How To Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring

Holidays have a tendency to sneak up on us. Easter especially, because the date can change year to year. Luckily, you probably already have everything you need in order to get in on the egg-dying fun. Instead of buying one of those wasteful kits at the corner drug store, you really just need food coloring and white distilled vinegar. And eggs. You will definitely need some eggs.

Makes 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs

Ingredients

• 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs
• Hot tap water
• Vinegar
• Food coloring

Equipment

• Newspaper or paper bags
• Mugs or small bowls
• Plastic spoon or wire egg holder
• Egg carton or paper towels

1. Prep your surface: Lay down newspaper or opened-up paper bags to keep the food dye off your counters or wood table. Don’t be afraid to double up, just in case.
2. Create the dye: Fill your mugs — one for each color you want to use — with a half a cup of hot tap water. (You will want the water to be warmer than the eggs.) Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 10 to 20 drops of food coloring. Use the colors in the pack or combine primary colors together to create a new color. For example, use 10 drops of red and 10 drops of blue to make purple. Think back to your color wheel if you need help. Repeat for each color.
3. Add the eggs. Use a plastic spoon or wire egg holder to lower your eggs into the dye.
4. Let them sit: Soak the eggs in the dye for 5 to 10 minutes. Use your plastic spoon or a wire egg holder to check the color of the egg. Obviously the longer you leave the egg soaking, the deeper the color will get (to a point).
5. Remove and dry: Take your eggs out of their dye bath (using the spoon or wire holder) and place them back in the egg carton or on a paper towel until they’re completely dry. Once the top is dry, rotate the egg so the bottom can dry completely too. Refrigerate your creations until the Easter Bunny needs to hide them.

• You can add stickers or rubber bands around the eggs to create shapes or lines once the egg is dyed.
• The beauty of using food coloring? More color customization. Mix up your own favorite hues and experiment with the amount of time you leave each egg in the dye. You can really create a beautiful gradient in each color.
• Using brown eggs instead of white can lead to surprising color effects. For example red will show up more prominently on a brown shell.