Making homemade playdough is simple and fun! It’s a great way to engage kids in creative activities. Here’s an easy recipe for soft, long-lasting playdough that uses basic pantry ingredients.
Playdough is a great sensory exercise. Adding color, smell and texture adds to the sensory experience for your child. My favorite recipe is from My Montessori Journey.
The only modification I make to this recipe is adding glycerin to the mix to make the dough a bit more “doughy” if that makes sense. It stretches a bit more. I add about 1 tablespoon.
How to Make Homemade Playdough
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups water
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions:
- Mix the Dry Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar.
- Add Wet Ingredients:
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 ½ cups of water. If you want colorful playdough, add a few drops of food coloring to the water before mixing it in.
- Cook the Mixture:
- Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the dough starts to form and pulls away from the sides of the pot (about 3-5 minutes).
- Let It Cool:
- Remove the pot from heat and let the dough cool for a few minutes.
- Knead the Dough:
- Once it’s cool enough to handle, knead the dough on a clean surface for a few minutes until it’s smooth and stretchy.
- Store:
- Store your homemade playdough in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. It should last for up to 3 months if kept sealed.
Optional Variations:
- Glitter Playdough: Add a tablespoon of glitter while kneading for a sparkly touch.
- Scented Playdough: Use a few drops of essential oil (like lavender or lemon) to make it smell nice.
- Multiple Colors: Divide the dough into sections and add different food coloring to each before kneading.
This recipe is non-toxic and safe for kids to use! Let me know if you’d like help with any variations or ideas for creative playdough activities!_

Stir constantly for approximately five minutes until all “wet” ingredients look “dry”:

So far I have made peppermint/green, strawberry/pink, and chocolate/brown play dough experimenting as I go along. I have big plans for my son’s 2nd birthday in a few weeks and just maybe, I am going to go nuts and make some red, white and blue play dough to celebrate independence day.
More Fun Playdough Ideas:
- Use cocoa for chocolate. Smells awesome (I almost ate it for breakfast this morning) and adds natural color.
- Extracts are the way to go with adding smell. Try peppermint, strawberry, root beer, lemon, orange, vanilla, raspberry and cherry. Food coloring is easy to add to these flavors.
- Essential oils work too. Try lavender and add a little blue and red coloring to make purple!
- Add glitter!
In addition to these wonderful sensory activities, you can use play dough to teach basic concepts. We make bear tracks and then stamp them with the letter “B”, for example, or we use a fish cookie cutter and mark it with the letter “F”.
Here is an elephant:
_The color “pink” via strawberry playdough:
This playdough is not edible. There are edible recipes that I have yet to try. I will share them with you as soon as I do.
Happy playing!
Marnie