All-Natural Easter Egg Dye Recipes for Cool, Earthy Hues
As a kid, I loved dyeing Easter eggs with my little brothers, Brendan and Kevin. My Mother would get us those PAAS tablets that come in a box and we’d make a mess dropping our eggs into tea cups with vinegar and water.
Time-honored traditions have a way of evolving.
I’ve discovered that the most beautiful, earthy hues come from common ingredients that can probably be found in your kitchen right now, such as vegetables, spices, and fruits. While the process will take you a bit longer than using a store-bought kit, the experience of making dyes with healthy ingredients can be fun and educational for kids.
Keep in mind that colors will end up lighter or deeper depending on the length of time you soak them. I recommend overnight soaking for deeper colors.
Bluish-Gray: Mix 1 cup frozen blueberries with 1 cup water, bring to room temperature, and remove blueberries. Stir in 2 Tbsp. white vinegar.
Blue: Cut 1/4 head of red cabbage into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. white vinegar. Let cool to room temperature and remove cabbage with a slotted spoon.
Yellow: Stir 2 Tbsp. of turmeric powder and curry powder into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Faint yellow: Simmer the peels of 6 oranges in 1-1/2 cups water for 20 minutes; strain. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Jade Green: Peel the skin from 6 red onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.
Orange: Take the skin of 6 yellow onions and simmer in 2 cups water for 15 minutes; strain. Add 3 tsp. white vinegar.
Faint Red-Orange: Stir 2 Tbsp. paprika into 1 cup boiling water; add 2 tsp. white vinegar.
Dark pink: Cut 1 medium beet into chunks and add to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 2 Tbsp. vinegar and let cool to room temperature; remove beets.
Lavender: Mix 1 cup grape juice and 1 tablespoon white vinegar.
Happy Egg Dyeing!
Lindsay E. Brown
Lindsay has spent her career at the intersection of media and social change. In her role at Eco-Chick, Lindsay has established partnerships and campaigns with some of the world’s most-recognized companies committed to sustainability and CSR. She co-created the popular interview series “Heroines for the Planet” that features groundbreaking women who share courage and a deep passion for protecting people and the Earth. Lindsay is the Marketing and Sustainability Manager at Health-Ade Kombucha and previously served as Director of Communications at the social enterprise CBS EcoMedia. There she directed corporate advertising dollars to the nation’s most effective non-profits tackling urgent social issues in local communities and was awarded CBS Corporation’s prestigious Share-the-Vision award. She has written for Whole Living Magazine, Edible, Cottages & Gardens, From The Grapevine, EarthHour.org, Eco-Age.com, and for environmentalists Laura Turner Seydel and Susan Rockefeller. Lindsay holds a BS in Global Business Studies and Marketing from Manhattan College, and received the 2012 Honors Award at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
