Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Filed in archive Holidays on March 18, 2008

Almost every kitchen is stocked with ingredients to make beautifully colored, naturally dyed easter eggs. Ingredients from your freezer, spice cupboard, pantry and fridge will create a rainbow of colors.

For blue, use red cabbage leaves or canned blueberries
For pale red, try whole, fresh beets, cherries, frozen raspberries or cranberries
For light green, use spinach leaves or fresh green herbs
For green-gold, try Yellow Delicious apple peels
For tan/light brown, brew some strong coffee or tea
For pale yellow, use lemon peels, celery seed or a handful of cumin seeds
For brighter yellow to orange, use turmeric or yellow onion skins
For olive green, use red onion skins (the color is produced when it reacts with the vinegar)
For purple, use grape juice or frozen blueberries




The dying process is an easy one. Experiment and have fun with this! And remember that even natural ingredients can stain clothing!

Put the number of eggs you would like for one color in a single layer in a pan and pour in water until the eggs are covered.
Add about a teaspoon of vinegar.
Add the ingredient to achieve the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use.)
Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the eggs and cool in a bowl.
Your Easter eggs are done!

If you want your eggs to be more intensely colored, remove the eggs from the liquid and strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight.