<p>To conserve resources and protect the environment, this study innovatively utilizes abundant basalt (rich in transition metals such as Fe, Cu, Ti) as a dual-functional additive (nucleating agent and composite coloring component). Using ZrO₂-TiO₂ as the nucleating agent, smooth and fine-surfaced R₂O-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ glass–ceramics with color gradients from pink to gray were prepared. The research reveals the effects of basalt content (1–10 wt.%) and heat-treatment temperature on crystallization kinetics, phase transformation, coloration, and properties. Key findings indicate that the addition of basalt reduces the crystallization activation energy (from 170.35 to 159.21&#xa0;kJ/mol), enhancing crystallization capability. XRD and SEM confirm the stable precipitation of the main crystalline phase, magnesium aluminate spinel, while the dynamic competition of secondary crystalline phases (enstatite/quartz/olivine) leads to increased heterogeneous interfaces and grain coarsening, consequently weakening mechanical properties. XPS analysis reveals that the dominant coloration mechanism is the Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox equilibrium—the valence ratio of both evolves towards Cu²⁺ (d⁹)/Fe³⁺ (d⁵) with increasing temperature, while Ti⁴⁺ (d⁰) remains stable and synergistically enhances color uniformity. Basalt addition increases the bulk density to 2.717–2.774&#xa0;g/cm³, with excellent acid and alkali corrosion resistance (mass loss &lt; 0.07%); although microhardness shows a decreasing trend (7.50–8.60 GPa) with increasing additive content, elevating the crystallization temperature optimizes this property. This study confirms that basalt possesses dual functions of nucleation control and coloration stability; high-performance colored glass–ceramics can be tailored through synergistic regulation of its addition amount and heat-treatment process.</p>