How to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring in Just 15 Minutes

Skip the store-bought kit this year: No more messy dye tablets or flimsy cardboard trays! Learn how to dye Easter eggs with ingredients you likely already have in the pantry. Our egg dye recipe only has three ingredients: Food coloring, water, and vinegar. It's that easy. Below, we'll show you how to color eggs with food coloring the traditional way. Dyeing eggs with food coloring is the first step in several of our favorite Easter egg decorating ideas. Once you've colored your eggs a solid green, for instance, you can make cactus Easter eggs, or dunk your eggs in a light pink dye as a base for extra festive unicorn Easter eggs.

How to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring

Supplies Needed

• Water
• Vinegar
• Small bowls
• Metal spoon
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Rubber gloves

Step-by-Step Directions

Follow these simple how-to instructions to make homemade Easter egg dye. You should be able to color a dozen eggs in under 15 minutes.

Step 1: Hard-Boil Eggs

Before you can dye Easter eggs, you'll have to cook them. Learn how to hard-boil eggs in a pan on a stove, or you can steam your eggs instead (it's faster!). Once they're cooked, let the eggs cool in the fridge for an hour or two before dyeing them.

If you plan to eat your decorated eggs, there are a few safety tips you should know. According to the American Egg Board, you shouldn't eat hard-boiled eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. You should have plenty of time to dye the cooled eggs and get them back into the fridge within the two-hour window.

Step 2: Prepare Bowls of Dye

While your eggs are cooling, mix up your dye. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring to a glass bowl that is big enough to submerge an egg in. Then, add ½ cup of boiling water to the mixture. Make as many bowls of dye as you like, then grab the cooled eggs from the fridge—it's time to get started!

Step 3: Dip Eggs

Before you start dyeing, be sure you have a surface to place the dipped eggs on to dry. You can use a cookie sheet covered with a paper towel for easy clean-up. You may also want to wear protective gloves since the food coloring can stain your fingers. Once you have everything set up, use a metal spoon to dip each egg into the dye mixture, gently swirling the egg around until the color is as saturated as you like. Use the spoon to remove the egg from the dye and carefully place it on the sheet to dry.