Natural Dye Easter Eggs

Name: Natural Dye Easter Eggs
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 24 large white eggs; 2 c. coarsely chopped purple cabbage; Ice; 12 tbsp. distilled white vinegar, divided; 1 medium beet (about 8 oz.), peeled, coarsely chopped; 1/4 c. butterfly pea flower tea; 1/4 c. Thai tea mix; 2 tbsp. ground turmeric; Peels from 8 yellow onions

By Anya PtacekUpdated: Apr 7, 2025

Approved by the Delish Test Kitchen

1 Rating

PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Yields:

Prep Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs

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preview for Natural Dye Easter Eggs Are The Perfect Easter Arts & Crafts

You know what they say, April showers bring spring… eggs. If there’s one thing you’re going to find me fixating on this spring, it’s adult arts and crafts. And lucky for me, these naturally dyed Easter eggs are the perfect project for any rainy afternoon. Of course, you can always buy store-bought dyes to color your Easter eggs, but I promise you, these natural dyes will be worth the extra effort.

If you have trouble sourcing the butterfly pea flower and Thai tea, I suggest using blueberries and paprika as alternatives to get those colors. Using ingredients you already have lying around like onion skins, turmeric, and beets, you can create a gorgeous array of pastel colors that will wow your friends and be completely chemical-free.

This is a recipe where experimenting is highly encouraged. To get a deeper color, leave the eggs in the dye overnight. If you want something more pastel, 15 minutes in the dye should be plenty. This recipe is extremely kid-friendly, but trust me, you’re going to have fun too. You can make the dyes up to 2 weeks ahead and store them in airtight containers to be used at any time.

Did you try making these? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

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Ingredients

Directions

1. Step 1Bring a large pot of water to a boil. (For 12 eggs, use about 4 qt. water.) Using a slotted spoon or tongs, gently lower eggs, one at a time, into water. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 12 minutes.
2. Step 2A few minutes before eggs are cooked, fill a large bowl with about 2 cups ice and about 3 cups water. Transfer eggs to ice water. Let sit about 30 seconds. Transfer eggs to a large bowl; repeat with remaining eggs.
3. Step 3In a medium saucepan, cover cabbage with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very dark purple, 45 to 50 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard cabbage. Add 2 Tbsp. vinegar to purple water. Let cool. Repeat process with beet, pea flower tea, Thai tea mix, turmeric, onion peels, 2 cups water each, and 2 Tbsp. vinegar each (you can make multiple dyes at once to streamline).
4. Step 4Pour each dye into separate shallow bowls. Divide eggs among bowls. Completely cover an egg if you'd like to dye it one single color, or use a spoon to lift the egg partially out of the dye to dye one only side. Keep eggs in dye 15 to 20 minutes minimum to get a stronger color.
5. Step 5Experiment with mixing and matching colors. Place eggs into multiple colors to get a tie-dye effect. Use rubber bands to create patterns on the egg. Dry the eggs with a paper towel to get a textured effect, if desired. If you would like an even more vibrant color, keep eggs in dye overnight.