Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

I love the look of rustic and natural. Easter eggs dyed with vegetables and spices have a muted color – and occasionally marbled. Sometimes you get exactly the color you were going for and sometimes you get surprised. Either way, it’s fun to do and the eggs come out beautiful!

The color egg you start with will affect the color you end up with. Brown eggs give a more muted look while white eggs are brighter.

Want to try it yourself? Keep reading and I’ll explain how I did it.

Making the Dye and Dying the Eggs

Start with clean, hard cooked eggs. Make sure they are dry.

Prepare your dyes by boiling the color agent with just a bit of salt.

The longer you boil, the deeper the intensity of the color.

Using a jar or other glass container for each color, add about 1 Tablespoon of white distilled vinegar and two cups of the dye liquid. Add eggs and let sit 10 to 24 hours. The longer they eggs sit, the darker the color becomes. I let mine sit over night – about 10 hours.

Remove the eggs from the liquid

and allow to dry completely. Do not wipe them.

Once they are dry, put a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil in your hand and

gently rub it all over the egg. Let it sit a minute or two, then wipe off with a paper towel. And that’s all there is to it! Beautiful, natural Easter eggs!

Here are the colors:

Red – they say beets make red. I found them to be more purple. Raspberries made a nice reddish pink. Other options include hibiscus flower, elderberries, cherries or sumac berries. I’ve read that avocado will dye things red, but I’ve never tried it and I’m not sure what the chemistry of it is.

Blue – purple cabbage. Dried black beans are also a blue.

Yellow – Turmeric (1 Tablespoon of powder or the root)

Orange – yellow onion skins.

Purple – grape juice (or beets)

Green – Spinach

Whatever you choose to dye your eggs with, be absolutely sure it is food grade and not poisonous. Some of the things used to dye fabrics may be natural but are toxic and should not be used on eggs.

So get out your veggies, boil some eggs and have fun experimenting with naturally dyed Easter eggs.