diff --git a/__tests__/plugins/textColor.test.js b/__tests__/plugins/textColor.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dc087a08b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/plugins/textColor.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import _ from 'lodash'
+import escapeClassName from '../../src/util/escapeClassName'
+import plugin from '../../src/plugins/textColor'
+
+test('colors can be a nested object', () => {
+  const addedUtilities = []
+
+  const config = {
+    theme: {
+      textColor: {
+        purple: 'purple',
+        red: {
+          1: 'rgb(33,0,0)',
+          2: 'rgb(67,0,0)',
+          3: 'rgb(100,0,0)',
+        },
+        green: {
+          1: 'rgb(0,33,0)',
+          2: 'rgb(0,67,0)',
+          3: 'rgb(0,100,0)',
+        },
+        blue: {
+          1: 'rgb(0,0,33)',
+          2: 'rgb(0,0,67)',
+          3: 'rgb(0,0,100)',
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    variants: {
+      textColor: ['responsive'],
+    },
+  }
+
+  const pluginApi = {
+    config: (key, defaultValue) => _.get(config, key, defaultValue),
+    e: escapeClassName,
+    addUtilities(utilities, variants) {
+      addedUtilities.push({
+        utilities,
+        variants,
+      })
+    },
+  }
+
+  plugin()(pluginApi)
+
+  expect(addedUtilities).toEqual([
+    {
+      utilities: {
+        '.text-purple': { 'color': 'purple' },
+        '.text-red-1': { 'color': 'rgb(33,0,0)' },
+        '.text-red-2': { 'color': 'rgb(67,0,0)' },
+        '.text-red-3': { 'color': 'rgb(100,0,0)' },
+        '.text-green-1': { 'color': 'rgb(0,33,0)' },
+        '.text-green-2': { 'color': 'rgb(0,67,0)' },
+        '.text-green-3': { 'color': 'rgb(0,100,0)' },
+        '.text-blue-1': { 'color': 'rgb(0,0,33)' },
+        '.text-blue-2': { 'color': 'rgb(0,0,67)' },
+        '.text-blue-3': { 'color': 'rgb(0,0,100)' },
+      },
+      variants: ['responsive'],
+    },
+  ])
+})
diff --git a/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js b/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js
index 2a0e4de90..5f125336d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js
+++ b/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js
@@ -1,22 +1,10 @@
 import _ from 'lodash'
-
-function buildColorPalette(colors) {
-  const result = _(colors)
-    .flatMap((color, name) => {
-      return _.isObject(color)
-        ? _.map(color, (value, key) => [`${name}-${key}`, value])
-        : [[name, color]]
-    })
-    .fromPairs()
-    .value()
-
-  return result
-}
+import flattenColorPalette from '../util/flattenColorPalette'
 
 export default function() {
   return function({ addUtilities, e, config }) {
     const utilities = _.fromPairs(
-      _.map(buildColorPalette(config('theme.backgroundColor')), (value, modifier) => {
+      _.map(flattenColorPalette(config('theme.backgroundColor')), (value, modifier) => {
         return [
           `.${e(`bg-${modifier}`)}`,
           {
diff --git a/src/plugins/textColor.js b/src/plugins/textColor.js
index 7737a5e61..45e84b9eb 100644
--- a/src/plugins/textColor.js
+++ b/src/plugins/textColor.js
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import _ from 'lodash'
+import flattenColorPalette from '../util/flattenColorPalette'
 
 export default function() {
   return function({ addUtilities, e, config }) {
     const utilities = _.fromPairs(
-      _.map(config('theme.textColor'), (value, modifier) => {
+      _.map(flattenColorPalette(config('theme.textColor')), (value, modifier) => {
         return [
           `.${e(`text-${modifier}`)}`,
           {