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Make Your Own Play Dough
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Use coupon code: "3COL11b47"

Dennis Weaver

When we were children growing up in a farming community, our parents were pretty self-sufficient. I don’t know whether children’s commercial play dough was available but we never saw any. Instead, my mother made homemade play dough with flour and salt. There are still advantages to making your own: It’s inexpensive, you can make it in larger quantities for Johnny’s party, and Johnny can help make his own play dough.

When you make your own, your child has a sense of self-sufficiency. Besides, you know what is in this play dough and when it ends up in a child’s mouth, there’s no reason to be concerned—everything is edible.

“This is the best!!! My lil girl loves it and plays with it every day. We use cookie cutters and my stamping up stamps to add to the fun.”—Peggy F

The Recipes

We have two recipes—one that calls for cooking and one that only requires mixing.  For years, we have used the mixing onlyrecipe and it makes a nice play dough.  But we like the play dough from the cooking recipe.  It’s easy and we recommend that.

Making Play Dough the Cooking Method

With this recipe, you cook the dough on the stovetop for three or four minutes. 

Since the ingredients are all mixed together at once, you will have one color of play dough.  If you wish to divide the batch into multiple colors, reserve the color until after the play dough is cooked.  Divide the play into portions and knead in the color with the paddle attachment and your stand-type mixer.  You may knead the color in with your hands but you may wish to wear latex gloves to avoid staining your hands. 

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
food coloring

1. Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk until completely combined.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for three or four minutes or until the mixture changes consistency, becomes thick, and loses its stickiness.  Dump onto waxed paper.
3. Knead the play dough for a few  minutes or until smooth.

Store in a covered container.  This product does not require refrigeration.  It is non-toxic.

Play Dough without Cooking

The following recipe is a big batch recipe.  It makes about 3 1/2 pounds of play dough—ten of the five ounce commercial tubs.  If you are having a party and want even more play dough, make two batches-- about all that can be made in a stand-type mixer at one time. You can also make this play dough by hand.

If you want multiple colors, divide the dough and knead in the food coloring after the dough is made. If one color is sufficient, add the food coloring with the water and save the step of kneading in the coloring.   To keep the food coloring from staining your hands, you may wish to wear gloves for the kneading. 

3-4 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 1/2 cups salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Free Colors! What colors do you want? Use coupon code: 3COL11b47 Americolor makes an amazing array of gel food colors.  These are the most popular colors among professional bakers and are nine times more concentrated than liquids.  You’ll get brighter, more vibrant play dough using gels.  (Choose your free colors here.) Super Black Royal blue Sky Blue Chocolate Brown Lemon Yellow Teal Leaf Green Orange Deep Pink Copper Ivory Dusty Rose Super Red Bright White Violet Fuchsia Electric Blue Electric Green Electric Yellow Electric Purple Electric Pink Electric Orange Red Red Forest Green Mint Green Soft Pink Regal Purple

More Fun Projects with Your Kids If you like to bake, download my free e-book: Baking with Kids. Yes, I’m a grandfather and a baker so it draws on my experience with my own kids, the neighbors’ kids, and my grandkids.  • Paint cookies with the kids.  You and the kids will have a blast.  You can use Food Writers, markers filled with food colors instead of ink, or use watercolor brushes and food colors. • Make brownie pops.  These are brownies on a stick , decorated.  This is a fun project for kids 5 to 8, and their parents.  • Make banana pops.  Your kids will get a kick out of this project too and you don’t need to stop and bake the brownies.  • Subscribe to our newsletter.  Get free recipes, craft projects, and advice.

2 cups hot water
food coloring (We recommend Americolor professional food color gels--27 colors available.  See sidebar.)

(Get your first three colors free.  Coupon code: 3COL11b47.  Values to $1.85 each.  Shipping to most locations is $2.99.)

Mix three cups of flour together with the salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the oil and water and knead with a dough hook in your electric stand-type mixer for five to six minutes. (If you are kneading by hand, knead for eight to ten minutes.) Add more flour to get a soft, workable dough.

Store the dough in a sealed container to keep it from becoming dry. If it becomes too dry, place it back in the mixer bowl and knead in a dribble of water.

Baking and Painting Your Play Dough Figures

When your child makes some particularly memorable figures, sculptures that he or she would like to keep, bake them in a 250 degree oven until they harden.  (Baking times will vary depending on the size of the objects baked, from 20 to 30 minutes.  They won’t bake through but the heat of the oven will put a hard case on them and preserve them.  In time they will dry completely and be as hard as a rock.

If your child likes, he or she can paint the figures after they are baked.  Acrylic paints cover better than water colors and are water soluble so that spills and brushes can be cleaned with water. 

Dennis Weaver is the founder of The Prepared Pantry.  He is the author of How to Bake, a 250 page book about the art and science of baking and has written many articles.  He has worked as a professional baker.  He is married and has five grown children.  You can download a free copy of How to Bake here.