How to choose the right Colour Mill blend!

If you want to add dazzling colour to your upcoming bakes, the stunning range from Colour Mill has you covered! With a glorious collection of over fifty colours, there's something for every occasion. If you're wondering how to choose the right Colour Mill blend for each different bake, you've come to the right place.

Colour Mill colourings come in both the Oil-Blend and Aqua-Blend Formula. The Oil blend is the original, so the one that many people will already have more of in their cupboard! But the brand introduced the Aqua range for a reason. Each blend is better suited to a particular range of bakes. Let us break it down so you know which to reach for.

Let's start with a secret hack...

Before we begin, we wanted to share with you a hack from the brand that will make your life so much easier! Whatever Colour Mill blend you're using, start by unscrewing the lid on a new bottle and popping open the cap. Your bottle will be sealed with a foil covering.

Inside the cap, there's a little round peg (which fits in the hole of the lid. It's also ideally positioned, however, to pierce a perfectly sized hole in the foil! So, instead of removing the foil, just press down on it till you hear the click, as Judit at @yoras.cakes demonstrates in this video here! It's a mess free way to open your bottle and reduce the risk of leaking.

Colour Mill Oil Blend

Best for: Buttercream, Chocolate, Sugarpaste/Fondant Icing

Why? mixes best with higher fat content

The oil-blend is the original Colour Mill blend that many of you will have been using for years. It's oil formula works really well with ingredients which contain a higher fat content. This includes buttercream, chocolate, ganache and sugarpaste/fondant icing. So, if you're looking to add colour to one of these ingredients, you are best sticking with the oil-blend.

This is because the oil formula blends with and bonds with the fats in your ingredients in a way that water based pigments can't. To get a true representation of the colour, you want a colouring that will seamlessly blend into your chocolate, sugarpaste, etc. And as Colour Mill say themselves, their oil blend is "packed to the brim with butter-loving pigment"!

Colour Mill Aqua-Blend

Best for: macarons, meringues, royal icing or cookie dough

Why? gentle on oil and fat sensitive products

In 2023, Colour Mill made cakey headlines everywhere by expanding their range to include more than just the original oil colourings. They recreated every shade in their extensive collection with a water based formula, to help cake artists successfully colour more ingredients than ever.

They sum it perfectly in this catchy Aqua Blend summary: "With Oil, Royal can spoil & Macs can crack". These items, which are best enjoyed dry, will see better results using a water based colour. You want to keep them grease-free, which means the opposite of introducing oils!

So whether you're using a hint of a pastel shade or packing a punch with a bright and bold colour, all that matters is that you choose the Aqua-Blend version.

We hope this handy guide has helped you choose the right Colour Mill blend for your next bake. We'd love to see what you come up with - tag us on instagram and let us know what shades you've bought, and what masterpiece you've created!

You can shop the whole Colour Mill collection here.

In spring 2024, Colour Mill reformulated their oil-based products. They achieve the same stunning results - find out more here!