Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes that Really Work

Dying Easter eggs is something my family loves to do every year. 

My kids and I don't eat artificial food coloring, though, so it doesn't make sense to dye Easter eggs with a product that will mean we won't want to eat the eggs anymore! 

Dying Easter eggs naturally isn't hard - although it does take a little bit more time than dying eggs with the kits from the store. 

Try coloring your Easter eggs naturally this year with fruits, veggies, spice and even coffee!

You and your kids will love how much fun it is to combine science with Easter egg decorating!

Making natural Easter egg dyes is easy and you will love thinking up new ways to dye eggs that I didn't even list here!

If you have success with a particular way to dye eggs naturally, pop into the Creative Green Living Tribe on Facebook and let us know!

How to Make Natural Easter Egg Dye
with fruits, vegetables, and spices

Natural Easter Egg Dye Supplies

Some of the links below may be affiliate links. 

Note: There are lots of different ways you can make natural Easter egg dye. See what's in your fridge or what's on sale at the grocery store!

Here are some common foods used to make natural egg dying solutions:

• Beets - for pink or red eggs
• Turmeric - for yellow or deep gold eggs
• Red cabbage - for blue or greenish eggs
• Dry onion skins - for reddish brown
• Acai powder - for dark brown
• Coffee - for dark brown
• Spirulina powder - for a subtle light green

In addition to the fruits, veggies or spices, you will also need:

• Hard-boiled white shelled eggs*
• Mason jars
• Small stainless steel pot
• White vinegar
• White salt

*While I keep my own chickens, I had difficulty getting the dyes to permeate the shells of the fresh eggs because the bloom was still intact (even after trying to scrub it off!).

Try scrubbing your fresh eggs in hot water or use store-bought eggs for this purpose as the bloom will have been removed during the packaging process.

How to make a natural Easter egg dye

Regardless of what vegetable or spice base you use to make your dye, the procedure is basically the same:

To make natural egg dye from fresh vegetables (fresh beets, herbs, etc)

1) Add 2-3 cups roughly chopped vegetables or herbs to a stainless steel pot.

2) Cover chopped veggies with about 2 cups of water - or enough to just barely cover the vegetables or herbs.

3) Bring water to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes before straining out vegetable chunks.

4) Add 1-2 Tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt to the dye.

To make natural egg dye from spice and other powdered ingredients (turmeric powder, acai powder, spices etc)

1) Bring 1.5-2 cups of water to boil on the stove.

2) Mix in 1 Tbsp powdered spice or vegetable, 1 Tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt.

3) Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes before removing from heat.

How to dye Easter eggs with homemade natural dyes

To prepare eggs for dying, carefully place hard boiled eggs in mason jars (handle gently so they don't crack!). White egg shells will absorb the dye most readily so that is what I recommend.

Once your dye is prepared, pour the dye over the eggs in the mason jars.

Allow to set for at least an hour but for the most vibrant results, place the jars in the fridge once cool and allow to sit for 12-24 hours.

Pictures of naturally dyed Easter eggs

This pretty colbalt blue egg sat in a red cabbage dye bath for 12 hours and turned this vibrant blue color!

Enjoy!

About the Author:

Carissa Bonham is a lifelong crafter and mom of two creative boys. The owner and lead writer at Creative Green Living, she won the Craftys Award for the "Best Craft Blogger" category in 2016 and the ShiftCon award for "Best DIY Blogger" in 2018.

Her creative pursuits don't stop at crafts - she is also the author of the hardcover cookbook, Beautiful Smoothie Bowls (Skyhorse, 2017) and several ebooks. Her projects have been featured in magazines like Kids Crafts 1-2-3, Capper's Farmer and Urban Farm Magazine. Follow her on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter or join the Creative Green Living Tribe.

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