Make Your Own Playdough Recipe | Building Brain Power (& Biceps)

So. Today Smalls really wanted to play Playdough. Fine…except for one small problem: our homemade dough had completely dried out. Thankfully, I have an amazing salt dough recipe that is quick, easy, and will only cause minor burns on your hands while you knead it.

A bonus? We got to do some kitchen fun, learn about colors, and I got to build my biceps.

make your own play dough recipe

Playdough Recipe

  • 1 1/2 Cups Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Cream of Tarter
  • 1 1/2 Cups Water
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Canola Oil
  • Food Coloring (I really like gel food coloring paste for this)

First, mix the dry ingredients together. Then add the remaining ingrendients. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, and heat over medium heat stirring constantly. Stir until liquid has disappeared, and dough begins to pull from the side of your pan.

Remove to counter or cutting board and wait about 3-5 minutes (or risk burning your hands like me), then knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide into sections (if you want more than one color), and add food coloring. Voila!

We keep our dough in the fridge, and it usually stays playable for 6-8 weeks. Awesome, right?!

Posted in

Brea

13 Comments

  1. Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly on July 6, 2015 at 12:48 am

    Hey I had no idea that you could make your own Playdough, that’s pretty cool to know thanks for sharing the recipe, this is good to know for when I am watching my niece or nephews on days where the weather is inclement and we are forced to remain indoors!

    • Brea on July 6, 2015 at 7:31 am

      I’m glad I could help!



  2. Mykidsguide on July 6, 2015 at 8:34 am

    Making it is so much fun. My kids love it when it’s time to add the color. Home made play doughs are safe and natural. I also love that they stay pliable longer than store bought play doughs. We make this all the time.

    • Brea on July 6, 2015 at 8:37 am

      My boys love making playdough too!



  3. Kita on July 6, 2015 at 11:04 am

    This looks like a fun project for the summer. I have never bought the kids play dough they received some one time from a friend and ate it….that was a while ago but I stayed away from it after that

    • Brea on July 6, 2015 at 12:16 pm

      Oh dear! My son tried to eat play dough once. There are edible recipes out there you can try!



  4. tammileetips on July 6, 2015 at 6:52 pm

    I have never made homemade playdough before! I love how bright the colors of the playdough. I remember trying to eat playdough when I was younger, this is a great alternative that is safe for the kids if they eat it.

    • Brea on July 6, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      I use food gel-not sure if that’s why.



  5. rochkirstin on July 6, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    Sadly we never got the experience to play with dough or create Playdough when we were kids. Now things can get more creative and you can do the dough with a ton of food coloring. It’s nice to know that these ingredients are safe. However, it takes quite a while to be playable.

  6. Chantal on July 6, 2015 at 9:09 pm

    Awesome this is the perfect recipes to make with my nieces and nephew! I remember the smell of homemade playdough from when I was younger, I loved it then and I still do now! Thanks for sharing!

  7. Reginia Cordell on July 7, 2015 at 6:27 am

    This play dough recipe is a hit worldwide. The play dough that we have over here isn’t as flexible as it should be for small children, so many of the teachers use this recipe to make their own. We’ve given classes to the parents as well as allow the students to make their own with lots of fun colors.

  8. john lopez on July 8, 2015 at 6:50 am

    my son will surely like this , i think making this with my son was so much fun , but what iby the way thank yous the cream of tarter?

    • Brea on July 8, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Cream of Tartar is a compound commonly found in baking powder (though they aren’t the same thing). It’s actually used to help stabilize egg whites in meringue, and helps to make sure that the play dough doesn’t separate and crystalize! Gotta love science!



Leave a Comment