With Easter coming up next weekend, I have seen a lot of posts and recipes out there (such as this one) that explain how to use natural colors to dye eggs. I just love the trend of saying no to chemical dyes and embracing natural options such as red cabbage, red beetroot, and turmeric! My own approach for creating stunning naturally colored red Easter eggs is to use red onion skins.
I learned this method from my mother-in-law, whose mom would only use red onion skins to dye Easter eggs. Back in those days (in the aftermath of World War II) most people lived off the land, and chemical dyes were unheard off. After using store-bought dyes the first few years after coming to the US, I have started using my mother-in-law’s recipe, and I haven’t looked back ever since.
Here are a few tips/info to ensure success:
- Your eggs must be at room temperature, otherwise they will crack in the heated water
- I tried both white and brown eggs, and the resulting color was darker when using the latter (understandably so)
- Over time, I used two approaches: boiling the eggs and the onion skins separately and then putting them together in a pot, and boiling both at the same time, in the same pot. In the second case, the red color was darker, and I was happier with the result
- I like to add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to the onion skin, water and egg combo because vinegar helps with the setting of the color
- Boil eggs according to your preference, making sure they are fully submerged in water
- Once taken off the stove, I like to keep them submerged in the colored water a few more hours and even overnight to guarantee darker color.
Once the eggs have reached the desired color, you can take them out of the water and dry them on a plate covered with paper towels. You can also use a paper towel moistened in oil to oil the egg shells. Their color will turn bright and shiny.
I like to collect red onion skins whenever I buy red onions from the grocery store, as the year goes by. I keep the skins in a closed bag in the basement until Easter egg dying time comes around.
What method do you use to dye your Easter eggs? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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