How to make red-shelled eggs (with natural dyes or food coloring)
Course: How To
Cuisine: American, Chinese, European
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Air drying: 30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 40 minutesminutes
Author: Marvellina
Simple effective ways of dying eggs red with food coloring and natural dyes from onions and beetroots. Perfect for celebrations like Eastern Orthodox Easter red eggs, Chinese celebrations like birthdays, baby one-month celebration, etc.
Hard-boiled or soft-boiled white shelled eggsbrown-shelled eggs will yield darker color
Using red food coloring:
1tspvinegar
½cuphot boiling water
25dropsred food coloringmay need more depending on your food coloring and if you use brown eggs
Cooling rack with a tray lined with paper towel underneath
Using skins from the yellow onion (for about 5 eggs or so):
5largeyellow onions
3Tbspwhite vinegar
4cupswater
Using beetroots (for about 5 eggs or so):
500grbeetroots
3Tbspwhite vinegar
4cupswater
Instructions
Using artificial red food coloring:
UPDATE: Using hard-boiled eggs that are still hot/warm actually gives a better result. The red color will be evenly distributed
In a glass bowl, mix hot water (make sure it's hot so the color clings better), vinegar, and food coloring
Put the eggs in a bowl and use a metal spoon to scoop the red liquid onto the eggs, turning to make sure color evenly coats the eggs, you need to be patient and continue to spoon it over as you turn, this may take between 2- 5 minutes or longer for white shelled eggs and you may need around 8 minutes for brown shelled eggs. You will see the color will get deeper and deeper as you spoon the liquid all over the eggs to color them
Place the dyed eggs on the rack to drain. They will dry off in few minutes, but don't be tempted to touch them yet. They should be safe to touch after about 30 minutes
Using beetroots:
Peel and cut the beetroots into chunks. Add water and vinegar into a non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and lower the heat to let them simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid for the dye
Place eggs in a jar, enough for the eggs you want to dye. Pour the beet juice while it's still hot to cover the eggs and let them soak. The longer they soak, the more vibrant the color will be. The color from beet juice is more pastel and not as intense even after 24 hours of soaking. It gives more pink than red. It's a beautiful color for Easter eggs, but if you are looking or red, it may not be as red as you think
Remove the eggs from the jar and place them on a wire rack to dry for about 30 minutes to 1 hour
Using yellow onion skin:
Peel the papery yellow skin from the onion. The peeled onion can be saved in the fridge for about 2 weeks, but try to use them as soon as you can
Put the skin, water, and vinegar in a non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat, cover, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and strain the liquid
Place eggs in a jar, enough for the eggs you want to dye. Pour the liquid dye while it's still hot, to cover the eggs and let them soak. I'm surprised by how intense the red can be. Soaking for 1 hour produces a more orange hue almost red color. If you want a lighter vibrant red, 3-4 hours of soaking is sufficient. 12 hours of soaking produces a very intense red, almost a bit at the dark side, 24 hours of soaking turn the eggs into dark brown color
Remove the eggs from the jar and place them on a wire rack to dry for about 30 minutes to 1 hour
The finishing touch (optional):
You can use non-stick spray or a bit of oil to rub on the shell of the eggs to give you a shinier shell so the color looks more lively and not as muted
Video
Notes
I use synthetic food coloring and usually, it works. I'm not sure how the natural food coloring will work