15 Rainbow Foods for Colorful Occasions

We all know we eat with our eyes first, and there’s nothing like a vibrant plate to visually awaken our appetites. Put an actual rainbow on that plate, and you’re serving your food with a side of cheer. This recipe collection is meant to dazzle and delight both the eyes and the palate by celebrating the whole spectrum of color. Create glorious rainbows naturally with brilliant, delicious veggie dishes like Grilled Pepper and Onion Panzanella, or have fun with food coloring to make multi-layered dessert displays such as Rainbow Panna Cotta. After all, who couldn’t use a little cheer?

Italian Rainbow Cookies

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

Also known as rainbow cookies, Neapolitan cookies, or tricolore cookies, this Italian-American treat has a subtle almond flavor that pairs nicely with the bittersweet chocolate topping and layers of raspberry jam.

Root Vegetable Tian

Greg DuPree

Layer red beets, yellowish parsnips, orange sweet potatoes, and purple potatoes for this classic Provençal dish with green flecks of thyme.

Rainbow Vegetable Gratin

Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Six layers of colorful vegetables cook together in Justin Chapple’s free-form gratin; panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano absorb extra juices and provide a nice crunch.

Beet-Carrot Slaw with Garlicky Labneh

Caitlin Bensel

This sweet, tart, and creamy jewel-toned slaw is filled with freshly shredded beets and carrots and tangy labneh. Make fast work of shredding carrots and beets using a food processor fitted with a grating attachment. Use rainbow carrots for even more color, or swap out the red beets for Chioggia and their pink-and-white swirls.

Tamarind Jelly Candies

Farrah Skeiky

Pastry chef Paola Velez makes colorful pâte de fruit with freeze-dried bananas, mango, and strawberries, coating with homemade sugars. Add more hues with our apricot and Riesling pâte de fruit recipes.

Rainbow Cake

Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

If you’re looking for a colorful celebration cake, this seven-layered rainbow stunner is the way to go — the moment you cut into it will be a delightful reveal for your guests.

Rainbow Panna Cotta

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Multicolored layers of almond panna cotta make up this whimsical dessert from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s restaurant, Tatiana, in New York City. Onwuachi tops the creamy panna cotta with a thin sheet of apricot-raspberry jam, a sprinkling of crunchy sugar-coated and dukka-spiced almonds, and a showering of shaved chocolate.

Beet Aguachile

Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Chef Claudette Zepeda brings together red and orange beets, pink and purple radishes, green cucumbers and peppers, and yellow tostada shells for this vibrant dish.

Nacho Snack Dinner with Sweet Potato Queso

Antonis Achilleos

An array of fresh vegetables and multi-colored tortilla chips can make the full rainbow effect on a crudités or snack platter.

Fried Yuba Tacos with Sweet Corn Relish

Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Heather Claire Spollen

Chef Bryant Terry fries rolled yuba, or thin sheets of tofu skin, in avocado oil until crispy, for this hearty vegan taco filling. Turmeric lends its zesty, deeply floral flavor to the summery corn relish that tops these tacos. A spoonful of “green cream” — sautéed spinach stirred together with mashed avocado — holds it all together.

Grilled Pepper and Onion Panzanella with Peperoncini Vinaigrette

Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Cookbook author Molly Stevens’ panzanella uses grilled sweet peppers and onions in place of tomatoes as the centerpiece of this brilliantly-hued dinner salad. The charred vegetables are tossed with cubes of grilled bread, drizzled with a peperoncini vinaigrette, and topped with creamy feta and crisp slices of peperoncini, which add pops of flavor and contrasting texture.

Vegetable Rainbow Salad

This gorgeous salad brilliantly combines home-pickled onions and radishes with vibrant roasted veggies, fresh escarole and pea shoots, black quinoa, and a dressing mashup that includes miso and chipotle chile in adobo.

Neapolitan Sundae

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This showstopping sundae features strawberry ice cream topped with balsamic-port hot fudge, vanilla semolina crumble, and sliced Italian rainbow cookie.

Best-Ever Birthday Cake

Greg Dupree

This super-fun sprinkle cake is frosted with an easy chocolate frosting and both filled and topped with a mixture of colorful sprinkles.

Rainbow Rolls

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

These bright, colorful maki rolls are a great way to show off tender sushi-grade fish. Be sure to use Kewpie mayonnaise for the sauce; it’s made with egg yolks and vinegar, so it’s extra rich and creamy.

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