How to Make Natural Dyes for Easter Eggs

Common food items such as red cabbage, onion skins, and coffee can be used to transform plain white eggs into a rainbow of colors.

Martha Stewart Editors

Updated on March 1, 2023

Naturally dyeing Easter eggs is an earth-friendly way to celebrate the holiday, and makes for a gorgeous Easter table centerpiece when you place your creations in a teak wood basket. The kids will especially love discovering all the different colors they can make with common ingredients, from red cabbage and turmeric to coffee and onion skins.

Our method involves boiling the eggs with natural easter egg dyes; the heat allows the dye to saturate the shells, resulting in intense, more uniform color.

An alternative, called the cold-dipping method, involves boiling the eggs and the ingredients for the dye separately. This produces subtle, translucent shades—but can result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye. It is, however, a great (and safe) option for kids—and also allows you to create long-lasting keepsakes. For hollow eggs that will last indefinitely, cold-dip raw eggs, then blow them out after they are dyed.

To make our natural dyes, gather supplies from your pantry or fridge. Red-cabbage dye is made with 4 cups of chopped cabbage. To make the yellow-turmeric dye, use 3 tablespoons of turmeric. Meanwhile, the onion-skin dye uses 4 cups of onion skins—which is skins from about 12 onions. The beet dye calls for 4 cups of chopped beets, and the coffee dye uses 1 quart of strong black coffee instead of water.

Color Glossary

Natural dyes can sometimes produce unexpected results, so don't be surprised if, for example, your red-cabbage dye yields blue eggs. Use the following guide to help you achieve the colors you desire.

Deep Gold: Boil eggs in turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Sienna: Boil eggs in onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Dark Rich Brown: Boil eggs in black coffee, 30 minutes.
Pale Yellow: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes.
Orange: Soak eggs in room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.
Light Brown: Soak eggs in room-temperature black coffee, 30 minutes.
Light Pink: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes.
Light Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 minutes.
Royal Blue: Soak eggs in room-temperature cabbage solution, overnight.
Lavender: Soak eggs in room-temperature beet solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, 30 seconds.
Chartreuse: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature cabbage solution, five seconds.
Salmon: Soak eggs in room-temperature turmeric solution, 30 minutes. Follow with room-temperature onion-skin solution, 30 minutes.

What You'll Need

Materials

Natural dyeing agents (red cabbage, turmeric, onion skins, beets, and coffee)
3-quart pot (or larger)
Eggs
Tongs
Paper towels
Drying rack (optional)
Varnish (optional)
White vinegar
Metal whisk
Small bowls

Instructions

Select a dyeing agent, and place it in the pot using the color glossary listed above.
Janelle Jones

Add 1 quart of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the pot. (Note: If more water is necessary to cover ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar.) Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain dye into a bowl.
Janelle Jones

Drop raw eggs in a pot of strained dye. (Tip: Slip a single egg into a whisk, prying open the wire loops to cage it safely inside. Using the whisk, dip the egg into the dye.)
Remove the eggs with tongs, pat dry with paper towels, and let them dry on a rack. (Optional: Natural dyes tend to fade over time, so finish any eggs you plan to keep with a matte or gloss acrylic spray varnish. To create an egg-spraying stand, stick a 6-inch length of wire into a block of Styrofoam; prop a hollow egg onto the wire through one of its holes.)

Originally appeared: MARTHA STEWART LIVING, APRIL 1998