Jessica Booth
If you’re looking for more creative (or easier) ways to dye and decorate Easter eggs this year, you’ve come to the right place! Forget just dunking them in a cup of messy dye—gather the kids and grab the craft supplies; it’s time to get super artsy on those Easter eggs!
Little kids enjoy Easter, but between the dropped and cracked eggs and the multicolored dyes, things can get messy real quick. Luckily, there are plenty of hacks for decorating Easter eggs that are easier and far less of a hassle. Plus, the results will put a smile on everyone’s face!
How to Prevent Easter Eggs From Cracking
Use a Whisk to Hold the Eggs
Make Designs with Graphic Art Tape
Drizzle the Dye
Make Your Own Natural Dyes
Dye with Rice
Make Marble Eggs with Shaving Cream
Use Rubber Bands
Cook and Dye Your Eggs in an Instant Pot
Decorate with Temporary Tattoos
Wrap Your Eggs in Gold Leaf
Decorate Dyed Eggs with a Metallic Marker
How to Prevent Easter Eggs From Cracking
Hard boiling eggs is fairly simple, but it’s also really easy to crack them in the process. While it’s certainly not the end of the world (you can still eat them), it is annoying—especially if you’re trying to do the perfect dye job.
You can avoid this by following these tips, courtesy of Simply Recipes:
- Older eggs are less likely to crack: If possible, use eggs that are a week or two old (as long as they’re still good, obviously).
- Never add the eggs to boiling water: They’ll crack almost instantly due to the quick change in temperature. Instead, add your eggs to a pot of cold water, and then bring it to a boil.
- Add salt and a few drops of vinegar: If you add these to the water, it prevents cracking and will even make the eggs easier to peel.
Use a Whisk to Hold the Eggs
You know those flimsy little wire egg holders that come in Easter egg dyeing packages? They’re supposed to make it easier to dip the eggs in dye—and they sort of do. However, they’re also oddly light for something that fragile. Who hasn’t cracked an egg using one before?
A whisk is a far more stable tool for this craft. Just pop your egg between the wires, and then dip it in the dye. You can hold onto the handle while it’s sitting in the dye.
Make Designs with Graphic Art Tape
Dyeing eggs is fun, but if you want to make things more interesting, you can incorporate a few other supplies. Graphic art tape will help you come up with some really cool designs.
For example, you can arrange the tape in a checkered pattern on your egg, and then dip it in the dye for a few moments. Let dry it, and then carefully remove the tape.
You can also decorate with something like Washi tape. Just cut it into designs and arrange them on the eggs. You can also do this on dyed eggs or skip the dye altogether!
Drizzle the Dye
Who says you have to dip your eggs in dye? An easy way to create a unique design is to drizzle it, instead. Make your cups of dye in the colors you want, and then set up a plate or dish with high sides. Wearing gloves, hold the eggs over the dish and drizzle dye over them with a spoon.
If you’re using different colors, make sure each shade dries completely before you drizzle another. If you don’t, everything will swirl together, and it probably won’t be as aesthetically pleasing.
Make Your Own Natural Dyes
Whether you’re weary of those dyes that come in the little Easter egg decorating kits, or you simply can’t find any, you have another option! You can make your own natural dyes with fruits, vegetables, and vinegar.
They’re easy to make and also create unique colors. Plus, because they’re all-natural, they’re better to eat. The most colorful fruits and vegetables are your best bet. Epicurious has recipes for pink (from beets), yellow (from ginger), purple (from purple cabbage), and orange (from carrots) natural dyes.
Dye with Rice
Want a speckled egg? It’s impossible to achieve from just dipping an egg in dye—unless you add rice!
For this simple approach, you dye dry, uncooked rice with food coloring, pour it over your eggs, and then shake them until the color wears off. It’s fun and different!
Make Marble Eggs with Shaving Cream
Marble eggs are really pretty, but it’s hard to figure out how to create that design if you’re just dipping. That’s because there’s a trick: shaving cream! Put shaving cream in a pan, add some drops of dye, and then swirl it with a toothpick. Roll your hard-boiled egg in there, and then let it dry.
Of course, if you plan to actually eat your eggs, you shouldn’t dip them in shaving cream! This tip is for decoration only. If you want marble eggs you can eat, use whipped cream, instead.
Use Rubber Bands
Don’t have washi or art tape, but still want to make a cool design? You can use rubber bands, instead! You’re bound to have some of these in your kitchen or office drawer.
Just wrap some rubber bands (or just one as many times as possible without it becoming too tight) around your eggs, and then dip them in dye. This creates fun designs, and there are so many ways you can vary and get creative with it.
You can start with a plain egg, or, if you want a multicolored design, start with a dyed (but completely dry) egg.
Cook and Dye Your Eggs in an Instant Pot
Don’t have time to go through the whole process of dyeing Easter eggs? No problem—if you have an Instant Pot. You can cook and dye them at the same time, and it only takes six minutes!
You’ll also need some pint jars, food coloring, and eggs. You fill the jars with the food coloring and eggs so it won’t stain your Instant Pot. This also allows you to make multiple eggs simultaneously.
Decorate with Temporary Tattoos
Don’t have any stickers lying around? You can also use temporary tattoos to decorate your eggs! It’s a really simple way to add cute designs because you just apply them the same way you would to your skin.
You can also apply them to plain eggs, or some you’ve already dyed, as long as they’re completely dry.
Wrap Your Eggs in Gold Leaf
Forget dyeing altogether and wrap your eggs in gold leaf! This is so much easier. Plus, it makes your eggs look like a unique, gorgeous decoration. You can do a whole bunch, or just add a few as accents to a bowl of multicolored dyed eggs.
Decorate Dyed Eggs with a Metallic Marker
If you’re feeling extra creative, you can make dyed or non-dyed Easter eggs look like tiny works of art with just a set of metallic markers.
They create a really pretty, unexpected shine on your eggs. However, no one should eat the eggs after you decorate them with markers—they’ll just have to sit there and look pretty.
If you’ve been dreading the messy egg-dyeing process that Easter brings, leave the food coloring in the cupboard! These easy and creative tips and hacks are still fun, but most will help you get those eggs decorated and basket-ready a lot quicker, so you can relax with a Cadbury or two.
