The Best Egg Dye Kits: Tips & Advice For The Best Results!

Dyeing eggs is a classic childhood memory—yet there are some tricks and tips that make it even easier. 

Here are some of our favorite egg dye tips curated by our staff:

• The longer the egg sits in the dye, the brighter the color you get! The temptation is to go quickly . . . but if you let it sit for a while, the results are better!

• For a marbling effect, add a bit of vegetable oil to the mix in a shallow bowl. Roll the egg around in the oil and dye mixture for a special result!

• Double check for red coloring. In certain traditions (example: Greek Orthodox), the first egg colored is always red. However, not all kits have red dye . . . double check before ordering!

• Use a gravy ladle or spoon to remove eggs from the dye. Yes, most kits come with a little wire egg dipper—but we’ve found that’s hard for little hands to use. A spoon to remove eggs is easier for kids.

Best Traditional Egg Dyeing Kit: PAAS Egg Decorating Kit-Deluxe

PAAS traces  its roots back to 1893, when drug store owner William Townley perfected a way to concentrate dye into a tablet. And the company still churns out the iconic dye kit today, with nearly 20 different versions. 

Call us old fashioned, but we still like the traditional kit the best—it’s timeless!

What We Liked

• Includes everything you need: 9 dye tablets, 90 stickers, 16 egg stands, 1 drying tray, 1 egg dipper and more.

• Works great!

What Needs Work

• The vinegar smell is a turn off for some folks.

Best Marker-Based Kit: The Original EggMazing Egg Decorator Kit

We love decorating eggs for celebrations . . . but let’s be honest: egg dye kits can get messy fast—especially when little kiddos are involved. For an alternative, we’d recommend this idea: the Original EggMazing Decorator Kit.

Instead of dye tablets, you use markers to “dye” the eggs—and the kit includes a battery-operated tray that spins the egg. Hold the marker to the part of the egg you want to color and poof! Decorating eggs without the mess. Very clever.

What We Liked

• Easy to use.

• Fun!

• Less messy than traditional dye kits.

• Tip: use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to clean the spinner between eggs. 

• Best when using eggs at room temperatures (the markers don’t work as well on cold surfaces).

What Needs Work

• Adult supervision needed. 

• Batteries can be used up quickly!

• Can’t eat decorated eggs, says maker.

• Cleaning spinner between eggs is a bit of a hassle. If you don’t clean between eggs, some color will transfer to new eggs.

Best Plant-Based Egg Dye Kit: Natural Egg Dye Kit

If you’d prefer a more natural egg dye solution, this is the kit we’d recommend: Natural Earth Paint’s Natural egg dye kit. 

Yes, these dyes are made with vegetables, herbs or fruits—no harsh chemicals or GMO’s. And yes, they worked just about as well as the artificial color kits . . . you just have to allow more time for the dyeing!

What We Liked

• Easy to use.

• Great for folks who have allergies to food dyes.

• Yellow is best color!

• No GMO’s.

• Gluten-free.

• Tip: to get vibrant color, you must leave the egg in the dye for close to 20 minutes.

What Needs Work

• Takes longer to get the same vibrancy of color than other kits.

• No red dye.

•  Doesn’t work as well for brown eggs. If you want to dye brown eggs, we’d suggest the next recommendation.

Best Dye Kit For Brown Eggs: 24 Karat Easter Egg Coloring Kit

The gold glaze in this kit is a good solution for brown eggs, which can be difficult to dye with other kits. We liked the overall look, but this kit can be a bit more messy than others in our opinion!

What We Liked

• Shiny! The finished eggs are so shiny—and make quite a statement!

• Includes two brushes and three sponges.

• Works great for brown eggs.

What Needs Work

• Can be blotchy. It takes a bit of practice to get a smooth finish.

• Messy. Some of our kid testers said the gold glaze is harder to apply than other dye kits.

• More gold paint please! We wish this kit had more dye and paint . . . it would work better with more quantity!

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

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