Easy 10 Minute Recipe for Playdough that is Fail Proof

Hello friends! Today I’m sharing my go to favorite recipe for Playdough that is easy to make and works every time! I’ll share all of my tips with a step by step tutorial that I hope helps.

Playdough is so much fun for kids, but store bought dough comes in tiny packages that my kids will go through in a jiffy. Making Playdough at home is much more economical, you get a huge amount with just a cup of flour and a few more ingredients.

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Recipe for Playdough:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup of Salt
1 cup of Water
1 Tbsp Oil
2 tsps Cream of Tartar
Food Coloring

The only ingredient you will probably need to buy is the Cream of Tartar. You can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store.

The salt adds a great texture to the Playdough but also acts as a preservative of sorts and keeps the dough fresh for longer. You can use any oil of your choice from your kitchen for this recipe- canola, avocado or olive oil. All of them will work. If you don’t have food safe Food Coloring, you can always color the dough with acrylic paint too.

How to make Playdough at home step by step:

Have your kids pour all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Skip the food coloring if you plan to divide the dough into different colors.
Have an adult take the saucepan to the stove and heat gently over a medium flame.
Stir the mixture constantly, don’t walk away from this. It will take about 2 to 5 minutes for the mixture to form a soft peanut butter consistency. The mixture will start moving away from the edges of the pot. Turn off the stove immediately.
Since the saucepan is still hot, we want to remove the mixture to avoid over cooking. Quickly transfer the mixture onto a work surface dusted with flour
At this stage, the dough will be hot, and very sticky and soft. Let it sit for a few minutes till it drops to a temperature that you can handle.
Softly knead the dough as it cools, adding another dusting of flour if needed.
Divide the dough into parts.
Add food coloring to each section and knead to mix the color evenly.

Cinnamon Playdough: I love adding cinnamon to my dough to make it fragrant and aromatic! This is especially fun in the fall/ autumn season. This recipe for Playdough calls for 1tsp of cinnamon.

Glitter Playdough: If your kids are a bit older, they might also like to add a little bit of glitter into the Playdough.

This recipe for Playdough will easily last for days. I like to store them in sealable plastic bags to keep the dough from drying out too quickly.

If you are not going to be using the dough for a few days at a stretch you can also refrigerate it to extend its life.

Do you need to add Cream of Tartar to Playdough?

This recipe for Playdough calls for Cream of Tartar that gives the dough that stretchiness and soft pliable feel.

Conclusion:

Having your kids help you make this recipe for Playdough is great craft activity in itself. If your kids a bit older, they can help stir the saucepan as it cooks. The key in making this Fail proof is to not overcook the mixture. If you are unsure, take if off the stove a few minutes earlier itself to be on the safer side.