Don’t rush the process — allowing the eggs to sit in the solution overnight allows the colors to deepen.
Don’t get me wrong, I think brown eggs are about the most perfect thing. Ever. But, I’m in Easter mode and thought it would be interesting to experiment with coloring egg shells with a few items I had on hand in the kitchen. I mean, I am a foodie after all and I love the relationship between food and science.
Just like spring, the humble egg has long been associated with rebirth and renewal — the circle of life. There are numerous theories of how the egg became a symbol of Easter and why we color them, but I can guarantee you it’s not because of a boxed kit of neon-colored-not from-nature-dyes.
My friend Michelle wanted a safe and easy way to color eggs with her little one, Audrey. This one’s for you!
It’s really quite easy and there’s no set recipe. Here are a few tips from what I learned:
- The addition of vinegar and salt helps to set the color so be sure to add those to the other ingredients of your choosing.
- Bring the water to a boil before adding your ingredients — I found this speeds up the process. Better yet, just boil your eggs in the solution!
- Don’t rush the process! Allowing the eggs to sit in the solution overnight yielded much deeper colors.
- To make the color pop even more, rub a small amount of olive oil over the dry, colored shells. This helps them to glisten and shine, enhancing the color.
- Both the dark blue and lighter blue in the picture above came from the same source. The difference was the amount of time they soaked in the solution.
- Your choice to leave the solids in or remove them: To achieve a mottled or marbled effect, leave the solids in the liquid. For a more even coloring, remove the solids before adding the eggs.
- In my experimenting, blueberries and pomegranate juice didn’t produce the colors I thought they would, but your results may be different if you try them.
- Saffron is terribly expensive but I lucked out and found a large quantity at a kitchen store on closeout so you might want check around at stores like Home Goods, Marshall’s, Tuesday Morning, and TJ Maxx because you never know what you might find to experiment with!
The amounts listed below are just suggestions — there is no right or wrong!
1 small head red cabbage, roughly chopped
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
1 raw red beets, roughly chopped
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
2 cups raw spinach
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons saffron
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons sumac
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons turmeric
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
1 cup red onion skins
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons granulated espresso powder
4 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons table salt
I hope you have as much fun experimenting as I did! Happy (almost!) Easter!
Click here to learn how to cook your boiled eggs perfectly EVERY TIME!
These are so beautiful! Thank you so much for posting this! The cabbage and spinach are stunning! I cannot wait to try with Audrey! How fun!
Awesome! And, thanks for the reminder to post this!
Just lovely and non-toxic! Thanks for the wonderful share.
Thanks so much Roberta!
These are just gorgeous, and remind me of when I was a child and used to color eggs with my mom who also used natural ingredients. And by the way, our family calls my mom the original Martha Stewart. She did all the Martha-type stuff way before they became a thing!
That’s awesome, Debbie! I hope to meet your mother one of these days!
Love these!! Have done onion skins before, but that blue red cabbage one is stunning!!! So pretty!! Thanks for all the great tips!
Thanks, Tina–have fun if you try this and remember the longer they can sit in the color bath, the deeper the color will be!
Love this, Brett. I hate using those little colored pellets. I lespecially ove the blue egg from the red cabbage.
Thanks, Kim! I totally agree–it’s amazing the color you can get from everyday items!
These are just beautiful! I agree, the red cabbage colored egg is stunning. Love the last picture ~ they look gorgeous in the basket. Martha Stewart, eat it your heart out! 🙂
Thanks, Julie! That blue from the cabbage really surprised me!
Rather cool Brett.
Thanks, Don–glad you like it!
Beautiful. I love the natural colors!
Thanks so much Denise–it was a fun project!
These are fabulous. Did you use white or brown eggs to start? If you used white, have you had luck coloring brown? I buy white every year at Easter , but it seems so silly since my chickens give me plenty of brown. I have tried coloring brown eggs with the kits, but haven’t had much luck.
Thanks so much Selina! First, I am TOTALLY jealous that you have chickens! I want them so badly and we’re hoping to build a coop this spring as part of a potting shed. I only used white eggs for this project but I imagine the darker colors might actually benefit from the brown eggs. Let me know how yours turn out!
I just made a try of the spinach with brown organic eggs – didn’t work. 🙁
Ooo I really want to try this – especially the spinach one. I wonder what else I can dye……
This is amazing! I love the colors, they are so much deeper than the store bought egg dyes. I love how they seem like adult Easter eggs ^.^
Спасибо, было интересно!! Я тоже попробовала куркуму и шафран и конечно луковую шелуху)))
HI, you can get a really clear, intense green from soaking the eggs in cold mate tea.
Thanks for the tip Kerstin–I’ll give it a try this year!
Do I mix all ingredients and then soak egg in overnight before actually cooking?
I would cook the eggs and then dye them. You can leave them in the dye solution in the fridge overnight. Alternately, boil them with the spinach (as an example) and then place the pot in the fridge. Remember: The more your use, the more vibrant the color will be! Happy Easter!
I love this idea- thanks! If we only want to make a few eggs- like one of each color, could we use less water? Ideally I will boil the eggs and then use mason jars of different colors/solutions. Good?
I’m doing now and my eggs are sitting in the dye. I noticed beet and tumeric are giving great color, golden beets are the palest yellow but my spinach is looking like an ugly brown. I’m wondering what I did wrong to not get such a gorgeous aqua color