This play dough recipe is my all-time favorite. Yes it requires cooking but it makes a compound so deliciously soft and pliable that it cannot help but invite play! The texture is reminiscent of sugar cookie dough but it’s never sticky and cleans up beautifully. Pieces don’t crumble from it, the ball always stays elastic and malleable. And it keeps for months thanks to the high salt content which dissolves as it cooks so there’s no gritty feeling ever. Just supple, smashable play dough that is perfect for wholesome pretend play!
Soft Homemade Play Dough Recipe
This makes about 2/3 of a cup or a large ball the size of a navel orange:
1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) of salt (cheap white table salt is fine!)
1/2 cup flour
Scant 1 tsp cream of tartar (can sub scant 1 tsp of lemon juice instead!)
Scant means just under 1 tsp but a little more than 3/4 of a teaspoon
1 Tbsp coconut oil (does not need to be melted, solid is fine)
1/2 cup water
Optional: Colorant of choice (natural powders or liquid drops)
Optional for Scented Dough: 10 drops of toddler-friendly essential oil, like lemon, orange or lavender
Directions: Stir together the salt, flour, and cream of tartar in a medium size sauce pan with a silicone spatula. Add powdered colorants, like spirulina, to the dry mix and stir to combine. (Skip for uncolored dough like ours.) Next add the water and oil. If using liquid colorants, add them now with the liquids and stir to combine. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes until the dough has thickened and begins to form into a ball. Remove the pan from the heat, use the spatula to form one large dough ball and place the warm dough inside a quart sized ziplock bag or onto wax paper. Allow to cool slightly for 1 to 4 minutes and then knead a few times (10 seconds) until smooth. Total stove top cooking time is just 2 minutes – it whips up fast, even with excited children underfoot!
Taste-Safe Recipe
The real food ingredients in this play dough are all taste-safe but the blend is very salty, which typically results in it being spit out. I don’t use any artificial food coloring in play dough for children under 3, only food-based powders and mild spices if I add a color at all.
Natural Colorant Ideas
Just about any dried powdered food or spice can be used to naturally tint your homemade play dough. Here are some of the colors we have tried (click the image for directions):
Try it with Wooden Tools
We have plastic play dough tools but time and again children are drawn to the thicker, heavier natural wood play dough tools. We have the Kookaroo Sensory Bin and Play Dough Tools sets that have gotten regular, weekly use since the day they were opened. These gorgeous sets are frequently sold out on Amazon but can be found for the same price by the manufacturer on Etsy.
Natural Play Ideas
Some of the simplest play ideas become enthralling and can charm the grumpiest kiddo into dough smooshing with glee!
It Really Does Keep for MONTHS
I made a batch scented with orange essential oil the week of Christmas in 2023. My toddler was still playing with that exact same dough ball in July of 2024. It only had to be thrown out because it had picked up some toast crumbs. This is the longest lasting, never-mold-growing, does not dry out play dough recipe that I have ever used. I keep the recipe in the notes section of my phone so I can make an “emergency” batch if needed while traveling and to share quickly with friends. It’s that good!
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