Annnnd I’m back with another article that focuses on a specific colour, and today, it’s all about black foods. I’ll be sharing quite a few options with you, though, there aren’t nearly as many ingredients on this list of black foods to choose from when compared to other colors.
As many chefs will tell you, myself included, cooking and baking with clourful foods can be incredibly fun, and very rewarding. If you’re looking to have some fun in the kitchen, try some of these black foods, but also consider pairing them with other colors so you have varying tastes and textures.
More Colourful Foods to Choose From
- List of Red Foods
- List of Orange Foods
- List of Yellow Foods
- List of Blue Foods
- List of Purple Foods
- List of Green Foods
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List of Black Vegetables
Here’s a list of black vegetables. You’ll be able to easily purchase black beans and black garlic. The other ingredients, you may need to call around, or visit a specialty grocery store to find it in your area.
- Black Beans
- Black Carrots (they’re really dark purple)
- Black Corn
- Black Garlic (a fermented product)
- Black Lentils
- Black Radish (only the skin is black, the inside is white)
- Black Soy Beans
- Eggplant (some will have a super dark purple skin that has a black appearance such as Black Beauty Eggplant)
- HeShouWu (also called Fo-Ti, also written He Shou Wu, it’s the prepared root of a Chinese plant, used in traditional Chinese medicine)
- Truffles
Black vegetables pair very well with grains (pasta, rice, etc.), meats, and vegetables of all colours.
List of Black Fruits
From desserts to sauces to a snack and everything in between, here are black fruits you can incorporate into your recipes.
- Blackberries
- Black Currants (also written blackcurrants)
- Black Dates
- Black Goji Berries
- Black Grapes (technically, these are super dark purple grapes but are also called black grapes)
- Black Olives
- Black Raspberries
- Black Sapote
- Heirloom Tomatoes (some of the dark purple varieties can have a black appearance)
- Mission Figs
- Mulberry (white mulberries are also a thing)
- Plums (the really dark purple plums have a skin that appears black)
- Zante Currants (a type of raisin, don’t let the name fool you)
It’s important to note that many black fruits have a bit of a sour flavor, and for the sake of balance, if you plan to cook with them, make sure you have some sugar in your recipe.
List of Foods That Can Have a Black Appearance when Cooked
- Blackened Foods (usually blackened fish, it’s made from spices that are seared to appear black)
- Burgers (think: char marks from the grill)
- Grilled Vegetables (also with the char)
- Shiitake Mushrooms
List of Black Seeds & Black Grains
This is a short list of black foods to pull from if you’re looking to add something starchy to your meal. One of the top benefits of rice and buckwheat is that they’ll pair well with just about any meat and/or vegetable.
- Black Buckwheat
- Black Quinoa
- Black Rice (also called forbidden rice)
- Black Sesame and Black Sesame Seeds
- Chia Seeds (available in both black and white)
- Poppy Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds (they’re black and gray/silver, great source of Vitamin E)
- Wild Rice (brown and black)
List of Miscellaneous Black Foods
Here’s a collection of random black foods that aren’t fruits, vegetables, grains, or seeds. Some are generally used for a specific cuisine, however, I’m all about fusion foods and rule breaking (so long as it tastes good).
- Black Cacao (cacao that’s undergone a special process, the key ingredient for chocolate creme cookies such as Oreos)
- Black Fungus (easy to purchase in China, you may be able to source it online)
- Black Licorice
- Black Pudding (a type of breakfast food commonly served in the UK, also called blood sausage)
- Black Trumpet Mushrooms (it’s easy to purchase these dried)
- Black Vinegar (often called Chinese Black Vinegar)
- Black Walnut
- Caviar
- Japanese Okinawa Black Sugar (here’s an example, it’s super duper uber dark brown)
- Kombu (a type of seaweed)
- Tea
- Shilajit (considered a superfood, commonly used in supplements, but you could use a little to colour a white or light colored food)
- Softies (made by Supernatural Foods, a type of chocolate sprinkle with a black appearance)
- Squid Ink
If you look at this list and wonder where to start, I’d suggest Asian. You can make a delicious Asian chicken dish with black vinegar, black walnut, and black garlic as part of the flavor profile. For a bonus black splash on your plate, serve the protein over wild rice.
Now, as a creative chef, I’m also going to tell you to have FUN with the squid ink. For example, you can make squid ink pearls and use them as a garnish on an elevated pasta.
What do Black Foods Taste Like
Often times, black foods (especially the fruits and vegetables) have a similar taste and texture to their non-black counterparts. However, in the case of fermented black foods, such as black garlic, the taste will usually be more amplified.
Squid ink is another black food with a specific taste, but it is on the mild side. I’m told that it has notes of ocean salinity and earthiness.
If you’re an adventurous eater, one of the best things you can do is purchase small amounts of black foods that sound interesting to you, take a leap, and give them a taste.
Fun Ways to Use Black Foods
When it comes to cooking, there are so many ways you can incorporate black ingredients into the food you already know and love. You can also try something new and exciting (which seems to be my default setting). However, you can also go with something simple like black garlic bread served with a bowl of regular pasta. Now, here are some ideas to get you started.
Squid Ink Pasta
Squid ink pasta can be purchased at high end grocery stores, however, more often than not, you’ll need to make this at home yourself.
If you’re a cooking enthusiast, you’ll have a lot of fun with this project. For ease, use a food processor and pasta sheeting machine.
On the flip side, if you’re the kind of foodie that enjoys high end foods but doesn’t want to get their hands dirty, call around and see if there’s a place in your area that serves squid ink pasta.
Whilst a plate of this pasta won’t knock your socks off in the flavour department, it’s a great accompaniment to seafood, and has a great novelty effect. The taste profile is mildly ocean/salty/earthy, in case you were wondering.
Make Delicious Desserts
You can use black products in place of non-black products to make quick swaps in your desserts. For example, you can make black fruit pies by swapping some of the fruits for black fruits you enjoy.
For the most success, choose black fruits that are mostly black, rather than those that only have black skin.
Squid ink ice cream is another really fun dessert you can make at home. You’ll use a small amount of squid ink to change the appearance of your ice cream. If you really want to have a squid ink flavour, you’ll have to use a decent amount, alongside a few drops of something like fish sauce.
Colourful Salads
There are three types of people in the world: those who love salads, those can’t stand a salad, and those who are like, maaayybbbee I’ll take a salad.
You’ll want to be one of the people who adores salad, and is willing to try new ingredient combinations to have a GOOD black salad.
For example, you could use a small amount of shaved black garlic, grilled black grapes, a handful of chopped black dates, a little wild rice, and a small amount of cooked black lentils as part of your black salad.
If you really want to get creative, add in other colours. Perhaps you’re like me and your favourite colour is black and red with a hint of silver (yeah, I know, that’s three, but it’s a vibe). You can make a themed salad like black and yellow to celebrate bees or black and red just for the fun look.
No matter the reason, if you can combine different colours, not only will you boost the nutritional benefits, but you’ll also have really pretty meals to serve.
Tasty Smoothies
I feel like if you have kids, especially children who enjoy celebrating Halloween, black smoothies should be on your fall menu.
Not only are black smoothies packed with antioxidants, they can be fun to eat from a popsicle mold (make your smoothie, pour into molds, freeze, eject and enjoy).
To preserve the color of black fruit, you’ll want to pair your black produce with something like a milk of choice, sweetener such as maple, ice, and cashews.
If you were to combine your black fruit with a range of fruits of other colors, it starts to get muddy, and having your drink be BLACK is really half the fun.
Fried Rice or Fried Quinoa
You can lean into the traditional flavors of fried rice, but give your plate a pop of black via veggies or something like shaved truffle.
Personally, I’d make something like this:
- Leftover Cold Rice
- Scrambled Eggs (with a touch of squid ink to make it black)
- Crushed Black Walnuts
- Black Radish (cooked in balsamic glaze to tint the white flesh a bit darker)
- Black Sesame Seeds (for garnish with maybe a little sliced green onion as well)
I’m sure there are other ingredients I’d include, like maybe crispy bacon or diced ham. Ohu, and some peas as well. No matter which way you go, when you load up your fried rice or fried quinoa with colourful foods, your immune system will thank you.
Hearty Soups & Stews
There are elevendybajillion recipes online for soups and stews. Start with an easy recipe, or one that you know you already love. From there, an easy way to add a pop of black to your bowl is to add cubed black radish (with the skin on), add black beans, or add diced dark eggplant (and leave the skin on).
Each of these options will add a little black without much effort. If you want something a lot more obvious, review the list of black vegetables above and choose a few others to add to the mix.
Fusion Stir-Fries
As I mentioned earlier, I’m a fan of fusion foods. In the case of stir-fries, it’s pretty easy to incorporate Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cuisines and have results that are not only delicious, but extra colorful.
The easiest way to pull this off is to start with a stir-fry recipe you enjoy, then add some black vegetables along with one or two ingredients that come from a different cuisine (make sure the ingredients don’t clash).
Black Swirled Yogurt (or Yogurt Pops)
You can make a blackberry purée at home, then use it to create a dark, black looking swirl in your yogurt, or homemade yogurt pops. You can use a dairy based yogurt or dairy free yogurt for something like this.
Blueberry purée will also have a black appearance when used as a thick paste in a swirl application.
It’s important to remember that fruits such as blackberries don’t have much sweetness, so if you need to add a little sugar to the mix to make it enjoyable, go for it. Black dates can be a great way to add natural sweetness if you need to stick with unrefined sugars.
Bake with Black Foods
An easy way to add black to a baking recipe is to use black cacao. This is the organic brand that I personally use. You can add that to most baked goods and have pretty good results.
Alternatively, you can use the Supernatural Softies, or even a little black squid ink in baked goods to have them coming out black.
Another way to make your baked goods take on a black appearance is to use black frosting. You can use traditional food coloring to make your frosting black, use a specialty food powder, or use something like shilajit to colour your buttercream.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with using dried black fruits such as zante currants (a type of raisin) that can give your baked goods little pops of black throughout.
Health Benefits of Eating Black Foods
For some people, eating black foods is all about the novel effect, or helping kids eat the rainbow. For others, they want to take advantage of the nutritional benefits of adding black foods to their diet. Black produce is not only full of essential nutrients, but also provides anthocyanin antioxidants, which can have a positive impact on your health.
Black grapes (purple grapes) also contain anthocyanins and their resveratrol content can help protect your cells from oxidative stress. Purple potatoes are pretty special as well, seeing as how they have 2 to 3 times the amount of antioxidants when compared with white potatoes. They’re also a great source of Vitamin C.
Blackberries and other deep/rich colored berries have been known to boost cognitive function as well as your mood. Overall, purple foods and black foods have the power to improve your immune system, fight free radicals, and support the overall function of the human body. If that’s not enough, colour-rich foods have anti-inflammatory properties which can help you move well and feel awesome.
Black Foods Nutrition
When you add anthocyanin-rich foods to your diet, you’re not only adding a good source of vitamins, but you’re setting yourself up for long term success. To get the most out of these foods, make sure you wash and eat the peels where possible. With some black fruits and vegetables, that’s where a lot of the added benefit comes from.
Generally, you won’t find a tonne of protein in black fruits and vegetables, however, you can pair your black foods with a range of protein forward ingredients to create balanced dishes that meet all of your needs.
If you’re needing to reduce your calories, black vegetables are a great choice since they’re naturally low fat, and low in calories. Some will also have a decent water content, which can aid in other ways (such as skin health).
Some black foods, such as black beans can aid in digestion due to the fiber content.
When it comes to black foods vs. non-black foods, a black vegetable (or black fruit) will have a similar nutrition profile (vitamin and mineral content, and so on) to its non-black counterpart. However, the antioxidant and anthocyanin content will be the big differentiating point.
Overall, know that when you include black fruits and vegetables in your diet, you’re including a variety of nutrients (including fiber), minerals such as potassium and magnesium, essential vitamins, and a decent amount of antioxidants.
For more information on health benefits, including how some fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of some diseases check out websites such as nutrition.gov or HealthLine.com where you can look up benefits of specific ingredients.
