Naturally Dyed Rainbow Pickled Quail Eggs

A simple DIY for naturally dyed rainbow pickled quail eggs – using all-natural ingredients for pink, purple, red, yellow and orange coloured eggs.

Here is a simple, naturally dyed eggs DIY for pickled quail eggs. These eggs can be made into a beautiful deviled eggs appetizer or added to a variety of meals like healthy easter-inspired salads.

Rainbow food has and always will be a massive incentive of mine to get into the kitchen. Usually, this is in the form of a heavily plant-based meal with a variety of rainbow fruits and/or veggies. However, now it’s time for rainbow naturally coloured eggs.

Last year when I started making myself dishes like this Rainbow Vegetarian Bibimbap, I started experimenting with how to naturally dye foods. I then made these Simple Soy-Marinated Ramen Eggs, which naturally browns the outside of the chicken eggs and couldn’t wait to try egg dyeing. And here we are with these naturally dyed picked eggs.

Using a mixture of natural vegetable and plant-based juices (using a juicer), pickling vinegar, water and salt (and sometimes some additional pickling spices)  – you can make bright rainbow eggs completely naturally. You can even get your kids involved in this one. Although, as natural Easter egg dyes go – I’d definitely stick to savoury uses for these natural edible dyes.

This post teaches you how to make natural light yellow, dark yellow, pink and purple color eggs and can be used for both quails eggs and any white eggs (obviously the cooking time will vary).

The Pickled Egg Recipe How-To

What’s needed

• Clarence Court quail eggs
• pickling vinegar
• fresh vegetable juice (see below)
• water
• salt

The amounts of each ingredient will depend on the number of eggs you’d like to pickle in each colour. The ratio between the vegetable juice (natural dye), the vinegar and the water is 2:1:1. For example, in my jars, I used 1/2 cup vegetable juice, 1/4 pickling juice and 1/4 cup water.

Always make sure there is enough liquid to cover the eggs and note that this method can be used for regular eggs as well as quail eggs. You can estimate the amount of liquid you’ll need by placing the uncooked eggs in your jars of choice and then measuring (in water) the amount of liquid needed to cover the eggs.

What you’ll need for the natural edible dyes

• turmeric for yellow
• carrot for orange (darker yellow)
• beetroot for red/fuchsia (or use store-bought beet juice – without lots of extra ingredients)
• red cabbage for violet and also for purple/blue (add a pinch of baking soda for purple-y blue here)

Optional Pickling Spices – to add a bit more flavour, and to hide the vinegary taste

• Safflower to the carrot (it also helps with the colouring)
• Coriander seeds for the beetroot
• Black pepper for the turmeric
• Mustard seeds to the cabbage

And for my current favourite dish to use these naturally dyed pickled eggs – A healthy and delicious mixed leaf and lentil salad.

For the lentil salad

• mixed green salad leaves
• lentils
• lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

The Steps

How to cook quail eggs

Boil the quail eggs. As they are so small, hard-boiled quail eggs are done in about 3 minutes

Run the boiled eggs under cold water or place them in a bowl with ice water immediately, to stop the cooking process.

Peel them gently so you don’t scratch the surface of the egg white. Quails eggs have a thin shell but a thick membrane (the see-through layer beneath the shell that holds it all together), if you’re able to break the membrane, the shell should then fall off easily.

Juice the vegetables in your juicer.

Add a few eggs to a glass container (one that you can close properly). Then, add the vegetable juice, pickling vinegar and water (ratio 2:1:1). Make sure to cover the eggs.

Add a pinch of salt and the spice of choice and stir carefully.

Refrigerate and 24 hours later you’re ready to enjoy your new rainbow pickled quail eggs.

They go great over a lentil salad for an Easter centrepiece too.

Place the pickled rainbow quail eggs. You can add some flowers for extra flavour but they are completely optional.

Note* You can also prepare these as deviled eggs and display in a similar way.

Drizzle an olive oil-lemon vinaigrette, sprinkle with salt and pepper…

… and voila – a lovely salad with colorful ‘Easter eggs’.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. You can also tag me in your recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie.

Naturally Dyed Rainbow Pickled Quail Eggs

A simple DIY for naturally dyed rainbow pickled quail eggs - using all-natural ingredients for pink, purple, red, yellow and orange coloured eggs.

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: DIYs

Cuisine: Asian, European

Diet: Vegetarian

Freezer friendly: No

Shelf life: 2 Weeks

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Pickling Time: 1 day day

Total Time: 1 day day 10 minutes minutes

Author: Samira

Ingredients

• ▢ Quail Eggs
• ▢ vegetable juice see notes below
• ▢ Pickling vinegar
• ▢ Water

Suggested Equipment

• ▢
  Glass jars

Instructions

• Boil the quail eggs. As they are so small, hard-boiled quail eggs are done in about 3 minutes 
  
• Run the boiled eggs under cold water or place them in a bowl with ice water immediately, to stop the cooking process. 
  
• Peel them gently so you don't scratch the surface of the egg white. Quails eggs have a thin shell but a thick membrane (the see-through layer beneath the shell that holds it all together), if you're able to break the membrane, the shell should then fall off easily. 
  
• Juice the vegetables in your juicer. 
• Add a few eggs to a glass container (one that you can close properly). Then, add the vegetable juice, pickling vinegar and water (ratio 2:1:1). Make sure to cover the eggs. 
  
• Add a pinch of salt and the spice of choice and stir carefully.
• Refrigerate and 24 hours later you're ready to enjoy your new rainbow pickled quail eggs.
  
• They go great over a lentil salad for an Easter centrepiece too. Place the pickled rainbow quail eggs over some cooked lentil and mixed salad leaves. You can add some flowers for extra flavour but they are completely optional. 
  
• Drizzle an olive oil-lemon vinaigrette, sprinkle with salt and pepper and voila - a lovely salad with colourful 'Easter eggs'.
  

Video

Notes

Vegetable juice (to make natural dye):

• turmeric for yellow
• carrot for orange (darker yellow)
• beetroot for red/fuchsia (or use store-bought beet juice - without lots of extra ingredients)
• red cabbage for violet and also for purple/blue (add a pinch of baking soda for purple-y blue here)

Pickling spices:

• Safflower to the carrot (it also helps with the coloring)
• Coriander seeds for the beetroot
• Black pepper for the turmeric
• Mustard seeds to the cabbage

The ratio between the vegetable juice, the vinegar, and the water is 2:1:1.

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