Learn how to naturally dye eggs for Easter with this fun and easy technique which kids will enjoy helping with.

Naturally Dye Eggs for Easter

If you are looking to dye eggs this Easter without food colouring and the nasties that can be found it them, you will find that you probably have lots of natural food dyes in your pantry or fridge. Naturally dyeing eggs is quite a lengthy process, though not difficult. A lot depends on the tone of colour you want for your eggs. Using blueberries to dye eggs create the most gorgeous colour!

To dye eggs naturally, you will need:

boiled eggs
1 tablespoon of vinegar for each colour you are going to make
water
a bowl and spoon for each colour

For the colours, some ideas are:

Blue

Red cabbage leaves
Blueberries
Blackberries
Hibiscus Tea

Red

Beetroot
Raspberries

Yellow / Green

Spinach
Parsley
Kale
Matcha Tea
Green Tea

Brown

brewed coffee

Orange / Yellow

Brown / Yellow onion skins
Turmeric
Orange skins

Dye with Brewed Coffee

To dye eggs brown with brewed coffee, place the number of eggs you want brown in a jar. Pour over brewed coffee until the eggs are completely covered. Cover the jar and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, carefully remove the eggs and transfer to a wire cooling rack, allowing to cool completely before touching.

Preparing the Dye using Vegetables and Spices

If you are using vegetables, wash and dry and cut up into small pieces.

Place 2 cups of water, 1 TBSP of vinegar and the selected vegetable or spice into a medium saucepan.

Bring to the boil over medium-heat.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the dye into a large jug through a fine mesh strainer.

Dyeing the Eggs

To dye the eggs, place the number of eggs you want in the particular colour into a jar. Pour the strained dye over the eggs until they are completely covered. Cover the jars and place in the fridge overnight. If you want a lighter colour, you can check them after a few hours.

When finished dyeing, carefully remove the eggs from the dye and transfer to a wire cooling rack, allowing to cool completely before touching.

Notes

Be very careful when removing your eggs from the jars. Some of the dyes may leave a file over the eggs which can be easily scratched off.

You will need at least 1 cup of vegetables and about 2 Tablespoons of spices to get a good colour.

Red cabbage makes lovely blue eggs!

While brown onion skins make a lovely orange coloured egg.

STEM Activity

Allow the children to guess the colors the eggs will be after dying with the different vegetables.
Expand the activity by purchasing different fruits and vegetables to see which colours can be created.

How to Naturally Dye Eggs

If you are looking to dye eggs this Easter without food colouring and the nasties that can be found it them, you will find that you probably have lots of natural food dyes in your pantry or fridge.

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Equipment

jar and spoon for each colour
strainer

Ingredients

boiled eggs
water
1 TBSP white vinegar, for each colour

Blue - Choose One

Red cabbage leaves
Blueberries
Blackberries
Hibicus Tea

Red - Choose One

Beetroot
Raspberries

Green / Yellow - Choose One

Spinach
Parsley
Kale
Matcha Tea

Orange / Yellow - Choose One

Brown / Yellow Onion Skins
Turmeric
Orange Skins

Brown

Brewed Coffee