Recipes Holidays + Events Easter How to Dye Easter Eggs with Ingredients You Already Have in Your Kitchen You've got all the natural dye you could want in your refrigerator and pantry. By Kelsey Jane Youngman Kelsey Jane Youngman Kelsey Jane Youngman is a New York–based cook, baker, writer, and editor for Food & Wine with over 7 years of experience in food media. Kelsey has developed recipes, worked in culinary production, starred in cooking videos, and baked cookies for Cookie Monster.Expertise: recipe development, cooking, baking, food styling.Experience: Kelsey Jane Youngman has spent her life in kitchens, and began her professional training at the San Francisco Cooking School before moving to New York City to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute. She completed an externship in the Good Housekeeping test kitchen and cooked on the line at several city restaurants before joining Food & Wine's test kitchen editorial team. There, Kelsey has managed the kitchens, tested and developed recipes, written feature stories, worked as a culinary producer on multiple video series, and starred in her own series, "The Best Way," as well as several episodes of "F&W Cooks." Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 25, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Abby Hocking Easter is upon us, which means it's time to think about dying some eggs. But this year, instead of using store-bought dye, take a look around your kitchen: You've got all the natural dye you could want hanging around in your refrigerator and pantry. Whether you're looking for a last minute solution or an alternative to the artificial stuff, fruit and vegetables—and candy—aren't just a treasure trove for natural colors and a great way to repurpose items that might otherwise go to waste. The colors they impart might also surprise you. We tested out a slew of fruits, vegetables and candy to guide you through egg dying this Easter. Here's what you need to do: Simply bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and the food or candy of your choice. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and let steep for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the depth of color you're after. Remove from heat and let cool. Then strain the dyes into jars and start dipping eggs! For more vibrant color, dye the eggs, let them dry completely, and dye again. To make larger batches of dye, increase the vinegar by 1 tablespoon per 1 cup of water. Here are some of our favorite color combinations. Red onion skins Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use 1 cup of onion skins Color of the dye: On white eggs: Lavender On brown eggs: Blue-green Yellow onion skins Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use 1 cup of onion skins Color of the dye: On white eggs: Muted red On brown eggs: Deep red Red beets Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use 1 cup of chopped or shredded raw beets, or canned beets and their liquid Color of the dye: On white eggs: Deep red On brown eggs: Orange-red Purple cabbage Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use 1 cup of chopped or shredded cabbage Color of the dye: On white eggs: Light blue On brown eggs: Rose red Ground turmeric Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use 2 tablespoons ground turmeric Color of the dye: On white eggs: Bright yellow On brown eggs: Yellow-orange Hard candies Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use about 10 candies of one color Color of the dye: On white eggs: Bright On brown eggs: Muted Hot Tamales or jellybeans Abby Hocking To make the dye: Use one 5-ounce package of candy, or about ½ cup of unwrapped candies Color of the dye: On white eggs: Bright On brown eggs: Muted Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit