The BEST homemade playdough recipe – make in less than 5 minutes for under a $1 and have it last for months! It is so soft and squishy and cuts perfectly with cookie cutters.
Favorite Kids Activity
One of my kids favorite activities is playing with play dough. It is the perfect indoor activity for when it’s raining, too cold or too hot. When the weather’s nice we’ll even take it outside on the porch. My kids (age 8, 6 and 2) ALL love playing with play dough. My son pretends like he’s outgrowing it, but whenever my girls start playing with it, he always ends up joining in on the fun. I usually give them a few different colors, a mini rolling pin, some cookie cutters and let them go to town. I love seeing their imagination work.
Why is this the best homemade playdough recipe?
- It is SUPER soft and squishy, but doesn’t stick
- The play dough lasts for months in a zip top bag
- It is inexpensive to make
- It makes enough for 4-6 kids
- You can add different colors and even scents to customize your dough
We love making our own play dough, because it is so much softer (and cheaper) than the store bought stuff. I find it also lasts longer as well. Over the years I’ve tried dozens of recipes and this one here is the best playdough recipe out there! I got it several years ago from my son’s preschool teacher and figured I better post it to my blog so I don’t have to keep searching for it. At their preschool, the parents take turns making the play dough a different color each month and once I used this recipe, I haven’t looked back. I have slightly adapted the original recipe over the years. The main thing that I have done is cut down on the salt, as I found it keeps the dough extra soft for months!
How to make playdough
Playdough ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup salt
- 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil (coconut oil works too)
- Food coloring, optional (I like Wilton gel food coloring or AmeriColor gel)
- Quart sized bags
Stir together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pot. Next add the water and oil. If you’re only making one color, add in the the color now as well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the dough has thickened and begins to form into a ball. Remove from heat and then place inside a gallon sized bag or onto wax paper. Allow to cool slightly and then knead until smooth. If you’re adding colors after, divide the dough into balls (for how many colors you want) and then add the dough into the quart sized bags. Start with about 5 drops of color (my favorite brands are listed above) and add more to brighten it. Knead the dough, while inside the bag so it doesn’t stain your hands. Once it’s all mixed together you’re ready to PLAY.
Store the play dough inside the bags once done to keep soft. Keeps for up to 3 months.
Once the dough is finished, I like to put each dough ball into it’s own quart sized zip top bag. Then I let my kids squish the colors together. It gives the kids something to do, makes it so your hands aren’t stained and then gives the dough a home after. We use the same bag to store the dough when the kids are done playing with it. If you only plan on making ONE color, just add the food coloring into the pan when you add the water (makes it easier to mix it in). My kids can never decide on just one color, so we usually need to divide it out.
Need more kid friendly activities? Make homemade slime, fluffy slime or this recipe for butter slime, too!
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How to Make Homemade Playdough
Video
Equipment
- Spoon for stirring
- Gallon size bag or wax paper for cooling
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup salt
- 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (coconut oil works too)
Optional: food coloring (I use Wilton for brighter colors)
Instructions
- Stir together the flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pot. Next add the water and oil. If you’re only making one color, stir in the the color now.
- Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the dough has thickened and begins to form into a ball. Remove from heat and then place inside a bowl. Allow to cool slightly and then knead until smooth.
- If you’re adding multiple colors, divide the dough into balls (for how many colors you want) and then add the dough into seperate quart sized bags. Start with about 5 drops of color and add more to brighten it. Knead the dough, while inside the bag so it doesn’t stain your hands.
- Once it’s all mixed together, you’re ready to PLAY. Store the play dough inside the bags to keep soft. If stored properly it will keep soft for up to 3 months.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Another fun addition to the play dough is to add glitter. We added about 1/4 cup to the bag and kneaded it in with blue and yellow.
My almost 2 year old loves squishing the dough. I love watching those chubby little fingers go to work.
My 6 year old daughter loves pulling out the cookie cutters and making all kinds of designs! She is quite the girly girl. ;)
Make a batch for your kids once school is out for a summer to remember!
Categorized as: DIY
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This has been such a hit with my toddler! My only issue is the smell is a bit strong, kind of sour. Any recommendations on how to add a scent to the dough? If I add vanilla extract will it affect the color? I plan to make another big batch with diff dyed colors for my kid and friends for a vacation weekend. Thanks!
Hi Ami! I haven’t made this yet, but will soon for my grandson. I think if you want to try a vanilla scent, it does come in a clear color , instead of brown. So that wouldn’t affect the pkaydough color. I’d start with a small amount , too, in a small amount of the dough first. Great idea!
For scented add a package of Kool-Aid. There will be no need for food coloring then.
Kids live it with the unsweetened Kool-aid. Packets are cheap, colors are great and it smells so good. Does not color hands either!
I just made this with coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and it just has a lovely faint door of coconut oil.
I used essential oils that are safe for toddlers.
I added peppermint extract in my last batch and it’s been my students favorite so far
Being a kindergarten teacher, I have tried a lot of recipes but this is truly the best recipe I have tried. Very pliable! It makes a lot as well. Thanks for posting.
That’s so kind! So glad you enjoyed the homemade playdough :)
What a great recipe! You’re right, it’s SO soft and lovely to work with! My arm got very tired trying to stir it in the pot, but I really didn’t have to stir for all that long. Thanks for this great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the playdough recipe!
Love this recipe. Thanks for sharing. Any tips for reducing the amount of salty residue left on hands when playing with it? I live in a high desert and wonder if it is related to my climate.
While it is true, this playdough recipe is not meant to be consumed, if your toddler puts a bit in their mouth, it will not cause any harm because you used only human consumption ingredients. And we all know toddlers put lots of things in their mouths.
I wouldn’t want a child to eat the whole recipe, but a little bite will not make them sick….unless they are allergic to any of the ingredients.
I’ve been looking for a playdough recipe to use with my group during children’s church. This is very easy and has a terrific texture. Much better than the no-cook doughs I’ve tried. Thank you for sharing!
Easy and came out great!
This is my go-to play-dough recipe. It comes out perfect every time!
I make this playdough for the kids who attend my library story times. I am always being asked for the recipe.
A fun fall add-in is pumpkin pie spice or even just plain cinnamon and then tint the playdough orange! I have also added mint, lavender, ginger, and of course, glitter with great success!!
Thanks for sharing all these great variations, Rebecca. This is definitely a recipe to keep on hand for long cold winter days indoors! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Very nice texture!
Thanks for sharing, Carol!
This was great and easy! I only had self-rising flour and sea salt but those worked just fine, too.
Thanks for the feedback, Kendra. Good to know there are other options before having to run to the store :)
Does it harden up if left out to dry?
Great question, Lisa. I think it depends on the climate where you live. Unless it is really humid, it would most likely dry out when not in an airtight container. Hope that helps!
My two-year-old had so much fun making the shapes with these. Thanks for the recipe
This has become my go-to recipe for play dough. It’s perfect every time. Thank you for sharing it!
So glad to hear! It is the best!
This was such a fun thing to make for my niece! She just loves it. Thank you!
The outcome was satisfying, my kids love it! Thanks Jamielyn for sharing this homemade playdough recipe. Highly recommended!
Glad to hear it was a hit with your kids, Journa! :)
Great recipe! This is really easy to follow, loved this recipe! Will surely make this again! Highly recommended!
Love the recipe!! It’s perfect, thank you!
Made this all the time when our kids were small. Now, for our grandkids! It’s a great recipe that makes a safe and affordable modeling clay. Thanks for sharing it!
So happy to hear your kids enjoyed it, and now your grandkids! So fun :)