting to the desired texture. I usually use milk, but either works just fine. I make fairly thick frosting to cover and fill cakes and make it slightly thinner to decorate.
- If you're starting with pink, add pink gel coloring and mix until you get a bright pink color.
- Add a generous squirt (start with approximately a tablespoon) of red gel coloring to the frosting and mix until well incorporated.
- Cover the frosting with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and allow the color to deepen and develop for a few hours or overnight at room temperature.
- You can use this immediately or keep it in the fridge in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen for several weeks. When you're using it out of the refrigerator, make sure it's completely thawed and rewhip it, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.
Video
Watch me make vanilla buttercream in the video below... with NO powdered sugar cloud, thanks to my Bosch. After finishing the frosting, follow the instructions to add red and create the beautiful red frosting you're looking for!
Red Buttercream Recipe Pro-Tips
Usually, the scenario goes like this... You start mixing in the red food coloring and your red icing looks pink. Or coral. You add more and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. It feels impossible to get red icing.
The frosting is still a pink-orange-coral color. You add more coloring. Maybe your frosting starts to get runny. Your buttercream starts to separate. You panic.
I've been there. But the one-product solution to this problem is very simple.
So first up - the most important thing:
#1 Use Gel Food Coloring to Make Red Frosting
More specifically, Use Americolor Tulip Red Gel Coloring. While you could use another brand if you like - or even use a different red color, such as Super Red, you must use gel food coloring!
I'm 100% sold on Americolor gel colors and Tulip Red is the bombdigity when it comes to getting a pretty, bright red icing.
I know, I know - most people are just gah-gah about Americolor Super Red. And honestly, I like that particular red and still use it for some of my cake-decorating ventures.
But Tulip Red is a much better color in my opinion to get bright red buttercream.
Now I'm sure other decorators will have different opinions or tips about getting a good, bright red, but this is it for me.
Why gel coloring? It's more concentrated than liquid food coloring so you get more "bang for your buck" without ruining the consistency of your frosting.
Liquid Food Coloring
DO NOT USE THIS. Liquid red coloring is great for a red velvet cake but not great for coloring frosting red.
I know liquid food coloring, which is water-based, is probably the easiest to get your hands on because it's sold in almost every grocery store on the cake and baking aisle. But trust me - you do not want to try to use liquid food coloring for coloring frosting. The colors are diluted and not nearly strong enough to give you a bright, vibrant red without making your frosting runny.
#2 Start with white or light frosting (or pink... keep reading!)
I use vanilla buttercream (American buttercream) or Cream Cheese buttercream for most of my cakes. Both of these are pretty white/light by nature.
You can also jump-start your red buttercream by starting with pink frosting. Whether you make it pink on purpose or want to use up leftover pink - this gives your frosting a good base to start from.
This is a tip I mentioned in my book, Cake Decorating for Beginners. I like to use Americolor Electric Pink - especially when going for a really vibrant bright red. Americolor Deep Pink will also work but it seems to have a slightly purple hue, so don't use too much!
#3 Plan Ahead: Make Your Red Frosting A Day Early
As with any deep/dark color combined with buttercream, you'll want to mix it up and take plenty of time for the color to develop. It will always get darker with time!
Start with white buttercream (or pink as mentioned above, if you like). Mix in red until you get it barely red enough... like a medium red? Then cover it and let it sit for an hour or two for the color to develop. If it's still not red enough, add more and again... let it sit as long as you can.
I actually prefer to make my red buttercream a day before to really give it time to develop. I'll go back to it every 1-2 hours and add more here and there until I get a true, bright red buttercream. For the red buttercream cake above, it wasn't quite deep enough when I finished it, but after chilling overnight, it was perfect!
#4 How to Make Red Food Coloring Darker
Use Americolor Super Red
For those of you trying to figure out how to make deep red frosting, I've got you hooked up too! The first tip for how to make red frosting darker (and the easiest way to make red buttercream darker) is to use Americolor Super Red gel coloring.
My problem with Super Red gel coloring is that I'll think I have the perfect red color, then I come back a few hours later and the red has gotten too dark... too deep. However, this is not a problem at all if you're trying to make deep, dark red icing.
You can see the final color when using Super Red Gel coloring on this Raggedy Ann cake:
I took this picture the day I finished the cake and you can see already the red buttercream frosting is darker than the nose/mouth. But when I got up the next morning for delivery, it was really, really dark and I was quite disappointed.
But if that's what you're looking for - Super Red is for you!
With Tulip Red, even when it sits, it will get a little darker or richer, but it won't go super dark on you. But if you have a choice between Super Red and Tulip Red, Americolor Tulip Red is your best bet to get bright red buttercream (vs dark red buttercream)!
Bottom line: if you get to choose between Americolor gel colors and any other brand of red coloring - go with the Americolor gel colors.
Use a Dot of Black Gel Coloring
Another tip you might try if trying to figure out how to make dark red icing is to use black gel coloring! But only the tiniest amount.
Grab your red frosting and then add the tiniest dot of black gel coloring. And I do mean tiny. Like, use the point of a toothpick to add an itty-bitty dot of black.
Mix it up and let it rest and develop for at least an hour, then check it again before adding more. You can very quickly end up with maroon frosting or even a muddied brown-gray-reddish mess if you add too much black gel so be very careful!
But if done right, you can end up with a darker, richer red buttercream by just mixing in the tiniest dot of black.
Microwave Hack to Make Red Buttercream Frosting Darker
If you want to make red frosting darker or richer and you've tried other tips, here's one secret hack that's almost guaranteed to work. But it does have a downside! Try microwaving (and melting) a small portion of your frosting, then mixing it back into the whole (see more detailed tip above).
How to store Red Buttercream Frosting
Red Buttercream can be kept it in the fridge in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen for several weeks.
When you're using the red out of the refrigerator, make sure it's completely thawed and rewhip, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.
If you are using it out of the freezer, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then set it out to come up to room temperature before mixing it to a smooth consistency again.
One issue you might encounter after refrigerating or freezing your frosting is air bubbles. Use a rubber spatula to stir it and smooth out the air pockets.
FAQ
First, this is not limited to red, but I hear you. Any colored frosting that has a lot of artifical coloring will possibly have a bitter aftertaste - red and black are particularly prone to this. So, can you avoid it?
Yes, as mentioned above, you can use powdered food colors and avoid the bitterness. Just be prepared to use a lot of powder.
Another option is to buy a "no taste" gel food coloring. Both Wilton and Chefmaster offer these. Chefmaster actually has a Tulip Red (not taste) that would be the first I would try! I don't have any personal experience with these but they might be worth a shot!
I would recommend using a natural red food coloring such as beet root juice powder.
In short, you haven't added enough red food coloring yet - or you haven't added the correct (ie., gel or powder) red coloring. Follow all of the tips in this post for the BEST red buttercream.
More Buttercream Recipes:
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you struggled with this? Do you have any other tips or thoughts? Leave a comment!
PrintRecipe
Super Red Buttercream Frosting
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
Super Red Buttercream Frosting. Tried and true tips to get really bright red frosting every time. With the right red food coloring and a few good practices, you'll be able to solve this neverending problem of the pink and coral and not-so-red, red frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature (434g)
- 1 cup vegetable shortening* (205g)
- 7 cups or 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar (454g)
- 2-4 tablespoon water or milk (15ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4ml)
- 1 tsp butter vanilla (4ml) (optional)
- Pink gel food coloring (optional)
- Tulip Red gel food coloring (or other options listed in the post)
Instructions
- Add the butter and shortening to the mixing bowl and cream together. Scrape down the sides to be sure that it's completely mixed together.
- Add the vanilla and butter vanilla flavors and mix again.
- Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar, a little at a time until completely incorporated. This will take time and might make a mess (unless you use a Bosch Mixer). Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl often. When all the sugar is added, your frosting will be super thick and dry.
- At this point, start adding tablespoons of milk or water to "thin" the frosting to the desired texture. I usually use milk, but either works just fine. I make fairly thick frosting to cover and fill cakes and make it slightly thinner to decorate.
- If you're starting with pink, add pink gel coloring and mix until you get a bright pink color.
- Add a generous squirt (start with approximately a tablespoon) of red gel coloring to the frosting and mix until well incorporated.
- Cover the frosting with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and allow the color to deepen and develop for a few hours or overnight at room temperature.
- You can use this immediately or keep it in the frig in an airtight bowl for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen for several weeks. If you're using it out of the refrigerator, make sure it's completely thawed and rewhip, adding milk as needed to get the desired texture again.
Notes
Tips
- add a tiny drop (like a dot from the end of a toothpick) of black gel coloring to get a deeper/darker red.
- use Americolor Super Red for a darker red
- microwave ¼ cup of the red frosting to melt it and deepen the color, then mix it back into the bowl of buttercream. chill if needed to firm up the consistency.
- start with pink frosting to jump-start your red frosting
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Countertop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: red frosting, red icing, how to make red food coloring darker, red buttercream, how to make red buttercream, red buttercream frosting, red buttercream cake, how to make red food coloring, what colors make red food coloring, how to make red icing, how to make dark red icing
Lillieth Evans
Your colors are amazing I will definitely try this. Thanks for your instructions.
Rose
Thank you - good luck!
Barbara Lynn
If you are using Red Dye 40, remember it is banned in Europe! Wonder why!
Karli
We don't use food colorings unless they are natural. They are banned in other countries for a number of reasons, including worsening or mimicking symptoms of mood disorders and such. I have some beet powder and I'm going to give that a whirl... hopefully I can get a true red, even if somewhat light, with it.
Carrie Garner
When I used Tulip Red from Americolor, it was a bright, deep orange and not a red at all. Did I do something wrong?
Rose
It sounds like you need more coloring and to let it develop for longer.
Kim Oborne
I would love to know how to get hot pink buttercream???? I've tried a lot of different brands and it always gets to a Rose color and not an electric or hot pink
Rose
Americolor Electric Pink is THE best coloring for hot pink!! I've used it to color fondant here and buttercream here. If you use the search box at the top right, you can search "hot pink" and see several other cakes where I've used it.
Lynette Reilly
I used fuschia on my grand daughters mini mouse cake the pink white one. Wish I could post it on-line for you to see. The fondant coloured up very well.
gail
awesome thank you
Henrietta Foster
Hi Rose. Do you use the Russian tips and if so which set would you reccomend
Rose
I have a set but I've used them once. They don't have a brand on them.
Anita
Never seen Tulip Red, I'll have to look for it and give it a try!
Rhonda Perkins
Great tips! Thank you! There have been times that I've made cakes that should have had red, but it just never quite got there.
caroline hawley
Hi, never seen this colour in south Africa. Can you tell me where you are based. Thank you. Caroline.hawley2@yahoo.com
Rose
Hi! I'm in southern MS, USA.
Pamela
Thank you so much for the information. I thought I was going to lose my mind trying to figure out how to get a bright red
H Jones
I've always just bought super red. I will have to try the tulip. Thanks! And I totally agree....americolor is the best!
Cori @ SweetCoralice
Hi Rose! I am one of those Super Red fans (Yikes! ) but I do have the Tulip Red too, just don't use it as often. Now I've got to compare them more closely lol. I do agree with you on starting off with a pink base though. Either way, these look fantastic! Now I want to eat a cupcake. Or 10.
Rose
Thanks so much Cori!
Jessica
How does it taste though? Every red I've tried including ones specifically labeled "no taste" taste awful!
Rose
I've honestly never noticed an aftertaste or bitter taste.
Julie S.
Tulip red does not have the bitter taste that super red does.
Tracy
Thanks for the tips on getting a bright red buttercream. I recently went to my local cake decorating shop and asked advice on this same issue and was told by someone who I'm told was trained at a patisserie school to add a small drop of Americolor Black to Americolor Super Red which resulted in the colour going a muddy reddish/brown. Rather annoying but I look forward to trying your suggestion especially with Valentine's Day just round the corner.
Rose
Black, huh?! I've never heard a recommendation like this! I hope the Tulip Red works better for you!
Nicole
Fantastic tips! I have always struggled with red and usually avoid using it because I'm never happy with my results using Super Red. I also struggle getting a nice Christmas green. How did you get your shade of green in this photo? It looks perfect!
Rose
I think I mixed Leaf Green with Electric Green to get a really vibrant, bright green!
sheila
I like to use Swiss buttercups or add butter to my American buttercresm and without fail, I always never get a red but coral, pink etc any tips
Rose
I've never even heard of Swiss Buttercups... sorry!
Mary Pate
Rose, do you know of a brand of coloring that is safe for ADHD children? Artificial colors and flavors are not good for them. I look forward to your response, thank you
Rose
I'm sorry, I don't.
Anna Hopkins-Arnold
This recipe uses a beet puree for a naturally colored red cake. I have not made it, but other recipes on that website have been delish. (not my website)
Natural Red Velvet Cake Without Food Coloring Recipe - Food52
https://food52.com/blog/15776-an-all-natural-red-velvet-cake-that-s-truly-red
Anna Hopkins-Arnold
And because your question intrigued me (and I've recently had a request for a red velvet cake that "goes easy on the food coloring", I checked futher and found that even the "beet coloring" cakes are not the original. For a cake where the natural acid-base reaction brings out the natural red color in chocolate making a velvet texture cake with a natural brick red color see this fascinating story. http://benstarr.com/blog/real-red-velvet-cake-with-no-food-coloring-or-beet-juice/
Sylvia Ayers
My Granddaughter was just recently taken off red dyes and since she is all about true deep pink, that is tough. So if someone finds a good result, please post it.
joanne coronia
Oh thanks so much rose!this will help a lot....how about black color in the buttercream?
Rose
Quite honestly, I try to talk my clients out of anything that includes black buttercream, but if I have to do it, I use Americolor Super Black.
Naomi
)add cocoa to the buttercream, it darkens it then add the americolor super black
Pamela
I don't know what's been more trouble over the years, black or red. As a teen I did ceramics with my mom. Red was a problem with that hobby. It seems no matter what medium one works with, red is a problem. This article was wonderful to get. Thank you!
Naomi
Thank you so much for this article. I do have some red cakes coming up, and always have the same struggles as everyone else with making a nice, bright red.
Ill be adding tulip red to my cart. 🙂
Anthea
Hi Rose, is there an alternative to tulip red, i only have super red and electric pink. Would that combination work?
Thanks.
Mari
This came just in time. I making a firetruck cake for my grandson soon. Red is the problem for sure & black! !So I will give it a try. Thank you.
Rose
You're welcome!
Reshu
Hi there..My icing after adding americolor super red get a bitter taste..what do i do about it
April
I'm surprised you haven't tasted a chemical/bitter taste with Americolor. Don't get me wrong the color is gray bit what about taste? Any suggestions of something that doesn't taste so bad?
Traci C
Just went through this. Ended up having adding red powder
Andrea
Hi, what is your butter cream recipe? I can't seem to get a good decorating recipe down and buy from Sam's club and I'd rather make it myself,please help
Susan
Hi Andrea, thanks for stopping by the blog! Here's the link to the buttercream recipe: https://rosebakes.com/crusting-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-my-favorite-for-decorating/
Patty
Hi Rose! I so enjoy your blog and I really appreciate your helpful tips. Going to make red buttercream right now!
Zaleena
Hi I've tried the Christmas red gel color from americolor and they are so bitter and makes the frosting bitter as well. I had to throw it away. Is the tulip red bitter? I love your bright colors cupcakes
Rose
I haven't noticed any bitter taste with this red.
Kayhy
If you put in to much of the paste color it leaves a bad taste to the icing. I use no taste red and start with a chocolate base icing to get a true red color. Taste is very good!
Marsha Gutierrez
I try to avoid making red, black, and navy frosting. Also I used to buy Americolor at Hobby Lobby but they've replace it with Sunny Side brand. I don't like it as well as the Americolor
IRENE
Would this work on whipped cream frosting?
Rose
I'm not sure 🙁
Juju
As a former cake decorator the problem I had with any deep color using Wilton paste colors, was the frosting was always bitter. We were told to tell our customers who wanted these colors about the bitterness. How is this gel different?
Susan
Thank you so much for this tip. Do you have any other tips on how to get darker colours like deep purple and navy blue as well please?
Cynthia
Yes Anericolors are the best. I just ran out of super red so I will get the tulip red next time. Thanks
Mary Grijalva
Thank you for your tips on bright colors,especially on red. Made Elmo n it came out great.
ANN PYE
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS INFORMATION....I HAVE TROUBLE WITH COLORS A LOT .....
Andrea
I used Americolor Super Red on my pink batch and now it tastes DISGUSTINGLY BITTER! Please help! How can i fix this?
Also need to make royal blue and yellow!
Beth
Any tips on coloring Italian Meringue Buttercream? It never seems to take color very well, and the thought of putting confectioner’s sugar in my icing just grosses me out. I can’t stand the pasty texture and overly sweet taste. Reminds me me of grocery store cakes, lol!
Rose
I'm sorry - I haven't ever made Italian Meringue Buttercream, so I'm no help on this one!
Kate
Thank you for this recipe!! I just made it with Deep Pink & Tulip Red. Is it possible to add too much pink to begin with? Before I knew it the buttercream turned REALLY bright pink. I added my Tulip Red but it still felt more like a coral than red. I'm currently letting it sit for it to get darker. When you let it develop overnight how do you store the buttercream so it doesn't crust too much while developing?
Pamela Bechard
I have did the trick in making pink icing first with wilton colours. Then added two containers of red and still get pink, dark pink. What am I doing wrong? I can't use cocoa powder because the customer doesn't want that.
Rose
Maybe try another brand of coloring? I haven't used Wilton colors in a good long while.
BAKER CM
Love this but it would only work on American Buttercream. What about Itslian or Swiss which are butter based? They don't color easily especially the dark colors like this red you made. Do you know the secret?
Rose
I've never worked with Italian or Swiss buttercream.
Rohini Dayal
I got the right red colour but colour bleeds...the mouths were turning red...will this bleed...
Rose
Oh you mean that the people eating it were getting red mouths? Yes, that could easily be a problem. But it's also a problem with any other rich color (blues, greens, blacks, etc.).
Rohini Dayal
Doesn't it bleed
Rose
No, I haven't had problems with bleeding.
Vicki Behrens
does the Tulip Red have that bitter taste that most red does? And how do you stop it from bleeding into the white buttercream icing if I'm making red roses?
Rose
I haven't noticed a bitter taste.
Cindy
I have a granddaughter that is wanting a super hero bday cake. I’ve read your suggestions on getting bright red and need some ideas about getting a true royal blue
Rose
I use Americolor Royal Blue.
Pam Hull
What is the green color u show in that photo? I love that green, it’s perfect Christmas green! Thank u!!
Rose
I think I used Leaf Green with a little Kelly Green.
Pam
Thank u Rose!!!
Caron
How do you use the red without getting the bitter taste?
rohit aggarwal
thank you rosebakes for giving me wonderful information
Liz Mac
I tried your method exactly to a T. My frosty didn’t turn nearly as beautiful red is yours. How much of the pink exactly do I need to put in first? Do you have a measurement? Also, what about how much of the red did you have to use to get that beautiful color? How many days do you have to wait? I read a blog that said you have to wait about three days to get a beautiful red sometimes
Rose
I don't have a measurement but it was pretty bright pink. And no, I only waited a couple of hours - not days for sure.
ANN TROXELL
Will Americolor gels stain the eaters lips/teeth/mouth? Thank you.
Rose
Some colors will when you use a lot (like the navy blue or black).
Bunny
Hi Rose
I’m sorry - I’m so confused ... you say to start with pink , which I get ... but then you say ‘plan ahead. Start with white icing and add some red and wait’... so do we start with white and just add tulip red and wait ; or do we start with white , add electric pink , wait , then add tulip red and wait again ? Thanks for clearing this up for me 🙂 I’m a huge huge fan !!!!
Rose
I see how that could be confusing - I'll try to rework those tips. In my mind, I guess, starting with pink gets you there faster. But if you have time and can plan ahead, you can start with white and use only red. Either strategy will get you great red color.
Lilly
Thank you so much for this tip! I’ve had trouble with red before and am going to try this!
Lindsey
you were not kidding... dont over estimate the "let it sit" step... def made all the difference.
Barbara
What is Butter Vanilla? And where can I buy it? Thanks!
Rose Atwater
I find it at Wwalmart, but you can also order it online: https://amzn.to/44TDjSK.