Preparation
If Easter were a color, it would be as varied and vibrant as spring itself. New grass green, robin’s egg blue, bunny nose pink—they’re all part of the patchwork of April, along with the bright sun and azure sky, verdant clusters of clover in a meadow, and furry brown critters who’ve reawakened after a long winter nap. The spring tradition of exchanging brightly colored eggs dates back centuries. This year, squeeze a few drops from the bottle and follow this easy-to-read chart. Our formulas will yield a rainbow of opportunity from eye-popping neons to pretty pastels.
Before dyeing eggs, protect your work area with paper towels or newspaper. Wipe eggs with white vinegar; this will help them dye more evenly.
Mix one teaspoon of white vinegar and one cup of hot water in a heatproof bowl, cup, or jar deep enough to let you submerge an egg completely. Add liquid food coloring as indicated in the free printable charts for each hue. Submerge eggs in dye. To create different tints of color, vary dipping times: Submerge eggs for less than 5 minutes for light colors and leave the egg in for 10 minutes or more for deeper shades.
Using tongs makes handling the eggs easy. When using more than one color on an egg, it usually works best if you use similar colors, such as green and blue or red and orange (colors that are adjacent on these “color wheels.”) Very different colors, such as red and green, tend to look muddy if they overlap (these colors are opposite each other on the color wheel). If you’re making multiple batches, consider building an egg-drying rack with flathead pins and foam board. This will prevent the color from pooling and drying in an uneven fashion, and it can be saved for use year after year.
To dye pretty pastel eggs, dip them in the colored water for shorter periods of time. Follow our handy color wheel chart using the formulas below. Use this as a guide: Color Desired = Drops Per Cup of Water + Minutes.
Yellow = 20 Yellow + 1/2Yellow-Orange = 19 Yellow and 1 Red + 2Orange = 17 Yellow and 3 Red + 2 1/2Pink-Orange = 6 Red and 14 Yellow + 2Pink = 20 Red + 1Pink-Violet = 10 Blue and 10 Red + 1Violet = 15 Blue and 5 Red + 1Blue Violet = 18 Blue and 2 Red + 1Blue = 20 Blue + 1/2Blue-Green = 6 Blue and 14 Green + 1 1/2Green = 20 Green + 1/2Yellow-Green = 15 Yellow and 5 Green + 1/2
To dye richly hued eggs, leave your eggs in the water longer (in some cases, more than 10 minutes). Follow our handy color wheel chart using the formulas below, using this as a guide: Color Desired = Drops Per Cup of Water + Minutes.
Yellow = 20 Yellow + 15Yellow-Orange = 19 Yellow and 1 Red + 12Orange = 17 Yellow and 3 Red + 12Red-Orange = 6 Red and 14 Yellow + 12Red = 20 Red + 4Red-Violet = 10 Blue and 10 Red + 5Violet = 15 Blue and 5 Red + 7Blue-Violet = 18 Blue and 2 Red + 5Blue = 20 Blue + 5Blue-Green = 6 Blue and 14 Green + 8Green = 20 Green + 8Yellow Green = 15 Yellow and 5 Green + 10
To dye a bright pop of color to your eggs, use neon-tinted coloring in a range of time (anywhere from 1 to 25 minutes). Follow our handy color wheel chart using the formulas below, using this as your guide: Color Desired = Drops Per Cup of Water + Minutes.
Dark Neon Green = 10 + 25Medium Neon Green = 10 + 8Light Neon Green = 10 + 1Dark Neon Pink = 10 + 10Medium Neon Pink = 10 + 5Light Neon Pink = 10 + 1Dark Neon Purple = 10 + 10Medium Neon Purple = 10 + 5Light Neon Purple = 10 + 1Dark Neon Blue = 10 + 10Medium Neon Blue = 10 + 5Dark Neon Blue = 10 + 1
