Natural Easter Egg Dye

There are more natural ways to color eggs than using the fizzy tablets we used as kids. You don’t have to run to the store to buy a kit or any special materials. Colorful veggies, fruits and spices all make nice dyes.

This year I experimented with what I could find in my kitchen. I used some slightly freezer-burned blueberries, raspberries and cranberries that I had in my freezer. I also had three carrots, a half bag of spinach and a lime that I thought might work.

I boiled each ingredient in a cup of water. After the color emerged, I drained the water and mixed in a tablespoon of vinegar. The vinegar will hold the color. I soaked each egg until the color took. The results were not as intense as those from artificial dyes but were softer shades of pastels.

The blueberries gave the richest color, an inky purple. Raspberries and cranberries combined made a soft pink. The spinach and lime made a pale yellow. I also tried a couple of teaspoons of paprika which colored the eggs tan.

It can be a trial and error in finding what works. I found out the carrots didn’t hold the best color. The longer you soak the egg the deeper the color. Be creative with what you have on hand. Beets and red cabbage will give more intense shades of red. Brown can be made from teas or onion skins (if you can stand the smell).

I need to give credit to my mom for all her help on this! We made a great team experimenting, photographing and writing this article.