How to Make All Natural Dye for Easter Eggs

You can use many natural ingredients to make your egg dyes this Easter season. Making natural dyes is an art form, not necessarily a science. It is fun to experiment with different materials to see what you can create.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Boiled eggs
• Various natural materials
• Sauce pan
• Water
• Slotted spoon or wire egg holder
• Strainer or cheesecloth
• Glass containers
• White vinegar

Get Eggs Ready

1. Boil your eggs for ten minutes. When the eggs are cool enough to touch, wash the outside of the egg in warm soapy water, which will help the color adhere to the eggs by removing oily residue on the shell.

2. Place one-to-three handfuls of the suggested material for each color you choose to make into a pan unless using spices.

3. Add about one cup of water for each handful of suggested material and bring the mixture to a boil. If using spices or juice, add a small amount at a time to the water until you achieve the color desired.

4. Simmer the mixture for about fifteen minutes to an hour or until the desired color has been obtained. The dyed eggs will be lighter than the color in the pan, so if you would like to add more material, do so and continue to boil.

5. Let the mixture cool down a bit and then strain the material with a fine strainer or cheesecloth into a glass container large enough to add your eggs. Add two-to-three teaspoons of white vinegar into each dye liquid and mix.

6. Lower the eggs into the mixture with a slotted spoon or wire egg holder from a store-bought egg dying kit. Leave the eggs sitting in the mixture until you are satisfied with the color.

7. Lift the eggs out with the spoon or holder and set them on a rack or drainer to dry.

Make Dye Colors

8. Make orange with yellow onion skins.

9. Put spinach leaves into the sauce pan to create a pale green or yellow delicious apple peels to make a greenish gold color.

10. Make yellow with orange or lemon peelings or carrot tops. You can also use a small amount of celery seed or ground cumin instead.

11. Add fresh beets, cranberries, radishes, or frozen raspberries to the pan to make a fuchsia color.

12. Make blue with red cabbage leaves or canned blueberries.

13. Create a brownish gold with a small amount of dill seeds and a brownish orange with some chili powder. You can also make a beige or brown color with strong brewed coffee.

14. Add some beet juice or purple or red grape juice to the boiling water to create a grey color.

Tips & Warnings

• You can rub eggs with cooking oil or mineral oil after they have been dyed and are dry to give them a soft shine.
• Don't pour dyes into plastic bowls, as the plastic can become stained.