How to Make Onion Skin Dyed Easter Eggs with Botanical Prints

Onion skin dyed Easter eggs with botanical prints are an easy craft using kitchen scraps and wildflowers. Creating natural dye with materials gathered from your pantry or backyard is easier than you might think.

Easter is Such a Special Season to Me

It signifies Spring and rebirth. It’s such a peaceful, yet exhilarating time of year. Growing up, I remember the family tradition of egg hunts at the church, and at my Maw Maw’s house.  We dyed eggs all different neon colors in plastic cups and laughed at ridiculous designs we drew on them with crayons.

I also remember being nineteen and looking out from the choir at church to see my high school crush looking back at me, and the feeling that came over me when he came to kneel at the alter call.  I learned later on that he told his grandmother that he saw an angel that day.  I wonder if he still calls me that after six years of marriage? 

This is hands down one of my favorite times of the year. I love making Easter memories with the kids, and there’s no better way to start than with some egg dying.

I recently spent some time digging in a friend’s garden, and she shared with me a tradition from her mother-in-law. Onion skin dyed Easter eggs. I had never heard of such a thing! It really got my wheels turning though, and now I want to create all sorts of natural dyes.

How to Create Botanical Prints on Easter Eggs

I love the idea of using natural materials to create a dye, but my favorite part is using these foraged items to create designs on the eggs. The best part of this entire process was scavenger hunting around our yard with Creek and Aida as we found a purpose for all of the weeds and wildflowers sprouting up in abundance. The color of the eggs mixed with the botanical prints truly makes the most beautiful eggs! Plus, I love that it is low-cost, or maybe even free if you have chickens like us, and it is a great way to get your kids involved with the whole process. 

Gather the Materials

We used flowers, leaves, blades of grass, ferns. Anything that we thought would create a pretty botanical print on our eggs. I think my favorite was the little seed pods on grass stems.

Directions for Making Botanical Prints

1. Place a small dot of water on the dry egg.
2. Place the flower, leaf, etc on the water droplet to hold it in place.
3. Wrap the entire egg in a square of pantyhose or similar material.
4. Tie a string around the end to hold the hose in place, or you could also use a rubber band. 
5. Dye with your desired method.

How to Create Natural Dyes for Easter Eggs

I used red onion skins to create a vibrant natural color. I had light brown eggs to begin with, so the colors didn’t pop as much as they would have on white eggs. The onion skin dye was rich, and helped to build contrast and make the designs that we created with leaves and flowers from the yard really pop.  

Be sure to soak your onion skins overnight to release the beautiful color, and don’t rinse the eggs when you remove them from the dye liquid after boiling.  Give them time to dry so that the color can cure rather than just wash off….I’d never do something so silly, of course (cough, cough).

Ingredients

• 1 dozen eggs
• 8 cups of water
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 2 cups red or yellow onion skins
• flowers, herbs, or small leaves to decorate
• nylon stockings cut into 5 inch squares
• twine

Directions

1. Use a drop of water to hold the flowers in place on your egg. Wrap the egg in a nylon square, and tie it with twine.
2. Add the onion skins, vinegar, and water to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. After the water boils with the onion peels, add the prepared eggs to your boiling water, and let boil for as long as needed for your desired egg doneness. You can remove your eggs now, but I like to refrigerate mine in the dye overnight for a richer and darker color.
4. Remove your eggs from the dye with a slotted spoon but DON’T rinse them. After they dry, you can polish them with oil to make them shine.

Other Materials to Use to Create Natural Dyes

I’m not one for bright colors, so the neutral colors and plant designs we created perfectly feed my love of all things natural. But you can try lots of other natural ingredients to make different colors for your eggs. Here are a few ideas:

• Beets – for a deep pink color 
• Turmeric – for a yellow color
• Blueberries – for a range of colors from purple to blue. 
• Rosemary – for shades ranging from yellow, green and brown. 
• Avocado Pit and Skin – the skins will create a pink dye, where the pit can create more of a red color. 
• Red Cabbage – for a range of colors from pink, purple, and blue. 

Going the natural route for your Easter eggs will not only help you remove chemical dyes from your home, but it is also so fun and creative! You can play with a range of colors and try different variations with the natural ingredients you likely already have on hand. 

Recipes for your hard-boiled eggs

Now that you have an abundance of Easter eggs, be sure to check out my Egg Salad with Fresh Herbs recipe for an easy and delicious way to use up all of your naturally dyed Easter eggs! 

Watch My Video On How to Dye Easter Eggs with Onion Skins

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