This Homemade Play Dough recipe takes just 10 minutes to make and uses ingredients that are likely already in your pantry. The kids can help make this easy play dough with a little help from an adult to supervise while it’s on the stove top.

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Homemade Playdough Recipe

Homemade Play Dough is the perfect project for kids. It is only six simple ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, water and food coloring. Most of these items are pantry staples. If you don’t keep cream of tartar on hand, find it in the baking aisle at the supermarket.

All you do is mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to stir constantly as the mixture cooks.

Within a few minutes, the dough will form a ball, and you are done. Let the dough cool for a couple minutes before letting the kids play.

Store your homemade play dough in an airtight container so it does not dry out and the kids can play with it again.

Once the kids make this homemade play dough, they will want to make it again and again in various colors!

Check out this Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough or this Kool-Aid Play Dough for something different.

Homemade Playdough with Cream of Tartar

Making a batch of homemade playdough is cheap entertainment for a rainy day at home with kids.

Being a mom of an eight year old, five year old, and two year old means that Barbara is always looking for cheap new ways to entertain them at home. Her girls are getting to the age where they love to help in the kitchen. To them, it is just a fun day with mom, but Barbara knows that we are developing important skills.

First off, let the kids help make the cooked playdough.

Jocelyn is eight, and Barbara has been teaching her how to properly turn on the burners on the stove according to recipe instructions. She practices reading the recipes out loud, and she is getting lessons in fractions with every recipe. Katie Ann is five and cooking is a creative outlet for her. She pretends that she is on her own personal cooking show.

Secondly, homemade playdough provides hours of entertainment.

If you don’t have playdough toys at home, look to the kitchen cabinets. Rolling pins, butter knives, forks, potato mashers, etc. All these basic kitchen utensils make great accessories for playdough with kids.

What do I need to make playdough?

Playdough Ingredients

All Purpose Flour

Salt

Cream of Tartar

Water

Vegetable Oil

Water

Food Coloring (optional)

How to make playdough from scratch?

In a medium sized saucepan, heat flour, vegetable oil, cream of tartar, salt and water, stirring constantly. Add food coloring to create different colors. Cook playdough until it thickens to desired consistency, approximately 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before handling. Play with various cookie cutters and rolling pins.

Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient amounts and instructions for homemade playdough.

This play dough is purple in real life – not sure what happened in the photos!

How To Store Homemade Playdough?

It’s simple to properly store homemade playdough. Place the play dough in an air tight container. We recommend a resealable bag in which the air has been removed and sealed tightly or a plastic container with a lid.

Does homemade playdough need to be refrigerated?

No, it sure doesn’t. Homemade playdough can be stored at room temperature, right there on the counter. Just be sure to store in an air tight bag or container to prevent it from drying out.

Can homemade playdough go bad?

Yes, homemade playdough can go bad if not stored properly. It’s important to keep it in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out and becoming unusable. The smell could also go bad meaning the oil spoils causing a rancid smell.

Recipe FAQs

There’s many homemade play dough recipes out there; this is a homemade playdough with cream of tartar. It is also a homemade cooked playdough recipe.
We’ve used canning salt instead of iodized salt, and it worked great too.
Stir the playdough constantly while cooking to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
Food coloring is optional, but it does make the homemade playdough more fun for kids. Just a heads up, purple playdough tends to turn black instead.
How do you store homemade playdough? Place the play dough in an airtight resealable bag or container to prevent the playdough from drying out.

Recipe Variations

If you want a better smelling dough, add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender, lemon, orange or cinnamon oil. The scents are flexible.
Use food coloring or food dye or gel food coloring to make them pretty.

Easy Homemade Kids Activities

Want some other ideas for easy activities to do with your kids at home? Here are some other fun ideas:

How to Make Slime

Coffee Filter Heart Suncatchers

Straw Fireworks Painting

Print Recipe

Homemade Play Dough

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Keyword: homemade play dough

Servings: ball of dough

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon food coloring of your choice

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the dough forms a ball, approximately 5 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes before using.
Store in an airtight container.

Notes

There’s many homemade play dough recipes out there; this is a homemade playdough with cream of tartar. It is also a homemade cooked playdough recipe.
We’ve used canning salt instead of iodized salt, and it worked great too.
Stir the playdough constantly while cooking to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
Food coloring is optional, but it does make the homemade playdough more fun for kids. Just a heads up, purple playdough tends to turn black instead.
How do you store homemade playdough? Place the play dough in an airtight resealable bag or container to prevent the playdough from drying out.