how to make fake blood

Although most commercial fake blood is made with red food coloring, there are several ways to use other ingredients to give your fake blood its realistic red hue. While some of the ingredients to replace food coloring are quite obscure, others you probably have in your fridge or pantry. Whether you are creating fake blood for a Halloween costume or simply to give your friends a good scare, you have a range of options to create your blood and methods you can use to give it the right color, consistency and creepiness!

1
Combine beet or pomegranate juice with corn syrup and detergent. You can use pure beet or pomegranate juice in the place of food red coloring to create fake blood. Combine 16 parts white corn syrup with 1 part each of powder washing detergent, water, and either beet or pomegranate juice. Stir to mix the ingredients. ^[1]
- Add in a small squirt of chocolate syrup if you wish to make the blood a more realistic color.
- You can buy 100% pomegranate juice at the store, or use the beet juice that comes in canned beets. You can also use beet powder in place of beet juice.
- This blood is non-edible and is quite sticky.
2
Mix chocolate syrup, cherry Kool Aid and water. You can also make fake blood using Kool Aid. In a bowl, combine a packet of dark cherry Kool Aid with 1-2 tablespoons ( 14.79 ml-29.57 ml) of chocolate syrup. Add a teaspoon (4.93 ml) of water and stir. Adjust the mixture as you wish, adding more water if you want it more liquid-y or more chocolate syrup if you want the blood to look darker.^[2]
- The chocolate syrup darkens the blood to give it a more realistic color.
- This fake blood recipe is fully edible!
3
Combine Jello, Kool Aid and flour. Jello and Kool Aid powder, combined with flour and water also make a great realistic blood. Heat 1 cup (236.59 ml) of water over medium heat in a small pot, then add 1 tablespoon (14.79 ml) of flour, ¼ teaspoon (1.23 ml) of sugar-free black cherry Jello and 1 packet of black cherry Kool Aid. Stir until they are dissolved.^[3]
- Add a teaspoon of beet juice or pomegranate juice if you want a more intense color.
4
Make fake blood from tomato paste and water. One of the most simple ways you can make fake blood is to combine tomato paste and water. Use about 4 parts tomato paste to one part water, and stir to combine the ingredients for an edible fake blood.
- Add in 1 part maple syrup if you want a thicker, sludgier consistency.
- You can also use ketchup or tomato sauce in the place of tomato paste, though they have a brighter and less realistic color.

1
Combine red and blue paint with water. In a medium sized bowl, add 2 parts red washable tempera paint to one part water. Then pour in a dash of blue, about one teaspoon (4.93 ml) per cup (236.59 ml) of red paint you are using. Stir with a paintbrush or a spoon until the colors and water are mixed.^[4]
- Washable tempura paint isn't edible, but it also won't stain your clothes.
- Adding a touch of blue gives fake blood a darker and more realistic color.
- Stir the tempura paint instead of shaking. Because of the chemical composition of the paint, shaking can cause it to foam.
2
Mix red ink with glue. Glue dyed with red ink makes thick and sticky fake blood. Add your desired amount of liquid school glue to a disposable bowl, using as much glue as you want blood. Add in red ink, which you can purchase from art and hobby stores, until you are satisfied with the intensity of the color. If you want a darker blood color, add brown ink or chocolate syrup.^[5]
- You can also remove the ink tube from a red pen, cut it with a serrated knife, and pour the red ink into the glue.
- Aim to use about 3 parts glue and 2 parts ink.
- To make the fake blood less bright and more realistic, add in cocoa powder a teaspoon (14.79 ml) at a time. Cocoa powder darkens the fake blood to make it more of a burgundy color than a bright red.
- Corn syrup and cocoa powder creates a thicker blood than using just paint and water.
3
Combine red and blue paint, maple syrup and water. You can also make fake blood by mixing red paint with maple syrup and water. In a disposable cup or bowl, mix equal parts red poster or acrylic paint with maple syrup. Then add in a touch of blue, about one teaspoon (4.93 ml) per ½ cup (118.3 ml) of paint. Add water gradually by the teaspoon, stirring until you reach the consistency that you want.^[6]
- If you want very thick paint blood, you don't have to add water.

1
Liquefy raspberries in a blender. You can also easily make homemade red dye from raspberries, which you can combine with thickeners to make fake blood. To begin, place 1 cup (236.59 ml) of fresh or frozen raspberries in a blender, then blend until liquefied.^[7]
- It should take around 15-20 seconds to blend the strawberries. Add a teaspoon (4.93 ml) or so of water if the mixture is too thick.
2
Strain the liquefied raspberry. After the raspberries have blended, strain them by placing a fine strainer over a bowl, then pouring the liquefied raspberries into the strainer.^[8]
- The strainer should catch the seeds and chunks of the raspberries and let the liquid pass through. You should be left with about ½ cup (118.3 ml) of raspberry juice.
- Dispose of the raspberry pulp or use it in baking if you wish.
3

Combine cornstarch and water in a separate bowl. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, combine 5 tablespoons (73.9 ml) of corn starch and 1/3 cup (78.8 ml) of warm water. Use a spoon to rapidly mix the ingredients to make a paste.^[9]
4

Pour corn syrup into the mixture. Measure out 2/3 cup (157.7 ml) of corn syrup and pour it into the bowl with the cornstarch paste. Use a spoon to mix the corn syrup in with the paste.^[10]
5
Add in the raspberry juice. Add around 4 teaspoons (59.14 ml) of raspberry juice into the corn syrup mixture, mixing to integrate the color. Add more if the color isn't opaque enough.^[11]
- You may need to add up to a few tablespoons of raspberry juice, depending how dark you want your blood.
6

Add a tablespoon (14.79 ml) of powdered cocoa. After you add in your raspberry juice, you should be left with a reddish pink liquid the consistency of blood. To give the blood a more realistic color, add around 1 tablespoon (14.79 ml) of powdered cocoa. This will darken the blood to a dark red and give it a more realistic hue.^[12]
7

Finished.

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Question

How can I make it with no food coloring?

Oliver White

Community Answer

Combine beet or pomegranate juice with corn syrup and detergent. You can use pure beet or pomegranate juice in the place of food red coloring to create fake blood.
Question

How can I make fake blood without using any kind of food products?

You could use the pigment method and just skip the maple syrup. It might not look as realistic, but it should still work.
Question

Is there something I can add to make it stain clothing?

If you want to stain clothing, add a little oil to your mix. If you want to stain the clothing red specifically, try adding red lipstick or red nail polish. Blood-stained clothing will go brown over time; if you want your blood-stained clothing to look realistic, consider whether you want a fresh blood look or for your clothes to look like they were stained with blood a while ago.
Question

Does it work for pranking people on April fools?

It should work, depending on how gullible the person that you're pranking is!
Question

Can you make fake blood without food coloring, beet/pomegranate juice or cornstarch?

Beet juice works very well if you want fake blood but it stains everything it touches, so use with care.

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Creating fake blood isn't an exact science. You can easily adjust your recipes to make them thicker or thinner or add ingredients like chocolate syrup or blue or brown paint to make your fake blood a more realistic color.
If you find a recipe for fake blood online that you want to use but it contains red food dye, substitute beet, raspberry or pomegranate juice in for the dye.

Fake blood recipes that use paint or have ingredients like washing detergent in them are not edible, which is important to consider if you are creating fake blood for a Halloween dessert.

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