Can You Eat Dyed Easter Eggs?

To me, the best part of dyeing Easter eggs is peeling them open and devouring them whole. But don’t go nibbling on your colorful Easter creations just yet. If you want to eat dyed Easter eggs, make sure you know how to cook them, dye them, store them and serve them safely.

So, is it safe to eat dyed Easter eggs? Yes, it can be, but only if you take care to treat them like food. The eggs should be fully hard-boiled, tinted with food-safe dye, and stored in the refrigerator.

How to Make Dyed Eggs Safe to Eat

Cook the eggs properly

If you plan to eat your decorated Easter eggs, be sure to cook them all the way through to reduce the risk of bacteria like salmonella. (Psst: Here are more tips from the FDA’s egg safety guidelines.) Both the yolk and the white of the egg should be firm after boiling.

Although making hard-boiled eggs may seem like a simple task, it takes practice to get them right. Take them out of the pot early and they’ll be soft and undercooked. Leave them in too long and the yolk will turn a funky green color. The good news is that you can make hard-boiled eggs perfectly on the stovetop as well as in the oven, slow cooker, air fryer and Instant Pot.

Use a food-safe dye

We know it’s tempting to grab any old paint for Easter egg decorating, but if you want to eating your painted Easter eggs, you’ll need to use either traditional food-safe dye or natural dye. This way, no chemicals or harmful substances will seep into the egg.

To dye Easter eggs with food coloring, mix 1/2 cup of boiling water, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and enough drops of food coloring to reach your desired color. Prefer to steer clear of artificial color? One option is to buy plant-based food coloring. But it’s easy to make your own natural food dyes from beets, blueberries, turmeric and more, just by soaking them in water.

Don’t let them sit out for long

Hard-boiled eggs taste best right after they’ve been cooked, and hard-boiled and dyed Easter eggs are no exception. As you’re decorating, keep an eye on the clock to make sure your eggs haven’t been at room temperature for more than two hours (more than one hour if the temperature is above 90°F, since bacteria grow faster in warmer temperatures). Hard-boiled Easter eggs will last for up to one week when stored in the refrigerator, according to the American Egg Board.