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How to Dye Corn for Richly Colored Popcorn Kernels

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Read below for how to dye corn kernels for rich, even color. These colored popcorn kernels are perfect for art, crafts, sensory play, and decorating. They can also be used as manipulatives in math and literacy activities with the kids.

Colorful sensory materials really engage the kids in a wide variety of activities – from sensory play to math to art. The visual stimulation seems to draw the children’s interest in, doesn’t it?

I really, really wanted to use some colorful corn in a few preschool activities recently.  Since I’d never created colored popcorn kernels before, I looked online for some suggestions.  While there are tons of ideas for preparing, decorating with, and creating with corn, there weren’t too many ideas about HOW to dye corn kernels.

So, me being me, I turned it into my own little science experiment.  I’m pretty sure my boss, my assistant, and my students all found this process very entertaining!

To clarify, the corn kernels are just regular ol’ popcorn kernels. 🙂

Gorgeous colored popcorn kernels - how to dye corn for sensory play

A Few Failed Experiments

First, I tried the baggy and food dye method.  I placed some corn kernels in a  plastic baggy, added some food coloring, zipped the bag, and shook everything up for a few minutes.

Even though this method works great when I dye pasta and rice, it didn’t cut it for the corn!  The corn kernels have a smoother surface than rice or pasta, which is why I think this method didn’t work all that well.  The dye stuck to some parts of the kernels but not others, and the color just wasn’t all that great.

Failed attempt to dye corn - poorly colored popcorn kernels

My first botched attempt at dying corn. Notice the spotty coverage and dull color.

Next, I tried adding a little bit of rubbing alcohol to the baggy that held corn and food coloring.  Still the same problems.  I tried a splash of vinegar too, but to no avail.

As I told the kiddos, though, when you’re conducting a scientific experiment you need to try more than one idea. This was also a great way to show the children that not all experiments are a success!  🙂

How to dye corn - red colored popcorn kernels

One of my successful batches! Note the thorough coverage and rich color!

Finally, Success in Making Colored Popcorn Kernels

I kept plugging along until I came upon a method that worked incredibly well for me.  To finally create a rich, even color on the corn kernels, I dyed them like I would dye Easter eggs!

When comparing the final batch to the original batch, there was a marked difference. The kids and I used all of the corn, even the botched attempts, but I definitely preferred the corn from my final batch!

Comparing methods of making colored popcorn kernels

The 2 on the left were from my first few attempts at dying the corn. The 2 on the right are from my final, successful batches. Man, what a difference!

How to dye corn kernels

1. Partially fill a cup, container, or plastic baggy with water. We used about 2/3 cup of water.

2. Add vinegar to the water. I found that having the amount of vinegar equal to the amount of water we used worked the best. So we used about 2/3 cup of water.

3. Add desired amount of food coloring to the water/vinegar mixture.  Swish to distribute color. I used about a tablespoon for every cup or two of corn.

4. Add corn kernels to the container/baggy.  Make sure the liquid completely covers the corn.

5. Allow to sit for a few hours.  I let mine sit overnight.

6. Remove corn kernels using a slotted spoon.

7. Let corn dry completely.

Tray of colored popcorn kernels

The kids and I used all of the corn kernels, even the ones that didn’t turn out too well!

Have you ever tried to dye corn kernels?

Fun Activities to Try Using Colored Popcorn Kernels

A note about using foods for sensory play and art

I know that some people are concerned about using food for art/crafts/sensory play/etc.  There is a concern that it’s disrespectful towards children who might not be getting enough to eat at home.

While I certainly respect this concern, I do not agree.  In the past, I have worked with children who weren’t getting enough to eat.  As their teacher, and as a member of their community, I did all I could to ensure they were cared for and well-nourished.  I would never let a child in my care go hungry, and their needs were (and always are) paramount in my mind.

It is still an issue that I concern myself with now, even though my current students don’t have those same problems.  The food I use for crafts, sensory play, etc. are often stale or past their “sell by” dates.  I take great care to keep the food in sealed containers to use again and again if it’s possible. Please know I mean no disrespect whatsoever.

How to dye corn to make colored popcorn kernels for sensory play and art

Comments

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    • Ann, you are awesome!!! Thanks so much for your way too kind words!! 🙂 I’ve got a zillion ideas for using the dyed corn, too — can’t wait to try some of them out. Let me know if you try dyeing your own!

      Reply

  4. It makes great gifts – We’ve been making it for quite some time. I prefer the baggie/rub/soak method 🙂
    But so much fun for the kids and adults all around :)!

    Reply

  5. I, too, love to use some foods for preschool discovery and artwork. I’ve been chastised because of the hunger issues. But, I love your disclaimer and agree 100%. Thank you for giving me the freedom to use items that enhance the experience for children to learn. And, I’ve never thought about coloring corn but your idea has prompted me to have another activity to do with my grandchildren! Bless you.

    Reply

  6. THANK YOU for your comments of use of food. I couldn’t agree more! People over react to this too much. It is not like you were going to pop the corn and feed it to hungry children but choose not to. It is hard enough to come up with process art as coloring pages and crafts have been outlawed and taking food out of the equation is even harder.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much for your comments, Jennifer. I really feel that I, as an educator, will always strive to make sure my students are healthy, happy, and loved. I worked for 5 years at a school where adequate food and nutrition was a real concern for some of the kiddos. My colleagues and I were very aware of the kids’ home situations and always made sure they were taken care of as best we could both at school and within the local town.

      Reply

    • I just used the corn kernels from the grocery store — popcorn kernels. I think this would work well on completely dried out regular corn kernels as well. I just grabbed the bag of popcorn kernels because it was easier. 🙂

      Reply

  9. Great idea for those died kernels after Thanksgiving. I brought opened pinecones to my preschool class where the kiddos could glue and glitter the cones. Then they would put a dot of glue on the cone petals and then they placed the colorful kernels for “Christmas lights” and putting a yellow one at the top for the star. It was hit.

    Reply

    • {I am so sorry for the delay in responding!} Marty, I LOVE this activity! Thank you so much for telling me about it. If you get the chance, would you mind posting a picture or two from this activity on Fun-A-Day’s Facebook page? I’d love to share it with my other readers too! Again, I looooove this idea! 🙂

      Reply

  10. .. so can these then be popped and eaten? do they come out coloured? 🙂 I may have to do my own science experiment!

    Reply

    • {So sorry for the delay!} I never did get that far, Angela! The popcorn kernels I had were old, so I never planned on popping them. If you do your own experiment, I would LOVE to hear how it goes!!! 🙂

      Reply

      • I tried this and am thrilled with the results. AND, the corn can be popped and eaten afterwards. It doesn’t change the color of the popped corn (except the part where the hull itself shows). It does seem to make the popcorn a bit less fluffy, but it could have just needed more drying before I tried it.

        Reply

  11. If you choose to pop the corn will the popped corn be the dyed color as well? I was thinking about making garland in different colors if it did. Thanks – Jeniese

    Reply

  12. Would the deer corn that is for sale work I wonder?

    The idea is great- thanks for figuring it out for the rest of us 🙂

    Reply

  13. What amount much water, vinegar, food coloring and corn did you use? My fiance and I are getting married Summer of 2015 and he is a farmer. We want to dye corn and put it into the bottom of a Mason jar and put a votive candle for the centerpieces. I really want to try this out. It’s a fun idea. Our flower girl and I can make a fun project out of it!!

    Reply

    • Congratulations, Kate! I LOVE the idea of using colored corn as part of your centerpieces! If you do that, I would absolutely ADORE a picture of what you did! I didn’t use an exact amount each time, but here’s an approximate “recipe” — 2/3 cup vinegar, 2/3 cup water, 1/2 to 1 TB food coloring (depending on how deep you want the colors to be), and 2 cups of corn kernels.

      Reply

  14. My corn isn’t dying as well as your pictures. It seems to be taking to like a tip part of the kernels but not the full glossy kernel part. I need them for my kids to make a Roman Mosaic on Friday. Any ideas? I just added more dye to the bags tonight hoping they will look more colorful in the morning.

    Reply

    • Oh Hannah I’m sorry they’re not dyeing as well as you’d like! Our leftover colorful corn is still vibrant after months. I would suggest adding more dye, like you’d already said. Let the corn soak overnight for the brightest colors. Also, double check the dye you’re using. For me, it was the basic food coloring (red, blue, yellow, and green) that worked the best for me. Those neon colors, while pretty on their own, just didn’t “sink in” to the corn kernels. I hope those tips help a little bit!! Let me know!

      Reply

  15. Hello! I was so excited to try this. I did it yesterday and followed the water, vinegar, food coloring directions and when I woke up today it doesn’t appear that it worked for me. Do you think I used too much water? Since it didn’t work I’m going to try it again with more vinegar. Thanks!

    Reply

  17. Can’t wait to try this! A quick question (just because I have no clue how to dye anything), in the recipe, step 2, add about a tablespoon of vinegar…. But I was reading thru the comments, and towards the end, you gave a 2/3 C vinegar, 2/3 C water, 1 1/2 TBSP food coloring. Which one would dye them better? The 2/3 C vinegar?

    Reply

    • Hi, Michelle – thank you! I think I’d go with more vinegar, but you can always test it out and see what works better for you. 🙂 Our dyed corn is still going strong (what’s left that hasn’t been used for arts and crafts, of course)! Let me know how yours turns out!!

      Reply

  19. I love the colorful beans and corn. Please put me on your mailing list. My grandson is moving closer to me in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to do these projects with him.

    Reply

  23. Do you know if the corn is still edible after using this method? I remember rainbow colored popcorn from the 80’s and I can’t find it. This method looks amazing but I wonder if it can still be popped

    Reply

    • I’m not sure it would taste all that great, to be honest. I know it can still be popped (we did an experiment to see if would affect the color of the popcorn, but it doesn’t since we dye the outside of the kernel and the popcorn comes from inside the kernel). 🙂

      Reply

  25. Thumbs up to your comment about using food. In my opinion it is no different to wasting anything be it food, paper, glue or paint. Be as careful as you can not to waste anything. I can’t wait to try this idea in our playgroup. Thanks for the inspiration

    Reply

    • We only popped a few, and we didn’t try any. Since we usually use them in art or sensory play, we don’t tend to eat them. I suppose I wouldn’t be opposed to taste-testing them since it’s just popcorn, vinegar, and food coloring.

      Reply

  28. how do you keep the popcorn kernels from sticking? I used gel food coloring and they have been drying for 2 days and they are still so sticky. My kids cannot even play with it. any suggestions to try and unstick the corn kernels after dying?

    Reply

    • Well that’s just no fun, Marie. 🙁 I only used regular ol’ food coloring for dyeing the corn kernels. It seems that the gel food colors make the whole process sticky. With the regular food coloring, the kernels have never stuck together for me (and we’ve done this process over and over again over the years). I wish I had some experience with this to better help!

      Reply

    • We didn’t run into any issues with the food coloring coming off on little hands. Just make sure to completely dry the corn before placing the corn in a sensory bin. 🙂

      Reply

  30. Is there any special drying instructions? Or just spread them out in a flat layer to dry? How long does that take usually? Ours sat in dye overnight and we’ll be using them in a program on Saturday! I appreciate you taking the time to test out methods for the rest of us 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Christine! I’ll need to pop back and update the post so it includes better drying instructions. We just put the dyed corn in a flat layer like you mentioned and left them to dry. They should be dry in time for your program on Saturday (but now I have the urge to dye more corn so I can get an exact drying time). I think I left the batches out to dry for a day just to be safe. Let me know how your program goes!!!!

      Reply

  32. Thank you so much for sharing this! I loved your comment at the end about those in need and I truly agree with you! I’m prepping hard now to color kernels!! Yay!!

    Reply

  34. my only question is what keeps the popcorn from tasting like vinegar I have died kernels before just using food color then spreading the dyed corn on cookie sheets until dry they do make a pretty gift

    Reply

    • We use the dyed popcorn for sensory play and art projects, we we’re not eating them. So I’m not worried about the vinegar. 🙂 I’ve tried just using the food coloring, but the corn kernels never seem to come out as rich as this particular method. But I’m glad to hear you’ve had success with it!

      Reply

  35. Do you keep the dyed corn kernels in the fridge to get the best color, the freezer, or just leave them outside covered?

    Reply

  36. I do the same thing with rice for St. Patrick’s Day each year in my sensory table. We also use it for art projects throughout the year afterwards to not waste it. I love the idea of doing corn for a change. I adore the bright colors too! Thanks so much for sharing your experiment and findings to make it easier for the rest of us who follow!

    Reply

  37. This is nice…. I have used colored rice grains before but those are very tiny pieces for a kindergartner’s hands… you gave me an idea on this… Thank you….

    Reply

  38. When I was using white rice in a sensory table, a mother of Chinese descent said she thought it was odd that we were “playing” with food they ate everyday. This made me think about using food. Was I leading the children to devalue ingredients? I still pay attention to the ethnic experiences of my students when deciding to use rice, beans, corn, etc in the sensory bins. I think there is good value in the textures, though.

    Reply

  39. I didn’t read the comments yet so sorry if I repeat (btw loved this I plan on spending all summer making art with my niece and this is an easy way to do that) I wanted to comment on what you said about it being disrespectful to those who don’t get enough to eat. As a child who only ate if the neighbors fed us or if we were at school I can assure you this is not disrespectful. What’s disrespectful is making comments and complaining about a teachers choice of medium while doing nothing to correct the thing you complain about. People need to stop talking and protesting and do something! You are clearly a doer, your doing is just as important I assure you! I am the kind of person I am today because of teachers like you! Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  40. Thank you for doing this experiment to find how to color corn kernels! I’ll definitely being doing this with my son this month. He is going to love it!

    Reply

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