Dying Easter Eggs With Onion Skins

Dying Easter eggs with onion skins and other natural dyes is easy and super fun! Assyrians have used this method of dying eggs with onion skins for centuries! The decorated eggs can be used as a beautiful Easter centerpiece then use the hard-boiled eggs to make keto deviled eggs!

I first shared this method in my cookbook Mom's Authentic Assyrian recipes, which was published in 2008. Since then, the idea seems to have really taken off! Mom only used onion skins to dye her Easter eggs, but we'll also try other natural dyes like cabbage, tea, coffee, and beets!

Jump to:

• 🧐Why This Recipe Works
• 🛒What You Need to Dye Eggs with Onion Skins
• 🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
• 🥚How to Dye Eggs with onion skins
• Other Natural Egg Dye Options
• What Material to Wrap Eggs In
• What Herbs and Flowers to Use
• 👩🏼‍🍳Pro Tips
• 🥮Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• Easter Eggs (Dyed with Onion Skins)
• 💬 Comments

🧐Why This Recipe Works

Dying Easter Eggs using onion skins and other natural ingredients is a great way to connect to the past and how many cultures including the Assyrians and Greeks dyed their Easter Eggs. Once taught to your kids, they can pass down the tradition to their kids.

Using various herbs, leaves, plants, and flowers allows you to create beautiful and intricate designs without any chemicals or having to buy dyeing kits. This is the same concept used to make Ukrainian Easter Eggs in which the parts of the egg this are covered with wax are not dyed.

🛒What You Need to Dye Eggs with Onion Skins

🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions

• Eggs: To dye Easter eggs you obviously need eggs, white eggs preferably.
• Herbs: Various plants, flowers, and herbs (to make the pattern on the eggs).
• Fabric or Paper Towels: You can use paper towels, nylon stockings, or pieces of fabric to wrap the eggs with.
• Rubber bands: Rubber bands or string are used to tie the paper towels or fabric into place.

🥚How to Dye Eggs with onion skins

Step 1: Place one sprig of cilantro or Italian parsley over each egg. Carefully cover the egg with fabric or nylons. Gather the material towards the back and tie a knot or fasten the material in place with a rubber band or twine. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Pro Tip: Make sure the leaves lay flat onto the egg. The herbs stick better if you moisten the egg first.

Step 2: Carefully place the eggs in an electric tea kettle or a pot. Don't overcrowd the eggs. Cover the eggs with onion skins, then fill the pot or tea kettle with water.

Step 3: Bring the water to a boil. If using an electric kettle, it will shut off once the water boils. Otherwise, boil for five minutes then turn off the stove and leave the eggs in the dye until cool enough to handle.

Step 4: Carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon. Unwrap the eggs and gently remove the herbs, leaves, or flowers. Continue until all the eggs are uncovered, then display those beautiful eggs proudly!

Other Natural Egg Dye Options

Over the years, I've played around with different natural egg dye ingredients to achieve various colors. Some of the ingredients I've used include:

• tea
• coffee
• turmeric
• food coloring

Play around with other natural ingredients to see what colors you can create. In the photo above, each saucepan has a different dying agent including onion skins, turmeric, red cabbage, and beets.

What Material to Wrap Eggs In

I've tried different things to wrap the eggs and they all work pretty well. It just depends on what you have handy. If making eggs as a group, I recommend each person use a different type of egg wrap so that when you pull out the eggs you'll know whose eggs they are.

Here are some of the materials I have used successfully to wrap the Easter eggs in.

• Napkins
• Pantyhose
• Very thin fabric

What Herbs and Flowers to Use

Besides using different dyes, and different materials to wrap the Easter eggs in, I've also experimented with various leaves, flowers, and herbs to achieve a variety of patterns.

Part of the fun of making Naturally Dyed Easter eggs is hunting for flowers and leaves from your own garden. Just make sure the plants are not poisonous!

Some of the plants and flowers I've used include:

• Italian parsley
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Rose leaves
• Nasturtiums
• impatiens

👩🏼‍🍳Pro Tips

• Mom used to collect red onion skins and yellow onion skins throughout the year so that when Easter rolled around, she had plenty of onion peels to dye her eggs with. I do the same thing now. 
• Although mom used pieces of fabric and string to hold the herbs in place, I find it more convenient to use disposable paper towels, and rubber bands.
• Add a few tablespoons of white vinegar if you'd like. The vinegar is supposed to help the color adhere better, but my mom didn't use it.
• Dyed eggs can be eaten or used to make egg salad or deviled eggs.

Mom's eggs were always so deep in color, no vinegar was needed, only her special touch! To achieve this color, double the amount of onion skins!

🥮Related Recipes

Another wonderful Easter tradition is making The Tomb is Empty Resurrection Cookies! These delicious cookies tell the story of Easter in a fun and creative way that your kids will love!

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