Amaranth dye doped KDP single crystals were grown by slow cooling seed rotation method with the vision to improve the properties of the crystal. The grown crystals were of size up to 53 x 20 x 50 mm(3). The grown crystals were subjected to FTIR, UV-vis photoluminescence, microhardness and laser damage threshold studies. The addition of dye improves the growth rate of the crystals. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra of amaranth doped KDP crystals are practically identical. Amaranth increases the mechanical strength and laser damage threshold of the grown crystals compared to pure KDP crystals. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.