Natural Egg Dye Recipes & Edible Egg Decorations.

Mila Myk
by Mila Myk
9 Materials
$5
50 Minutes
Easy
How to color eggs naturally, this Easter!
Natural egg dye recipes & edible egg decorations.
If you don’t want to use chemical dyes to color your Easter eggs, you can scavenge your kitchen to find all natural dyes! It’s safe, easy, and cheap! And the best thing? Eggs colored that way are safe to eat, so no food goes to waste!


Natural egg dyes you can find in your kitchen:
Turmeric: 3 tablespoons of turmeric = yellow
Onion-skin: 3 or 4 cups of onion skins = light brown or orange
Coffee: 3-4 tablespoons of black coffee  = brown
Red cabbage: 1 head of red cabbage (chopped) + 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate soda = green


Clockwise from top left; coffee dye, turmeric dye, red cabbage and bicarbonate soda dye, onion skin dye:


Rest of the ingredients:
1 liter of water
2 tablespoons of vinegar
small leaves or flower blossoms (optional)
nylon stockings (optional)
olive oil (optional)


Instructions:
Pour 1 liter of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar into the pot. Add dye of your choice.
Turmeric dye in action :)
Please note: Add 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate soda to cabbage & vinegar & water mix if you're going for green. When you add the soda, water will turn blue, then green:
When you add bicarbonate soda, water will tur
Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20/30 minutes. Set pot aside to cool. In the meantime, wash your eggs carefully, to make sure dye covers them evenly. Use a spoon to place eggs in the pot (immerse them entirely in the colorful, cooled water). Bring water to a boil again and simmer for another 20/30 minutes. Because egg bottoms touch the pot, rotate them whilst cooking to prevent water stains. If you happy with the result, remove eggs from the pot, set them aside to cool (preferably on a cooling rack or on paper towels), and then polish them with some olive oil. If you want even stronger color, cool the whole pot (colorful water & eggs), and then refrigerate it overnight.


If you want a pattern on your egg, neatly wrap it in a nylon stocking and place small leaves or flower blossoms between egg surface and stocking. You can reposition leaves to create a pattern of your choice. Remember to tie a tight knot at the top before placing egg in the water.
Cook as instructed above. After cooking, leave to cool with a stocking on. Remove stocking after egg has completely dried.


Pattern up close:
Happy Easter Crafting!
Suggested materials:
  • Eggs   (supermarket)
  • Onions   (supermarket)
  • Red cabbage   (supermarket)
See all materials
Mila Myk
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Jan Moore Jan Moore on May 18, 2021

    Could you use this on fake eggs? I would like an arrangement (bowl) to use year round.

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