Is it just me or does it seem like Easter is arriving super early this year? I’m totally ready for it because it means spring is officially here with warmer weather, flowers blooming, and bees buzzing!
Have you ever tried to dye your Easter eggs with natural items you might already have in your pantry? If you’re looking for a safe, easy, and fun way to dye eggs naturally for the holiday, look no further because I have you covered!
Here’s the basic recipe:
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons table salt
Bring this to a boil and add the following to make these colors:
- 1 cup raw beets, roughly chopped
- 1 cup red onion skins
- 2 tablespoons turmeric
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 small head red cabbage, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons sumac
- 2 tablespoons granulated espresso powder
- 2 tablespoons saffron
And here are a few tips that I learned through my own experiments in trying to achieve the most beautiful natural color possible:
- 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 below) 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!
Click here to learn how to cook your boiled eggs perfectly EVERY TIME!
Have fun with your experiments and Happy Easter!
The post How To Naturally Dye Easter Eggs appeared first on Green Thumb White Apron.
I absolutely love this post. Will share it with my readers for sure!
Thanks so much Natalya — feel free to share away! I’m so happy I’ve got a new blog to stalk — I’m looking forward to making that Chocolate Hazelnut Cake! 🙂
love this idea. I have seen this done just not seen so many colors. I could do all those colors except saffron that is really pricy to dye eggs with
Thanks so much Diane! You’re right — saffron is terribly expensive but I was lucky enough to get a lot for only $1 from a market that was going out of business. How’s that for a bargain?!? 🙂
A Russian lady from my work does the red onion skin one every orthodox catholic Easter. She puts an egg in the toe of clean nylons with leaves, usually parsley I think, tucked between. Then she ties it tight, and does another egg and so on. She puts the whole chain in the pot. I think you can visualize the effect when she cuts it all open. I keep meaning to try it. I want to do that red cabbage and see that blue!
Making now! Added some matcha to the spinach mixture because I had some on hand and it made the color much more deep than it was with the spinach. Hoping for a great turnout! Thanks for the post <3