Dying Easter eggs is a fun family tradition. Growing up, we used those fun wraps with patterns or cartoon characters on them and we even made tie dye Easter eggs. But naturally dyed Easter eggs using fruits or vegetables? That’s not anything we ever did…. until now!
I’m teaming up with the ladies of The Sweet Moda Blog Project this week and our theme is Easter eggs!
I’ve watched several food shows where they show you how to naturally dye Easter eggs and I was curious. Curious enough that I had to try it for myself. So I looked it up, and as it turns out that there are so many ways you can naturally dye Easter eggs. You can use red cabbage, Turmeric, blueberries, coffee and even tea. Which makes this a fun science experiment to do with the kids.
I love the look of blue robin eggs, so I choose to use blueberries. You can use this same method below with other fruits or vegetables at your house.
Ingredients
The best thing about this project is that you may already have all the ingredients you need in the fridge and pantry! You only need a couple of hardboiled eggs, vinegar, water and the fruit or vegetable of your choice.
Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs Tip
Here’s what I learned: the longer the eggs stay in the naturally dyed blueberry mixture, the darker the eggs turn. My eggs turned a little more blue than I wanted because I let them soak in the blueberry mixture for a few minutes. I believe if I had made a quick dunk in the mixture and taken the eggs out immediately, they probably would be a lighter blue. However, the vibrant blue-ish purple color of the eggs is just as beautiful!
At first I didn’t know if this was going to even work because some of the blueberry mixture was sticking to the eggs. After the eggs dried, this created the most beautiful and unique speckles on the eggs!
Making naturally dyed Easter eggs with blueberries was fun and I know you’ll enjoy creating memories together making these eggs. Next time I might try the red cabbage to make pink eggs… don’t you think that’s an egg-cellent idea?!? Ok, cheesy… but I just had to say it! 😉
How to Naturally Dye Easter Eggs {with Blueberries}
Ingredients
- 6-8 Hard-boiled Eggs
- 2 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Blueberries, Crushed I used frozen blueberries
- 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
Instructions
- First, hard-boil your eggs.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of crushed blueberries. Bring the pot to a boil. Once the blueberry mixture is at a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Take the blueberry mixture off the burner, strain and discard the solids. Next, stir in 1 teaspoon white vinegar. Let the mixture sit and come to room temperature.
- Carefully place the hardboiled eggs in the strained blueberry mixture and make sure all sides of the eggs are covered in the dye. You could put the blueberry solution in separate bowls to dye the eggs, but I just used the same pot for this. I used salad tongs to do this so I didn't dye my hands blue!
- The longer the eggs sit, the darker the color will be. For lighter eggs, I would suggest a quick dunk and turn around in the blueberry solution. I let my eggs sit in the blueberry mixture for a minute or two and they're a vibrant blue-purple (a little darker than I wanted!).
- Place the eggs on a paper towel to dry completely.
Notes
Now, let’s check out Jackie and Liz’s Easter egg projects:
Jackie at Jackie Can’t Blog: DIY Shibori Inspired Easter Eggs
Liz at Living with Liz: Cactus Easter Eggs
What do y’all think?!? Will you make naturally dyed Easter eggs this year? Connect with me on social media! Use the hashtag #sweetsouthernoaks on Instagram to share your inspiration from the blog. As always, feel free to find me on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to chat with you about all things home décor! You can also pin with me on Pinterest for even more inspiration for home décor, recipes and more!
They came out beautiful!! The perfect shade of blue!
Thanks so much Liz! Blue is my favorite color!
This is such a cute idea Ashlee! I have also wondered if dying eggs with fruits and vegetables really works. I really like that you made a “recipe card” for this fun craft too. I think the color is just beautiful and love all of your photos.
Thank you Jackie! It worked and is something I’ll try again!