It is possible to dye Easter eggs with food and have beautiful eggs! Why Skip the Artificial Dyes? There is a large variety of food products that contain artificial coloring. Unfortunately, some artificial colors are linked to a number of health conditions. Health professionals recommend that children with ADHD stay away from all food coloring and additives because it can aggravate the condition. Artificial dyes could also be linked to skin rashes, asthma, headaches and even cancer. Not only are artificial dyes in Easter egg dying kits but they are also in soda, canned food, candy, boxed macaroni and cheese, and many others. It is wise to stay away from all artificial colors in food products to avoid any unwanted health risks.

How to Use Food as Easter Egg Dye

1. Firstly, boil the food, herb, or spice in water and simmer for 15-30 minutes.
2. Now that the simmering time is up, strain the liquid from the pot.
3. Then, pour the liquid into a mason jar, mug, or glass to use for dying.
4. After that, add 1-2 tbsp of white vinegar to each dye color.
5. Lastly, place a boiled egg into the dye mixture and wait for the dye to take onto the egg shell.

The colors come out darker the longer you leave the egg in the dye. We left our eggs in anywhere from 1-2 minutes to 30 minutes and got varying degrees of color. It's nice to do some light and some dark colored eggs.

What Colors Work?

Orange / Peach

• Yellow Onion skins: remove out layer of 5-6 onions then boil in 2 cups water for 30 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar.

Yellow

• Turmeric – boil 4 tsp. turmeric in 2 cups water then simmer 15 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar

Dark Purple

• Elderberries – boil ¼ cup elderberries in 2 cups water then simmer 15 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar

Blue

• Blueberries – boil 1 cup frozen blueberries in 2 cups water then simmer 15 min. Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• Red Cabbage – boil 1 cup chopped cabbage in 2 cups water then simmer 15 min. Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar

Green

• Mix ¾ prepared yellow turmeric with ¼ prepared elderberry

Pink

• Beets – boil 1-2 chopped beets in water, simmer 15 minutes. Add 2 1 tbsp. white vinegar

What Did not Work…

• Raspberries with the same technique as the blueberries but the color did not stick to the eggs at all.
• Boiling alfalfa powder for green but it also did not stick!

Getting ready for Easter? You might want to check out this post too – The Best Non Candy Easter Basket Gifts for All Ages

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