Dyeing Eggs with Tea

Last month, just before my in-laws were due to visit, I finally straightened out my mess of a tea closet. It took 3 hours to sort through my stash, and along the way I realized that I’m both obsessed and lucky at the same time.

One of the great things about buying and receiving tons of tea is that there’s always extra to experiment with. With a closet full of teas re-discovered, I finally set aside time for an Easter DIY that I’ve been meaning to get to for the longest time–dyeing eggs with tea!To ensure a noticeable transfer of color, teas must be strongly brewed to double or triple the standard strength. I picked teas that would hopefully bring about a rainbow-like spectrum of colors, and most produced expected results.The exceptions were the hibiscus and green tea. The hibiscus tea yielded concrete-looking, gray eggs. It was fascinating to watch the transformation, especially since it wasn’t the color I was expecting.

I also had high hopes for dyeing the eggs in a mix of green tea and matcha, but was greatly disappointed. With a name like green tea, this would be easy, right? Nope. Even after an overnight steep in the tea, the egg had minimal color intensity. I ended up sifting a small amount of matcha directly over the eggs post dyeing–not quite what I had intended, but nonetheless beautiful.If you’d like to try your hand at staining eggs with tea, use these proportions as a reference. If you use a medium cereal bowl or even a pitcher, these amounts are enough to dye 3-4 eggs:

2 black tea bags + 1/2 cup beet juice = REDDISH BROWN

saffron tea bags = ORANGE

2 Tbsp turmeric tea = YELLOW

green tea bags + 1 Tbsp culinary matcha, with a sift of matcha after dyeing overnight = GREEN

3 butterfly pea flower tea bags = BLUE

hibiscus tea bags = GREY

  • * Brew each tea in 2 cups of boiling water.
  • * Add 1 Tbsp of vinegar to each color brew to improve staining.
  • * To use loose leaf tea, substitute 1 rounded Tbsp for 3 tea bags.
  • Along with their brilliant color, expect to taste some of the tea’s flavor in the eggs. Just under the shell, the surface of the egg white may also be stained. These primordial-looking beauties are ideal for making deviled eggs, egg salads, or for snacking on as is. 

Tea-Dyed Eggs

Makes 4 eggs in one color.

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water

tea (see types & amounts above)

1 Tbsp white vinegar

hard-boiled eggs

Equipment:

medium bowl or heat-proof pitcher

slotted spoon

Directions:

1. In a bowl or pitcher, combine the boiling water with the tea. Do not strain the leaves out. Let the tea come to room temperature, then add the boiled eggs to the brew.

2. Let the eggs sit in the tea, in the fridge, overnight (or for 6-8 hours).

3. After the eggs have dyed overnight, remove them from the tea with a slotted spoon, then gently wipe them dry with a paper towel. Enjoy!

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