7 Tips to Safely Eat Dyed Easter Eggs

From proper cooking to storage, follow these guidelines to enjoy your holiday eggs without worry.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:53pm

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A minimalist neon outline of a cracked eggshell, with the yolk glowing from within, conceptually representing the need for food safety when decorating and consuming Easter eggs.Decorating Easter eggs is a beloved tradition, but proper food safety is key to enjoying them without worry.Sioux Falls Today

With Easter around the corner, it's time to start thinking about decorating eggs. Whether you're dying eggs for your table spread or planning to hide them for an egg hunt, it's important to follow food safety guidelines to minimize germs and maximize your egg quality. Experts from Michigan State University, Clemson University, and Rutgers University provide tips on properly cooking, cooling, decorating, and storing Easter eggs to ensure they are safe to eat.

Why it matters

Improperly handled eggs can pose a risk of foodborne illness, especially salmonella. Following recommended food safety practices when preparing, decorating, and storing Easter eggs helps minimize this risk and allows families to safely enjoy their holiday traditions.

The details

Key tips include thoroughly cooking eggs to a solid yolk, cooling them properly, using food-grade dyes, limiting time at room temperature, and rinsing eggs before peeling. Experts also recommend using plastic eggs for outdoor egg hunts to avoid contamination risks.

  • Easter is around the corner.

The players

Kara Lynch

Food safety educator with Michigan State University Extension.

Kimberly Baker

Associate extension specialist at Clemson University.

Don Schaffner

Food science department chair at Rutgers University.

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What they’re saying

“Stores usually do turn over eggs pretty quickly, so the recommendations is you should consume eggs three to five weeks after you purchase them.”

— Kara Lynch, Food safety educator

“You've boiled the egg, you've gotten rid of any bacteria that might be in the egg. And now you've air-cooled it, right? So it's going to cool more slowly, it's probably going to cook more. But most importantly, you don't have to worry about any bacteria from the water getting internalized into the egg.”

— Don Schaffner, Food science department chair

“We don't want to be putting them in the soil or in lawns where pets have gone to the bathroom.”

— Kimberly Baker, Associate extension specialist

What’s next

Experts recommend using plastic eggs for outdoor Easter egg hunts to avoid contamination risks if the eggs will be at room temperature for more than two hours.

The takeaway

Following recommended food safety practices when preparing, decorating, and storing Easter eggs helps ensure they can be safely enjoyed as part of holiday traditions without the risk of foodborne illness.