Top 13 'Pantry-to-Palette' Natural Dye Projects to create at home for transforming textiles with food waste - Goh Ling Yong
Have you ever looked at a pile of onion skins, a spent coffee filter, or the hard pit of an avocado and felt a pang of guilt tossing it into the compost? We're so often focused on the edible parts of our food that we overlook the hidden potential in the scraps. But what if I told you that your kitchen waste holds the secret to a vibrant, all-natural artist's palette? What if your next favourite t-shirt could be dyed with the leftovers from last night’s guacamole?
Welcome to the magical world of natural dyeing, a practice as old as textiles themselves. This isn't about complicated chemistry or expensive kits. This is about 'pantry-to-palette' creativity—a sustainable, beautiful way to transform fabric using simple ingredients you already have. It’s a slow, mindful process that connects us to our food, our creativity, and the planet in a deeply satisfying way. By simmering, steeping, and soaking, we can coax incredible colours from the most humble of sources.
In this guide, we'll explore 13 of the most accessible and surprising natural dye projects you can start today. We're turning food waste into wearable art, giving new life to old clothes, and discovering the rainbow hiding in your kitchen. So, grab an old pot, a stained cotton tote bag, and let’s get started on this eco-friendly crafting adventure.
A Quick Note Before You Begin: Prepping Your Fabric
For colours to be vibrant and long-lasting, your fabric needs to be properly prepared. This involves two key steps:
- Scouring: This is just a fancy word for a very deep clean to remove any oils, waxes, or residues from the manufacturing process. Simply simmer your fabric in a large pot of water with a pH-neutral soap (like Synthrapol or a simple washing-up liquid) for about an hour, then rinse thoroughly.
- Mordanting: This step helps the dye bind to the fibres, preventing it from washing out. For beginners, a simple alum mordant is effective and safe. Use about 10-15% alum (potassium aluminum sulfate, available online or in canning aisles) to the weight of your dry fabric. Dissolve it in hot water, add your wet fabric, and gently simmer for an hour. Let it cool in the pot, then wring it out. You're now ready to dye!
Always use natural fibres like cotton, linen, silk, or wool, as synthetic fibres won't absorb natural dyes. Now, on to the fun part!
1. Avocado Pits & Skins: From Guacamole to Gorgeous Pinks
This is the one that surprises everyone. Those hard, woody pits and tough skins you usually throw away create the most beautiful, dusty rose and soft blush pinks. It feels like pure alchemy! The tannins naturally present in avocados also act as a mild mordant, making this a fantastic project for absolute beginners.
To get started, simply collect and clean your avocado pits and skins (scrub off any remaining fruit). You can store them in the freezer until you have enough. For a medium-sized t-shirt, you'll want about 5-8 pits. Simmer them in a pot of water for at least an hour—the water will slowly turn a deep, beautiful red. The longer you simmer, the deeper the resulting colour will be.
Top Tip: The colour can vary depending on the type of avocado and your water's pH. Don't be afraid to experiment! For a deeper, more muted tone, try adding a rusty iron object (like a few old nails tied in a cloth) to the dyebath. This "shifts" the colour towards a lovely greyish-pink.
2. Yellow Onion Skins: The Scrappy Source of Sunshine
Never throw away the dry, papery skins of your yellow onions again! These humble scraps are a powerhouse of dye, yielding a spectrum of colours from golden sunshine yellow and warm ochre to deep, rusty orange and rich olive green. It’s one of the most reliable and colourfast natural dyes you can find in your kitchen.
Collect the dry outer skins in a bag over a few weeks. The more you have, the more intense your colour will be. Pack a pot full of skins, cover with water, and simmer for about an hour until the water turns a deep, rich colour. Strain out the skins, add your mordanted fabric to the dyebath, and let it simmer gently for another hour.
Top Tip: For a beautiful olive or khaki green, first dye your fabric with onion skins, then dip it into a weak iron bath (made by dissolving a tiny pinch of ferrous sulfate or soaking rusty nails in water and vinegar). The colour transformation is instant and absolutely magical.
3. Red Onion Skins: Not Red, but Surprisingly Green
Logically, you’d expect red onion skins to produce some shade of red or purple. But natural dyeing loves to keep us on our toes! Red onion skins typically create a range of earthy tones, from delicate khaki and beige to a surprisingly lovely mossy green, especially with an iron modifier.
The process is identical to using yellow onion skins, but the results are completely different. This is a perfect example of why experimentation is at the heart of natural dyeing. The colour can also be influenced by the pH of your water, sometimes leaning more towards a brownish-mauve.
Top Tip: Try creating a patchwork effect by dyeing one piece of fabric in a yellow onion skin bath and another in a red onion skin bath. The complementary earthy tones are perfect for quilting projects or visible mending.
4. Coffee Grounds: For Rich and Earthy Browns
Your morning coffee ritual can extend into your creative practice. Used coffee grounds are a fantastic source for rich, warm browns that evoke the colour of well-worn leather or aged wood. It’s an incredibly simple dye to work with and smells wonderful while it simmers away.
Collect your used coffee grounds from a few days' worth of brewing. You can either place them directly in the pot with your fabric (for a slightly mottled, textured look) or place them in a cheesecloth or old stocking to create a "tea bag" for a more even colour. Simmer your fabric in the coffee bath for an hour or two, then let it steep overnight for the deepest colour.
Top Tip: Coffee dye is perfect for over-dyeing. If you have a patterned shirt with a stain, dyeing it in coffee can mute the colours, hide the stain, and give the whole garment a beautiful, cohesive vintage look.
5. Black Tea: The Classic for Antique Tones
Similar to coffee, black tea is a classic choice for achieving antique-inspired colours. Using a handful of old tea bags, you can create a range of subtle shades from delicate beige and tan to a soft, smoky grey. Tea is rich in tannins, which helps the colour adhere well to fibres.
Simply collect any used black tea bags (or use a few spoonfuls of cheap, loose-leaf tea). Steep them in hot water to create a strong dye bath, remove the bags, and add your fabric. For a delicate, aged look, you only need to simmer for 30 minutes. For a deeper tan, let it soak for several hours.
Top Tip: Tea dyeing is the perfect technique for aging paper, lace, and ribbons for craft projects. Just be mindful that the fabric can become slightly stiff, but it will soften again with a good rinse and use.
6. Pomegranate Skins: Khaki Gold from a Winter Fruit
Don't discard the leathery skins of a pomegranate! They are packed with tannins and produce a wonderful range of golden yellows and muted khaki greens. This is a dye that has been used for centuries across the Middle East and Asia to dye rugs and textiles.
Chop the skins into smaller pieces and cover them with water. Simmer for at least an hour to extract the colour. The resulting dyebath will be a bright, clear yellow. Simmering your fabric in this bath will yield a beautiful gold. As a lover of upcycling, my friend Goh Ling Yong often uses pomegranate skins to give stained kitchen towels a new, beautifully golden life.
Top Tip: Pomegranates are rich in tannins, making them an excellent dye for cotton and linen. To shift the colour towards a mossy green or grey, add an iron modifier after the initial dyeing process.
7. Red Cabbage: A Lesson in Kitchen Chemistry
Red cabbage is one of the most exciting kitchen dyes because it’s a natural pH indicator. This means you can create a whole spectrum of colours from just one dye bath! On its own, it produces a lovely lavender or purplish-blue. But with a few simple tweaks, the magic really happens.
Chop up half a red cabbage, cover it with water, and simmer for 30-60 minutes. Be careful not to boil it, as high heat can destroy the colour molecules. Strain out the cabbage and you're left with a vibrant purple dye bath. Dye your fabric in this, then prepare for the fun part.
Top Tip: After dyeing, dip part of your fabric into a weak acidic solution like vinegar or lemon juice, and watch it turn bright pink! Dip another part into a weak alkaline solution like baking soda mixed with water, and it will shift to a beautiful blue-green. You can create amazing tie-dye effects this way.
8. Black Beans: Surprising Blues and Greys
Who knew that a can of dried black beans could be the source of such ethereal colours? Soaking dried black beans in cold water overnight doesn't produce brown or black, but a stunning range of blues, purples, and silvery greys. This is a cold-water dye, meaning no simmering is required.
Simply cover a cup of dried black beans with a few cups of water and let them sit overnight (or up to 24 hours). The water will turn a deep, inky purple-blue. Strain out the beans (you can still cook and eat them!) and submerge your mordanted fabric in the cold dye water. Let it soak for several hours or even a few days, agitating it occasionally for an even colour.
Top Tip: The colour from black beans can be quite delicate. To help it last, it's crucial to mordant your fabric well with alum beforehand. The final shade is often a beautiful, soft "denim" blue.
9. Turmeric: Unapologetically Vibrant Yellow
While not technically "waste," expired or leftover turmeric powder from your spice rack is an incredibly potent and easy-to-use dye. It produces an electrifying, brilliant yellow that is unmatched by almost any other plant. A little goes a very long way!
Simply dissolve a tablespoon or two of turmeric powder in a pot of water, add your fabric, and gently heat for about an hour. The colour will take almost instantly. Be warned: turmeric stains everything, so wear gloves and use a dedicated dye pot if you can.
Top Tip: Turmeric is known for being less lightfast than other dyes, meaning it can fade in direct sunlight over time. Embrace this as part of the fabric's life story, or use it for items that won't see much sun, like cushion covers or napkins.
10. Beetroot: The Heartbreak of Pinks
Beetroot produces the most stunning, vibrant fuchsia-pink dye bath. It’s absolutely gorgeous in the pot. However, it's important to know that beet dye is what's known as a "fugitive" dye. This means it is not lightfast or colourfast and will fade significantly with washing and exposure to sunlight, often turning into a muted tan.
Despite this, it's a wonderfully fun project, especially with kids, for items that don't need to last forever, like play silks or craft materials. Simply chop and simmer beets to create the dyebath. Enjoy the brilliant colour for what it is—a beautiful but fleeting moment.
Top Tip: To get the most out of your beet dye, use a vinegar mordant (one part vinegar to four parts water) and wash the final fabric as little as possible in cold water.
11. Walnut Hulls: For Deep, Enduring Browns
If you are lucky enough to have access to a black walnut tree, you have found a source for one of the most potent and permanent natural dyes available. The green hulls of the walnuts produce a deep, rich brown that is incredibly colourfast and requires no mordant, as it's full of tannins and a dye compound called juglone.
Safety first: Always wear gloves when handling walnut hulls, as they will stain your skin for weeks. Let the green hulls mature until they are dark brown and soft. Cover them with water and let them ferment for a few days before simmering to extract the dye. This creates a dye that will give you beautiful, lasting results.
Top Tip: Since walnut dye is so permanent, it’s a fantastic choice for outdoor items or clothing that will be washed frequently. It works beautifully on both protein (wool, silk) and cellulose (cotton, linen) fibres.
12. Carrot Tops: Subtle Greens from the Garden
Don’t toss the feathery green tops of your carrots! While the colour is much more subtle than many others on this list, carrot tops can produce a lovely, delicate primrose yellow or a soft celery green. It’s a gentle reminder that even the most unassuming scraps have value.
Chop the greens and simmer them in water for about an hour to extract the dye. The colour is not overpowering, so this is a great choice for achieving very pale, pastel shades. This is a project that truly embodies the sustainable ethos we celebrate on the Goh Ling Yong blog—using every last bit.
Top Tip: To get a slightly stronger colour, use a large amount of carrot tops relative to the weight of your fabric. This dye works particularly well on silk, which tends to pick up even the most delicate colours.
13. Citrus Peels: A Hint of Sunshine
The peels of oranges, lemons, and grapefruits can be used to create very pale, creamy yellow dyes. Like carrot tops, the colour is subtle, but the process is a sensory delight, filling your kitchen with a beautiful citrus aroma.
Collect your peels and dry them out, or use them fresh. Simmer them for an hour before adding your fabric. For the best results, let your fabric steep in the dyebath overnight. This is a perfect dye for baby clothes or delicate items where you want just a whisper of natural colour.
Top Tip: Citrus peels can also be used to help brighten whites. After dyeing, an acidic rinse with a bit of lemon juice can help brighten certain colours and shift the pH, subtly altering the final shade.
Your Creative Journey Starts Now
Stepping into the world of natural dyeing is about more than just colour; it's about embracing a process of discovery. There are no "mistakes," only happy accidents and unique results. The subtle variations in colour from batch to batch are not flaws—they are the story of your materials, your water, and your process. You've now seen how the contents of your compost bin can become a vibrant palette for transforming your world.
So next time you peel an onion or make a pot of coffee, we hope you’ll see it in a new light. Start collecting your scraps, pick a project from this list, and dive in. You'll not only create something beautiful and unique, but you'll also be taking a small, meaningful step towards a more sustainable and creative life.
We would love to see your pantry-to-palette creations! Share your natural dye projects on social media and tag us. What will you try dyeing first? Let us know in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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