Decorating Easter eggs is fun, no matter what type of dye or kit we use. But now we have plenty of options, beyond traditional egg dye kits, so we’re Getting the Skinny with Molly on the Love it, Like it, Hate it picks for Easter egg fun!
LOVE IT!
- PAAS Nature’s Palette Egg Dye Kit ($2.98 at Walmart)
- PAINTABLE Eggs (e.g. Bunny Boutique; $3.98)
- CHALKBOARD Eggs ($1.98 at Walmart)
- CONFETTI Eggs ($1.88)
- DIY FOOD-BASED Easter Egg Dye (Instructions below)
LIKE IT!
- India Tree Nature’s Colors Decorating Set
- Available at natural food stores like Whole Foods
- All-natural, vegetable-based food dyes
- Pricey, at $20. And it doesn’t include any of the fun decorating tools/ideas like the Egg Dye Kits
HATE IT!
While we may not be eating the shells with the dye, we always like to keep things as natural as possible, whenever possible – and the ingredients of traditional dye kits include multiple versions of artificial yellow, blue, and red food dyes. And it is possible that some kids may put the eggs into their mouths, or otherwise ingest the synthetic ingredients.
- PAAS Easter Egg Decorating Kits
- Glitter Egg Decorating Kits
- McCormick Food & Egg Coloring Dye
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RECIPE: DIY Easter Egg Dye
Ingredients:
2 cups water + 2 tablespoons white vinegar + 1 tablespoon salt + choice of the following for color:
- PURPLE: 2 cups blueberries, mashed or pureed
- BLUE: 2 cups red cabbage
- GREEN: 2 cups spinach or 4 tablespoons spirulina
- YELLOW: 4 tablespoons turmeric
- ORANGE: 4 tablespoons paprika
- PINK: 2 cups raw beets, chopped
- BROWN: 2 cups coffee concentrate
Instructions:
Add ingredient for choice of color to 2 cups water, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain to discard solids, and then stir in vinegar. Set aside to cool, adding tablespoon of salt to each.
To color eggs, submerge in dye, turning often for even coating, until desired color is reached. For more colors, dye eggs first in one color, then wipe dry and dye in a second color.
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