If you celebrate Easter by dyeing eggs, skip the store-bought dye packs and try something different: herbs and food! Egg dyeing is a fun activity for all ages, and can be a great learning opportunity when it comes to natural, chemical-free ingredients.
If you’ve never used herbs or food to dye eggs before, be prepared for more natural tones instead of the bright colors commercial dyes give you. What better way to honor the arrival of spring and the beauty of nature than with natural earth tones?
Here are a few all-natural ways to dye your eggs this Easter:
Dyeing Instructions:
- After hard boiling your eggs, bring each dye ingredient to a boil with 2 cups of water.
- Strain the dyes into cups and allow to cool.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to each cup of dye.
- Dye eggs as you normally would – dip into desired dye until fully submerged. Allow to sit until the desired color is reached, longer for a deeper color.
- If the dye doesn’t darken as much as you’d like, set the cup with the dye and the egg in the refrigerator for several hours.
- For the best, vibrant results, carefully dry eggs after dyeing and rub with a little oil to polish them.
Ingredients:
- Pink: 2 cups chopped beets
- Purple: 1 cup frozen blueberries
- Red: 1 cup red onion skins (can also make lavender depending on time)
- Yellow: 2 tablespoons turmeric, ½ cup dried marigolds, goldenrod, or cosmos, or a handful of carrot tops
- Gold: Handful of yellow onion skins
- Blue: 2 cups chopped red cabbage or a handful of woad
- Green: Handful of coaltsfoot
- Brown: 2 tablespoons coffee grounds or 4 black tea bags
These ingredients can be used to dye both white and brown eggs. Colors will vary depending on the egg you use.