Egg Dyeing Tutorial : Happy Easter from HelloFresh!

It won’t surprise you to learn that at HelloFresh, our favourite part of Easter is cooking up the special seasonal treats. From hot cross buns to warming Easter brunches, we love to whip up food that can’t help but remind you of childhood Easter egg hunts and the crispness in the air on an Autumn morning that feels like all the world made new.

We’re also big believers in doing and making things yourself. On Easter, why stop at traditional edibles? For a real authentic feeling in the air, we like to ditch the ubiquitous compound cooking chocolate (yuk!) wrapped in fluorescent foil and instead whip up some of these all-naturally dyed boiled eggs. They look beautiful as a centrepiece on a table, and best of all, they’re nutritious and edible!

You Will Need

• a dozen free range eggs
• parsley, coriander or sage leaves (or other leaves or flowers that have an interesting shape)
• red and brown onion skins
• beetroot, red cabbage or tumeric
• apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• pastry brush
• cooking twine

Let’s Do It

To dye eggs naturally, simply bring a pot of about 2 cups of water to the boil with half a cup of vinegar in it. Add the dye, be it onion skins, thinly sliced red cabbage or grated beetroot. Drop in the eggs and boil for 15 minutes to achieve a good colour.

Brown onion skins will darken eggs, turning them a lovely rich hen brown. Red onion creates a maroon colour.
Beetroot will transform eggs a light pink (paler eggs is best for this), red cabbage will result in a pale blue, while tumeric turns eggs a vibrant yellow.

The beauty of these little eggs is that no two come out exactly alike. Feel free to experiment with your different combinations to find your favourite effect!

Wrapping eggs in onion skins and cooking twine will create a beautiful pattern underneath.

For our special stencilled eggs, select the prettiest leaves or flowers and brush them onto eggs with a dampened pastry brush. Once you are happy with their positions, take onion skins (the larger the better) and completely cover the eggs. Gently wrap kitchen twine around the skins so that everything is held firmly in place. Drop into boiling water for 15 minutes – you can use plain water or one of the coloured mixes – the effect either way will be lovely!

Place your eggs on the table to enjoy at breakfast or in sandwiches throughout the day. From everyone at HelloFresh HQ, have a wonderful Easter!