Name: The Best Homemade Playdough
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
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)

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Making your own homemade playdough is quick and easy. Using just a few common 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!

Table of Contents

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! Since it lasts a long time, it is the perfect thing to make ahead of time and keep in the house for a rainy day.

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. This playdough is perfect sensory play for little hands. 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 easy playdough recipe only uses 4 simple ingredients. You measure them out and mix them in a saucepan over medium heat. 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/Food Dye– 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

Ziplock bag or airtight container for storage

How to Make Homemade Playdough

Making homemade playdough is very simple and only takes about 5 minutes. Gather your ingredients together, and you are ready to start. Once you realize how easy this is, you’ll never want to buy store-bought playdough again. This easy recipe is a great opportunity to get your child involved in the measuring and scooping of the ingredients.

Ingredients lined up: Flour, oil, salt, cream of tartar, food coloring.

Step 1: Gather all of your ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, vegetable oil, and food coloring.

Ingredients for homemade playdough in a small pot.

Step 2: Measure out and mix all of your dry ingredients in a saucepan, then add in your liquids. Add the drops of food coloring to the water before adding it to your sauce pan.

Step 3: Stir to combine all ingredients.

Step 4: Stir continuously over medium-high heat.

Step 5: Stir continuously until the 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 knead. The dough is warm but usually not too warm to handle right from the pan. Place playdough onto your countertop and knead 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 air-tight 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 purchased 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.

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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. Including some cookie cutters is a great way to make playdough time more fun!

A container with tools for playdough. — Christmas Playdough Kit

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does homemade playdough last?

I have had some of this homemade playdough in a Ziploc bag for over 6 months, and it is still soft and usable! Personally, I prefer making our own play dough over the store-bought stuff.

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. It also keeps it from being a sticky mess.

Can I make my playdough scented?

You most certainly can make this homemade playdough recipe scented. 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. You could add in a few drops of your favorite essential oils to make a variety of scented playdough.

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.

What age is homemade playdough for?

This soft playdough recipe is the perfect activity for kids of all ages. Starting with your 1 or 2 year old through late elementary age. But if I’m being frank, I don’t think people ever get tired of playing with playdough. I find myself rolling and squishing the playdough while my children are having fun playing.