How To Dye Easter Eggs With Food Coloring + Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs Recipe
I started using this recipe during COVID when it was impossible to get to the store and get an egg dying kit. I have used this technique every year since. This method is foolproof, and you probably already have almost everything you need to Dye Easter Eggs in your kitchen! All you need is eggs, some food coloring and white vinegar.
Dying Easter Eggs starts with Hard Boiled Eggs. I used my Instant Pot to make the eggs, using the 5-5-5 method. It makes perfectly cooked Hard Boiled Eggs every time with minimal clean up, and mess!
This is also a great opportunity to create our own Easter Egg Dye as a science experiment! After creating the colors, we looked how long we soaked the eggs in the dye, to see if the longer we soaked them if color would be more vibrant, and what kind of colors we could make by mixing. Anthony was about 7 when we did this for the first time, so I am super excited to see how much fun Joey has
With only a few minutes of prep, we had an afternoon of fun together, as a family. Anthony made sure that we decorated an egg for everyone in our family, including our extended family, who live in other parts of the country. You’re going to love how easy it is to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring, you’ll never go back to those expensive kits again!
How To Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring
Gather Your Ingredients & Supplies
You will need:
- food coloring
- white vinegar
- mugs or mason jars big enough to hold eggs
- eggs
- Instant Pot
- plastic spoons
Prepare Work Surface
Place paper bags, or trash bags on table to collect any spills or messes.
Hard Boil Eggs
Use your Instant Pot to Hard Boil Eggs using the 5-5-5 Method. The process is easy, just follow these four simple steps:
- Add 1 cup of water to Instant Pot. Place trivet or egg holder in bottom, and carefully place eggs on top.
- Place lid on Instant Pot, and set valve to sealing position. Cook on Manual High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Let Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, release any remaining pressure.
- Gently transfer eggs to an ice bath, and let them sit for 5 minutes.
This method produces perfectly cooked Hard Boiled Eggs every time, with a firm white, and a fully-set, creamy yolk. These eggs peel like any other hard boiled egg – with eggs that are a little bit older, being easier to peel.
Make Egg Dye
While the eggs are cooking and cooling, prepare Egg Dye. We made 5 different colors; pink, blue, green, yellow and purple. Add ¾ cup HOT water to a mug or mason jar, and stir in ¼ tsp food coloring. The hot water is vital to this process to make sure that dye fully melts and disintegrates into the water. If the water isn’t hot enough, the dye will leave blotches and streaks on the eggs. For best results, bring water to a boil in a kettle, or over the stove, and let it cool for a couple minutes. Once food coloring has completely melted into the hot water, stir in the vinegar. Vinegar helps create a bright, vibrant color. If you don’t have vinegar, lemon juice makes a great substitute.
Dye Eggs
Using tongs, or a plastic spoon, carefully place a fully cooled hard boiled egg in dye, fully submerging the egg to cover. Soak eggs for 5-10 minutes, using the spoon to move around the egg to check on the color. If the egg isn’t quite coming out the color that you wanted, add a couple more drops of food coloring to intensify the color. To make hidden messages, use a white crayon to draw on the egg before dyeing. The dye wont stick to the crayon, revealing your message when the egg is dyed. 
Remove Eggs & Let Dry
Carefully remove eggs from dye using a plastic spoon. Let them dry on the trivet or egg holder from your Instant Pot, or back in the carton.
Keep Decorating
If you want to keep decorating your eggs, use stickers, or food safe markers, and draw more decorations on your Easter Eggs.
What To Do With Leftovers
Use up the Dyed Hard Boiled Eggs to make things like Egg Salad or Deviled Eggs. You can also just add them into a salad, for an extra bit of protein, or just enjoy them on their own. What is your favorite way to use up Hard Boiled Eggs?
