Easter Eggs Dyed with All-Natural Dyes are becoming increasingly popular, as people look to replace their artificial dyes with natural options. So this year you can skip the egg dye kits and make your own dyes with staples from your pantry.
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While the actual process of dyeing Easter eggs with natural dyes can be just as simple as using the store-bought kits, most people don't realize that and never give it a try!
Also, using natural dyes can be quite beneficial as there are an increasing number of allergies and sensitivites related to food dyes. Some kids have full-blown anxiety or behavioral issues that have been linked to chemical dyes.
Easter Eggs Dyed with All-Natural Dyes
Because of all of the above, using all-natural dyes derived from plants has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional Easter egg dyeing techniques.
The Formula for Natural Dyed Easter Eggs
In short, almost all recipes for natural dyes include the following basic ingredients: boiling water, white vinegar, boiled eggs, and some part of a fruit or vegetable or spice.
Here are just a few of the colors you can create on white eggs with things you may already have:
- Pink/Purple = Beets
- Brown/Orange (Rust) = Yellow Onion Skins or Black Tea
- Yellow = Ground Turmeric or Cumin
- Orange = Chili Powder
- Blue/Purple =Red Cabbage or Blackberries
- Green = Spinach
- Deep Red/Maroon = Yellow and Red Onion Skins
The list above only scratches the surface of the endless possibilities of natural Easter Egg dyes. But to get you started, I've shared four options for you with detailed instructions to get a few basic hues including brown/orange, yellow, blue/purple, and pink/purple.
Equipment you'll need to make Natural Dyes:
You won't need all of these tools for all of the recipes, but this is a general overview of tools you might need.
- Saucepan or Stockpot
- Slotted Spoon
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Strainer
- Masher
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring spoons and cups
Natural Egg Dyes for Easter Eggs
Pink Eggs: Easter Eggs Dyed with Beets
Blue/Purple Eggs: Easter Eggs Dyed with Blackberries
Yellow Eggs: Easter Eggs Dyed with Turmeric
Brown/Orange Eggs: Easter Eggs Dyed with Black Tea
FAQ
Absolutely! I'd actually encourage you to use both white and brown eggs because you'll get completely different results depending on which eggs you use. The brown eggs often result in deeper, richer colors while the white eggs tend to be more pastel. You can also make endless shades of the basic colors depending on how long you soak the eggs in the liquid dye.
Yes. The acid in vinegar causes a reaction that makes the dyes actually stick to the eggshells. The amount of vinegar will vary from recipe-to-recipe, but don't go overboard thinking more vinegar always equals more color. That's not true and too much vinegar can actually begin to dissolve the eggshells.
Of course! These are as safe, if not safer than, eggs dyed with artificial colors.
Pro Tips
- Make sure you follow the instructions and use the appropriate amount of vinegar for each recipe.
- All recipes require that you allow the eggs to dry after you color them. You'll want to place them on a cooling rack or on paper towels and allow them to dry for 10-15 minutes, then flip them and replace the paper towels to let the underside dry as well.
- Don't try to dye boiled eggs that have cracked. You'll just end up with a mess 🙂
- Each of the recipes I've shared will dye at least a dozen eggs, but likely much more than that! Just do them in small batches.
- You can get almost any desired color or shade, depending on how long you let the eggs rest in the dye. For all of my recipes, I did them for 8 hours. But you can get lighter colors in shorter amounts of time or possibly deepened the colors with longer soaking times.
- For some recipes that require boiling your ingredients for longer periods of time, you can start with raw eggs and boil them with the ingredients (such as the beet dye or the blackberry dye).
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