Colorful Naturally-Dyed Deviled Eggs for Spring or Easter
Create colorful dyed deviled eggs for spring or Easter using natural ingredients without artificial coloring or food dyes. Recipe includes natural dye color recipes and the steamer method for easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs.
Servings: 12 deviled eggs
Equipment
- steamer basket
Ingredients
- 6 hard-cooked eggs peeled and halved; yolks and whites separated
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar divided
- Kosher salt
- 15 oz. can cut beets
- 1/4 head red cabbage chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Deviled egg filling:
- 6 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or yellow if preferred
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- Chives for garnish optional
Instructions
For yellow egg whites:
- Combine the turmeric with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a heatproof container.
For pink egg whites:
- Combine canned beets, including liquid in can with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; gently simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain into a heatproof container. Stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt; let cool for 5 minutes.
For blue egg whites:
- Combine chopped cabbage with 1 1/2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; gently simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a heatproof container and stir in the baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Divide egg whites into dye bowls and let soak until the desired color is achieved (yellow, pink and blue), about 45 minutes but no more than 1 hour. Drain the egg whites on a paper towel-lined plate before filling.
To make deviled egg filling:
- Mash yolks with a folk or for the creamiest filling, push egg yolks through a fine sieve using a spatula to break up the yolks, making them easier to incorporate with the other ingredients. Mix filling ingredients with mashed yolks until incorporated. Alternatively use a food processor to mix the yolks with filling ingredients.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (I used 1M) with the yolk mixture. Pipe yolk mixture evenly into the egg halves. Alternatively fill a ziptop plastic bag and snip the corner to pipe egg filling.
- Dyed deviled eggs can be prepped and stored, covered, in the refrigerator up to a day in advance. For best flavor and freshness, keep the egg whites and filling separate, and stuff the deviled eggs just before you plan to serve.
Notes
- Adjust your deviled egg filling, mixing to your preferred ratio of mayo, mustard and seasoning to taste. I usually add a few extra yolks to my filling to make it creamier.
- Natural dye recipes make enough to dye a couple dozen eggs.
- Don’t dye egg whites longer than an hour to avoid rubbery-textured eggs whites from the vinegar. The dyes add color but don’t add any unwanted flavor so your eggs won’t taste like cabbage or beets. 😊
Be sure to use large eggs that have no cracks and are cold from the refrigerator. Place eggs in steamer basket in single layer. Steaming allows you to cook as may as 12 eggs at one time as long as they sit in a single layer in the pot. There’s no need to peel the eggs right away. They can be stored in their shells and peeled when needed.
- Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in single layer in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium high (small wisps of steam should escape from beneath lid), and cook eggs for 15 minutes.
When eggs are almost finished cooking, combine 2 cups ice cubes and 2 cups cold water in medium bowl. Using tongs or spoon, transfer eggs to ice bath; let sit for 15 minutes. - To peel, gently tap hard-boiled eggs all over to thoroughly crack the shell, then remove shell under a thin stream of running water.