Decorated Easter potatoes are a fun, cost-effective alternative to dyed eggs
Easter is around the corner, and families usually get ready for the holiday by decorating eggs. However, the price of eggs continues to cause sticker shock for many people around the country. For those of us looking trying to keep to a tight grocery budget as prices remain high, this can mean the annual Easter egg coloring session might not be an affordable option.
Nerdwallet reported the average consumer cost of a dozen eggs in January 2023 was $4.82. And while some markets have seen prices start to drop since then, the expected increase in demand for eggs during the Easter holiday season will likely slow the price decrease, at least for a while.
So, what are families who want to keep their Easter traditions alive supposed to do?
While there are other fun alternatives to dyeing eggs, such as this fun Rice Krispies Treat Easter Eggs recipe and even Jell-O eggs, what about moving away from eggs entirely?
At first, the idea of Easter egg potatoes seems like it could be just a joke. After all, there are many memes on social media commenting on the exorbitant price of a dozen (or more) eggs.
Times are tough, egg prices are high. Planning ahead..I’m dyeing Easter potatoes this year. pic.twitter.com/CGMXPJHFIK
Vicki Queen of typos (@ScorpioVenom31) March 8, 2023
But a number of bloggers are sharing their colored Easter potatoes as a cost-saving way to keep up a family favorite tradition.
For example, Brittanie of the Simplistically Living website shared a photo of a basket filled with brightly colored potatoes:
So, how do you make these colorful potatoes?
In her blog post on Simplistically Living, Brittanie shares a recipe that offers two options for dyeing the potatoes: water-based food coloring and gel food coloring. Just note that gel-based colors, while vibrant, may not dry as quickly.
Because food coloring creates the color, you can actually eat the potatoes if you dont add other inedible decorative items. Because the texture may be affected, its best to use food-colored potatoes in recipes. As Single Girls DIY points out, you might get some pretty colorful mashed spuds or French fries as a result.
Just grab your food coloring, your potatoes and a paintbrush and youre good to go!
If youre not concerned about eating the potatoes and want the color to last longer, then the website Marathons and Motivations recommends adding hairspray to your list of supplies. Simply spray on liberally once the food coloring is dry to prevent smearing.
No matter which way you choose to decorate your potatoes, the kids will have fun and youll save some money!
This story originally appeared on Don’t Waste Your Money. Checkout Don’t Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money.
If the price of eggs has you worried about celebrating Easter properly, try this!