以下解决方案适用于Swift 1.2和iOS 8+

override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {

    // This changes the header background
    view.tintColor = UIColor.blueColor()

    // Gets the header view as a UITableViewHeaderFooterView and changes the text colour
    var headerView: UITableViewHeaderFooterView = view as! UITableViewHeaderFooterView
    headerView.textLabel.textColor = UIColor.redColor()

}

以下解决方案适用于Swift 1.2和iOS 8+

override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {

    // This changes the header background
    view.tintColor = UIColor.blueColor()

    // Gets the header view as a UITableViewHeaderFooterView and changes the text colour
    var headerView: UITableViewHeaderFooterView = view as! UITableViewHeaderFooterView
    headerView.textLabel.textColor = UIColor.redColor()

}

In iOS 7.0.4 I created a custom header with it's own XIB. Nothing mentioned here before worked. It had to be the subclass of the UITableViewHeaderFooterView to work with the dequeueReusableHeaderFooterViewWithIdentifier: and it seems that class is very stubborn regarding the background color. So finally I added an UIView (you could do it either with code or IB) with name customBackgroudView, and then set it's backgroundColor property. In layoutSubviews: I set that view's frame to bounds. It work with iOS 7 and gives no glitches.

// in MyTableHeaderView.xib drop an UIView at top of the first child of the owner
// first child becomes contentView

// in MyTableHeaderView.h
@property (nonatomic, weak) IBOutlet UIView * customBackgroundView;

// in MyTableHeaderView.m
-(void)layoutSubviews;
{
    [super layoutSubviews];

    self.customBackgroundView.frame = self.bounds;
}
// if you don't have XIB / use IB, put in the initializer:
-(id)initWithReuseIdentifier:(NSString *)reuseIdentifier
{
    ...
    UIView * customBackgroundView = [[UIView alloc] init];
    [self.contentView addSubview:customBackgroundView];
    _customBackgroundView = customBackgroundView;
    ...
}


// in MyTableViewController.m
-(UIView *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView viewForHeaderInSection:(NSInteger)section
{
    MyTableHeaderView * header = [self.tableView
                                          dequeueReusableHeaderFooterViewWithIdentifier:@"MyTableHeaderView"];
    header.customBackgroundView.backgroundColor = [UIColor redColor];
    return header;
}

Swift使它变得非常简单。只需将其添加到类中，并根据需要设置颜色。

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {
        view.backgroundColor = UIColor(red: 0.094, green: 0.239, blue: 0.424, alpha: 1.0)
    }

或者是简单的颜色

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {
        view.backgroundColor = UIColor.white
    }

Swift 5更新

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {
        view.tintColor = UIColor(red: 0.094, green: 0.239, blue: 0.424, alpha: 1.0)
    }

或者是简单的颜色

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {
        view.tintColor = UIColor.white
    }

对我来说，在浪费了2个小时后，以上这些都不起作用，这就是解决方案。在我的情况下，它是自定义视图，但我不能改变它从storyboard和视图的awakeFromNib出于某种原因。

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willDisplayHeaderView view: UIView, forSection section: Int) {
        let header = view as! UITableViewHeaderFooterView
        header.contentView.backgroundColor = .white
    }

使用RubyMotion / RedPotion，将其粘贴到你的桌面屏幕:

  def tableView(_, willDisplayHeaderView: view, forSection: section)
    view.textLabel.textColor = rmq.color.your_text_color
    view.contentView.backgroundColor = rmq.color.your_background_color
  end

效果好极了!