How to Make All-Natural Easter Egg Dyes and Designs

You can create chemical-free dyes that will give your eggs a unique look this spring using ingredients you probably have around the house.

By: Ryan Reed

Show: HGTV Handmade

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Photo By: Cassidy Garcia

Photo By: H. Camille Smith

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

We're big fans of natural egg dyes and with Easter right around the corner, we tested several expiring vegetables, herbs, spices and teas to see which ones make beautifully colored Easter eggs.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Give Pantry Items a Second Life

Natural egg dyes are a great way to make use of the leftover produce wilting away in your crisper or spices and teas that have lost their potency. Your eggs will get a rustic look that's hard to achieve with store-bought dyes. We recommend beginning this project no more than two to three days before you want to use the eggs for your holiday. Since you're using organic ingredients, there are no preservatives and they won't keep for too long. Eggs and dye will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Hard Boil Your Eggs

To get started, hard boil as many eggs as you would like to dye. A full-proof way to do this is to fill a pan with eggs and then pour cold water into the pan about an inch taller than the eggs. Bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes. Immediately after, put the eggs in an ice bath and let them cool. Following these steps will ensure that you can eat your eggs after the dyeing process. The USDA recommends leaving eggs at room temperature for no more than 2 hours and consuming hard-boiled eggs within one week.

Blueberries (Blue, Teal, Seafoam)

2 cups blueberries
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

This dye will turn your eggs beautiful shades of blue depending on how long you leave them to soak. A full 24 hours will give the eggs a darker color. Leave the eggs in the dye for at least 10 to 20 minutes to see a color change.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Beet Powder (Pink)

1/2 cup beet powder
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

We tried traditional beets and the result was a dull brown color. Since you can buy brown eggs already, we recommend using beet powder, which is a lot more pigmented. You still won't get a vibrant pink color using the dehydrated beets but we think you'll like the light rose color.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Hibiscus Petals (Blue)

1/2 cup hibiscus petals
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

You can use all kinds of flower petals to make egg dye, but we used hibiscus petals because they're easy to find at your local grocery store. We were pleasantly surprised by the color of the dye, which left the eggs a pretty blue color.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Matcha Powder (Yellow)

1/2 cup matcha powder
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

Matcha powder is all the rage right now. We thought the vibrant green color would turn the eggs the same color, but instead we got a bright yellow, perfect for Easter.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Turmeric (Gold, Yellow)

2 tbs. turmeric
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

You can find turmeric in the spice aisle of your local grocery story and it makes for a great natural Easter egg dye. Soaking your eggs for approximately 20 to 30 minutes will give you the lightest color but we recommend leaving your eggs in the dye overnight for the darkest shade.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Onion (Rust Red, Burnt Orange)

8 onion peels
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

After boiling the onion peels, you should get a very interesting orange color dye. That gorgeous shade transfers beautifully to the eggs, leaving a rust red and burnt orange effect depending on how long you let them soak.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Cabbage (Blue)

2 cups chopped cabbage
4 cups water
2 Tbs. vinegar
Boil, simmer and strain.

Who would have thought purple cabbage would turn eggs blue? Try to color your eggs various shades of blue by leaving them in the dye for an hour, a few hours and overnight.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Parsley (Green)

We discovered that dye made from parsley does absolutely nothing to change the color of eggs. So, save it for soup and try this instead:

2-4 Tbs. turmeric dye
2-4 Tbs. blueberry dye
4 cups water

If you want green eggs, combine the turmeric and blueberry dyes. As you know, blue and yellow make green. This isn't an exact science and everyone's preference is different. Start with 2 tablespoons of each dye and add up to 4 tablespoons each to reach the desired coloring.

Watch the Video: The Best Natural Egg Dye Recipes

Tea-Dyed Easter Eggs

Did you know that you can make egg dye using a variety of different teas? We have the simple how-to article right here and make sure you check out the tip on how to blow out the egg yolk so you can keep your masterpieces well past Easter.

Get the How-To: How to Make Natural Tea-Dyed Easter Eggs

Inspired By Nature

Use plants from your garden to give your eggs an all-natural look. This gallery will show you how to wrap flowers, leaves and other natural objects to the outside of the shell for a unique effect to go with your eco-friendly egg dye.

The Perfect Easter Centerpiece

What good are all of these beautifully colored eggs if you can't display them every spring? This gallery walks you through the egg preservation process, more natural dye examples and how to create your own stunning Easter centerpiece.

Start Decorating: Naturally Dyed Easter Egg Vase

Shiny Secret

Notice anything different about these eggs? The chestnut coloring and nature prints really pop thanks to one secret. As this how-to article explains, rub each egg with a tiny drop of vegetable oil to give your eggs a polished look.

Marbleized Easter Eggs

With just 1 tablespoon of olive oil, all-natural food coloring and a few other ingredients, you can give your Easter eggs a marbleized look that's almost museum quality. Check out the how-to article to learn how to add a multicolor effect.

Get the How-To: How to Dye Marbleized Easter Eggs

From: H. Camille Smith

Let's Eat!

Don't forget the best part about decorating Easter eggs ... eating them! Hard-boiled eggs are synonymous with spring and we have the perfect recipe. Eat them as-is or add to a salad for a delicious and healthy meal.

Time for Lunch: Deviled Eggs Three Ways

How to Make All-Natural Easter Egg Dyes and Designs

Related To:

Shop This Look

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Give Pantry Items a Second Life

Hard Boil Your Eggs

Blueberries (Blue, Teal, Seafoam)

Beet Powder (Pink)

Hibiscus Petals (Blue)

Matcha Powder (Yellow)

Turmeric (Gold, Yellow)

Onion (Rust Red, Burnt Orange)

Cabbage (Blue)

Parsley (Green)

Tea-Dyed Easter Eggs

Inspired By Nature

The Perfect Easter Centerpiece

Shiny Secret

Marbleized Easter Eggs

Let's Eat!

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