DIY Non-Toxic Easter Egg Dye

If you’ve been here a while, you can probably tell that I am a bit of a “crunchy” mama. I try to keep our home as toxin-free as possible, like to choose the eco-friendlier options most of the time, and try to not let our holidays get out of control (a challenge!).

A few years ago, we had, what my niece excitedly described as “this is what it’s like when Easter gets extreme.” It was overwhelming. And full of plastic. So. Much. Plastic.

I decided that we would do things a little differently (read: scaled down). It is much easier when the kids are little and have no expectations so I am working on setting them now.

So, a few years ago, when our little guy was running around and really appreciating things, we wanted to start the fun traditions and do an egg hunt and a simple basket. I also wanted to let him “help” dye the eggs, so the dyes needed to be nontoxic and completely edible (he was a toddler. You get it, right?).

I thought the Eco-Kids all natural, organic dye that I ordered might not get here on time, so I decided to try a little DIY Eco-Friendly Easter Egg Dye. It did (yay!), so more on that later…

I did a little Googling, and decided on magenta (beets), blue (red cabbage), and yellow (turmeric). I originally thought I would use some greens, carrots, coffee, and red wine but realized I was getting carried away… and part of this is about minimizing, not just the “stuff” but also the time involved.

How To DIY Non-Toxic Easter Egg Dye

After organizing my supplies (the beets, red cabbage, turmeric plus white vinegar and salt), I started making the dye. You can get more detailed instructions at (and some awesome color ideas) at Martha Stewart.

But, if you want the quick version, here you go:

1. Chop up the veggies and put them in pots (you need a fair bit of stove space for this!).
2. Cover them in water.
3. Put in two tablespoons of vinegar and two tablespoons of salt.
4. Bring the water to a boil.
5. Once it is boiling, bring it down to a simmer.
6. Walk away! The dye needs to simmer for about a half hour. I kept wanting to see the difference, and kept checking it. I should have walked away.
7. Strain out the solids and empty the liquid into a glass container. I read mason jars somewhere, but I used our Pyrex containers because they are much shallower and I thought it would be easier for my little guy to maneuver.
8. Submerge your eggs, and again, walk away. I checked the eggs about 15 times in 30 minutes. For the first round of eggs, I let them sit for about a half an hour, but the second round, I left them overnight. Not a huge difference, except for the blue. I think as kids get a little older, this might be a tough sell. I know the traditional dyes are pretty quick. But, for us, this was ok. And, for dyeing eggs for a tablescape or decoration, this will probably work.

For the yellow, I put about 2 tablespoons of turmeric in about 2 cups of water, and added the same amount of salt and vinegar, and did exactly the same thing as the veggies. 2 tablespoons was too much, as I had a lot of sediment on the bottom of the container and on the eggs (you can see the texture in the picture). We also had a little leftover cheap red wine, and some cold coffee, so I submerged a few eggs into those also, because why not?

The Results of My DIY Non-Toxic Easter Egg Dye:

We had both brown and white eggs, which made for a few interesting color combinations. I really like the golden hue that the brown egg in turmeric made.

I love the way the yellow and blue turned out, but I was a little disappointed by the “magenta.” It ended up looking like an earthy pink, beautiful, but not quite the vibrant magenta I was hoping (especially considering the color it dyed the shirt I was wearing!). I may try to be more precise next time, and follow Martha Stewart’s recommendations.

Our Buggy loved them, and I felt great letting him drop the eggs in, and splash around a little. We did this as an outdoor activity, in just his diaper, so he was free to make as big of a mess as he wanted. And when he ended up with dye on his face, hands, and in his mouth, I was not at all bothered.

The colors might not be the vibrant hues that older kids are used to, but I think they are lovely and will do it again. And, as opposed to our “extreme” Easters in the past, I felt better about our more sustainable holiday.

Have you tried any food-based dyes? How did they turn out?