Easter, for those who celebrate it, can be a somewhat overwhelmingly sugary affair. Chocolate bunnies to the left; candied eggs to the right; Peeps and Cadbury eggs around every corner. So make at least one thing natural: your Easter eggs. Whether you put them out, hard-boiled, in a beautiful, springy bowl or hide them in the grass, these are just a delight. We love that author Maria Helm Sinskey‘s recipes employ totally natural dyes made from food scraps. These are the things you would have tossed: onion skins; odds and ends of beets; bits of red cabbage. (For beautiful golden hues, nothing beats turmeric and saffron!)
Check out Test Kitchen Manager Devon Francis’s video above to learn the super-duper-simple Easter eggs technique. And enjoy all the unfettered, sweet joys of the season.
Natural Dyes
Recipes by Maria Helm Sinskey
Robin’s Egg Blue
- 2 cups (6 oz./185 g.) coarsely chopped red cabbage
- 2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
Vivid Pink
- 2 large beets, peeled and shredded
- 2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
Tropical Orange
- 2 cups (1 oz./30 g.) loosely packed yellow onion skins
- 2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
Spicy Yellow
- 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
- Big pinch of saffron threads
- 1 tsp. white vinegar
Combine the ingredients for the desired color with 4 cups (32 fl. oz.) water in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes to extract the color and reduce the liquid. Let cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add cold water to bring the total to 3 cups (24 fl. oz./ 750 ml.), if necessary. Makes enough dye for about 2 dozen eggs.
The Method
What you need:
- Natural dye(s)
- Hard-boiled eggs
Set each color of dye you have prepared in a separate container atop a work surface. For every dozen of eggs, line one baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels or set aside an empty egg carton.
Using a slotted spoon, lower hard-boiled eggs into the dye. Let stand until the desired hue is reached, 20–30 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the dye and transfer to the lined baking sheet(s) or egg carton(s). Let the eggs stand until dry, about 1 hour, before handling.
