Food Lens Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Food Lens · Recipe ingredients
Annatto Water
Faintly earthy with a slight peppery undertone, valued mostly for color rather than taste.
Lens analyzedAnnatto water is a bright orange-red liquid made by steeping annatto seeds (achiote) in hot water or oil, used to color rice, stews, and sauces without adding much flavor of its own. Filipino and Latin American kitchens both lean on it to turn a pot of rice a deep golden-red.
Where it comes from
Annatto seeds come from the achiote tree, native to the tropical Americas, and Indigenous cooks used them for coloring and flavoring food long before European contact. Trade later carried the seeds to Southeast Asia, where dishes like Filipino kaldereta and asado still rely on the color they give.
Buying it
Buy whole annatto seeds or an oil already infused with them; whole seeds steeped fresh give the most vivid color.
Storing it
Keep a prepared batch in a sealed jar in the fridge; the dried whole seeds themselves hold up fine in the pantry for a long stretch.
Keeps about 1 year in the pantry.
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