Frugal Easter Egg Dyes

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

27 Mar 2007 04:11 AM

If you want a frugal and natural way to dye your eggs, look no further than your own kitchen. You'll save money and have the coolest looking eggs on the block.

In an earlier article, Frugal Egg Decorating Ideas, I talked about some frugal ways that you can decorate your eggs for Easter, and how to put the actual eggs to good use instead of throwing all of those hard boiled ones out. In that article, I recommended using food coloring to "dye" your eggs. But did you know that there are even more frugal ways to color eggs? Believe it or not, I actually got this idea from watching Martha Stewart!

Many items that you might normally throw out can be used to dye eggs, naturally. Other items you already have in your kitchen cost less than even food coloring to use. Just grab what you need for the colors you want, and you are all set. It is so much fun, that you may just want to dye your eggs early.

Since these dyes are all natural, many of them should be added with your eggs as you boil them. Others can be used just like a color dip after the eggs are boiled or blown out. Use a bit of vinegar (about a teaspoon) to help the eggs take the color.

Here is a guide to what you can use to get different colors.

Add these while boiling:

• Red onion skins will give you a light or a pink red color, depending on how many skins you use and how long you allow the eggs to soak after you boil them.
• Yellow onion skins will give you a light yellow color.
• Ground tumeric will give you a dark, rich yellow color.
• Orange peels will give you a very delicate yellow.
• The leftover water from cooked spinach will give you a nice light green color when you boil your eggs in it.

Use these as a dip or soak after boiling:

• Purple grape juice will give you a great lavender color.
• Beet juice (from canned or pickled beets) will make a bright pink color.
• The drained juice from canned blueberries will give you a nice blue.
• Coffee and tea will give you tan and brown colors.

Related Articles:

Frugal Egg Decorating Ideas

Real Kitchen Uses for Egg Cartons

Real Storage Solutions Using Egg Cartons

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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jonesx6 (1606) 28 Mar 2007 02:11 PM

Great Idea!! One of my sons has a dye allergy so it makes it hard to dye eggs. Thanks!! Laura

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 28 Mar 2007 05:21 PM

My favorite is the blueberry juice. If you try these natural dyes, let me know how they turn out for you.