In my kitchen (and probably yours too), we’re always on the hunt for ways to add a little natural beauty to our chocolate creations. Not just for the Instagram shot – though let’s be honest, that doesn’t hurt – but because there’s something genuinely joyful about showcasing ingredients in their raw, recognisable form.

Lately, I’ve been getting stuck into the colourful side of cocoa butter. And like many of you, I began with spirulina.

Now, if you’ve ever tried mixing spirulina powder straight into cocoa butter, you’ve probably found yourself muttering a few unsaintly things under your breath, staring at a stubborn green sludge that just won’t emulsify. You are not alone, my friend.

Here’s what I’ve learned on the journey – from glorious technicolour triumphs to grimy green fails – and what actually works when you're keen to go au naturel with your colour palette.

Why Natural Colours are So Challenging in Chocolate

It all comes down to that age-old kitchen argument: oil vs. water. Cocoa butter is pure fat – 100%, nothing else – and most natural colour powders like spirulina, beetroot, or matcha are hydrophilic (water-loving).

That means they just don’t want to mix. No matter how vigorously you whisk or how hard your immersion blender works overtime, if the colour isn’t oil-soluble, you’ll end up with gritty blobs, streaks, or worse – bloom and texture issues.

So unless the pigment is lipophilic (fat-loving), it’s like trying to marry chalk and cheese. Which brings us neatly to the next point...

Natural Colourants That Do Work

If you’re sticking to clean-label, plant-based ingredients (which I often am), here are a few natural options that do play nicely with cocoa butter:

Activated charcoal – A dramatic black/grey hue, moody and modern. And yes, it disperses beautifully in fats.
Paprika oleoresin – A warm, sunset orange with earthy undertones. Lipid-friendly and vibrant.
Turmeric – A golden yellow that catches the eye, but do keep an eye on flavour bleed – it’s punchy.
Annatto extract in oil – A gentle golden hue that’s especially lovely for autumn palettes.
Beta-carotene oil suspension – Bright, carrot-orange and a regular in the commercial food world. Works like a dream.

These oil-based extracts are your secret weapon. They emulsify smoothly, don’t mess with your chocolate’s mouthfeel, and keep things looking natural without tipping into artificial territory.

What About Spirulina? Can It Work?

Now to our slippery customer – spirulina. In powder form, it’s not oil-soluble. That means when you mix it with cocoa butter, it just sort of floats about like a reluctant swimmer in cold water.

But if you’re after that green hue (and the ‘health halo’ that spirulina brings), there is a workaround:

The Spirulina Hack

Warm a little neutral oil – refined coconut, grapeseed, or even sunflower.
Stir in the spirulina and let it infuse gently.
Pass it through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove any grainy bits.
Blend your coloured oil with tempered cocoa butter.

The result won’t always be ultra-smooth, but it’s far more reliable than lobbing the powder straight in. And if nothing else, it keeps your swear jar from overflowing.

Grinding for Greatness

If you’re serious about natural colours and don’t mind a bit of extra kit, a micron grinder or your chocolate melangercan be a game-changer. Grinding the mixture ultra-fine helps break down pigments and disperse them evenly into the fat.

No more chalky textures. No gritty surprise halfway through your bonbon shell.

Tempering Tips

Any time you add something to cocoa butter – even oil-dispersible colours – you're tweaking the fat structure. That can affect tempering. So always do a few test runs and check for:

Snap
Gloss
Bloom resistance

Sometimes, just a tiny shift in your tempering curve can make the difference between dull and dazzling.

Flavour vs. Function: Keep It Decorative

If the colourant has a strong taste – turmeric, spirulina, beetroot, matcha – it’s wise to keep it decorative. Let it shine on the surface, not in the centre.

Think:

Airbrushing moulds before casting
Flicking or brushing the inside of the mould for a speckled look
Marbling for a botanical aesthetic
Layering behind clear cocoa butter for a stained-glass effect

This gives you all the beauty, with none of the flavour drama.

Colouring cocoa butter with natural ingredients is still part science, part sorcery – but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?

There’s something magical about coaxing colour from the earth, the sea, and the spice rack, and blending it into your chocolate work. Whether it’s spirulina swirls, paprika patterns, or charcoal-dusted shells, nature still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve.

If you’ve been playing with natural colours in your workshop or kitchen, I’d love to hear what’s worked (and what’s flopped). We learn best when we learn together.

So keep experimenting, keep sharing, and let the world see what happens when cocoa meets colour – naturally