Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs with Onion Skins

There’s no need to buy expensive store-bought dyeing kits to make these beautiful, dyed Easter eggs. In fact, you don’t even need to use liquid food coloring. All you need is some vegetable scraps to make the prettiest Naturally Dyed Easter eggs you’ve ever seen.

By just using onion skins, eggs, and water, you’ll get these incredible-looking dyed Easter eggs that will wow your family and friends this Easter. It’s also a great activity to get your kids involved in!

These are a family tradition from Ukraine, and I’m here to share my family secret with you. I’m sure you’re going to love and enjoy this method of dyeing Easter eggs as much as I have my whole life.

Dyed Easter Eggs Recipe: Sharing A Family Legacy

This Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs Recipe has been a part of the Easter tradition ever since I can remember! One of my most vivid memories from childhood is from my days back in Ukraine.

I remember my mother and grandmother getting all geared up for Easter preparations. And oh, were they on it! Easter was taken really seriously in my house and observed carefully, just as it should be. We observed it all, from worship to the feast celebration afterward.

The experience of observing the depth and importance of this beautiful holiday was such a humbling experience for me growing up. Church services were more frequent during those holiday days than any other time of the year.

It would start from Palm Sunday and go all the way to Good Friday and then to the glorious Easter Morning as well as the following week. Service would start at 6:00 AM to commemorate Christ’s early morning rise.

Everyone could be seen greeting each other with a special greeting saying, ‘He has Risen!’ and you’d hear them respond with ‘Risen Indeed!’. It was definitely incredibly special and one of my fondest memories from childhood.

Most of these traditions are still followed to this day, but unfortunately with less urgency and importance than in those good ol’ days. The menu after the morning service on Easter days would always be elaborate and beautiful. And of course, there would always include dyed eggs.

What Do Dyed Easter Eggs Symbolize?

As a curious child, I remember asking my mom why we color and eat eggs on Easter. What I learned back then has still stuck with me to this day.

I remember learning that eggs symbolized new life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I now continue on with the same tradition in my household to ensure my kids know and remember the true meaning of Easter.

The hard shell around the eggs represents the tomb, while the cracking of the shell symbolizes the breakthrough of death, the opening of the tomb, and the resurrection of Christ into life.

Like the bread and wine tradition during communion in church, dyeing and eating eggs on Easter is a symbol and reminder for Christians of the glory and miracle of Easter.

Interestingly, Easter egg hunting has historically not been part of the Easter celebration in Christianity, nor has it been a tradition for me growing up. I personally don’t see how they serve to represent and glorify Christ’s resurrection.

For this reason, they’re typically not done in my family. I love to partake in the celebration of Easter as it serves as a great reminder for us to keep our eyes and hearts on the true meaning of Easter. This is especially true because of just how busy and distracted we tend to be in life these days.

Where Does the Tradition of Dyeing Easter Eggs with Onions Come From?

It’s so fascinating to know the deeper history of this beautiful tradition. People from around the world decorate Easter eggs with different designs according to how their culture views the blossoming of life.

Dyeing Easter eggs using onion skins exists in many cultures around the world including Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Russia, Czech Republic, Romania, and Israel. It’s traditionally used to represent the blood of Christ.

Other parts of the world use other things from nature to dye eggs. In England, eggs are sometimes stained with coffee grains for mocha-colored eggs. Eggs are also wrapped in onion skins and boiled there to make the shells look like mottled gold.

In Scandinavian countries, eggs are wrapped with flowers and leaves first in order to leave a pattern on the eggs. In other parts of the world, they’re also first drawn on using wax candles before the eggs are stained. Usually, a person’s name and date are written on the eggs using wax.

How Do You Make the Best Natural Dye for Easter Eggs?

The best dye for Easter eggs is one that’s free of any chemicals and unnatural ingredients. This holiday is a symbol of the glory of Jesus and representing it with nature is the best way for us to pay tribute to it.

Using onion skins to dye eggs for Easter is by far the most popular natural way of dyeing eggs. My recipe will teach you exactly how to do that step by step. It’s also a great way to get kids involved in the tradition of Easter and to get them to be creative in the kitchen.

I recommend trying my recipe to a T first to get the best results and the most beautiful burgundy color for your Easter eggs. Once you’re more familiar with this natural method of dyeing eggs, you can ask your kids to brainstorm and figure out which other vegetables or fruits can be used to dye eggs naturally!

In this recipe, I’ll tell you exactly how to achieve a beautiful, traditionally burgundy color to dye your Easter eggs using red or purple onion skins in boiling water.

For other different colors, you can use blueberries for a dark blue color, turmeric for a yellow color, red beets for a dark pink color, and yellow onion skins for a pale-yellow color.

For most of these ingredients, the same method from the recipe can be used with slight variations. Let me know if you’re interested in learning how to do any of these in more detail for next Easter!

A few other ingredients you can use, apart from red or brown onion skins, are blueberries for a dark blue color, turmeric for a yellow color, red cabbage (purple cabbage) for a light blue color, and spinach for a green color.

What You Need to Make Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs at Home

This recipe has got to be one of the easiest ones I’ve shared on my blog. All you need are three pantry-staple ingredients to make these naturally dyed Easter eggs at home. Here’s what you need:

Onion skins: We’ll be using red or purple onions for this recipe. You’ll need about 30 large onions or a packed gallon-sized Ziploc bag full of them. It’ll give you a beautiful, burgundy-burnt orange color.

Eggs: We’ll need 12 large eggs for this recipe. You can both white and brown eggs.

Water: All you need is 8 cups of water or 2 liters of cold water to get started.

Incredibly simple ingredients, right? That’s all you need to get the most beautiful color!

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally Using Onions – Step-by-Step

Using onion skins to dye these Easter eggs is even easier than using liquid food coloring or egg dyeing kits! I’ve included step-by-step pictures and instructions to make it incredibly easy for you to follow along.

Let’s start by making our natural Easter egg dye first:

How to Make Natural Easter Egg Dye:

Start by filling a medium pot or saucepan with 8 cups of water. Add the onion skins to the pot.

Now submerge the onions skins into the water by pressing them down with a spoon. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and let the onion skins simmer in the water for 1 hour.

After the hour is up, remove the pan from the burner and set it aside on a countertop for 24 hours. This will allow the onion skins to release as much color as possible.

After 24 hours, you should have natural Easter egg dye using onion skins. Now let’s look at how to use this to dye Easter eggs.

How to Naturally Dye Easter Eggs with Onion Skin Dye:

Start by submerging the eggs into cold burgundy water that has the onion skins to allow them to fully soak. Next, return the colored water back to the burner and bring it to a boil.

Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes rotating the eggs occasionally. You can also boil it till the eggs reach your desired color in the hot water.

By following my recipe, you’ll get beautiful burgundy eggs. If you boil them for less time, the color will turn out lighter.

After the eggs have cooked, transfer them into a bowl of ice-cold water one by one by using a slotted spoon or tongs. Allow them to sit in cold water for 30 minutes so that the boiled eggs get cooler.

After 30 minutes, remove the egg. Pour the water out and drain it. You can see what the eggs look like after being removed from the dye bath. Place eggs on a drying rack or paper towels then store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Can You Dye Brown Eggs?

Yes, you can definitely dye brown eggs to achieve this beautiful burgundy color. In fact, you can use either brown or white eggs for this recipe.

How Long Can I Store These Naturally Dyed Eggs?

You can store these eggs in the fridge for up to one week. It’s a great way to prep early for Easter!

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Recipe Card

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs with Onion Skins

There’s no need to buy expensive store-bought dyeing kits to make these beautiful, dyed Easter eggs. In fact, you don’t even need to use liquid food coloring. All you need is some vegetable scraps to make the prettiest Naturally Dyed Easter eggs you’ve ever seen.

4.67 from 6 votes

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Course: Easter

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dyed easter eggs recipe, eggs dyed with onion skins, naturally dyed eggs, onion skins dye

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 day

Total Time: 1 day 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 24 eggs

Author: Valya's Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 8 cups (2 L) – cold water
• Onion skins (From about 30 large onions. Or a packed gallon size Ziploc bag of purple and red onion)
• 24 large - eggs brown or white

Instructions

How to Make Natural Easter Egg Dye:

• Start by filling a medium pot or saucepan with 8 cups of water. Add the onion skins to the pot.
• Now submerge the onions skins into the water by pressing them down with a spoon. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and let the onion skins simmer in the water for 1 hour.
• After the hour is up, remove the pan from the burner and set it aside on a countertop for 24 hours. This will allow the onion skins to release as much color as possible.
• After 24 hours, you should have natural Easter egg dye using onion skins. Now let’s look at how to use this to dye Easter eggs.

How to Naturally Dye Easter Eggs with Onion Skin Dye:

• Start by submerging the eggs into cold burgundy water that has the onion skins to allow them to fully soak. Next, return the colored water back to the burner and bring it to a boil.
• Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes rotating the eggs occasionally. You can also boil it till the eggs reach your desired color in the hot water.
• By following my recipe, you’ll get beautiful burgundy eggs. If you boil them for less time, the color will turn out lighter.
• After the eggs have cooked, transfer them into a bowl of ice-cold water one by one by using a slotted spoon or tongs. Allow them to sit in cold water for 30 minutes so that the boiled eggs get cooler.
• After 30 minutes, remove the egg. Pour the water out and drain it. You can see what the eggs look like after being removed from the dye bath. Place eggs on a drying rack or paper towels then store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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