One of the best parts about Easter is the Easter egg hunt…but then what to do with the basketful of eggs once they’ve been found?
Luckily, you can use them in all kinds of ways, both in dishes and around your home. If you choose natural plant-based dyes, you can crush the shells and use them as compost, too—they’ll add valuable minerals to the soil.
Want to dye your eggs naturally?
Red onion skins, purple cabbage, shredded beets, yellow onion skins, hibiscus tea, and turmeric make beautiful dyes. Just simmer them in water for 15 to 30 minutes or until you have the depth of color you want, then strain the water and use that as your base. (You’ll also need to add the usual vinegar.) Experiment with different color dyes and different color eggs—white, brown, and blue—to see what kinds of combinations you can create.
Ideas for your Easter Eggs
- Repurpose your gorgeously hued Easter eggs into spring-themed centerpieces and wreaths.
- Make egg-based salads: potato salad, tuna salad, and of course egg salad.
- Use the cooked yolks in recipes that normally call for raw eggs, like Caesar dressing, mayonnaise, and aioli. It’s a great way to make these classic condiments sans the risk of raw yolks.
- Hard-boiled eggs are an excellent on-the-go snack! Just pop them into a sturdy container to prevent them from cracking prematurely and take them to work, school, or wherever else you might get hungry. You can take little packets of sea salt and pepper or spice blends to sprinkle on them, too.
- Include sliced hard-boiled eggs on an appetizer tray along with cheeses, meats, fruit, and veggies.
- Smoked fish + hard-boiled eggs has long been a traditional duo in northern European countries—the creaminess of the egg complements the flavorful fish. Garnish with some chives and enjoy!
- The classic French Niçoise salad is simple to make: combine chopped hard-boiled eggs with tuna fish, steamed green beans, tomatoes, olives, and a simple olive-oil-and-vinegar dressing. You can include chopped Romaine, too, but if you omit the lettuce, you can dress the salad several hours in advance of serving it.
- Feeling adventurous? Try making your own Scotch egg! It’s a hard-boiled egg that’s covered with ground sausage and bread crumbs, then baked or fried.
- You can also include hard-boiled eggs inside of meatloaf—when you slice into the loaf, the egg makes for a stunning visual presentation and also adds rich flavor.
- Many culinary traditions call for snuggling dyed eggs into the dough of braided breads before baking them, making a gorgeous pop of color in the finished loaf. If you’d like to try one of these “Easter egg” breads, be sure to use plant-based dyes that are food-safe.
- Chopped hard-boiled eggs make a great garnish on everything from salads to pilafs to soups, especially if someone has an intolerance to dairy—eggs add a similar savoriness to dishes.
- Swapping eggs for meat can be an interesting change of pace (and also saves on groceries). For example, instead of bolognese sauce, you could add chopped eggs to marinara sauce; likewise, you could add chopped eggs to a bowl of vegetarian chili for some extra oomph.
- Want an instant and super hearty breakfast? Cook a big pot of whole grains, then stir some chopped eggs into your grains every morning. You could add some nut butter and dried or fresh fruit, too.
