Learn How to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring in this easy tutorial. Ditch the Easter eggs dyeing kit and do it from scratch instead!
To make the perfect hard-boiled eggs for coloring, use this tutorial for making Instant Pot Hard Boil Eggs.
How to Dye Easter Eggs
Sure, you can go buy a fancy Easter Egg kit at the store, but you can actually make it at home without it. Using just three ingredients that you most likely already have! Grab some eggs, food coloring, and vinegar, and you are ready to go.
I will show you just how EASY it is to make Easter Egg dye at home with my step-by-step directions. What I love about making it at home is how creative you can be. The kid in you can have just as much fun with decorating Easter Eggs as the actual kids!
How to Dye Easter Eggs Without a Kit
You can make the color of the dye more or less vibrant according to your style. Adjusting the amount of food coloring you add to the vinegar is how you can easily change the dye’s intensity when dyeing the Easter Eggs.
You can get creative with your designs using items around the house. For example, wrap the egg in rubber bands before placing it in the dye. After removing the egg from the dye and letting it dry, remove the rubber bands to reveal cool stripes all over the egg.
Or place decals on the egg before placing it in the dye. After removing the egg and letting it dry, you can remove the decals to reveal the decal’s shape on the egg. Use a white crayon to draw designs or words on the egg, and the dye will not color that part of the egg.
Grab your kiddos, or your friends, for a fun-filled night expressing your creativity in this classic Easter Egg coloring tradition!
The hardest part will be deciding what to do with all those hard-boiled eggs! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- 20 Hard Boiled Egg Recipes Roundup
- Cobb Salad Recipe
- Best Deviled Eggs
- Egg Salad Recipe for Sandwiches
If you do not have vinegar you can use lemon juice as a substitute. This is an alternative to use as an acid to give the dye a vibrant color. You can also just use water instead but the eggs will be a light pastel without an acid to dye them in.
While you would probably be ok to use warm eggs, I prefer to use cold eggs when dyeing them. They are easier to handle when they are cold, especially if you plan to do various designs on them.
Technically, you can dye raw eggs but I would not recommend it! You run the risk of breaking the egg, resulting in a mess. Especially if you are working with younger children! Take the time to Hard Boil your eggs first, it will be well worth the extra time!
How To Dye Easter Eggs With Food Coloring
- First, add one cup of boiling water to a heat-safe glass. Then, add two teaspoons of vinegar.
- Next, add 10-12 drops of food coloring. Give the mixture a quick stir.
- Lower an egg into the colored water. Let the egg sit until the desired color is reached.
- Remove the eggs from the dye and place them on a drying rack made from foam board and push pins or on paper towels.
Cook’s Tools:
- Glasses or containers for dipping
- Spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Drying rack made from foam board and pins OR paper towels
Ingredients and Estimated Costs
Per Serving Cost: $0.44
Recipe Cost: $5.29
- 12 Hard-boiled eggs – $4.99
- 72 drops of food coloring – $0.26
- 12 teaspoons vinegar – $0.04
NOTE: Recipe prices are estimated using grocery store websites based on the required ingredient amounts. The actual cost will vary depending on your existing pantry. Prices updated April 2025.
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How to Dye Easter Eggs
Equipment
- Glasses or containers
- Spoons
- measuring cups and spoons
- Drying rack OR paper towels
Ingredients
- 12 Hard-boiled eggs
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar for each color so 12 teaspoons total
- Food coloring
Instructions
- Add 1 cup boiling water to a heat-safe glass.
- Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar.
- Add 10-12 drops of food coloring, depending on how dark you want the coloring.
- Lower an egg carefully into the colored water. Make sure the egg is completely submerged in the dye.
- Repeat with all colors.
- Let the eggs sit in the dye until the desired color is reached.
- Remove the eggs from the dye and place them on a drying rack or paper towel.
Notes
- Glasses or containers for dipping, be sure they hold at least 1 cup of water.
- Spoons or other utensils to transfer eggs in and out of containers.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Drying rack OR paper towels
Nutrition
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This is so awesome! Thanks for the idea!
I miss doing this with the kids…I think I might just do this myself for a fun lockdown activity with a glass of wine. Who says it has to be for kids!
Thanks for sharing all your tips on how to dye Easter eggs — can’t wait to try with my boys!
They look fantastic. What lovely colors. Bright and so fun. Thanks for all the tips. I will make them with my kids.
Such an easy-to-follow guide. I’ll be doing this with my kids in the run-up to Easter!
My and my kids are so excited to color eggs this year. It is such a fun family tradition.