How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally

I wrote a while back about making eco-friendly playdough with natural dyes. With Easter on its way, I thought I'd share about how to do the same with Easter Eggs.

This is not my picture! But it's cute, ain't it? kombuchakamp.com

Start with a boiled egg. Some people will also use the emptying method where you poke a needle hole in the top and bottom and blow the innards out. That works too, just make sure you wash the egg shell!

Then, the idea is to boil natural vegetables, etc. in a vinegar-water solution to create a natural dye.

First, choose what you'll use. Here's the awesome list from kombuchakamp.com (who inspired me to write this post!) -

Lavender

Small Amount of Purple Grape Juice + water Violet Flowers + 2 tsp Lemon Juice Hibiscus (~10-15 min only)

Violet Blue

Violet Flowers (no lemon juice) Red Onion Skins (B) Red Wine

Blue

Canned Blueberries Large Amount of Purple Grape Juice (~10 min) Red Cabbage Leaves (B)

Green

Large Amount of Spinach Leaves (B ~1hr) Fresh Basil (B)

Greenish Yellow

Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (B) Fresh Parsley (B)

Yellow

Chamomile (~10-20 min) Orange or Lemon Peels (B) Celery Seed (B) Ground Cumin (B) Ground Turmeric (B) Carrot Tops (B)

Golden Brown

Dill Seeds Jasmine Green Tea (~10-15 min)

Brown

Strong or Instant Coffee Black Walnut Shells (B) Darjeeling Black Tea (~10 min)

Orange

Yellow Onion Skins (B) Carrots (B ~1 hr) Paprika (~10 min) Chili Powder

Pink

Red Grape Juice Fresh Cranberries / Cranberry Juice Raspberries Beets/Juice from jar of Pickled Beets (~10-15min)

Red

Lots of Red Onions Skins (B ~30-45min) Canned Cherries with Juice Pomegranate Juice Raspberries

Place the item(s) you choose in a pot of water (2-3 cups) and boil. Some of the items give a recommended time, but in general about 20 minutes will do. You will see the colour leeching into the water.

Then strain it into a jar and add 2-3 Tablespoons of vinegar. 

There you have it! Natural dye!

To use, just dip the washed, rinsed and cooled egg in with a spoon. Soak it until it takes on the amount of colour you want (anywhere from a few seconds to overnight). 

Then take a photo and show me your skills!