These Superfood Sprinkles are a simple, naturally colored way to decorate cookies, cupcakes and cakes without artificial dyes or sugar. Tinted with concentrated superfood powders and sweetened with your favorite sugar-free royal icing, they add bright color, a touch of nutrition and a fun finishing touch to baked goods.
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I planned to share this recipe years ago, but life and a broken wrist delayed me. Now that I can decorate again, I’m excited to finally post this easy method for colorful, dye-free sprinkles.
Why These Superfood Sprinkles Are Special
Finding natural, attractive colors for decorations used to be a challenge. These sprinkles solve that by using only natural superfood powders for color and a sugar-free royal icing base for structure. They contain no artificial dyes, no refined sugar, and they taste pleasant—my husband kept sampling them and was surprised at how much they resembled conventional sprinkles.
Superfood Powders Are A Game Changer
As part of a trim-healthy approach, I started adding superfood powders to shakes and experiments in the kitchen. They’re concentrated, nutrient-dense powders that contribute trace minerals and vitamins in very small amounts—usually just 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per serving or batch. I began experimenting with them in these sprinkles and enjoyed how they created vivid, natural shades.
I first tried a few when the Trim Healthy Table resources introduced the concept of “Yuck Yum Bitty” and similar ideas. Since then I’ve used these powders not only in sprinkles but in smoothies, baking and other recipes where a little color and nutrition are welcome.
Back To The Sprinkles
For the samples pictured I used beet powder for a reddish-pink, butterfly pea powder for violet-blue, and spirulina for green. These powders open up a whole rainbow of options—blue spirulina, blueberry powder, turmeric for yellow, and more.
Keep in mind these sprinkles won’t have the glossy, waxy sheen of store-bought varieties because they contain no wax or shellac. Instead they offer matte, natural color and a unique look that pairs well with homemade royal icing cookies, cupcakes and frozen treats.
How To Make Superfood Sprinkles
- 2 cups sugar-free royal icing
- 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon superfood powder of choice (per color)
- Water, to thin in small increments
- Prepare a sugar-free royal icing according to your preferred recipe and divide into bowls for each color.
- Add 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon superfood powder to each bowl, adjusting to reach the desired shade.
- Thin each colored icing with water in 1/2 teaspoon increments until you have a thick, pipeable paste. Amount of water will vary with temperature and humidity.
- Line a large, flat baking sheet or half-sheet pan with wax paper.
- Fit piping bags with a #2 decorating tip (or #134 for multiple lines). If using disposable bags, snip a small hole to match the tip.
- Pipe long, straight lines of icing across the wax paper, leaving a small gap between each line to make individual sprinkles once dried.
- Allow icing lines to dry fully for about 24 hours, or until dry through the center. Drying time depends on humidity and temperature and may be shorter or longer.
Red/Pink: beet powder
Violet/Blue: butterfly pea powder
Green: spirulina powder
Light Blue: blue spirulina powder
Indigo/Purple: blueberry powder
Yellow: ground turmeric