Pink Beet Icing and Sugar Sprinkles
Cookie lovers, I am tickled pink to share with you a trick for tinting icing and sparkling sugar a non-artificial pink. All you need are couple of chunks of peeled red beet and a bowl icing and/or sparkling sugar to make pink beet icing and sugar sprinkles.
These Vegan Gluten Free Sugar Cookies were decorated with the pink beet icing and sugar sprinkles I made from fresh beets, a basic royal icing recipe and decorator’s sugar.
Pink Beet Icing
Royal icing is one of my favorite icings and is a breeze to make. Royal icing is the kind of icing that air dries and hardens and is used to decorate sugar cookies like the ones you see here. If you are new to royal icing and piping techniques, here’s a great How to Make Royal Icing tutorial. Want to learn how to make your own piping bags that eliminate the need frosting tips? Check out this How to Make Parchment Cones tutorial. In my book, Julia Usher is the Martha Stewart of cookie and cake decorating.
Pink Beet Sugar Sprinkles
Sugar sprinkles are a classic sugar cookie embellishment that I stopped buying because of all the artificial red dye in them. Well pink sugar sprinkles are back and my kids are thrilled. Using fresh beet chunks to tint a large granular sugar like Bob’s Red Mill Sparkling Sugar yields a blush of pink—soft and sweet.

Ingredients
For Pink Beet Royal Icing
1 lb powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 pasteurized egg white
Natural flavor extract to taste (like almond or lemon extract—1/2 to 1 teaspoon)
2-4 teaspoons water
3-inch piece of peeled red beet, cut into 8 chunks
For Pink Beet Sugar Sprinkles
1/2 cup decorator's sugar
3-inch piece of peeled red beet, cut into 8 chunks
Instructions
For Pink Beet Royal Icing
Add to mixing bowl and combine powdered sugar and cream of tartar.
Add egg white and beat until a thick icing forms.
Add flavoring to taste
Add water, one teaspoon at a time just until icing falls falls from beater when lifted out of bowl. You do not want it too runny or too thick. If too runny, add a bit more sugar.
Stir in beet chunks. Stir until desired pink is achieved. Letting the mixture sit for a bit will allow more pink to bleed into the frosting.
Remove beet chunks and discard.
For Pink Beet Sugar Sprinkles
Combine decorator's sugar and beet chunks in a bowl
Stir until desired pink is achieved.
Remove beet chunks and discard.
Spread sugar in baking dish and place in slightly warm oven 10-25 minutes. This will ensure moisture from the beet juice is completely evaporated.
18 comments
How cute! A perfect Valentine decoration for treats!
I love the idea of natural food coloring! Pink is perfect for Valentine’s Day! I’ll be trying the beet idea, but I’ll have to substitute the egg white. Thanks for the recipe.
Yes, go for a basic powdered sugar glaze or vegan buttercream! 🙂
You could sub aquafaba instead Elizabeth! I have yet to try it but have heard great things about aquafaba royal icing 🙂
ooo, yes, great thought!
Such a pretty color. I love that these sprinkles don’t have artificial dyes and use beets to give the lovely color.
Such a pretty shade of pink! Will definitely be making a vegan version of this!
Love the all natural icing that also leaves such a pretty color. Hooray for beets!
The photos are great and the recipe looks fantastic!
I absolutely LOVE everything about these cookies and naturally colored sprinkles! So festive and still natural.
I had no idea naturally dying your sprinkles and icing was so easy!
I love using beets as natural food coloring! These cookies are too cute!
Thank you Lauren!
I’ve never tried dying my own sprinkles. What a great idea–this opens up a whole new world!
Doesn’t it? My mind is turning with other possibilities. 🙂
Such a pretty shade of pink! Even though I say I’m not “girlie”, I do actually love all things pink and sparkly too.
This is the easiest and most divine way I’ve ever seen to use beets for coloring frosting and the first time I’ve seen it for sugar sprinkles! I bet those beets would taste sweet all roastied up after this, too.
Can powdered beet be used?