The Best Playdough Recipe

I used to think that the only good playdough came in those little yellow tubs from the store. And they were fine. But sometimes, they felt a little dry or sticky, and they cost money.

Then my aunt showed me her secret.

She informed me that creating the Best Playdough Recipe at home is not only an extremely cheap activity, but you can make it softer, nicer smelling and last longer. But truly the first time I ever tried to make this, it was a mess. But when you learn the simple trick, you will never buy it again. It’s about as easy as making a simple sandwich, only instead of something to eat, you end up with a huge ball of colorful, squishy fun.

If you’ve ever wished you had more playdough for a big project, then you already get the basics of this easy homemade playdough. My neighbor, Sarah, was trying to do this last week and she ran into a funny problem—she forgot the salt! Her dough was way too floppy.

This simple salt dough recipe is the one you need.

What Makes the Best Playdough Recipe So Good?

It’s all about a simple, secret balance.

If you add together flour and water, you end up with a sticky product. When you add salt, it tidies up the mess and also strengthens your dough. And when hot (we make it with boiling water, so no real stovetop cooking!, it transforms the flour for all time. It is known as “cooking” the dough and it helps to prevent it from spoiling quickly.

• It’s Cheaper: You most likely have everything you need in your kitchen right this moment.

• It’s Safer: You know exactly what’s inside. No weird chemicals!

• It’s Fun to Make: It’s a science experiment and craft project in one.

• It Stays Fresh: This way, the dough stays fresh for months as long as you keep it sealed up.

All You Need for the Best Playdough Recipe

No need for anything fancy here. Just a bowl and a spoon. You might want an adult there to help you with boiling water part, since it’s hot and not safe for kids.

Ingredients

See? Nothing weird! It's all stuff that’s probably already sitting in your kitchen cabinet.

Making Your Easy Homemade Playdough

This is the fun part! The whole process only takes about ten minutes, and most of that time is just mixing.

Step 1: Mix the Dry Stuff First

In a big mixing bowl, dump in all the flour, all the salt, and the cream of tartar.

Give it a really good stir with your spoon. You want it to look like a fluffy, white mountain with no lumps. Pretty cool, right? This step is important because if you don’t mix it well now, the dough will be lumpy later.

Step 2: Add the Wet Stuff

Now, add the oil to the dry mix. It will feel a little weird, like you are adding water to sand. That’s okay.

Here’s where you need the adult to help! Have them carefully pour the hot (boiling) water into the bowl.

If you want a single color, put your food coloring drops right into the hot water before you pour it in. If you want lots of colors, leave the water plain and we’ll add the color later.

Step 3: Stir, Stir, Stir!

Stir it fast! The hot water is making the flour turn into dough. It will look messy and sticky for a minute. It will stick to the spoon and to the sides of the bowl. Keep stirring until it starts to pull away from the sides. It will look like a big, sticky blob.

Step 4: The Kneading Magic for Simple Salt Dough Recipe

Wait a few minutes until the dough is warm, but not hot. It should feel okay to touch.

Take the blob out of the bowl and put it on your kitchen counter or a cutting board. Now, you need to push it, fold it, and squish it with your hands. This is called "kneading."

Why do we knead? If you, that step and your dough is going to be a bit soft and weak. Ramming it does more good integrating stuff and the dough will be harder and smoother, well suited for rolling and shaping. Knead more until it becomes a soft, smooth and bouncy texture. It will no longer stick to your hands! This is the part that still makes my head spin a bit.

Making Your No-Cook Playdough Tutorial Super Colorful

If you left your dough white, here is how you make a rainbow of colors.

1. Divide It Up: Cut your big, smooth ball into the number of pieces you want colors. Want red, blue, and green? Cut it into three pieces.

2. Make a Hole: Take one piece and make a little hole in the middle, like a tiny cup.

3. Add the Color: Drop a few drops of food coloring into the hole. Don’t add too much! A little goes a long way.

4. Squish and Fold: Begin squishing and kneading the color into your dough. Your hands will get messy for a while, but the color will slowly saturate. Keep kneading until you have colored all of your frosting, with no more little white spots showing.

This simple homemade playdough is ideal for shaping things.

How to Keep Your Homemade Clay Fresh

The worst is when you slave over a great batch of dough, and then one day later it’s hard and crumbly.

But what if you forgo that step? You get hard playdough! To preserve the softness of your dough, you need to keep the air off it. Air is what dries it out.

• Use an Airtight Container: A fancy way of saying a type of plastic container with a lid that snaps tightly.

• Use a Ziploc Bag: Push all the air out of the bag before you zip it up.

• Store It Cool: Keep it in the fridge. This keeps it extra fresh.

Yes, you can. But you shouldn't! It's the cream of tartar, it makes all the dough super soft and squishy.

The dough may appear just slightly dry or crumbly in the days following; I’ll use a little less flour next time. It’s our little secret to make a soft, smooth homemade clay that will be around for a while. But it’s worth doing for the cream of tartar.

The next time you see flour and salt in your kitchen, you’ll have a sense what’s going on here — why it works, and how to do it yourself when inspiration strikes. This weekend, why not give it a try?

Questions People Ask About Playdough

Can I make this easy playdough without cream of tartar?

Yes, you can. But you shouldn't! It's the cream of tartar, it makes all the dough super soft and squishy. The dough may appear just slightly dry or crumbly in the days following; I’ll use a little less flour next time. It’s our little secret to make a soft, smooth homemade clay that will be around for a while. But it’s worth doing for the cream of tartar.

Why does my easy homemade playdough feel too sticky?

It sticks because it is still too wet and you need to add more flour. If it’s very sticky to your hands when you’re working with it, just sprinkle a bit more flour on the counter and push the dough in that. Do this until there is no stickiness and the dough feels smooth and right. But that is the best way of remedying sticky dough.

What if I don't have food coloring?

That's okay! You can certainly continue with this basic salt dough recipe if you still do not have it. It just looks like white, creamy or light yellow. You can even color it with other stuff! You could color it brown with a little cocoa powder or, perhaps, add some dry Kool-Aid for scent and color.

Can you use this playdough to make something you bake and keep?

No. This is the particular Best Playdough Recipe for soft, squishy play. If you’re looking to make something you can bake and keep forever, instead of an ornament that’s designed to melt down the rain or wither away, you need a different kind of simple salt dough recipe to work form- one that has quite a bit more salt in it. That sort of clay is hard, not squishy. This is play dough time, not storage.