diff --git a/__tests__/plugins/backgroundColor.test.js b/__tests__/plugins/backgroundColor.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..489487da3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/plugins/backgroundColor.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import _ from 'lodash'
+import escapeClassName from '../../src/util/escapeClassName'
+import plugin from '../../src/plugins/backgroundColor'
+
+test('colors can be a nested object', () => {
+  const addedUtilities = []
+
+  const config = {
+    theme: {
+      backgroundColor: {
+        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: {
+      backgroundColor: ['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: {
+        '.bg-purple': { 'background-color': 'purple' },
+        '.bg-red-1': { 'background-color': 'rgb(33,0,0)' },
+        '.bg-red-2': { 'background-color': 'rgb(67,0,0)' },
+        '.bg-red-3': { 'background-color': 'rgb(100,0,0)' },
+        '.bg-green-1': { 'background-color': 'rgb(0,33,0)' },
+        '.bg-green-2': { 'background-color': 'rgb(0,67,0)' },
+        '.bg-green-3': { 'background-color': 'rgb(0,100,0)' },
+        '.bg-blue-1': { 'background-color': 'rgb(0,0,33)' },
+        '.bg-blue-2': { 'background-color': 'rgb(0,0,67)' },
+        '.bg-blue-3': { 'background-color': 'rgb(0,0,100)' },
+      },
+      variants: ['responsive'],
+    },
+  ])
+})
diff --git a/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js b/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js
index 49fca7f66..2a0e4de90 100644
--- a/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js
+++ b/src/plugins/backgroundColor.js
@@ -1,9 +1,22 @@
 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
+}
+
 export default function() {
   return function({ addUtilities, e, config }) {
     const utilities = _.fromPairs(
-      _.map(config('theme.backgroundColor'), (value, modifier) => {
+      _.map(buildColorPalette(config('theme.backgroundColor')), (value, modifier) => {
         return [
           `.${e(`bg-${modifier}`)}`,
           {