Best tips on how to dye eggs with food color! Remember using food color to dye eggs? Want to know how to dye Easter eggs with food coloring or if you can make gel food color Easter eggs? This old school Easter egg dye DIY is a cheap and easy Easter activity for kids with supplies you probably already have at home! If you need ideas for coloring Easter eggs / ideas for dyeing easter eggs, try the easy food coloring method for eggs!
Best Tips On How To Dye Eggs With Food Color
Growing up, we used to color eggs using food coloring and we still do it today! Colored boiled eggs is a fun Spring activity for kids. You may be wondering can food coloring dye eggs? Coloring easter eggs with food coloring is a fun and cheap way for dyeing eggs. So… how do you make egg dye using food colors?
How do you make Easter egg dye with food coloring?
For food color Easter eggs, you’ll need:
- Hard-boiled eggs (hard cooked eggs)
- Egg carton
- Boiling water / hot water
- White Vinegar (distilled vinegar)
- Food coloring (different colors of choice, regular food coloring and not a special color Easter eggs food coloring) OR gel food color Easter eggs color
- Small cups
- Spoons
- Paper towels
- Art smock, old tshirt, or apron! (Learning how to dye eggs with liquid food coloring can get messy with kids!)
See the full directions and dyeing recipe below on this Easter egg coloring method with food color! Get the How To Use Food Color To Dye Eggs printable craft card below. KEEP SCROLLING for how to dye eggs with food coloring tips and information and don’t forget about our Recipe and Read recommendations for kids at the bottom of the post!
Best Food Coloring To Color Eggs
Food color Easter egg dye is an easy way to color eggs and a safe way to dye eggs because you are using food safe dye (which makes the eggs edible and safe to eat after colored!). The best food coloring for dyeing Easter eggs is the food-safe coloring dye of any brand — Wilton food coloring or others.
For dyeing eggs, you can use:
- Liquid food coloring (regular food coloring — a super cheap food color for Easter eggs!)
- Egg shade
- Gel food coloring – food grade gel (like this, sometimes called gel paste coloring. Gel food color for dying eggs takes less than regular food coloring to make bright vibrant Easter eggs.)
- Powdered coloring like this, but you may have to experiment (Also check those out if you’ve been wondering where to buy red egg dye powder.)
- Food markers
- Plant-based egg coloring kits
- Neon food coloring for Easter eggs
EASTER EGG CRAFT TIP: You don’t really need an egg dye with food coloring chart. Just remember, the longer you leave your eggs in the food color dye, the darker the color / the more vibrant the color!
FAQs For How To Dye Boiled Eggs With Food Coloring
Working With Homemade Easter Egg Dye
Before we get to our egg color recipe and how to food color boiled eggs, let’s give you some easy tips for coloring Easter eggs.
(These are FAQs that people always ask about how to make egg dye with food color, so I thought I would just put them in their own section to easily help you out if you’ve been wondering how do I dye eggs with food coloring!)
CHECK OUT THESE EASTER EGG DYING ACTIVITY IDEAS:
LEARN HOW TO MAKE THE BEST RED COLORED EGGS
FUN THINGS TO DO WITH LEFTOVER FOOD COLOR DYE
Will food coloring dye eggs?
Yes, food color makes fun, vibrantly colored eggs, especially when mixed with vinegar. The longer that you leave the eggs in food coloring, the deeper the colors of the eggs with become. (You don’t really need a food dye color chart for Easter eggs!) Once they are dried, you can then decorate them with food color markers, stickers, crayons and more.
Making your own homemade egg dyes is one of the most fun things to do with food coloring!
This is how to dye easter eggs with food coloring and crayons that I remember when I was a kid each year as an Easter tradition for the whole family! (No store-bought kits!) Plus, we used our colored eggs for the Easter egg hunt and our Easter baskets! (Which doesn’t really seem like a good idea now. HA!)
FUN EASTER EGG TIP: For a fun trick, use a white crayon to write or draw on the egg before putting it in the food dye. The design will often show up once it’s in the egg dye coloring! Also, if you’ve used the Easter dye tablets before that came with the dye cups, rinse them out and save them for next year. We’ve reused our coloring cups for a few years now!
DON’T MISS THESE FUN EASTER IDEAS FOR KIDS:
MORE Fun Easter Activities For The Family [Easter Ideas for Kids]
But what about how to color easter eggs with gel food coloring?
Can I use gel food coloring to dye eggs?
Yes! You may be wondering can gel food coloring be used to color easter eggs because there’s a lot of conflicting information out there about this egg dyeing technique. Gel food coloring is just a more concentrated version of regular food coloring. How to dye eggs with gel food coloring: Where you would use 10-20+ drops of regular food coloring in dyeing eggs, gel food color takes a lot less – only about 5 drops.
Is egg dye the same as food coloring?
Food coloring can be used as egg dye instead of the egg dye kits that you buy at the store with those dye tablets. That way you can make homemade egg coloring at home for a lot less instead of purchasing dye kits each year.
You can also try color eggs with food coloring and rice (like the process I used here).
How much vinegar to dye easter eggs?
You need 2 teaspoons of white distilled vinegar for each 1/2 cup of boiling water, per color. Add the food color, vinegar, and water to the cup and stir before adding the egg.
Why do you use vinegar to dye eggs?
You may be wondering do you need vinegar to color eggs? Vinegar is acidic and helps deepen the colors of the dyed eggs. If you dye eggs without vinegar, the colored eggs will be a lighter, more pastel shade. It will be harder to develop vibrant colored eggs.
More Easter Egg Recipes and Fun Egg Kids Activities:
Best Hard Boiled Eggs (Easy To Peel Eggs)
Will apple cider vinegar work for coloring eggs?
Apple cider vinegar is also an acid, so it will work well with food color to dye eggs. However, since apple cider vinegar is tinted a brownish color (where white vinegar has no color), it may affect the dyed color of eggs and turn out a little differently than the food coloring when mixing colors.
But what about if you don’t have Easter eggs vinegar and food color?
How To Dye Eggs Without Vinegar
What can you use if you don’t have vinegar to dye eggs? For dying eggs, replace the acidity of the vinegar with another acid, like lemon juice. Then, follow the Easter eggs recipe listed and color them as usual. You may have to adjust the acidity of other ingredients when replacing them for vinegar.
How long do you soak eggs in food coloring?
You should soak your eggs in food coloring for a minimum of 5 minutes. The longer you leave your eggs in the food coloring, the darker the color for the eggs. Be sure to periodically turn your eggs in the color solution to get an even color all the way around the egg.
Can you eat food colored eggs?
Yes! You can eat food colored eggs as long as they are dyed with a food safe coloring (like the kind you use in baking and icing tint). Just be sure to keep the boiled, colored eggs refrigerated immediately before use and then refrigerate them again after coloring the eggs. So, food dye and eggs are safe and make dyed edible eggs.
How To Store Dyed Easter Eggs
Once you’ve colored your dyed Easter eggs, place them back into the egg carton. Store them in the refrigerator until ready to eat. It is not recommended that you hide the colored Easter eggs all day and then attempt to eat them later.
How long do dyed easter eggs last?
How long can you keep dyed Easter eggs? Boiled, colored eggs will last in the refrigerator for up to one week. Leave the shells on until you are ready to eat them. When you peel the eggs, they are more susceptible to bacteria once they are out of the shell.
Egg Dye Color Mixing Chart (EGG DYEING 101 GUIDE)
These are the colors I’ve gotten the most questions about. If you have another color for dyeing Easter eggs, let me know and I’ll add it to the color chart explanation!
How To Dye Eggs Red With Food Coloring
The best way to dye eggs red is to use the darkest red gel food coloring you can find. Then, mix your egg coloring with vinegar and water. Place your egg in the dye color mixture, ensuring it’s completely covered. Then, leave your egg in the dye mixture, turning occasionally, for up to 2 hours. The longer you leave your egg, the darker red you will get for best results!
EGG TIP: White shell eggs are going to make a more vibrant red than brown eggs. If you want bright colors, use white eggs to make darker red-shelled eggs. SEE MORE INFO ON COMPLETELY COLORING WHITES OF BOILED EGGS BELOW.
How to make red eggs is probably the most frequently asked question I get when I post about dyed eggs.
(If you’ve tried to use red food coloring to make dark red eggs, you know they usually turn out pink or more pinkish than red after sitting a few minutes in the cups of dye!)
Make sure you leave the eggs in the dye solution long enough to make a deep red. It builds up a base color and then just keeps getting a darker red.
GET RED FOOD COLORING FOR EASTER EGGS
How To Make Pink Egg Dye With Food Coloring
They now have pink egg dye (and even neon pink food coloring!). The longer you leave eggs in pink food coloring, the richer, deeper, and more vibrant the pink will become. However, if you don’t have pink food coloring, use red! Leave your boiled eggs in egg dye for a short amount of time and they will be a pinkish hue instead of red.
KID TIP: Don’t be afraid to mix colors to make new colors! It can be a whole Easter STEM lesson!
GET PINK FOOD COLORING FOR EASTER EGGS
How To Make Orange Egg Dye
Luckily, you can get almost every color in food coloring now (including orange egg dye and black food coloring)! If you don’t have orange food color, you can easily make homemade orange egg dye. Just mix equal parts red food color and yellow food color to your water and vinegar dye bath.
GET ORANGE FOOD COLORING FOR EGGS
How to Dye Eggs Purple With Food Coloring
To dye eggs purple with home made food coloring, you’ll need to use red and blue food coloring. You’ll probably need to play around with it (depending if you’re using a gel food color or a liquid food coloring), but start with a 3:1 ration. For every 3 drops of red, add a drop of blue until you get the desired purple egg color.
TIP: Dying White Eggs vs Dyeing Brown Eggs
When coloring Easter eggs, the base color of the egg will affect the final color of the colored eggs. For example, dyed brown eggs will have a more muted color / pastel color. Dyed white eggs can be pastel or you can get them to have deeper colors / more vibrant colors by leaving them in the color bath longer.
Both white eggs and brown eggs make beautiful Easter eggs colored. They’re just different!
OK! Let’s get to how to food color eggs!
Here’s how to dye easter eggs at home using food colors.
(This is the classic how to dye eggs with food coloring and vinegar recipe that you may remember from your childhood!)
How To Make Dye For Easter Eggs With Food Coloring (How to Dye Easter Eggs Without a Kit)
FOOD COLORING EASTER EGGS RECIPE (How To Make Your Own Easter Egg Dye Kit!)
This is such an easy Easter eggs egg dye recipe to do with the kids, but be sure to protect clothing and tables/counters before getting starting (especially if you’re working with small children!).
RECIPE TIP: Keep your empty egg carton to dry the eggs. Be sure to place it on a paper towel before you place wet eggs in there after the dye bath! Use a slotted spoon to drain off excess food dye before placing in egg container.
If you’re wondering how to make egg dye with gel food coloring, it’s the same process as regular food coloring. Just squeeze the drops into the water and vinegar mixture until you get the desired effect (color you want) in the cup. (Keep adding drops of food coloring until you get the desired color / vibrant colored water or want darker colors.)
This is the best way to dye eggs with food coloring that we’ve been using for years! (Learning how to make dye for eggs with food coloring is super easy and you’ll never buy store-bought egg dye again!)
EGG COLORING TIP: Colored hard boiled eggs can eve be used to make Easter dyed deviled eggs because some of the coloring will seep through the eggshell and voila! Food colored deviled eggs!
Here’s how to color hard boiled eggs with food coloring (using food color for Easter eggs). We usually use a dozen eggs, but you can do more or less if you want.
PRO TIP: After your eggs dry, use a little bit of olive oil to polish them and make them shine! It makes really bright easter eggs! You’ll be surprised how much it brings out the different shades for beautiful eggs!
(More tips after the printable recipe card, including how do you dye eggs with food coloring without vinegar and coloring the whites of the eggs / how to dye eggs with food coloring for deviled eggs!)
Coloring Easter Eggs With Food Color
Equipment
- Bowls or mugs, large enough to place an egg and have the liquid cover it completely (one for each color)
- Slotted spoon
- Paper towels
- Aprons or craft shirts*
Ingredients
- 1 dozen boiled eggs keep the egg carton for drying
- 1/2 cup boiling water for each color
- 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar for each color
- Food coloring colors of choice
Instructions
- To each mug/bowl, place a 1/2 cup boiling water, 2 teaspoons vinegar, and 10-20 drops of food coloring until you reach the desired color. Repeat this for each mug/bowl.
- Allow the dye liquid in the cups to cool.
- Gently place an egg in each cup of dye color.
- Allow the egg to sit in the dye color for at least 5 minutes. The longer you allow the egg to sit in the dye, the deeper the colors will become.
- Once egg has reached desired color, remove with a slotted spoon and place in the egg carton or gently on a wire baking rack to dry.
- Peel and eat or store in the refrigerator (unpeeled) until ready to use, up to one week.
Notes
NOTE: If you’re wondering how to dye raw eggs with food coloring, the process is the same. But, be very careful if you’re doing this with kids as the eggs will easy crack / eggs will break!
Egg Dyeing Tips
How do you dye Easter eggs with food coloring without vinegar?
If you don’t have vinegar for, you can still color Easter eggs! Here’s how to color boiled eggs with food coloring with no vinegar…
How To Dye Eggs With Food Coloring Without Vinegar
To dye eggs without vinegar, substitute the vinegar with lemon juice or lime juice. For our recipe, we recommend 2 teaspoons of vinegar. You would just swap the vinegar teaspoons for 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice. Then, place eggs in color dye baths as usual. The longer you leave them in, the more vibrant colors!
Now that you know how to dye egg shells with food coloring, did you know you can also dye peeled eggs colors?
How To Dye Peeled Eggs With Food Coloring
To dye peeled eggs so that the egg whites are colored, boil and peel the eggs normally. Slice the eggs in two and remove the yolks. Then, place the egg whites only into the food safe egg dye until they reach the desired colors. You can also place the whole egg (peeled) in the color dye mixture. Once you remove them and slice the egg, they will have a white ring near the yolk, which is also pretty cool!
Then, you can used the colored eggs whites for colored deviled eggs for an Easter brunch or even a fun colored Easter snack for kids!
MAKE THIS NEXT: Easy Colored Deviled Eggs Recipe
RECIPE AND READ: Best Easter Books For Kids To Go With This Easter Craft
Here are good Easter books for kids to pair up with this activity:
- Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story
- Berenstain Bears and the Real Easter Eggs
- The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Easter Egg Hunt (World of Eric Carle)
- Thomas and the Easter Eggs (Thomas & Friends) (Little Golden Book)
- The Great Easter Egg Hunt (VeggieTales)
