In My Kitchen: Natural Colors for Easter

Easter Colors, Naturally

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Nutrition Consultant specialized in helping people regain natural gut microbiome after yeast, bacteria, and viral infections.

As a mother, I wear the Holistic Nutritionist hat because that is what I write and talk about all day professionally and still feel as passionate as I did when first starting out at the age of 20 to learn ways to keep what goes in and on the body as natural as possible. This way there is less interference with the normal processes of our innate biological system regulating itself as the self-healing organism we are.

Artificial food dye like orange #1 and red #2 are man-made colors banned in parts of the world because they are toxic, potentially carcinogenic, and have been linked to various health concerns, including behavioral issues in children and allergic reactions

So, what does a holistic-minded mom do when her kids want to dye Easter eggs and frost cookies?! Over the years, I found even on celebratory days I can avoid artificial food dye for a healthier outcome for my family by thinking ahead and preparing the dye ahead of time as making dye with beets or yellow onion skins is going to be less quick acting then a Paas synthetic food dye ready to go in minutes.

From our very first Easter as a family, I wove natural food dye alternatives like using purple cabbage juice to color eggs and dried beet root powder to color frosting that was slathered on cookies and cakes.

I grew up dyeing eggs with PAAS Kits; the smell of vinegar and watching color pellets fizz alive were magical! I loved finding bright, bold eggs hiding in the grass or tucked in tree holes on Easter morning and wanted my kids to have these memories too.

Yet how those bright eggs from my childhood got their color is something I can’t ignore. As a kid I didn’t know to care about the fake colors staining my skin for days after or the way the color steeped into the egg I peeled and then ate. As a mom myself and nutritionist, I care a lot.

Nowadays I can successfully say that as a mother I have dyed Easter eggs (and frosted cookies) naturally with homemade food dye for the past 22 years. Whilst yes this route is slower compared to the quick fizzy tablets – nor are they as colorful – yet in all they are earthy and beautiful in their own way! I like to use this recipe to dye naturally and this.

I feel good when my kids eat eggs and cookies colored naturally from onion skins/paprika for orange dye or coffee/dill seeds for brown dye or spinach for green. My boys love to draw pictures on the eggs with a grey crayon before dipping them into a natural food dye. Maybe when they have kids of their own they will create a new color to use 🙂

A ritual you can feel good about passing down to your family.

If you are looking for quick, easier option then you can make naturally-dyed eggs without boiling fruits and veggies with this kit. The dyes are made from fruits, herbs and veggies; all you need is hot water.