Wheat kernel color related traits L^*， a^*， and b^* are important indicators of wheat quality. To elucidate the genetic architecture underlying these traits， we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide association study （GWAS） using 243 wheat accessions from Huang-huai wheat region. Phenotypic evaluations were performed in four environments， complemented by genotyping using the wheat 660K SNP assay. We identified 785 significant SNP markers associated with kernel color traits， collectively explaining 11.4%-23.4% phenotypic variation. Marker-trait associations exhibited distinct chromosomal distributions： SNPs associated with L^* are mainly located on chromosomes 1A， 1D， 2B， 3D， 7A and 7D； SNPs associated with a^* are primarily distributed on chromosome 2A， 2B， 2D， 4B， 5B， 5D， 7A and 7D； SNPs associated with b^* are predominantly distributed on chromosome 2B， 5B， 5D， 6D， 7A， 7B and 7D. Notably， 51 SNPs showed pleiotropic effects. Thirty-six candidate genes related to the kernel color traits were identified by gene annotation， of which eight exhibited kernel-specific expression patterns. Polymorphism analysis revealed significant associations between target traits and two key genes， Pinb （TraesCS5D02G004300） and UDP-glucose/GDP-mannose dehydrogenase gene TraesCS5B02G399800. Haplotype analysis of TraesCS5B02G399800 identified distinct allelic variants significantly associated with b^*. Therefore， these findings provide valuable genomic resources for marker-assisted selection and genomic prediction strategies for wheat kernel color traits.