Naturally Dye Easter Eggs – Recipes and Instructions

Easter is quickly approaching this year, rounding out the month of March instead of giving us more time to prepare for it in April. If you go to Target, get ready, the Easter stuff is already out, and if you are like me, you will go there for milk, and come home with chocolate eggs, a cute little Easter wreath for your front door and a few boxes of egg dye.

As I was unloading my bags, I thought, as I do every Easter, how it would be nice to not add so many artificial colors to what is healthy breakfast or protein filled snack for my kids. Every time I think about trying it, I log on to the computer at the last minute, overwhelmed by the complexity of it, opting instead to drop a simple tablet into some water and vinegar.

This year, I am going to be different! I will return my package(s) of egg dye, and try a natural way instead. I wanted to make it simple, and the simpler, the better. Let’s see if we can all get some naturally colored eggs going this Easter!

Here it is, broken down:

What you need to make Natural Egg Dye:

• 1 head of purple cabbage
• 1 package of cooked beets
• Bottle of turmeric
• 2 red onions
• 2 yellow onions
• White or Brown Organic Eggs (the color makes a difference-see below), boiled, cooled, and at room temperature
• White Vinegar
• Water
• Grapeseed (or other) oil

What you will get:

• Purple Cabbage Dye = Blue on White Eggs, Green on Brown Eggs
• Beet Dye = Pink on White Eggs, Maroon on Brown Eggs
• Turmeric Dye = Yellow Eggs on both
• Red Onion Dye = Lavender on White Eggs, Red on Brown Eggs
• Yellow Onion Dye = Orange on White Eggs, Rusty Red on Brown Eggs

Recipes for Natural Egg Dye:

Purple Cabbage Dye
Blue on White Eggs, Green on Brown Eggs

1. Chop Cabbage and use this formula for making the amount of dye you want: 1 cup cabbage + 1 cup water + 1 tablespoon white vinegar. 
2. Add cabbage and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Cool completely and strain liquid into a jar or bowl. Add vinegar. Stir.

Beet Dye
Pink on White Eggs, Maroon on Brown Eggs

1. Chop beets and use this formula: 1 cup of beets + 1 cup of water + 1 tablespoon white vinegar.  
2. Add beets water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Cool completely and strain liquid into a jar or bowl. Add vinegar. Stir.

Turmeric Dye
Yellow Eggs on both

1. To make your desired dye, follow this formula: 2 tablespoons turmeric + 1 cup of water +1 tablespoon white vinegar.
2. Add turmeric to water and whisk lightly. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover, lower the heat and simmer liquid for 30 minutes.
4. Cool completely,  and add vinegar. Stir.

Red Onion Dye
Lavender on White Eggs, Red on Brown Eggs
Yellow Onion Dye
Orange on White Eggs, Rusty Red on Brown Eggs

1. You are just going to be using the skins for this method, so peel those onions and save the actual onion in the fridge and use for dinner this week!
2. Follow this to make the dye:1 cup onion skins + 1 cup water +1 tbsp vinegar; add skins to water, and bring to a boil.
3. Turn down the heat, simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Strain, and cool completely. Add vinegar.

How to Naturally Dye Eggs:

1. Pour cooled dye with vinegar into a vessel that will allow your egg to be completely submerged in the dye, we used mason jars.
2. Place cooked, cooled and room temperature eggs into the liquid.
3. Refrigerate until the color is the color you want. You be the judge.
4. Once desired color is achieved, remove from the dye, dry off and polish with a little bit of oil and a paper towel.
5. Store eggs in the refrigerator and discard dye.

In regards to the color and length of time, you leave them in the dye, you can do an hour or you can do overnight. If you leave the eggs overnight the colors will be bold and vibrant. An hour or two will give you lighter colors but still very pretty and even more reminiscent of the pastel colors of the dye kits. Feel free to experiment with other foods and spices to achieve other colors too and let us know in the comments if you find something that works well!

What will everyone think?

A commonly asked question is do the eggs taste like the dye? We found this to be a yes and no question. Some dyes you could not taste the flavor at all. Others it might have been a slight taste difference. Don’t be discouraged if your child can detect a slight taste difference. You know them, they can sniff out any food changes at any time. They might even be more willing to give it a try if they participated in the process.

Give it a try! It is not as easy, and a little more time consuming than the commercial dye, but it is a lesson in other things with your kids. Making new healthy habits, cooking, and learning how to make create things naturally can be a fun learning experience.

Has your family tried to dye Easter eggs naturally? Let us know how it went in the comments below.

Find more Easter activities, recipes and more at Easter in Lake County.

Find more of Heather’s recipes at Girl and Her Kitchen.