How to dye eggs with beets for Easter

The tradition of painting eggs is associated with a description of the last days of the life of Jesus Christ, his departure from the world and the Resurrection. Then another miracle happened – the eggs turned red. Therefore, from ancient times to the present day, in memory of the Savior, people paint and paint eggs for the great holiday – Easter.

There are different ways to dye eggs. Now in demand are options using natural dyes, without chemicals and preservatives.

Store-bought food coloring may not produce the color shown on the package, color unevenly, or create bubbles on the shell. Therefore, it is worth using proven methods for coloring eggs: beets, onion peels, cabbage, hibiscus tea.

Dyeing eggs with beets is a simple process. As a result, the shell turns out to be a soft dusty pink color.

The process takes very little time and does not require prior preparation.

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1. Preparing the Eggs

Eggs are washed with water and soda. Put in a saucepan, fill with water, add a little salt and cook after boiling for 10-15 minutes. Cool the eggs and put them on a plate.

Step 2. Preparation of beetroot dye

We take one beet, clean it and squeeze the juice out of it. You can use a juicer or grind in a blender and squeeze through cheesecloth. Add half a glass of water and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar 3-4,5% to the beetroot juice.

Step 3. Coloring the eggs

To get a light pink hue, the eggs must be held in the dye for 30 minutes. For a more saturated color, leave to stain for 1-2 hours.

Step 4. Serving

Carefully remove the eggs with a spoon or slotted spoon so as not to leave fingerprints. Lay the eggs on a paper towel and let dry. To get a more intense color, you can dip them in beetroot juice several times. Serve on the table with other Easter dishes.

Expert Tips

Culinary blogger and confectioner Tatyana Kulikova shared recommendations for coloring eggs with beets.

• Choose only white eggs for beet dyeing. 
• It is better to take sweet varieties of beets: dark purple on the outside and bright red or deep burgundy on the inside.
• For coloring, use not a decoction, but beetroot juice, so you get a pure pink color, without brown shades.
• Be sure to use vinegar when preparing beetroot dye, it helps the pigment penetrate the egg shell. 
• Choose vinegar with an acid content of 3-4,5%, rice is better. If the acidity is higher, the eggs will turn brown.
• Do not keep eggs in beetroot dye for more than two hours.

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