8 Simple Ways to Dye Easter Eggs That Are Still Safe to Eat
8 Simple Ways to Dye Easter Eggs That Are Still Safe to Eat
Eggs are in short supply this year: Here are the best no-waste ways to decorate them for Easter.
Easter will be celebrated at home this year (again), but celebrating while social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t practice your usual traditions. Bake hot cross buns for a small Easter brunch, tune into an online Easter Sunday service, and dye a batch of colorful Easter eggs with the family. Since limiting my food waste is one of my New Year's resolutions this year, I’ve been extra mindful of how I decorate eggs this season. Here are eight food-safe ways to decorate eggs at home so you can partake in this classic Easter tradition without contributing to food waste.
Each of these methods can be used with hard-boiled eggs, so you can put them right back in the fridge to eat later. Keep in mind that the American Egg Board recommends eggs should only be out of the fridge for two hours, so they should go right back in once you're done decorating.
Whipped Cream-Dyed Eggs
Normally this Easter egg project calls for decorating eggs with shaving cream, but we tested it with whipped cream and it works just as well, and the finished eggs are totally safe to eat! Add whipped cream to a baking dish, place drops of liquid food coloring ($9 for 10 colors, Amazon) on the surface, and use a toothpick to add a marble design. Then roll your eggs across the whipped cream to create bold and colorful eggs.
Instant Pot Eggs
If you have an Instant Pot ($80, Amazon) and six extra minutes, you can dye and decorate your eggs all at the same time. The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen tried this method, and it couldn’t be easier to do at home. And since the only ingredients are water and food coloring, the hard-boiled eggs are completely safe to eat.
Natural Egg Dyes
Don’t throw away those onion skins! This season we’re focused on wasting as little as possible, and our natural egg dye recipes are an easy way to make sure everything in your kitchen gets put to good use.
Rice-Dyed Eggs
If you have plain dry rice ($5, Walmart) in your pantry, try this easy egg-dyeing method: Put a scoop of rice to a plastic cup, add a few drops of food coloring, drop an egg in, and gently shake.
Oil Marbleized Eggs
The secret to these colorful marbleized Easter eggs is hiding in your kitchen cupboard. Mix up your own egg dye by combining white vinegar ($4, Walmart) and food coloring. Dip your dyed eggs in a vegetable oil and water mixture to create a pretty marble design.
Dyed Eggs with Food Coloring
One of the easiest ways to dye eggs at home uses just three ingredients. Skip the messy store-bought dye tablets and mix food coloring, vinegar, and water to create your own colorful egg dyes. Dip plain eggs in the mixture (the longer you leave them the deeper the color will be) then store them in the fridge until it's time to whip up a delicious Easter brunch recipe.
Editor's Tip: Place strips of thin washi tape ($6, Amazon) on the eggs before placing them in the dye to create stripes or a plaid design.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Eggs
Looking for an activity to keep the kids busy while you’re at home? These baking soda-dyed eggs double as a fun kids’ science experiment! Use baking soda and vinegar to create a bubbly tie-dye pattern on your eggs. The original project includes directions to create a design out of rubber cement, but you’ll need to skip that to keep the eggs edible.
Tie-Dye Eggs
Brighten up your fridge by preparing a carton full of tie-dye eggs. To get the nostalgic pattern, wrap your eggs in a paper towel and spray with a mixture of vinegar and food coloring. It’s so easy, kids of all ages will be able to help! Just be sure to get your eggs back in the fridge within two hours so you can eat them later.
