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A small bucket filled with shredded white paper and four brightly colored Easter eggs in purple, pink, blue, and orange.
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How To Dye Easter Eggs With Food Coloring

Ever wonder how to dye Easter eggs with food coloring? This easy method uses simple ingredients to create bright, bold colors without a kit.
Keyword food coloring easter eggs, How to dye eggs with food coloring
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Drying time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Author Lisa O'Driscoll

Equipment

  • 10 ounce cup or larger 1 per color
  • spoons
  • paper towels

Ingredients

  • 7 boiled eggs
  • 1 cup water per color
  • 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar per color
  • 1/2 teaspoon gel food coloring per color

Instructions

  • Pick your colors and grab a separate glass for each one. Then add one cup of water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to each.
    1 cup water, 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
    A hand pours water from a green tablespoon into a glass bowl. Food coloring bottles and two white eggs are visible in the background.
  • Next add 1/2 teaspoon of food coloring to each one and stir.
    1/2 teaspoon gel food coloring
    A hand holds a dropper releasing blue food coloring into a glass of clear water, with bottles of food coloring and white eggs in the background.
  • Place your eggs in the colored water (one per cup). I recommend using spoons to make it easier to get the eggs in and out of the cups.
    7 boiled eggs
    A white egg on a spoon is held above a glass filled with red liquid dye, with another glass of blue dye and bottles of food coloring in the background.
  • Leave eggs in the dye for at least one minute. The longer you leave them in the colored water, the darker they will get.
    A pink-dyed egg rests on a spoon above a glass of red dye, with a glass of blue dye and several white eggs nearby.
  • When you're ready, remove them from the glasses and place on paper towels to dry for about 5 minutes. Display and enjoy!
    A white ceramic egg tray holds six colorful dyed eggs, with one light orange egg resting outside the tray on a white surface.

Notes

  • Depending on the brand and color (especially orange and yellow), you may need a little more than ½ teaspoon of gel food coloring to get those bright, bold shades. I like to test one egg first to see if I want to add more.
  • You can also use liquid food coloring instead of gel. About 10 drops usually does the trick. Just skip oil-based dyes since they won’t mix well with the water.