Onion Skin Dyed Easter Eggs

Onion skin dyed Easter eggs are easy to make and are unusual and beautiful. They will make a perfect addition to your Easter traditions and table.

The week before Easter is the time I make onion skin dyed Easter eggs. I remember my Nani (grandmother) making these beautiful and unusual eggs every Easter. They were an important part of our Easter table.

My mother makes them and I do too! And I’m sure my grandmother learned how to make these beautiful eggs from her mother and so on and on! They are part of our family traditions that makes memories that keep our family strong!

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What Are Onion Skin Eggs

onion skin dyed Easter eggs- EGGS IN BROWN STRAW

Onion skin eggs are Easter eggs that are dyed using the papery skin of yellow onions! You can make them with what you probably have in your pantry. White eggs are transformed into hues of deep oranges, warm browns, soft peaches, earthy terracotta, and all the warm orange hues in between. They are not your typical Easter eggs but once you make them you will understand how spectacular they are. They are so imperfectly perfect!

I hope you will make these beautiful, natural harbingers of Easter and start your own tradition.

What Do Onion Skin Eggs Symbolize

The symbolism of hard boiled eggs is rich and beautiful. Its roots are deep in our Christian faith.

Onion skin eggs, like other hard boiled Easter eggs, represent the tomb where Jesus was laid on Good Friday. Cracking the shell represents Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the stone covering the entrance to the tomb being rolled away on Resurrection Sunday. Eating the egg is a symbol of the covenant all believers have with Jesus. Because eating a meal is a sign of the covenant.

What You Will Need

You probably have what you need to make onion skin dyed eggs in your kitchen.

large white eggs
the brown papery skins from about 10-15 yellow onions
water
a stainless steel saucepan
large spoon

How To Make Onion Skin Dyed Eggs

Peel off the papery skin of about 10 medium size yellow onions. The more onion skins you use the deeper the eggs will turn out. I used lots of onion skins for my eggs.

Put the onion skins in a large saucepan and add a dozen eggs. Nestle the eggs in the onion skins. This will give them interesting marks and mottling.

Cover the eggs and the onion skins with water. Push the onion skins down into the water the best you can.

ONION SKINS AND EGGS IN WATER IN A SAUCEPAN

No need to add vinegar. The onions will dye the eggs and the color will not come off.

Cook the eggs uncovered over medium heat. The onion skins will quickly begin leeching out color as soon as the water gets hot.

onion skin dyed Easter eggs-EGGS AND ONION SKINS IN A SAUCEPAN

When the water boils turn off the heat, and put a tight-fitting lid on the saucepan. Let everything sit in the saucepan for 12 minutes.

Remove the eggs from the saucepan and put them on a paper towel to let them dry. You can run the eggs under cold water to make them easier to handle.

onion skin dyed Easter eggs-EGGS DRYING ON A PAPER TOWEL

Put the eggs back in their cartons and refrigerate.

I save the liquid discarding the onion skins and straining it to get rid of any little bits of onion skins. Then I decant the liquid in a large glass jar! I’ll make more onion skin eggs with my little grandbabies next weekend.

I’m also going to try to dye an old long-sleeved white tee shirt to see how it will turn out. I’ll use 1/4 cup vinegar to set the color.

More Tips

Here’s an alternative method for making onion skin eggs. Make the egg dye and hard boil the eggs separately. Then add them together when they are cooled.
You can wrap eggs in onion skins and secure them with a twist tie and then make them according to the directions. They will take on a pretty mottled look
If you wrap the eggs with onion skins you can also put edible leaves, like parsley, on the eggs before wrapping them in the onion skin, The leaves will make a ghost imprint on the eggs.
To give your onion skin dyed eggs a shine, put a drop of neutral oil on a paper towel and rub each egg. Then take a soft cloth and buff the eggs.

Sources

Items for making onion skin eggs and displaying them.

Click The Video Below For More Easter Inspiration

FAQs About Onion Skin Eggs

Make onion skin eggs just like you would regular hard boiled eggs. Just add the onion skins to the pot. Cool the onion water and if you want your eggs a darker color return them to the cool pot to dye a bit longer.

Yes, treat them like any hard boiled egg.

Rub a little bit of neutral cooking oil on the eggs and buff them with a soft towel to give them that classic shine,

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