Every year the kids and I decorate eggs for Easter. Some years, we use the traditional dyeing kits. They’re always great fun and I love the way my kids wriggle up their noses at the colorful dishes filled with white vinegar. In years past, we have also tried our hand at using sharpies, decorating with pysansky techniques and even making natural ones like these. I made these beautiful eggs with ordinary ingredients from my kitchen pantry. Using white shelled eggs as my base, I was able to dye eggs naturally with herbs and spices. I love the way they turned out.

I used turmeric, curry powder and chili powder. These herbs created a bath for boiling the eggs. When boiled, the eggshells took on the color of the spice. To keep parts of the egg white, we wrapped them in fresh herbs. I specifically chose thyme, cilantro and rosemary for the shapes of their leaves. I wanted to create a variety of patterns on the eggs and these fit the bill. Before we added the eggs to the spice baths, we wrapped them in herbs and kept them snug with panty hose. I knew I had been saving those ones with runs for a reason.

The results were subtle but stunning. If you do decided to dye eggs naturally, consider also using onion skins, beets, cranberries, prune juice, spinach, coffee, purple cabbage, blueberries and even carrots. Saffron works well too but it will make for some pretty pricey eggs.

The most wonderful thing about making these eggs is that there are no mistakes. Each egg is unique and different and the kitchen actually smelled pretty amazing after we were done. I also felt good about using these hardboiled eggs for cooking the following week. Without chemicals, they made for the most delicious egg salad sandwiches.

For the full tutorial with step-by-step photos, please visit my post on HGTV.