Mix together all the ingredients, except the food coloring, in a 2 quart saucepan.
Cook over low/medium heat, stirring.
Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring.
Continue stirring until the mixture is much thicker and begins to gather around the spoon.
Once the dough starts gathering together around the spoon you know it’s done. This may be 20 seconds or 2 minutes from the time you put the food coloring in, again depending on how hot your stove is. My first batch was longer, but once I whipped together more batches, it literally only took a few seconds and a total of 2 minutes on the stove from start to finish.
Remove the dough out of the saucepan onto wax paper or a plate to cool.
How much playdough does this recipe make?
One batch makes just under 2 cups. I compared that to a standard size container of store playdough, which holds approximately ½ cup
Will the food coloring stain my child’s hands?
No, it will not. As long as you mix it up well before you give it to them, there is no staining. That’s even if you use the AmeriColor Gel Paste Food Color which results in bright, vivid colors. I highly recommend Americolor by the way – it’s well worth the money because you will use it for so many things – from many batches of playdough to cupcakes and more. It’s my favorite food color ever.
Does this recipe use boiling water?
Nope. There may be some varieties that do, but this recipe does not involve boiling water. I’ve had comments from people saying that boiling water makes it faster, etc. That may be true, but this variety works well without it. It’s also safer when you have small children around. Of course, your pan will still get hot so you’ll still need to be careful.
My friends 9 and 6 year old often help make a batch of homemade playdough. They’ve gotten quite good at stirring. In fact, even when the playdough is at it’s hottest, you can still touch it. I usually dump a batch onto a plate and knead it to get the color worked in straight off the burner. It’s very warm (her kids don’t want to touch it at that point) but it doesn’t burn me.
Do I have to use cream of tartar?
I highly recommend using cream of tartar. It may cost a few dollars at the store initially, but it’s still cheaper than store bought playdough. Not to mention, this version is completely non-toxic and safe if young children decide to taste it. This recipe is salty, so I doubt they’ll go back for more, but it won’t hurt them.
I’ve had some friends comment that they’ve used lemon juice or vinegar instead, etc. but I can’t personally attest to those results. I would stick with the tried and true if you want something that works well the first time.
TIP* For the best value, get a larger container of cream of tartar. Try Cream of Tartar on Amazon. I’ve used this variety and it works great, not to mention it’s a fraction of the cost of name brands at the store.
Can I substitute coconut oil or canola oil?
While I typically use vegetable oil (it’s cheaper and what I usually have on hand), my readers have claimed over and over that other oil varieties work just as well as vegetable oil. Some of those include canola oil, coconut oil, olive oil, even baby oil (although I don’t think baby oil is edible). If you’ve tried it, let us know!
How should I store my homemade playdough?
We typically store ours in ziploc bags and it lasts for quite some time. You can also use plastic containers – the ziploc/gladwear ones work well.
What happens if our playdough is left out and dries out?
Sometimes it simply can’t be saved if it was left out for a really long time. But I have revived many balls of playdough using a simple little trick:
Tip* Just work a little vegetable oil (or canola oil, etc.) into the playdough. It may not be quite as smooth and pliable as before, but it really does help.
Summary