Easter Eggs Dyed with Kitchen Scraps!

Let’s Welcome Spring with Bold Colors

Happy Spring!! The tulips and daffodils are blooming, the birds have a happy tone in their song and the sun is shining earlier in the morning and longer into the evening. This time of year is so special because new life is budding and blooming all around! And what better way to celebrate than with gorgeous colored eggs!? It’s the ideal way to get a bright pop of color while maintaining a solid protein intake. When I was a kid, we would dye Easter eggs with the boxed mix of dye tablets and stickers. But now, we can level up our spring decorations with Easter eggs dyed naturally with kitchen scraps! With natural dye, you can still achieve gorgeous bold colors without any chemicals, so they are safe to eat and super kid-friendly to make!

Color Options for Dyes

In order to dye eggs four gorgeous colors naturally, I used a leftover beet that I wanted to boil to eat, the last tiny bit of turmeric in a spice bottle, onion skins, and the remaining quarter of a red cabbage after I made Thai-style tacos.

Beets = Purple
Turmeric = Yellow
Onion Skins = Orange
Red Cabbage = Blue

There are a plethora of other food scraps you could use to dye eggs as well like avocados, blueberries or tea!

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally

Dyeing eggs naturally is even more simple than peeling a hard boiled egg. Just throw some kitchen scraps in a pot with water and a tablespoon of vinegar. Let it all boil for half an hour. Then let it cool and soak the eggs in the dye until they’re the desired color you like!

1. Hard boil a dozen eggs

1. Place a dozen eggs in a large pot and fill the pot with water to fully cover all the eggs. Put it on the stove top and bring to a boil.
2. Once it reaches a rapid boil, turn off the heat and remove the egg-filled pot from the stove top. Let sit, covered with the lid, for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the water and let the eggs sit out to dry and cool completely.

2. Dye a few eggs purple

1. In a saucepan, add:
   – 6 cups of water
   – 1 peeled and chopped beet (or more if you want to boil some beets to eat later)
   – 1 Tbsp white vinegar
2. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Add a few hard boiled eggs and the purple dye into a jar or air-tight container and let the eggs steep for 10 minutes to 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.

3. Dye a few eggs yellow

1. In a saucepan, add:
   – 6 cups of water
   – 1 tsp turmeric
   – 1 Tbsp white vinegar
2. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Add a few hard boiled eggs and the yellow dye into a jar or air-tight container and let the eggs steep for 10 to 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.

4. Dye a few eggs orange

1. In a saucepan, add:
   – 6 cups of water
   – ½ cup onion skins (skins from about three to four onions)
   – 1 Tbsp white vinegar
2. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Add a few hard boiled eggs and the orange dye into a jar or air-tight container and let the eggs steep for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.

5. Dye a few eggs blue

1. In a saucepan, add:
   – 6 cups of water
   – 1 to 2 cups sliced red cabbage
   – 1 Tbsp white vinegar
2. Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Add a few hard boiled eggs and the blue dye into a jar or air-tight container and let the eggs steep for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.