Natural Easter Eggs 3 Ways!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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 work best. You can buy a cheap pair for a couple bucks, but foil is a good alternative. I tested both.
The dye is au naturale; the woodsy tones are extracted from onion peels! Some people prefer red onion, but the color gets pretty dark; I like the yellow onion mo’ betta. This whole process of dyeing Easter eggs took me 30-40 minutes and that’s with cooking them in 2 batches. Not bad. It’s easier than it looks.
What You’ll Need:
1 pair of nylon stockings OR foil
A few sprigs of fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, etc.)
12 white eggs
About 1/2 of a plastic grocery bag of yellow onion peels
1/2 Tbsp salt
How To Natural Easter Eggs:
Fill a medium pot with 2/3 of the onion peels and add water until it’s about one third full. Boil for 10 minutes to allow the onion to release it’s color then add 1/2 Tbsp salt. While this is cooking, start on your eggs.
Method #1: Herb Prints
Note: foil does not hold herbs well enough; if you want the herb prints, you really NEED nylons.
1. Wrap cilantro, parsley or whatever herbs you wish to use around the egg.
2. Pull the stocking over one hand and place the egg over it, grab a 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 snuggly around the egg to keep the herbs in place.
3. Tie a string around the base to secure the stocking.
4. Boil for 10 minutes making sure the eggs are fully submerged then remove from water, let cool until they are a safe temperature to handle, then use scissors to cut away the stocking. Wipe away herb remains with a paper towel.
Method #2: Marbelized hues
Note: the inspiration for these marbelized hues is from: Pille’s Estonian eggs
1. Wrap each egg with enough onion peels to cover the surface; there should be no white showing.
2. Pull the stocking over your hand and place the egg over it, grab a hold of the egg with your stocking hand and wrap your fingers around it. Invert the stocking over the egg then tighten and twist at the base.
3. Tie a string around the base to secure the stocking.
4. Boil for 10 minutes making sure the eggs are fully submerged then remove from water, let cool until they are a safe temperature to handle, then use scissors to cut away the stocking.
Method #3: Solid Wood Hues
This is the easiest way to get that beautiful solid woodsy color is to simply put the eggs into the pot directly with the onion peel; no pantyhose required! Cook 10 minutes (longer if you want a darker tone. I posted this easy peasy method a couple years ago
Making the Eggs Shiny:
I like shiny things. You can make these shiny by putting oil on a paper towel and rubbing the eggs with it. Now take a picture and impress all of your friends on Instagram (I’d love to see your creation too: @natashaskitchen).
Oh and one more thing, these make for egg-cellent 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. I know it’s early, but Happy Easter Everyone!
Natural Easter Eggs 3 Ways!
Ingredients
- 1 pair of nylon stockings OR foil
- A few sprigs of fresh herbs, parsley, cilantro, etc.
- 12 white eggs
- About 1/2 of a plastic grocery bag of yellow onion peels
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
Instructions
How To:
-
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 it's color then add 1/2 Tbsp salt. While this is cooking, start on your eggs.
Method #1: Herb Patterns
-
Note: foil does not hold herbs well enough; if you want the herb prints, you really NEED nylons.
-
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 a 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 snuggly around the egg to keep the herbs in place.
-
Tie a string around the base to secure the stocking.
-
Boil for 10 minutes making sure the eggs are fully submerged then remove from water, let cool until they are 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.
-
Pull the stocking over your hand and place the egg over it, grab a hold of the egg with your stocking hand and wrap your fingers around it. Invert the stocking over the egg then tighten and twist at the base.
-
Tie a string around the base to secure the stocking.
-
Boil for 10 minutes making sure the eggs are fully submerged then remove from water, let cool until they are a safe temperature to handle, then use scissors to cut away the stocking.
Method #3: Solid Woodsy Colors
-
Cut the eggs into the pot directly with the onion peel; no pantyhose required!
-
Cook 10 minutes (longer if you want a darker tone.
Making the Eggs Shiny:
-
Pour some oil on a paper towel and rub the eggs with it.
Natasha Kravchuk
Russian Easter Eggs 
Egg Salad Recipe with the Best Dressing 
Vegetable Tian Recipe 
Deruny – Ukrainian Potato Pancakes 
Guacamole Stuffed Eggs Recipe 
Sausage Potato and Egg Skillet 
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
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!
Methods you mentioned for natural easter eggs are simple and good. Thanks for posting. Keep blogging.
You’re welcome Olivia! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Natasha, what about using beet’s skins to color eggs? They are so rich in color. When I peel the skin off it takes days to get the color off my fingers.
Hi Marina, that’s a great idea – they do stain like crazy! Have you tried it with the beet skins already?
Just colored the eggs! It’s so easy and so pretty) Thank you for the tip with nylon 🙂
You are welcome Evgenia and thank you for the great review :).
I love the look of these eggs! Is there a way to make these into decorations rather than eating these beautiful creations?
What do you mean exactly? Are you talking about the classic Russian egg art? You’d have to figure out how to get the egg out of the shell first and I don’t really have any experience in that. I’d probably do a google search 🙂
Poke a pin in the top and bottom of the egg and blow out the center
And wiggle the pin around some while you have it in the egg. That helps break through the membrane around the yolk, making the yolk part easier to blow out.
Hi Natasha!!
Hope you had a wonderful Easter! I used your tips on coloring eggs with leaf imprints and they turned out beautiful!! My husband is Ukrainian and Easter is a huge deal for his family and his mom helps me put together a traditional Easter basket to take to church every year. She always has beautiful eggs and it has been my goal to impress her with my colored eggs every year and this year it finally happened!! 😀 she was speechless at how beautiful my eggs turned out! She even took pictures of them to share with her mom and sister in Ukraine!!:)
THANK HOU SO MUCH for this tutorial Natasha!! I couldn’t have done it without you (and my sister who helped me keep the leaf in place while I put the stocking over the egg:)) you are a peach!! 😉
That’s so sweet. I’m so happy you impressed your Mom with the eggs. Thanks for sharing your story with me. That just made my night. Happy Easter!! 🙂
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!
Zhenia
I bet they were beautiful and even darker than mine were. If you posted them online somewhere, I’d love to see how they turned out! 🙂 My mom has chickens again; they’re still babies but when they start laying eggs, I imagine we’ll have plenty of brown eggs! Can’t wait!
I’m tempted to say that all eggs in stores are also from farms, even the white ones.
What do you mean exactly. All eggs do come from some kind of farm unless you have your own in your back yard 🙂 My Mom has her own chickens so that is where I get my eggs 😉
Wonderful discovery for me.
This is the most creative post I have ever come across…!! Good job Natasha..
Thank you 🙂
Just discovered your website and I feel like you are a long lost relative! I’m of Polish, Ukrainian and Lithuanian descent. I truly thought that the annual Easter egg wars (in our family called “epper the eggs”) was just something silly we did.
Can’t wait to explore more!
Welcome to the blog Suebee :).
Those eggs are a beauty, Natasha! These eggs always bring up childhood memories. Thanks for sharing!
These came out beautiful. I especially like the parsley decoration. I will be taking them to church tonight in my Paskha basket to be blessed. Thank you for re-igniting my memories from childhood and your tutorial on how to make these wonderful, natural-dyed eggs.
I’m so glad you liked them 🙂
this is just amazing !!!! 😉
In Serbia the eggs are traditionally colored like that. They are the most beutiful.
That’s very cool! I didn’t know that 🙂 Any other tips you can share for next year?
Othodox Easter is in a month, on the fifth of May. I’ll tell you when I’ve dyed mine. 🙂
Yes, I’d love to hear from you!!
I am a Greek Orthodox Christian and my mother and my wife color the eggs the same way!
Nice to hear that!
Ive never thought to put them in the stockings. And about ” knocking game”, one side of the egg is more difficult to crash (just dont remember which one, will know tomorrow. Btw are you going to church with Easter basket ?
We are taking the Easter basket to my parents house after church :). Let me know how you did on your “knocking game”.
So Beautiful & love the natural approach 🙂
Thank you Alona, a great way to use up my onion peels :).
How do the eggs come out? Are they completely cooked inside or runny? Cause we like the runny eggs and I’m trying to figure out how to color them like this and still get a soft boiled egg. Any suggestions?
They are completely cooked; maybe try to cook for 7-8 minutes, although the color won’t be as dark as if you cooked them the full 10 min.
My mom always made the eggs this way for easter!!!!:))))
My mom is the same way :).
Thanks so much! Just what i was looking for to explain it on my blog
Thank you for sharing it on your blog Henrietta :). Happy Easter!
Your next recipe should be one using the onions, ha ha! I guess one could just chop the onions and put them in the freezer? I did not have the foresight to save the skins all year.
Yeah, I guess it’s a little easier for me because my mom grows onions so she had tons of onions and peels in her shed.
These came out really nice Natasha! Check out my Blog for another natural way to decorate Easter eggs.
http://1sttimemomm.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/how-to-decorate-easter-eggs/
-Elza
I really like your decorations on the eggs, very creative Elvira :).
You are such a smart cookie! I absolutely LOVE this idea! I will be getting in the kitchen on Saturday and making this with my son 🙂 Thank you for the idea.
I’m glad you love it :).
These look pretty! I remember making them when I was a child.
It feels good to keep traditions going and teach my son as well :).
Natasha, these are absolutely gorgeous!!! Wow! Great job.
Thank you 🙂
Natasha, my mom used to do exactly this on Easter! Using onion peel and parsley or cilantro! I need to start doing the same and make some kulichi, too!
I just made my first ever kulich which turned out great :).
How creative! I’ve never done egg coloring but this looks pretty easy to do. Oh and I love your pictures!
Thank you Marina :).
Wow!!! This is so cool!!! Im gonna make these for easter
Thanks Vera. Have fun with these!
Hi Natasha! Question, does the onion flavor the egg? Pretty much does the egg taste like you are eating an onion?
Not at all Rosie :).
Beautiful! Have you tried coloring eggs using any other plants? I know things like beets, spinach, red cabbage leaves and some spices can give good color, anything else thats worth trying?
I haven’t experimented with other plants but my readers have. They recommend red cabbage for blue, turmeric for yellow, and one followed by the other for green. Another one recommended:
Yellow: 2 tablespoons turmeric, 1/2 cup dried marigolds, goldenrod or cosmos, or a handful of carrot tops
Green: Handful of coltsfoot
Blue: 2 cups chopped red cabbage
Pink: 2 cups chopped beets
Purple: 1 cup frozen blueberries
Brown: 2 tablespoons coffee grounds or 4 black tea bags
Hope this helps :).
i’m soo glad that you have this site.. seriously.. i love always looking up for recipes. Thank you Natasha, God bless you and your family
Thank you Oksana 🙂 God bless you too!
wow! this is perfect! 🙂
Thank you Oksana :).
Will this work on farm fresh eggs which are mainly brown in color?
I haven’t tested that but I don’t think you’d get the same variety of colors, although my mom said that they will just be darker in color.
So nice! That’s exactly what they do during the Easter time in Russia! Now it is maybe time for some “kulich”?
Kulich is coming up next :).
They looks so pretty! I like that you did naturally dyed eggs so you can also eat them.
Yep!! It’s definitely more enjoyable to eat naturally dyed eggs; I admit I still ate the chemically dyed ones… ewe… 🙂
aaand just when I though natashaskitchen couldn’t get any cooler…it did 😉
What a fun tutorial! I love how easy/practical these eggs are. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so sweet. Thank you dear 🙂
Do you know if this method is going to work with eggs that are light brown in color(not white eggs)?
I haven’t tried it but I think you get a wider range of colors with white eggs. But in Ukraine, mostly brown eggs were used for coloring so you should not have any trouble at all :).
Very impressive!!! It makes Easter Holiday even brighter:)
Thanks, Natasha!!!
P.s. writing this comment while eating your moms split pea soup. Yum!!!!
That’s so cool! I love that soup too, well obviously. Lol. 🙂
Very cool… Natural coloring is the way to go. Great job Natasha!
Thank you Dina :). I love all the different colors on them, not one is the same.
Mom colors eggs for us every Easter. Wrapping with rubber band makes lines and placing sticker too.
That’s a great tip, I can really see my son getting carried away with stickers :D.
Wow… girl. They are beautiful!! And natural coloring…. I like. Thank you.
You are welcome Lana :).
Wow impressive!! I love hard boiled eggs! My fav!
Thank you Olya 🙂 These were really fun to make. I’m a little early, but I’m really excited about Easter!