Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs are so easy to make, and such a fun way to involve kids in the kitchen and use their imagination. The best part is that you can eat the eggs after so that there is no waste!
I have been curious to try this for years and finally got around to making these. It was like a big science experiment; some things worked, and some were a flop!
I approached it with a bit of common sense – if it will stain my hands or clothes (ahem turmeric), it is bound to stain an egg, yes? That logic seemed to prevail, and was true most of the time. Matcha tea didn’t really do anything for instance, much to my surprise.
The Equipment
I used quart-sized canning jars for this as they have a tight-fitting lid and were a great size to hold the eggs and liquid and still have the liquid covering the eggs (important). We decided to pre-boil the eggs so that they were perfectly boiled first (7-10 minutes depending on how well cooked you like your eggs). I think you could get a slightly more pigmented result by cooking the boiled eggs in the ‘solution’ first to your liking BUT the risk is that you will overcook your eggs as they will be left sitting in the solution.
I found that, when I removed the eggs from the solution, they were VERY dark and pigmented, and some of them were blotchy. I was totally ok with that, but curiosity got the best of me and I rinsed a couple of them under running water and voila, a perfect pastel egg! Now THAT is more my jam.
Each jar will hold 2 to 3 eggs – multiply the recipe depending on how many eggs you want to colour (of each specific colour). I used white eggs but brown will work as well, it will just yield a darker colour.
To Make Natural Easter Eggs You Will Need
- quart-sized canning jar for each colour desired
- slotted spoon (that fits in the jar, or a regular spoon will work)
- old towel or rag
- cooling rack
- eggs
- white vinegar
- colouring agent (see below)
Tips for Making Natural Easter Eggs
One last thing, we added a tablespoon of regular white vinegar to each of the solutions before boiling to help set the colour which I recommend. I think my favourite one was the red cabbage one, it was such a pretty blue (which was crazy, I expected purple) and the prettiest hue!
Be careful with the turmeric if you are using this, it stains like crazy (quartz countertops included). I set an old towel underneath my wire rack for catching any drips before taking the eggs out of the solution: you will want to do the same.
To Make the Eggs
For each colour listed below, fill a small pot with 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and one of the following (you can do as many as you want in separate pots).
- BLUE: 3 cups grated red cabbage
- PURPLE: 2 1/2 cups blueberry juice or Concord grape juice (don’t add any water)
- PINK: 2 cups grated fresh beets
- YELLOW: 2 teaspoons ground dried turmeric
- ORANGE: 2 1/2 cups fresh carrot juice (don’t add water)
- GREEN: 1/4 cup chlorophyll (I bought mine at a health food store)
- GREEN: 1 cup fresh spinach juice
- BROWN: 4 black (orange pekoe) tea bags
- Bring to a low boil, add the eggs, and cook for 7-10 minutes depending on how well-cooked you like your eggs.
- Remove from the heat, carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon to a cooling rack, and pour the remaining solution into the canning jar.
- Once the solution has cooled down to be closer to room temperature, add the eggs back into the jar, cover, and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
- When ready to serve (or hide), remove the eggs with a slotted spoon carefully to a cooling rack. If desired, rinse the eggs under water to remove excess stain so that they are more of a pastel colour.
Happy Easter my friends, I hope you are able to share loads of fun with your family including all the giggles, good food and a bit of chocolate too!
xo
Tori
PS: for more Easter fun, check out our latest or to make entertaining simple, head over to see our Easter Dinner Menu (complete with a printable menu and hostess work back schedule)!
