All-natural Easter egg dyes give you a rainbow of colored eggs for the holiday without the unknown chemicals those store-bought dyes might be hiding. Plus, you can find most of the ingredients for these dyes in produce you already have on hand.
It’s surprisingly simple to create Easter egg dye from food like blueberries, turmeric and beets. You can even vary the depth of color depending on the time you soak the eggs. We soaked ours overnight — about eight hours. And we recommend you add vinegar to any of these dye mixtures because it will help the dye bind to your egg shells.
Another tip: once the eggs are dried, add a little oil (like olive or coconut) to the outside to make the color really shine.
MORE: How to make the perfect hard boiled eggs
Check out our favorite all-natural Easter egg dyes below.
Red
Organic Authority suggests making a beautiful ruby red egg by boiling red raspberries, adding a teaspoon of vinegar and letting the hard-boiled egg steep in the mixture until your egg is the perfect shade.
You can also get a burnt orange red from paprika. Combine a tablespoon of ground paprika with a cup of water and a tablespoon of vinegar.
Lavender
For a pretty lavender egg, Kitchn suggests a simple cup of Red Zinger tea can do the trick. Simply boil the bag in some water, add a tablespoon of vinegar, and submerge the egg and let it chill until it’s the Purple Rain shade you like.
Pink
For pink-hued eggs, use beets. Boil two chopped medium beets in two cups of water, let the mixture cool and add in a tablespoon of vinegar.
Orange
If you are looking for an orange glow, go get yourself some onion skins. You’ll be crying about how good they look. How hard you cry depends on how you peel it.
Boil the skin of five yellow onions in 2 cups of water. Stain and add a tablespoon of vinegar once the mixture has cooled.
Yellow
For an egg that shines as bright as the sun, make a yummy yellow dye with a tablespoon of turmeric spice in a cup of water and a tablespoon of vinegar. As with most of these natural foods, be careful that you don’t stain yourself or your clothes.
Blue
Freutcake has a great recipe with boiled blueberries and vinegar that even gives the eggs that speckled, robin-egg look.
Royal blue/green
For eggs that are more sky blue, shred some extra red cabbage when making your dinner salad (about 1/4 head) and boil it in about 2 cups water. Strain and allow the mixture to cool before adding a tablespoon of vinegar.
White eggs will dye a nice cerulean color. Brown eggs will be more of a sea-foam green. For a deep green, add some spinach to the boiling mixture.
Reddish brown
Red onions will give your eggs a rich reddish brown hue. Boil the skin of five red onions in two cups of water. Strain the mixture and add a tablespoon of vinegar.
MORE: How to make hard boiled eggs in an Instant Pot
Other options
If all-natural Easter egg dyes isn’t your thing, and you’re looking for something that is environmentally conscious but bright and vibrant, you should try Bengala. An eco dye, originally created in India, according to Loop of the Loom, Bengala is made from iron oxide found in soil. Commonly used for textiles and stenciling, the paint does have some rubber latex in it, but it is also used to dye wool. Bengala can be used on pretty much any surface since it is non-toxic. One major plus is the color won’t fade in the sun, so those eggs will stay bright and vibrant in the grass.