Edible gold comes as powdered mica-based luster dust and as ready-to-use gel or paint formulations.

You can dust luster powder directly onto chocolate or mix it with a clear liquid to paint with a brush or sponge. Some paints are ready to shake and paint straight from the bottle, and powdered luster can be thinned for airbrushing.

Many gel-based edible gold paints are sold ready to use from the bottle with no thinning required. Luster dusts are powdered and must be mixed with a clear liquid when you want to make paint or an airbrushable solution.

Use a quality brush (manufacturers often recommend a sable brush) for detailed work and a sponge for texture effects on buttercream, fondant, and royal icing. Powdered luster can also be thinned for airbrushing.

Gold paint and luster dust work well on many edible surfaces, including fondant, buttercream (chilled/crusted), royal icing, sugar cookies, marshmallows, chocolate, candy melts, ganache, modeling chocolate, and decorative gold leaf.

Common package sizes shown include luster dust at 0.14 ounces (4 g), small paint bottles at 0.5 ounces (15 ml), and larger paint bottles at 1.69 ounces (50 ml).

Listings state the paints do not contain any of the nine major allergens and describe the products as 100% edible/food grade. Some descriptions explicitly note they are gluten-, dairy- and peanut-free.

They dry quickly and become rub-free; product descriptions say the pigment is sealed into the surface so there is no dusting or smudging once dry.