Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Who knew that Easter egg dye kits are only an American phenomenon.  Hondurans don’t dye Easter eggs.  Most have never heard of such a thing.  So…they obviously don’t sell stuff for dying Easter eggs in the stores.  I didn’t realize this until it was too late to buy a box on Amazon, so it was either deprive my poor girl of an Easter tradition, or get a little creative.  I have made all natural food coloring when I wanted to make pink pancakes, after reading horror stories about how harmful food coloring is, so I figured it would be pretty easy to come up with a few other colors.

After a quick trip to the store and a rummage through the refrigerator and pantry, we were in business.

The color of the liquid dye is a bit deceiving.

Some of my experiments worked perfectly.  Others, not exactly as I had imagined.  But I love that they all look so different.  The uniqueness of each egg and the length of time the eggs were in the dye made a beautiful variety of colors.

I can’t get enough of them.  I almost want to dye all the eggs we buy from the store every week.  Colored eggs would be such a cheery start to my morning.

Colored eggs and blueberry-stained, chubby fingers…is there anything better?

If you want to try it, below are the ingredients I used.  I took each ingredient and boiled it in a small pot for about 10 minutes with the salt.  Then I poured the liquid dye into mason jars and added vinegar and the hard boiled eggs.  Some eggs were in the dye for a few hours, and others stayed overnight (in the fridge).  The most vibrant colors were from the cabbage, blueberries and turmeric.  The spinach really didn’t do as well as I hoped.  Maybe it was just the variety of spinach available here?  I will try it again with good old American spinach next year.  Also, the eggs that were in the beet dye for just an hour or two came out a nice light pink.  Those that soaked overnight turned a very pretty, earthy, pinkish-brown.  I definitely recommend trying it out with a small disclaimer… it is not as easy and quick as dropping the little tablet in hot water and adding vinegar.  Even though it took a while, it was fun, and if you are planning on eating the eggs, wouldn’t you rather have some beets or spinach seep into your egg instead of artificial colors?

To dye your eggs BLUE:
-2 cups chopped purple cabbage
-2 cups water
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

To dye your eggs GREYISH-BLUE:
-2-3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
-2 cups water
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

To dye your eggs PINK:
-1 beet, chopped into small chunks
-2 cups water
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

To dye your eggs BROWN:
-2 cups of strongly brewed coffee
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

To dye your eggs ORANGE:
-1-2 tablespoons paprika
-2 cups water
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

To dye your eggs YELLOW:
-1-2 tablespoons turmeric
-2 cups water
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

To dye your eggs GREEN:
-3 cups chopped spinach
-2 cups water
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon vinegar

I would love to hear about your experiences if you try it out!  What ingredients worked best for you?  Any disappointments?  Do any of you have these beautiful wood eggs from Etsy?  I think I might have to have them next year.

*Update* – Check out the ombre version of these naturally colored eggs here.