Butterfly pea powder is one of the simplest colour ingredients to work with. A small amount turns milk sky blue, water deep blue and a cake batter a soft blue, and its mild taste stays out of the way. It does behave differently from a synthetic colour, though: the shade changes with acidity, with the colour of the base and with heat.
This guide covers how to mix the powder, how much to use and how to get good results in drinks, baking, desserts, ice cream and savoury dishes.
What You Are Working With
Butterfly pea powder is made from the dried, finely milled flowers of Clitoria ternatea. Three properties shape every recipe:
- The colour is strong, so a little goes a long way.
- The colour responds to pH: blue in neutral conditions, purple to pink with acid, teal to green with alkaline ingredients such as baking soda.
- The pigment dissolves in water, but the fine flower particles do not, so they stay suspended and slowly settle.
How to Mix Butterfly Pea Powder
For drinks, the most reliable method is to make a small blue shot first. Put the powder in a cup, add a little warm water and whisk until smooth with no dry lumps. Then add the milk, water or other liquid. A small milk frother or a bamboo whisk works well.
Adding powder straight to a large volume of cold liquid usually leaves clumps floating on the surface. If you only have cold liquid, shake the powder with a small amount of it in a closed jar first.
For baking, sift the powder with the flour or other dry ingredients so it is spread evenly before any liquid goes in. For creams and fillings, disperse it in a small part of the liquid first.
How Much Butterfly Pea Powder to Use
The right amount depends on the shade you want and on what else is in the recipe. At home, start with about half a teaspoon per mug of milk for a pastel blue and work up towards one to two teaspoons for a deep indigo.
For professional kitchens, our bulk product page gives these starting ranges:
- latte (300 ml): 3–5 g per serving
- bubble tea base: 3–5 g per serving
- cakes and sponges: 3–6% of flour weight
- ice cream and gelato base: 2–4% of base
- fillings, spreads and confectionery: 3–6% of recipe
These ranges are written for a clear, strong colour. Paler pastel shades need less, so work downwards if that is the look you want. Past a certain point, extra powder only makes the colour darker and the earthy taste more noticeable.
Butterfly Pea Drinks
Blue latte
Whisk the powder with a splash of warm water, add steamed milk and sweeten to taste. Vanilla, honey and coconut are popular additions. For an iced version, mix the blue shot with cold milk and pour over ice.
Butterfly pea tea
Stir the powder into hot water, let it stand for a minute and pour the blue liquid into a cup, leaving the sediment behind. Serve hot or over ice, with honey if you like.
Colour-changing lemonade
Fill a glass with ice and lemonade, then slowly pour blue butterfly pea tea on top. Where the two meet, the colour turns violet and purple. For more of a show, serve the blue drink with a small jug of lemon juice on the side and let the guest pour.
One rule: do not add lemon to milk-based drinks. The acid that turns the colour purple will also curdle the milk.
Smoothies and breakfast bowls
Banana, coconut, pear and vanilla keep a smoothie blue. Acidic fruit such as pineapple, citrus and many berries can shift the colour towards violet, and red or purple fruit hides the blue altogether. Yoghurt is mildly acidic, so a yoghurt bowl may turn lavender rather than blue. Overnight oats, chia pudding and porridge can be coloured the same way; mix the powder into the liquid before adding the oats or seeds.
Baking with Butterfly Pea
Butterfly pea can colour sponges, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, bread and steamed buns. A few rules make the difference between blue and an unexpected green:
- Baking soda raises pH and can turn the crumb teal or green. Where the recipe allows, use baking powder instead or keep soda to a minimum.
- Acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, yoghurt or lemon juice shift the colour towards purple.
- Yellow ingredients, especially egg yolk and butter, mix with blue to give teal. Recipes based on egg whites give the clearest blue.
- Browning dulls the colour, so moderate oven temperatures and shorter bakes help.
- The powder absorbs some moisture, so a little extra liquid may be needed at higher dosages.
Our guide to baking with butterfly pea powder looks at each of these in detail.
Frostings, Fillings and Chilled Desserts
For buttercream, beat the butter until pale before adding colour; the yellower the butter, the more teal the result. White chocolate ganache and whipped cream give a cleaner pastel blue. Cream cheese frosting is slightly acidic and may lean towards lavender.
Panna cotta, milk puddings and jellies set with gelatine or agar take the colour well. Lemon curd and other acidic fillings turn pink to purple, which makes a striking contrast against a blue sponge or macaron shell.
Ice Cream and Gelato
Mix the powder with the sugar before adding it to the base, so it disperses without lumps. Blend well, then chill and churn as usual. The finished ice cream looks paler than the liquid base because of the air whipped in during churning, so judge the colour after freezing. A lemon sorbet with butterfly pea becomes pink or purple. For more on frozen desserts, see our guide to butterfly pea powder in ice cream and gelato.
Savoury Uses: Rice, Noodles and Dough
Butterfly pea is traditionally used to colour rice in Southeast Asia. Dissolve the powder in the cooking water before adding the rice, or knead it into dough for noodles, dumplings and steamed buns. Rice seasoned with vinegar, as for sushi, turns purple to pink rather than blue.
Tips for Consistent Results
- Weigh the powder rather than using heaped spoons, especially for recipes you repeat.
- Test with the exact milk, base and sweetener you will use.
- Remember that acid and baking soda change the colour, and plan for it.
- Serve drinks fresh and give them a stir, since the fine particles settle over time.
- Keep finished products out of strong direct light, which can fade the colour.
- Store the powder sealed in a cool, dry place below 25 °C and always use a dry spoon.
Where to Buy Butterfly Pea Powder
For home kitchens, our Butterfly Pea Powder 70g is the place to start, and the Butterfly Pea Powder 500g suits frequent use. Cafés, bakeries and food businesses can request a quote or a sample for Bulk Butterfly Pea Powder 25kg.
