Eco-Friendly Egg Dyeing

Egg dyeing is a beloved Easter tradition that sparks fun and creativity in the whole family. This year, try out a more sustainable approach to traditional egg dyeing by creating natural dyes with food scraps!

First, gather your scraps.

It’s possible to achieve eggs all colors of the rainbow with different food scraps. Some foods, such as parsley and turmeric, yield the same color dyes as their original form. However, some foods oxidize into colors you wouldn’t expect, like avocado pits and red cabbage. Here are a few examples of colors you can expect from different foods:

Red – Red onion skins
Orange – Yellow onion skins
Yellow – Turmeric, marigolds 
Green – Spinach/parsley, turmeric and red cabbage
Blue – Red cabbage, blueberries
Purple – Hibiscus flowers
Pink – Avocado pits, fresh beets

Next, prep your dye.

Break down your scraps into smaller pieces by crushing, chopping, grinding, etc. Boil them in water for at least an hour. The longer you boil the scraps, the stronger the pigment you’ll extract.

Add one tablespoon of white vinegar for every four cups of water boiled and let cool. Strain any leftover solid materials, then transfer the liquid into its own jar.

Now, dye your eggs.

Place hardboiled eggs in the desired jars and cover with a lid.

The longer the eggs sit, the more color they will absorb. Lighter pastel colors can be achieved after about 30 minutes, while allowing the eggs to soak overnight will produce richer, more vibrant tones. If using brown eggs, anticipate the color turning a bit darker compared to white eggs.

Bonus: Get even more creative!

Press a wildflower or leaf to your egg, then place it inside leftover netted produce packaging. Follow the process for egg dyeing detailed above, but this time when you remove the egg from the dye, it will be imprinted with a beautiful design of the wildflower or leaf you chose!

If you’re looking for another exciting Easter craft to try out this Spring, check out how we create festive bunny plant pots at Camp Blackberry!