I wanted a very natural sage colored play dough. Not food coloring green trying to pretend to be sage but an earthy, wholesome, herbal green. The kind of shade that makes nature play feel so much more real. This spirulina homemade play dough recipe turned out to be the perfect solution!
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Spirulina Homemade Play Dough
Spirulina (a fine powdered, food-grade natural algae) makes the most realistic woodland colors I have ever seen. The five test batches of play dough I made with differing amounts of spirulina powder added all turned out gorgeous. GORGEOUS. Our entire family couldn’t help but touch them!
How Much Spirulina?
For my test batches I used 1 teaspoon spirulina to make the deep, jewel toned evergreen color. I then used 1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp, 1/8 tsp, and 1/16 tsp to create additional colors. To get 1/16th, simply fill your 1/4 tsp scoop one-forth of the way full of powder. I used the same 1/4 tsp measuring spoon filled half way for the 1/8th tsp portion.
Super Soft Spirulina Play Dough Recipe:
This is a cooked play dough recipe that takes not even four minutes to make and comes together so fast. It’s a small batch that creates 3/4 of a cup or a play dough ball about the size of a large apple. It is perfect if you’d like to color multiple batches with different strengths of spirulina, which I highly encourage!
For the Play Dough:
1/2 cup flour
1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (can substitute 1 teaspoon of lemon juice instead!)
1/16th tsp or up to 1 tsp of powdered spirulina (see labeled images for color strength)
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (I use cold pressed, unrefined organic but any type is fine)
1/2 cup water
Directions: In a small sauce pan, stir the dry ingredients together using a silicone spatula, including the spirulina powder. (The dry mixture will not look green until you add water.) Add the coconut oil and water then place the sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly and ensuring the coconut oil melts quickly. The mixture will rapidly thicken after less than 3 minutes. Continue scraping the bottom of the pan clean and stirring until a soft dough ball begins to form. Remove from heat and keep stirring with the silicone spatula to form the dough into one large dough ball. If you want to add an essential oil for fragrance, stir up to 10 drops in now. Place the play dough ball inside a quart ziplock bag with the top left open to cool for a few minutes. (It will be very warm but not hot enough to burn you. Any condensation in the bag will be re-absorbed by the play dough.) Form into a smooth ball after a 3 to 5 minute cool and then play! Makes 3/4 of a cup of play dough; more than what is in regular 4 oz Play-Doh brand containers.
Which Was the Best Shade?
The 1/16th was incredibly light. It barely looked green at all. The 1/8th and 1/4th were probably my two favorites. Since I wanted a big handful of natural-looking sage green play dough, the 1/4th turned out the most perfect. The 1/2 version made a lovely pine needle shade that was perfect for making trees. The 1 tsp version, with it’s ancient growth forest color, seemed to be the one everyone reached for first because it is such a unique shade.
Does The Spirulina Play Dough Smell Fishy?
I was worried about this since the spirulina powder had a faint fish-and-kelp like smell to it. I sniffed every single batch of dough and they all smell like homemade play dough: salty and bread-like with not a single trace of fish. Even the darkest one just smells like salt dough. If you are worried about any smell or want to increase how long your play dough lasts, add a few drops of essential oil.
How Long Does It Last?
My original soft batch play dough lasts for months. When I made the 5 batches of spirulina play dough the last week in July, my toddler was still playing with his un-dyed, orange essential oil scented play dough I had made the week before Christmas the previous December. It had never dried out nor gone moldy at all. (Should I admit to homemade play dough lasting 7 months if kept clean?) I was worried that the spirulina algae might make this play dough spoil more quickly but it lasted for weeks of nature play until it was too dirty from bits of stick and pine cone to continue!
Sourcing Spirulina
I bought the cheapest bag I could find on Amazon and at 4 ounces, it feels like a lifetime supply. (Enough to make 48 batches using 1/2 teaspoon each time.) If you have a friend or neighbor who has spirulina, take an empty glass jar and ask them for 2 Tablespoons. That would be enough for 6 batches of the full-strength 1 tsp shade or 24 batches of my favorite 1/4 tsp sage shade.
Give it a Try!
“Spirulina Sage” has quickly become our favorite play dough color. It looks so woodsy and inviting. I hope you love the beautiful hues this recipe produces!
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