Learn 3-failproof ways to dye Easter Eggs with onion skins for a natural (and cheap) way to bring color and beauty to your Easter celebration. My mother taught me how to make these naturally dyed hard-boiled eggs, and it’s easy enough to do with kids since that’s exactly how I learned it!
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Helpful Reader Review
“They look so pretty! I like that you did naturally dyed eggs so you can also eat them.” – Lily ★★★★★
Natural Easter Egg Dye
Dyeing Easter Eggs is one of my family’s favorite traditions around the Easter holiday. I use onion skins to get that woodsy color and various herbs to create floral designs on the eggshells. This whole process of dyeing Easter eggs takes me 30-40 minutes, cooking them in 2 batches. That’s not bad considering I don’t have to boil the eggs before dyeing, like with store-bought kits, and you can avoid all of the artificial colors and dyes.
This tradition comes from Europe – they are also known as Greek Red Easter Eggs or Estonian Easter Eggs, and it was my mom’s go-to method for dying Easter Eggs in Ukraine, and she continued the tradition when we came to America. I remember she kept a small bucket under the sink to collect onion peels just for this. Nowadays, I do the onion skin collecting. It’s so special to pass this method down to my own kids.
Easter is a very special time in our family, especially in the kitchen. Many of my favorite recipes originate from our Easter menu over the years, from a traditional Paska, Hot Cross Buns, Lamb Chops, and Baked Ham. This tutorial on how to dye Easter Eggs with onion skins is so easy and fun. I hope it becomes one of your family traditions, too.
Tools for Dying Easter Eggs with Onion Skins
You’ll never guess the secret tool used to make these naturally dyed Easter Eggs: Pantyhose! You can buy a cheap pair for a couple of bucks (foil can work in a pinch). Last week I made a gigantic run in my pantyhose. I’ve never been happier to destroy a pair of good tights (I knew the Easter eggs were coming up!).
Pantyhose holds the herbs and onion peels on the shell, making beautiful floral imprints, or natural marbling. You can skip the nylon pantyhose for an even faster dye, and I’ve included those directions below as well.
Ingredients for Natural Easter Egg Dye
Naturally dying Easter Eggs is such a fun and creative way to celebrate the holiday. The ingredient list is short, but the result is simply lovely.
- Eggs – Any type of egg, any color or size works just fine. I use white eggs since that’s the kind of chickens my mother raises, but I’ve seen beautiful auburn-dyed brown eggs! We use them raw (they cook while being dyed) and preferably at room temperature to keep the eggs from cracking.
- Onion skins – I like the color of yellow onions; Some prefer red onions, but the color gets pretty dark. Simply collect those papery skins you usually throw away in a bag for a few weeks. The more peels you use, the more concentrated the color.
- Salt – egg whites cook faster in salt water, so add it to help keep the shell from cracking
- Herbs – here’s where the creativity comes in! Use a few sprigs of fresh herbs, like parsley, chives, or cilantro, to create designs on the eggshells. Let me know in the comments what has given you the best result!
- Tools – pantyhose and string, or foil to hold the herbs and peels on the eggs while boiling
How to Dye Easter Eggs with Onion Peels
I’ve included three methods for dying eggs depending on the look you want: floral, marbled, or woody. The first step is the same for all 3 methods, so start there and then skip down to the egg prep method you’re going for. I like doing a mixture of the methods to have a varied look.
- Dye the water with onion peels – Fill a large saucepan 1/3 full with water and add 2/3 of the onion peels. Boil for 10 minutes, and then add the salt.
Method 1: Easter Egg Herb Prints
- Place the Herbs – wrap the herbs around the eggshells into your desired design
- Wrap in nylon – Put the stocking over one hand and lay the herb-designed egg into the hand, making sure the herbs aren’t folded or twisted. Invert the stocking over the egg carefully and then twist it to keep it snug against the shell.
- Tie with string -cinch the base of the egg with a piece of string to keep the herbs in place.
- Boil – Submerge in the boiling onion skins and boil for 10 minutes. Then, remove the eggs and let them cool. Cut the pantyhose away with scissors and wipe away the herbs with a paper towel.
Natasha’s Pro Tip:
Foil won’t hold the herbs in place, so it’s important to use the nylon pantyhose if you want herb designs on the eggshells.
Method 2: Marbled Eggs
The inspiration for these marbled hues from natural dyes is from: Pille’s Estonian eggs
- Wrap in onion peel – with the remaining 1/3 onion peels, wrap each eggshell completely.
- Wrap in nylon or foil – You can wrap with nylons as instructed above or secure with foil.
- Tie with string -Secure the twist in the pantyhose (if using) with a string.
- Boil the egg- Boil the pantyhose or foil-wrapped egg in the onion peel water for 10 minutes, and then remove and allow the egg to cool. Once you can handle it, cut away the pantyhose or unwrap the foil.
Pro Tip:
The longer you boil the egg, the darker the hue–but if you plan to eat the eggs after boiling, be sure not to boil so long that you overcook the egg.
Method 3: Solid Woody Hues
- Boil – This is the easiest way to dye Easter eggs with onion skins. Gently place the eggs directly into the onion peel water. Cook for 10 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.
How to Make Dyed Eggs Shiny:
I like shiny things. You can make these naturally dyed Easter Eggs shiny by putting oil on a paper towel and rubbing the eggs with it. Now take a picture and impress all your friends (and make sure to tag me @natashaskitchen so I can see it 😍)
Helpful Reader Review
“Thank you!!! I did this yesterday and it worked out perfectly. The eggs I dyed were not totally white because they were from a farm. It worked anyway!!!
Thanks!” – Eugenia ★★★★★
How to Use Up Leftover Easter Eggs
This is my favorite thing about dying Easter eggs – there are so many things you can do with them. Here are some of our favorite recipes with hard-boiled eggs:
- Egg Salad
- Hard-boiled Egg Chocolate Pudding
- Deviled Eggs
- Deviled Egg Chicks
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Easy Garden Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Classic Potato Salad
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Smoked Salmon Salad (Shuba)
Storage
If you plan to eat these naturally dyed Easter eggs, be sure to store them within 2 hours of cooking. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
With this easy tutorial on how to dye Easter Eggs with onion peels, I hope this can become a beloved tradition in your family as well. Oh and one more thing, these make for eggcellent egg wars (you know, knocking the eggs against each other). I think the trick is to wrap your fingers close to the end you are going to knock. Happy and blessed Easter, everyone!
How to Dye Easter Eggs with Onions
Ingredients
- 1 pair nylon stockings, or foil
- A few sprigs of fresh herbs, parsley, cilantro, etc.
- 12 white eggs, room temperature*
- About 1/2 of a plastic grocery bag of yellow onion peels
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
Instructions
Make Natural Easter Egg Dye with Onion Peels:
- Fill a medium pot with 2/3 of the onion peels and add water until it's about 1/3 full. Boil for 10 minutes to allow the onion to release its color, then add 1/2 Tbsp salt. While this is cooking, start prepping your eggs.
Method #1: Herb Patterns
- Wrap cilantro, parsley, or whatever herbs you wish to use around the egg.
- Pull the stocking over one hand and place the egg over it. Grab hold of the egg with your stocking hand and wrap your fingers around it, being careful to keep the herbs from folding or wrinkling. Invert the stocking over the egg, then tighten and twist at the base. The stocking should wrap snugly around the egg to keep the herbs in place. *Note: foil does not hold herbs well enough; if you want the herb prints, you NEED nylons.
- Tie a string around the base to secure the stocking.
- Boil for 10 minutes making sure the eggs are fully submerged. Then, remove them from the water, and let them cool until they are at a safe temperature to handle. Then use scissors to cut away the stocking. Wipe away herb remains with a paper towel.
Method #2: Marbelized Eggs
- Wrap each egg with enough onion peels to cover the surface; there should be no white showing.
- Cover with a stocking and secure as instructed above, or wrap in foil to keep the onion peel in place.
- Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, keeping them completely submerged, then remove. Once cool enough to handle, cut away stocking, or remove foil if using.
Method #3: Solid Woodsy Colors
- Put the eggs into the pot directly with the onion peel; no pantyhose/foil are required! Cook for 10 minutes (or longer if you want a darker tone).
Making the Eggs Shiny:
- Pour some oil on a paper towel and rub the eggs with it.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easter Recipes You’ll Love
- Angel Wing Cookies
- Easter Bread
- Pierogi Recipe
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Chocolate Babka
- Lamb Stew
Tried these for the first time! I grew up dying eggs in onion shells (also Ukrainian). I am so impressed, the older I get, with how capable our parents were, who knew dye could be leached out of onions. I used my nylons and parsley and dill sprigs. They came out perfect and my four year old helped. Христос Воскрес!
It truly is incredible and inspiring! Thank you for your lovely comment. Happy Easter!
Natasha,
Wow, those eggs look terrific. It must have been an amazing family time to gather and make these with your mom. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the great idea. I will be doing this if my family comes over for Easter. And take note, after you’re finished cooking your eggs in the onion skins let the water cool and use it to water your house plants or even your container garden plants. They love onion water.
Wonderful idea, Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Gerard!
Are the eggs uncooked before you start or does the cooking/dyeing process cook them?
Hi Nancy. The eggs will be boiled in step 5. This is when they cook. 🙂
These look so beautiful. I wish you would do a video because I am having a hard time following the instructions. Thanks for all the recipes that you share!
Hi Gayle. You’re very welcome. Thank you for the feedback and suggestion. 🙂
Natasha, I surely appreciate your recipes, your sense of fun, your sweet attitude, and your helpful Husband–keep up the great work!!!
Aww, You’re so nice! Thank you, Lorrie!
Hi Natasha, I have been dying eggs in onion skins for years. So
I just want to add that you can regulate intensity of color by amount of onion skins in the pot with water, and by letting eggs cool down in the onion skins. Also if you cook brown eggs in the onion skins, the color would be even richer: red-brown. I used to scrape patterns on those brown eggs. Happy Easter!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. Happy Easter!
I remember my grandmother (Ukrainian) making these, she saved up her onion peels for weeks/months in advance and just put them in the pot with the eggs. She also saved bread of all types that was leftover and let it dry out, then made stuffing for the turkey from breadcrumbs by crushing the dried bread with a rolling pin. Took a lot of elbow grease to do that! But it was delicious!
It really is the best method! thank you for sharing this with us!
I was suggested this blog by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written byhim as no one else know such detailed about my trouble.You’re incredible! Thanks!
That’s just awesome! Thank so much for sharing that with me. I’m glad you discover our blog!
I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally lost simply just trying to figure outhow to begin. Any suggestions or hints? Appreciate it!
We always recommend getting all of your ingredients ready before starting. Most recipes move fast and having it all ready helps the process.
How do you maintain your cutting board
Hi Barbara, we have been rubbing it with a little bit of olive oil every time we use it. If you want a specific product, the one by boos blocks is very good and we use it about monthly.
Very cool… Natural coloring is the way to go. Great job Natasha!
December
Thank you!
Will be doing this today!
Awesome! Please let me know how they turn out!