Hello!

Gearing up for Orthodox Easter on May 5th,  which coincides with Cinco De Mayo. Sharing favorite all-natural egg dye ingredients, with an upcoming addition of beets for a “red” hue. I hope you enjoy this post and recipe for an all-natural way to dye eggs. 

I worked as a hairstylist for more than two decades, and I had a passion for experimenting with hair colors, often blending two shades to achieve a specific hue. Remember the color wheel? To create a “green” shade, you combine yellow and blue. For a visual example, refer to the chart provided below. Let this be your reference to assist you in crafting various colors.

Remember that while all-natural ingredients are effective, they may leave lines or marks on your eggs. I appreciate the imperfect appearance they create, which aligns perfectly with my desired outcome.

Read notes for more!  

All Natural Ingredients & Colors

• White- grey with specs = Blood orange juice (1 cup) + 2 cups of chopped carrots
• Yellow: 1/4 cup of turmeric powder
• Yellow-Green: 1/2 cup of matcha powder
• Green: Add the eggs inside the yellow dye then the blue dye. This will make a lovely green hue.
• Blue: 2 cups of red cabbage chopped.
• Purple-blue: 2 cups of blueberries + cabbage
• Orange:  2 cups of yellow onion peels
• Red: 2 cups of red onion peels
• Brown: 2 cups of pomegranate seeds or ground coffee

I haven’t explored the beautiful leaf decoration yet, so that will be the next thing I try with the beets. I will include updates for more to come.

All Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipe

• 1 dozen hard-boiled white eggs with peel on
• 2 cups of water to mix with the all-natural ingredient
• Distilled white vinegar
• Vegetable or grapeseed oil
• Large containers to store the dye and eggs

Method:

Decide what ingredient you want to use for the all-natural dye. I will use cabbage as the first ingredient. Roughly chop the cabbage and then add 2 cups to a pot along with the water. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. I loved the deep purple hue of the cabbage, so I cooked mine for about 30-33 minutes.

Be sure to test the color to make sure you like it, then remove it from heat. Pour the liquid over a strainer with a bowl underneath. Let the dye come to room temperature. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the liquid. Add the eggs to the container of choice and then pour over the liquid. Make sure it covers the eggs. Refrigerate the eggs inside the container overnight. When you reach the desired color, remove the eggs from the liquid and let them dry with a paper towel. Gently polish the eggs with oil. Place the eggs back into the refrigerator until ready to use. You can place them inside an egg carton.

Repeat the process while using the all-natural ingredients above.

Notes:

Kindly wear gloves while handling turmeric and be mindful of your work surface as turmeric powder can stain. Consider using old newspapers in your work area to avoid any mess.

If you aim for perfectly colored eggs, handle them with care. Avoid rubbing the eggs with oil too vigorously. I made that mistake, and it caused the color to come off, leaving the eggs unevenly colored. Patience and a gentle touch are key to achieving the best results.

In this batch, I used white eggs. I’ve tried brown eggs in the past, but I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome. Ensure that your eggs are boiled and prepared to be dyed.

After cooking the eggs, allow them to cool before dyeing. To achieve a deeper color, try dipping the eggs in the dye three times. Leave the eggs in the chosen color container and handle them carefully to avoid cracking.

I experimented with spinach, but the outcome was not to my liking. Adding blood orange and carrot did not significantly alter the egg color. On the other hand, my favorite natural ingredients for dyeing are red onion peels, cabbage, and beets.

Enjoy and have fun exploring the all-natural egg dye. 

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