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My kids love their playdough, my only problem with store bought playdough besides it being a bit pricey here by us is that my kids want to occasionally taste it! This scares me because I really don’t know what is in it and I am sure it is not taste safe. This is why I prefer to make my own homemade playdough recipes.
Lets just be clear, this one is made with salt and does NOT taste nice and should not be eaten! So if your child is eating things you will want to try an Edible Homemade Playdough Recipe rather. This one is safe to taste, as in child takes a small bite. Eating this playdough will make your child sick and he will most likely vomit it up because of the salt content.
This is our homemade playdough recipe
Playdough is also great for improving fine motor skills.
Homemade Playdough Recipe.
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 cups salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- Food coloring
- optional extras: glitter
Add the water, salt and vegetable oil to a pot over medium heat. Use a hand whisk to stir in the cream of tartar and flour. The whisk prevents flour clumps from forming.
Switch the whisk to a wooden spoon as soon as the mixture starts to get thicker and turn the heat to low. Continue stirring.
(We also have a No-Cook Homemade Playdough Recipe)
Once the play dough starts to get dry on the edges and you are able to pinch the dough without it sticking to your fingers it is ready.
Scoop the dough out onto a heat resist surface and leave to cool.
Once the dough is cool enough to handle, roll into a ball and cut as many wedges as you want colors.
Make a little well in the homemade playdough recipe and fold the dough in on itself until the coloring is distributed. Then simply roll and knead it to work the color in more.
Download your free printable by clicking here
This homemade playdough recipe is my favorite, it is soft and doesn’t stick to the kids fingers with simple play. It is so nice my 3 year old rubs little bits on his cheek while playing with it!
The only thing left to do is get your playdough tools out and play!
Did you know that you can use a garlic press to make little strands of playdough? Just the pressing bit makes my 4 year old happy!
Stamping is one of my toddlers favorite things to do with homemade playdough.
Tools for your homemade playdough recipe
Besides using everyday items and extending with other toys we have to play with playdough, we love these tools.
Ruth Busisa says
Thank you for this, it’s the best one I’ve tried & will probably stick to it now!
I didn’t have cream of tartar so used vinegar instead & it all worked out fine
Ashley Vyselaar says
Everything worked fine except the color. It came out marbled abbr terrible
Nicolette Roux says
If a color comes out marbled you need to mix the playdough some more. knead it like it is bread dough 😀
KMK says
This recipe is way off. As is, it was a sticky mess. I ended up tossing it in the kitchenaid mixer and adding at least 1 c additional flour to make it something resembling play dough. It’s still pretty sticky. That’s what you get when you find things on pinterest I guess
Nicolette Roux says
I make these recipes all the time for my own kids. It works perfectly for me.
Katie Muth says
Can I add essential oils to the recipe to help it smell nice?
Nicolette Roux says
for sure! add a drop at a time. lavender is a nice one that is safe to use with kids.
Audrey says
Hi Can these play dough be stored? How do I store them and how long can they be kept for? Thanks!
Nicolette Roux says
yes you can! I have kept one batch for over 6 months already. I tend to toss them when the kids have mixed up the colors so much that they get bored of it. I keep mine in a ziplock bag. any airtight container will do!