For some reason, not all food colorings are vegan! This surprised me a lot the first time I read about it; apparently, they use some kind of... meat fat derivative? Actually, I have no idea. It's more likely that they're processed on machinery made of bone marrow, or something.
Anyways, here's a recipe for a relatively simply homemade red food coloring made from beet juice:
Beet-Based Red Food Coloring
4 large beets
water
water
vinegar
1. Cut the leaves and the root tips from the beets, and wash under cold water. Wash the skins very well with a dish or potato scrubber. Peel the skin.
2. Put the beets in a pot. Cover the beets completely with water (or use less water for a more concentrated dye), and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, and let simmer 30 minutes. Take the beets off the heat, and let sit 1 hour.
3. Slice or chop the beets and return to the beet water. Let sit for 3 hours.
4. Strain the beets from the beet juice, and set aside. Transfer 3/4 cup of the juice (water) to a bowl (stainless steel or glass --- nothing that will stain!), and mix in 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Ta da! Red dye! This makes a lot of dye (depending on how much water you use), so be ready with a large bottle.
You can use the beets if you like. I didn't, because after they soak for a couple of hours and all of their juices are drained, they're pretty flavorless. However, you can definitely use the trimmed beet greens. Cook them as you would collards or kale. Delicious!
I used this dye in the vegan red velvet cupcakes (post coming soon!). Enjoy!
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