The Best Homemade Playdough Recipe
Making homemade playdough is quick and easy. Using just a few ingredients, you can make playdough of all colors making hours of fun for your child! Take this basic playdough recipe to the next level by making it seasonal and scented. Try out my simple homemade fall-scented playdough flavors and my Christmas playdough scents!
Why You’ll Love Having Homemade Playdough
Long-Lasting– I have had some of this homemade playdough stored in a bag for almost a year, and it is still usable and soft! This long-lasting playdough makes it the perfect DIY activity you can keep coming back to use!
Cost Effective- I suppose I’ve never bought Playdough, but I love that this homemade one uses simple ingredients you will likely have on hand in your pantry. I decided to buy a large bag of cream of tartar, becasue I knew I would be making lots of playdough over the next few years with young children.
Enjoyable Texture– This playdough is very soft and holds together very well. It does leave a salty feeling on your hands after using it, which is different than store-bought playdough, in my experience. I usually wash my hands and invite my children to do the same after we have been playing with it.
Easy to Make– This playdough only uses 4 simple ingredients. You measure them out, mix them in a saucepan over medium heat and it comes together so quickly. Seriously, don’t even walk away from the stove it happens so fast!
Non-Toxic– I feel so confident offering this homemade playdough to my children because I know exactly what ingredients are in it!
Ingredients Needed
Flour– I use all-purpose flour. Bleached or unbleached is fine.
Salt– Use iodized salt for the cheapest option. Any fine-grain salt will work.
Cream of Tartar – This is needed to help make the dough stronger and stiffer. It also gives playdough that elasticity characteristic we all love. I recommend getting a large bag of this. It is much more cost-effective than getting the small containers at the grocery store.
Oil – You can use any oil. I used basic vegetable oil but melted coconut oil or canola oil will also work.
Food Coloring– This recipe is for liquid food coloring drops. Adjust as needed for your type of food coloring. You can also use gel food coloring.
Tools Needed
Saucepan (non stick or stainless steel)
Measuring cups
Stove or hot plate
Stirring spoon
How to Make Homemade Playdough
Making homemade playdough is very simple and only takes about 5 minutes. Gather all of your ingredients together, and you are ready to get started. Once you realize how easy this is, you’ll never want to buy store-bought playdough again.
Step 1: Gather all of your ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, vegetable oil, and food coloring.
Step 2: Measure out and mix all of your ingredients in a saucepan.
Step 3: Stir to combine all ingredients.
Step 4: Stir continuously over medium-high heat.
Step 5: Stir continuously until playdough comes together into a ball and starts pulling away from the pan’s sides. This will only take a few minutes. Allow it to cook until it doesn’t look wet anymore, like a dough that you could kneed. The dough is warm but usually not too warm to handle right from the pan.Place playdough onto your countertop and kneed until cooled and smooth. Add in additional food coloring if a darker color is desired.
How to Store Homemade Playdough
You can store homemade playdough in a Zip-lock bag or a lidded plastic container. These larger plastic storage containers with lids are the perfect size for one batch of this homemade playdough.
I store small portions of playdough in condiment-size plastic containers. I purchase a 10-pack of these containers from the dollar store. For my young toddlers, a few different colors of playdough in containers like these seem to be a perfect amount they can manage but not too much that it becomes overwhelming.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
The Best Way to Offer Playdough to Your Child: A Montessori Playdough Kit
Playdough by itself is a fun activity for kids, but we can make it even more engaging by putting a little more thought and preparation into it. I am a Montessori teacher, and I have been bringing the Montessori philosophy into my home for years! When it comes to playdough, what better and more natural way to extend this work than by making it even more open-ended and creative?
We can make playdough more engaging by making a Montessori-inspired playdough kit that fosters both creativity and independence.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does homemade playdough last?
I have had some of this homemade playdough in a Zip-Lock bag for over 6 months, and it still is soft and usable!
Can I make this without cream of tartar?
You may be able to find an alternative recipe that doesn’t use cream of tartar. However, cream of tartar is what gives playdough its’ classic elastic qualities.
Can I make my playdough scented?
You most certainly can make scented playdough. I have a whole collection of fall-scented and Christmas-scented playdough recipes that are a perfect way to enter the holiday season in a festive way.
What does cream of tartar do for the playdough?
Cream of tartar is needed to help make your playdough come together and be strong and stiff, while still soft and pliable. The elasticity of homemade playdough comes from cream of tartar. I recommend getting a large bag of this. It is much more cost-effective than getting the small containers at the grocery store.
What type of pan should I use?
I have always made this playdough using our stainless steel saucepan. However, it will stick to the pan a little bit when you are heating the playdough. You can also use a non stick pan, which will result in less of a mess in your pan.
The Best Homemade Playdough
Make this soft and elastic homemade playdough to offer hours of fun and play!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 2 Tablespoons of cream of tartar
- 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of water
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all of your ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, vegetable oil, and food coloring.
- Mix water and food coloring of your choice together.
- Measure out and mix all of your ingredients in a saucepan.
- Stir over medium heat on the stovetop.
- Stir constantly until playdough comes together into a ball and pull away from the sides of the pan. This will only take a few minutes.
- Place playdough onto your countertop and kneed until cooled and smooth. Add in additional food coloring if a darker color is desired.
- Once cooled completely, store in a Zip-Lock bag or a lidded container.
Notes
- Mix water and food coloring first before adding oil, otherwise the food coloring drops will stay small bubbles of color and not mix in well.
- If the playdough is too sticky, put it back into the pan for a few moments and heat until it all comes together.
