I was standing in the grocery store looking for an egg-dying kit, but all they had left were the fancy ones: tie-dye, glitter, foam, crackle…everything but the traditional dye kits. And then I had an idea…why can’t you just dye Easter eggs with regular food coloring?
Turns out, you can. And it’s so simple I actually feel kind of silly for not doing it this way in the past. Why did I think that the dye in those egg-dye kits was something special?
Here’s how to color your Easter eggs using regular food coloring.
Ingredients:
- 10-20 drops of liquid food coloring OR 1/8 tsp. food coloring gel
- 1 Tb. white vinegar
- 1 cup hot (near-boiling) water
Instructions to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring:
- Add 1 Tb. vinegar and food coloring to a heat-safe container (glass is best as plastic may discolor).
- Pour in water.
- Mix together with a spoon.
- Drop hard-boiled eggs into the dye mixture and leave until the color reaches the desired vibrancy.
- Set back in the egg carton to dry.
A few notes about coloring Easter eggs with regular food coloring:
I wasn’t very exact with my measurements. In fact, the only thing I measured was the vinegar. Just plop some food coloring, vinegar, and hot water into a glass and you’re good to go.
Don’t turn on the stove to boil water. I just filled a 4-cup Pyrex with water and popped it into the microwave for five minutes while I prepped everything else. Easy peasy! (If it’s not boiling, it’s fine. It will be hot enough.)
I used both liquid food coloring and paste and I was surprised by the vibrancy of the color after only a minute or two! However, the gel was a little harder to dissolve completely into the water so the colors had a few splotches and more color variegation. But they were still gorgeous.
The liquid food coloring I had was of the “neon” variety so that probably contributed to how vibrant my colors were. But I’m sure whatever you have in your pantry will still give you beautiful eggs!
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