A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry

By Brittni • posted on 09/07/2018

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

Happy Friday! I’m getting very excited for the weekend, with two of my favorite things today…pizza and a DIY project. And in this case, they go together like baked dough and cheese. Yum!

I teamed up with Freschetta to share a food safe way to add color to your cutting and serving boards. And after a whole lot of experimenting, I think I finally got it right. In case you’re curious, I didn’t use any paint or typical wood stains for this project…just items that I already had in my pantry. And you probably already have them too! The end result is a set of unique DIY serving boards that will add color to your kitchen…and your dinner table.

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

I’m legitimately a big frozen pizza fan over here, especially since I’ve been working late to get everything wrapped up before baby Mehlhoff arrives. Anything that makes my life easier when it comes to making dinner is good with me. So I was happy to work with Freschetta on this project!

Have you ever had Freschetta pizza before? It’s really good. I promise. And I would say that whether they were sponsoring this post or not. They’re made with all-natural 100% real cheeses, premium meats, crunchy vegetables, and flavorful, vine-ripened tomato sauces. AND all of their crusts are preservative free. They even have gluten-free pizzas to try, if you have any dietary restrictions! See all of their offerings right hereSo, I hope you’ll give ’em a try!

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

Today, I’m serving up my two fave Freschetta flavors (Brick Oven Crust Spinach & Roasted Mushroom Pizza and Naturally Rising Crust Four Cheese Pizza) on my finished DIY serving boards. And speaking of which, here’s how to make your own colorful serving boards at home…

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

Materials Needed for Food Safe Dyeing for Cutting / Serving Boards

  • wood cutting boards (that need to be resealed – but haven’t been yet)
  • 100% blueberry juice*
  • 100% beet juice*
  • turmeric
  • painter’s tape (optional)
  • paint brushes
  • food safe mineral oil, beeswax, or ‘wooden spoon butter
  • paper towels or old rags

*Look for 100% blueberry juice and 100% beet juice – you don’t want anything watered down. It needs to be as highly concentrated as possible.

How to Dye Cutting Boards + Serving Boards with Food Safe Dyes

1. Start with a cutting or serving board that is unfinished OR needs to be resealed. You want something that will absorb the material, so that it can really penetrate the wood and create a more lasting effect. I used my DIY leather handle serving trays for this project and then a simple food safe wood board that I cut a handle into with a hand saw. Then determine what color(s) you want for your board. Here’s a color guide to the three options to help you decide…

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

2. Next, use a clean (never used) paint brush to paint directly onto the wood, using the 100% blueberry juice, 100% beet juice or turmeric. *If using turmeric be sure to add a little bit of water until it becomes a spreadable paste. If using beet or blueberry juice, do not water down. 

3. If desired, you can add painter’s tape to create a more defined line, but be aware that this process will most likely create some bleeding, so the likelihood of perfectly crisp lines is not high. Hence the more organic watercolor look.

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

4. Wait for the juice or paste to sink into the wood and dry, before wiping with a damp rag, and starting the layering process over again with another coat of color. You can continue this process as many times as you’d like to get the desired design.

5. Once you’ve reached a color and design you like, seal the finished piece with a food safe mineral oil, beeswax, etc.

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

A (Food Safe) DIY Way to Dye Cutting + Serving Boards with Items You Already Have in Your Pantry. #diyidea #diyentertaining #diy #pizza

Once your DIY watercolor serving boards are sealed and dry, they’re ready to be used – for your own Freschetta Friday pizza night or any night of the week.

What do you think of the end result? Think you’ll try this food safe dyeing project on your own serving boards at home?

This post is in partnership with Freschetta. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Paper and Stitch running.

8 comments | Click here to reply

Hi Mo! I’d try squid ink or activated charcoal for black. Hope that helps.
-Brittni

Brittni

What great ideas. Thank you for sharing. Any suggestions on how to make a cutting board black?

Mo

What a fabulous idea! so wonderful!!!!!

Ashley Hoober

Hi Linda. I imagine food coloring would work as well…though I wonder what the longevity would be for that one / whether the food coloring would rub off on the food you’re serving or cutting? I’m not sure. But if you give it a try, let me know how it goes. 🙂

Brittni

This is terrific! I have three boards I have been holding on to forever that are appropriate for this! Yay!
I was wondering if you have heard of using food coloring for this type of project. I read something somewhere…………

Linda C Johnston

Thanks you so much for shearing!

Sofia Power

Thanks Michelle. It’s such an simple process, but adds a lot of fun colors to the table for serving, etc.

Brittni

Wow, they look so good, and what an amazing idea to do it with things you found in your kitchen!
https://www.makeandmess.com/

Michelle
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