Homemade Playdough Recipes

ByGuest Updated on Everyday, Parenting
Homemade Playdough Recipes 3

In my class and at home, we make homemade playdough several times a year! There are so many variations of how to make your own playdough. We usually make traditional playdough, but also like to make variations such as pumpkin spice playdough—perfect for Halloween through Thanksgiving. Your home (or classroom) will smell so yummy! At Christmastime, a great variation is gingerbread playdough! Does your child like a little sparkle in life? Add some glitter to your playdough! The possibilities are endless.

Read on for some great playdough recipes. After you make your playdough, make sure you keep it in air tight containers so it doesn’t dry out!

Traditional Playdough:

  • 1 1/2 cups of four
  • 3/4 cups of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of HOT water
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tbsp. cream of tartar or alum
  • Food coloring

Use a large bowl to mix dry ingredients together first. Then add vegetable oil, water and food coloring and mix. Mixing food coloring with the water before adding it to the dry ingredients works best. Some people mix the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat when they add the liquids. I like to make it with the children, this is why I just use hot water instead. Consistency might be better if you mix over low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Pumpkin Spice Playdough:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups HOT water
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cup salt
  • 4 tsp. cream of tartar or alum
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • orange food coloring

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together first in a bowl. Then add vegetable oil, water and food coloring and mix. Mixing food coloring with the water before adding it to the dry ingredients works best. Some people mix the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat when they add the liquids. Like with the other recipes, I like to make it with the children, this is why I just use hot water instead. Consistency might be better if you mix over low heat.

Gingerbread Playdough:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar or alum (I prefer alum)
  • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. all spice
  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup HOT water

Directions:
Same as above. If you don’t have all the spices, don’t worry! It will smell delightful no matter what type of spices you add. You can let your children play with it as playdough OR make these into ornaments! Simply use cookie cutters (don’t forget to make a small hole in the top) and bake over low heat until they harden. They even smell great after they are baked. Yum!

Let me know how your playdough turns out and if you have any variations! It seems like I’m always tweaking my playdough—adding a little of this and a bit of that—until I get just what I’m looking for. Do you have any no-fail playdough recipes?