Annatto Seed

Coloring matters more than flavor

Annatto’s primary use is as a natural food colorant — the seed coats are coated with bixin and norbixin, two carotenoid pigments that produce a vivid orange-red. The flavor is mild — earthy, slightly peppery, with a faint nutty note — secondary to the visual effect.

Most people have eaten annatto without knowing it. It’s the colorant in:

• Cheddar cheese — gives orange cheddar its color (uncolored cheddar is pale yellow).
• Margarine and butter — for that buttery yellow.
• Smoked fish — kippers and smoked salmon.
• Velveeta and processed cheese — the orange tint.
• Chorizo (Mexican) — the deep red color.
• Cosmetics and lipstick — historical use as a natural dye.

In cooking

In Latin American and Filipino cooking, annatto is used as both color and gentle flavor:

• Achiote oil / aceite de achiote — seeds steeped in warm oil to extract color, then strained. Used as a base for many Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican dishes.
• Cochinita pibil — Yucatecan slow-roasted pork, marinated in achiote paste mixed with sour orange.
• Kare-kare — Filipino oxtail peanut stew, colored with annatto.
• Arroz con pollo — Spanish-Caribbean rice and chicken.

A safer dye

Annatto is one of the few natural dyes that has survived decades of food-coloring scrutiny without significant safety concerns. It’s used widely in countries that have phased out or restricted artificial coloring, including in foods marketed to children.