Dye-Free Sprinkles: What's in Betty Crocker and Wilton, and What We'd Buy
Sprinkles exist to add color, so a dyed jar usually lists several dyes at once. Here is what the label says on Betty Crocker's sprinkles and one Wilton mix, and the plant-colored sprinkles whose labels we read on the makers' own pages.
The two mainstream brands we checked list synthetic dyes on the sprinkles we read. Betty Crocker's own page for its rainbow sprinkles and its nonpareils names Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Red 3, and a store listing for Wilton's six-cell rainbow mix names the same five plus titanium dioxide as a color. Dye-free sprinkles are easy to find now, and the labels of our picks are short: sugar, a starch, palm oil, and a handful of plant colorants such as spirulina, turmeric, annatto and vegetable juice. We read the panel for nine dye-free products on the makers' own pages. Our pick for jimmies is Supernatural's Rainbow Softies, with Color Kitchen's rainbow sprinkles and the 365 by Whole Foods Market store brand as runners-up. For nonpareils and chocolate jimmies, our shape picks are Supernatural's 16 oz jars.
On your shelf: which dyes the label lists
Three brands to check against your own jars. Each row quotes the ingredient list as we read it on 2026-10-25, on the brand's own page or, where the brand's page shows none, a store's transcription of the package. Packages change; the jar in your hand wins. We read the products named in each row, not the brand's whole range.
- Betty Crocker rainbow sprinkles and nonpareilsLists synthetic dyes on the label
- Betty Crocker's page for its Rainbow Sprinkles (1.75 oz) lists: "Sugar, vegetable oil (palm, palm kernel), cornstarch, confectioner's glaze, dextrin, red 40 lake, yellow 6 lake, yellow 5 lake, blue 1 lake, natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, red 3, carnauba wax." Its page for the Nonpareil Decorating Decors (2 oz) lists: "Sugar, cornstarch, confectioner's glaze, red 3, yellow 5, blue 1, yellow 6, red 40, carnauba wax." We did not read the star or chocolate sprinkles. Red 3 is still allowed in food until January 15, 2027, the date the FDA's page gives food manufacturers to reformulate. The FDA revoked it under the Delaney Clause, citing data that it causes cancer in male laboratory rats exposed to high levels, and says there is no evidence it causes cancer in humans. Source (checked )
- Wilton 6-Cell Rainbow Sprinkles Mix (as a store lists it)Lists synthetic dyes on the label
- Wilton's own pages for its Rainbow Nonpareils (7.8 oz) and its 6-Cell Rainbow Sprinkles Mix (5.9 oz) showed no ingredient list when we read them on 2026-10-25. Fry's Food Stores' page for the Wilton 6-Cell Rainbow Sprinkles Mix prints: "Sugar, Corn Starch, Chocolatey Drops (Sugar, Cocoa Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Dextrose, Soy Lecithin and Vanilla Flavoring), Palm Oil, 2% or Less of: Tapioca Starch, Cocoa Powder, Dextrin, Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Titanium Dioxide (Color), Confectioner's Glaze, Carnauba Wax, Gum Arabic, Artificial Vanilla Flavor, Red 3, Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5 Lake, Silicon Dioxide, Blue 1, Skim Milk Powder, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, BHT (Antioxidant)." That is one list, covering all six cells of the mix (including its chocolate drops and a candy mix), as a store transcribed it; Wilton's own page for the 5.9 oz 6-Cell Rainbow Sprinkles Mix prints no list. The store's page says the package may carry different information, and other Wilton sprinkles may differ. Source (checked )
- Sweetapolita sprinklesDepends on the line
- Sweetapolita sells both kinds, so the product name matters. Its page for Rainbow Nonpareils lists "Artificial colors (FD&C Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1)." Its page for Natural Rainbow Nonpareils lists "Natural colors (Turmeric oleoresin, Beta carotene, Spirulina extract, Annatto extract, Red radish extract, Red cabbage extract, Beet extract)." Both are in the same shop under similar names. We found no Sweetapolita sprinkle listing through Amazon's product API on 2026-10-25, so it is not one of our picks. Source (checked )
Brands in this guide
Supernatural1 pick · safety review- COLOR KITCHEN1 pick
- 365 by Whole Foods Market1 pick
Our top pick
Supernatural Rainbow Softies, 3 oz. The maker's page lists: "Cane Sugar, Tapioca Starch, Palm Oil*, Palm Kernel Oil*, Sunflower Lecithin, Coloring (Vegetable Juices, Spirulina, Annatto, and Turmeric), Carnauba Wax" (the asterisk marks RSPO certified palm oils). All three picks are jimmies with plant-only colors and no confectioner's glaze, so those are not what separates them. We put this one first because Supernatural is the one maker whose own pages gave us a plant-only panel for every shape on this page (jimmies, nonpareils and chocolate), and its page lists both palm oils as RSPO certified. Its "Vegetable Juices" are not named, where Color Kitchen and 365 name theirs. On 2026-10-25 Amazon listed it in stock from Supernatural Inc. at $7.48, about $2.49 an ounce, the highest price per ounce of our three picks; if price decides it for you, 365 meets the same test at about $1.09 an ounce. We have not tested how the colors hold up in icing or in the oven.
Also worth considering
- Dye-Free
- No Red Dye 40
Addresses: Artificial Dyes, Red Dye 40, Yellow 5 & 6
Ingredient panel checked · source
Color Kitchen Natural Rainbow Sprinkles, 3 oz. The maker's page lists: "sugar, corn starch, palm oil*, palm kernel oil, sunflower lecithin, natural vanilla flavor, spirulina extract, vegetable juice**, riboflavin, annatto extract, and carnauba wax" (** purple sweet potato and radish; * RSPO certified). The page says it is third-party lab tested (without saying for what) and soy-free. On 2026-10-25 Amazon showed limited stock from ColorKitchen at $6.49; the maker also sells it directly at $6.99.
365 by Whole Foods Market, Rainbow Sprinkles, Vegan, 2.75 Ounce
- Dye-Free
- No Red Dye 40
Ingredient panel checked · source
365 by Whole Foods Market Rainbow Sprinkles, Vegan, 2.75 oz. 365 is Whole Foods' own store brand, so its product page is the brand owner's. It lists: "Cane Sugar, Cornstarch, Expeller Pressed Palm Oil Expeller Pressed Palm Kernel Oil Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Natural Flavor, Spirulina Extract (Color), Turmeric Extract (Color), Red Cabbage Juice Extract (Color), Beet Juice Extract (Color), Annatto Extract (Color), Carnauba Vax [sic]". On 2026-10-25 Amazon listed it in stock from Amazon.com at $2.99, about $1.09 an ounce, the cheapest of our picks. The page states that the package may carry different information.
Every dye-free sprinkle we read
One card per maker. The badge says whether the colors line names any FD&C dye or Lake; the quote is the maker's own ingredient list, read on 2026-10-25 on the page linked in the card. A maker name links to its SafeMama profile when one is published.
Rainbow Softies: "Coloring (Vegetable Juices, Spirulina, Annatto, and Turmeric)"; Rainbow Nonpareils (1 lb and 3 oz pages): "Coloring (from Vegetable Juices, Spirulina, Turmeric, Beta Carotene, Riboflavin)"; Chocolate Softies: cocoa powder, no colorant listed
- Amazon, 2026-10-25
- Softies 3 oz $7.48; Nonpareils 16 oz $19.99; Chocolate Softies 16 oz $17.48; all in stock from Supernatural Inc.
- Shape
- Jimmies (Softies), small round nonpareils, chocolate jimmies
Where it landed: Top pick (Softies); shape picks for nonpareils and chocolate
Color Kitchen
No synthetic dye on the labelPick"spirulina extract, vegetable juice** [...], riboflavin, annatto extract"
- Amazon, 2026-10-25
- 3 oz $6.49, limited stock from ColorKitchen; $6.99 direct from the maker
- Shape
- Jimmies
Where it landed: Runner-up pick
365 by Whole Foods Market
No synthetic dye on the labelPick"Spirulina Extract (Color), Turmeric Extract (Color), Red Cabbage Juice Extract (Color), Beet Juice Extract (Color), Annatto Extract (Color)"
- Amazon, 2026-10-25
- 2.75 oz $2.99, in stock from Amazon.com
- Shape
- Jimmies
Where it landed: Runner-up pick, the budget one
Watkins
No synthetic dye on the labelThe 9.3 oz page prints two ingredient lists. One says "Vegetable juices for color, Paprika for color [...] Colored with Spirulina, Riboflavin, Annatto, and Turmeric"; the other says "Colored with Spirulina, Riboflavin, Vegetable juices and Annatto". Neither names an FD&C dye. The page says "No Artificial Dyes or Colors".
- Amazon, 2026-10-25
- 9.3 oz $12.99 in stock from Watkins 1868
Where it landed: Not picked: the page prints two different ingredient lists
India Tree
No synthetic dye on the labelNatural Rainbow Nonpareils: "Sugar, Corn Starch, Vegetable Juice, Confectioner's Glaze, Spirulina Extract, Beta-Carotene, Annatto Extract, Paprika Oleoresin, Carnauba Wax"
- Amazon, 2026-10-25
- 7 oz jar $8.35, in stock from Amazon.com (the maker's page lists a 7 oz size sold as a case of 6)
- Shape
- Nonpareils
Where it landed: Not picked for vegan households: lists confectioner's glaze, which some vegan households avoid. Otherwise dye-free by the same label test
Sweetapolita (Natural line)
No synthetic dye on the labelNatural Rainbow Nonpareils: "Natural colors (Turmeric oleoresin, Beta carotene, Spirulina extract, Annatto extract, Red radish extract, Red cabbage extract, Beet extract)"
- Where to buy
- Sweetapolita's own shop, $8.99 for 3.9 oz; no Amazon listing found by our API search 2026-10-25
Where it landed: Not picked: no Amazon listing found, and the same shop sells dyed nonpareils under a similar name
Not evaluated: Sweets Indeed (the one product page we opened prints no ingredient list), Sweet Eva's, A Great Surprise and Snackathon (listed as dye-free on Amazon; we found no maker page with an ingredient list). A dye-free claim in a store title is the seller's, not a label we read.
Why sprinkles are worth checking
On most aisles the advice is to read the ingredients, because a dyed product usually has an undyed sibling beside it. Sprinkles are there for color, a dyed jar often lists four or five dyes, and they tend to arrive on someone else's cake. The ingredient list is the only place the dyes are named. For the wider picture, see our pages on candy without Red Dye 40 and snacks without Red Dye 40.
How to read a sprinkle label in ten seconds
- Find the colors. In a dyed jar they are names and numbers: "red 40 lake", "yellow 5", "blue 1". In a dye-free jar they are plants: spirulina, turmeric, annatto, beet, red cabbage, "vegetable juice".
- Treat the front as a claim. The colors line is the label.
- Check the shape you are buying. The same maker can sell a dyed and an undyed version of the same shape under similar names, as Sweetapolita does.
Which shape to buy
| You want | Our read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmies (the rod-shaped "rainbow sprinkles") | Supernatural Rainbow Softies, with Color Kitchen or 365 as the alternatives | All three list only plant colorants; 365 is the cheapest |
| Nonpareils (tiny round balls) | Supernatural Rainbow Nonpareils, 16 oz (shape pick) | The maker's 1 lb and 3 oz pages list the same panel (its own store showed the 1 lb as Coming Soon on 2026-10-25; the Amazon listing is sold by Supernatural Inc.); India Tree's lists confectioner's glaze |
| Chocolate jimmies | Supernatural Chocolate Softies, 16 oz | The panel lists cocoa powder and no colorant at all. Check yours: if a chocolate sprinkle lists Red 40, Yellow 6 or Blue 1, this one is colored with cocoa alone |
Every dye-free sprinkle we read, side by side
All read on the maker's own page on 2026-10-25 unless the row says otherwise. Prices and stock are Amazon's on that date and move.
| Product | Colors on the label | Amazon, 2026-10-25 | Pick, or why not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supernatural Rainbow Softies, 3 oz | Vegetable juices, spirulina, annatto, turmeric | $7.48, in stock, Supernatural Inc. | Top pick |
| Color Kitchen Natural Rainbow Sprinkles, 3 oz | Spirulina, vegetable juice (purple sweet potato, radish), riboflavin, annatto | $6.49, limited stock, ColorKitchen | Runner-up; stock is thin |
| 365 by Whole Foods Market Rainbow Sprinkles, 2.75 oz | Spirulina, turmeric, red cabbage, beet, annatto | $2.99, in stock, Amazon.com | Runner-up; the budget pick |
| Supernatural Rainbow Nonpareils, 16 oz | Vegetable juices, spirulina, turmeric, beta carotene, riboflavin (1 lb and 3 oz pages) | $19.99, in stock, Supernatural Inc. | Shape pick: nonpareils; large size |
| Supernatural Chocolate Softies, 16 oz | None; cocoa powder | $17.48, in stock, Supernatural Inc. | Shape pick: chocolate jimmies |
| Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles, 9.3 oz | Spirulina, riboflavin, annatto, vegetable juices (turmeric and paprika on one of two lists) | $12.99, in stock, Watkins 1868 | The page prints two different ingredient lists |
| India Tree Natural Rainbow Nonpareils, 7 oz | Vegetable juice, spirulina, beta-carotene, annatto, paprika oleoresin | $8.35, in stock, Amazon.com | Lists confectioner's glaze, which some vegan households avoid; otherwise dye-free by the same test |
| Supernatural Rainbow Starfetti, 3 oz (stars) | Spirulina, paprika, turmeric, beets, purple sweet potato, red radish | $9.99, in stock, third-party seller Navistro | The maker's page said "Coming Soon" and $8.99 on 2026-10-25, so we did not pick the third-party listing, which was above the maker's price |
| Sweetapolita Natural Rainbow Nonpareils, 3.9 oz | Turmeric oleoresin, beta carotene, spirulina, annatto, red radish, red cabbage and beet extracts | Not on Amazon in our search | Sold on the maker's site |
Coloring your own, and a frosting to put them on
If you only need one or two colors, tinting white frosting with a plant powder may be simpler than buying sprinkles. Suncore Foods sells plant color powders, among them Red Beetroot Powder and Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Powder on its shop as of 2026-10-25; see the Suncore Foods profile. Our page on natural food coloring says what each color is good and bad at. For a white base, Miss Jones Baking's organic vanilla buttercream frosting listed no color additive on the panel we read on 2026-09-09; see the Miss Jones Baking profile.
What this page cannot tell you
We read labels, not jars. We did not test how these sprinkles hold up in icing or in the oven, we did not taste them, and we did not contact any company. A maker's page can lag the package, so the jar in your hand wins. What goes into a sprinkle is only one part of dyes in food: our food dye explainers and the page on Red Dye 3 cover where else they turn up, and all reviewed dye-free products lists the rest of what we have read. Dyes and children's behavior are discussed on our food dyes and hyperactivity page.
What a sprinkle jar can say without being dye-free
- Two jars, one word apart — Sweetapolita sells Rainbow Nonpareils (FD&C dyes) and Natural Rainbow Nonpareils (plant extracts) side by side. Its labeling is accurate, but the names differ by one word, so check the colors line before it goes in the cart.
- "No artificial dyes" and "vegan" are separate claims — India Tree's nonpareil panel lists confectioner's glaze, which is not a dye but is not vegan. Supernatural's pages for its Starfetti and Softies say they avoid confectioner's glaze, and the panels we read for its nonpareils and chocolate sprinkles do not list it.
- A "Lake" or a letter-and-number color — Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake and Blue 1 Lake are the same certified dyes on a mineral base. Lakes are common in dyed sprinkles because they color a dry surface without bleeding.
- Natural and artificial flavor — A flavor line is not a color line. It does not tell you whether the jar is dyed. The colors line does.
How we choose
A sprinkle earns a pick here when the maker's own page prints its ingredient list, no FD&C dye or Lake appears on it, it lists no confectioner's glaze (so it also works in a vegan household), and a listing was in stock from a seller we can name on the day we checked. For the 365 store brand, Whole Foods is the brand owner. We read each page on 2026-10-25 and quote the list rather than paraphrasing it. We did not taste or bake with any of them.
- The maker's own page prints the ingredient list, and we read it on that date
- No FD&C color or Lake on the list
- No bare "natural colors": the plant colorants are named, or at least called vegetable juice, spirulina and the like
- No confectioner's glaze, so every pick also works in a vegan household
- In stock on Amazon from a named seller, price stated with the date; not picked when the only listing is a third-party seller charging above the maker's own price
- Where a page prints two lists (Watkins), no pick until the maker resolves it
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
What the research says
Of roughly 10,000 chemicals allowed in food or in contact with food, more than 3,000 have never been substantively reviewed by the FDA. Under the self-affirmed or 'secret' GRAS pathway a company can conclude on its own that an ingredient is safe and begin using it without notifying the FDA, so the number of such determinations is unknowable.
— A Center for Science in the Public Interest report authored by Thomas Galligan, PhD found ...
How food companies sneak new ingredients past the FDA — Center for Science in the Public Interest
Pound for pound, children are breathing more air, eating more food, and drinking more water, so they have greater exposure.
— Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP of NYU Langone Health explains that ...
Toys, Shampoo, Makeup - Dr. Leonardo Trasande Is Exposing the Dangerous Chemicals in Everyday Products — NYU Langone Health
A flexible 9-day road map for safely introducing top allergens
— Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN told BenBella Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster), ISBN 9781637745359 that ...
Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention: A Baby-Led Feeding Guide to Starting Solids and Introducing Top Allergens — BenBella Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster), ISBN 9781637745359 (2024-11-12)
Sources
- Betty Crocker Rainbow Sprinkles (1.75 oz) — product page — Betty Crocker
- Betty Crocker Nonpareil Decorating Decors (2 oz) — product page — Betty Crocker
- Wilton Basic Rainbow Sprinkles (6-cell mix) — product page — Fry's Food Stores
- Wilton Rainbow Nonpareils, 7.8 oz — product page (no ingredient list) — Wilton
- Wilton 6-Cell Rainbow Sprinkles Mix, 5.9 oz — product page (no ingredient list) — Wilton
- Sweetapolita Rainbow Nonpareils — product page — Sweetapolita
- Sweetapolita Natural Rainbow Nonpareils — product page — Sweetapolita
- Supernatural Rainbow Softies — product page — Supernatural
- Supernatural Dye-Free Rainbow Nonpareils — product page — Supernatural
- Supernatural Natural & Fair Trade Chocolate Sprinkles, 1 lb — product page — Supernatural
- Color Kitchen Natural Rainbow Sprinkles — product page — Color Kitchen
- 365 by Whole Foods Market Rainbow Sprinkles, Vegan, 2.75 oz — product page — Whole Foods Market
- Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles, 9.3 oz — product page — Watkins
- India Tree Nature's Colors Rainbow Nonpareils — product page — India Tree
- Suncore Foods — Red Beetroot Powder — Suncore Foods
- Suncore Foods — Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Powder — Suncore Foods
- Supernatural Rainbow Starfetti Sprinkles — product page — Supernatural
- FDA — FD&C Red No. 3 color additive revocation and compliance dates — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (how we check this source)
- HHS and FDA to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes (April 22, 2025) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (how we check this source)
Side by side
| Attribute | SupernaturalRainbow Softies Sprinkles | COLOR KITCHENDye Free Sprinkles Rainbow Jimmies | 365 by Whole Foods MarketRainbow Sprinkles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why it's here | Our top pick | — | — |
| Price | $7.48 | $6.49 | $2.99 |
| Verified for | Dye-Free, No Red Dye 40 | Dye-Free, No Red Dye 40 | Dye-Free, No Red Dye 40 |
| Availability | In stock | In stock | In stock |
Common questions
The cheat sheet for this
Part of the Food Dyes hub— the rest of our coverage in this category.
Every dye-free snacksproduct we've reviewed— what we'd buy, what we'd skip, and where each one stands.