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The Best Homemade Playdough Recipe

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The BEST Homemade Playdough – I have tried every recipe and this is by far the best! Lasts 3+ months, coloring does NOT stain hands, and it’s super easy!

The BEST Homemade Playdough - I have tried every recipe and this is by far the best! Lasts 3+ months, coloring does NOT stain hands, and it's super easy!Over the years I have tried at least 10 Homemade Playdough recipes, and some have been big hits, and some have been big misses.  I feel like I have finally figured out the best recipe for Best Homemade Playdough, and I am going to share it with you!! It is pretty easy, and involves ingredients that you likely have at home all the time (except maybe you don’t have cream of tartar…maybe…).  This recipe is quick, yields a lot of playdough, and the playdough actually stays good for a long time.  This would work great as a class activity for kids, or as a home activity for kids.  It really is a great indoor activity!

How to video:


 

What to do to make Homemade Playdough:

In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of cream of tarter, and 1/3 cup of salt (the salt keeps it from sticking and also helps preserve it). 

Homemade Playdough

Next, add 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Homemade Playdough

Turn your burner on medium/low and stir. It will be a little lumpy and that’s fine

Homemade Playdough

Before it starts getting thick (this is going to happen fast, so be ready) you want to add whatever color Food Coloring you want. If it gets to thick before you add it, it’s hard to get an even color. Add the color and stir!

Homemade Playdough

Keep stirring, it is going to start thickening up.  This could take anywhere from 30 seconds-2 minutes depending on how hot your pan/stove is.

homemade playdough

Now you can see it’s getting thicker, keep stirring, and keep scraping the bottom of the pot.

Now the clumps are coming in! Getting thicker...

Keep stirring and scraping the bottom

Homemade PlaydoughOnce you notice the dough isn’t wet anymore, take it out of the pot.

Homemade Playdough

Like I said, the whole process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. it goes really fast, and even faster when you make additional batches because the pot/stove is already warm.  

Put the dough on some wax paper and allow to cool (30 minutes or so).  Then take the ball in your hands and knead for a few seconds (like 30 seconds).  Store in a zip-lock bag or airtight container IN THE FRIDGE.  It shouldn’t dry out, but if you notice it getting a bit dry you can add a few drops of water and knead that into the dough. You can also add a drop or 2 of scented essential oil to make the playdough smell great!

The BEST Homemade Playdough - I have tried every recipe and this is by far the best! Lasts 3+ months, coloring does NOT stain hands, and it's super easy!

I just love all the colors! 

The BEST Homemade Playdough - I have tried every recipe and this is by far the best! Lasts 3+ months, coloring does NOT stain hands, and it's super easy!

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4.96 from 23 votes
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The BEST Homemade Playdough


Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tsp cream of tarter
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 TBS vegetable oil
  • gel food coloring
Instructions

  1. Mix together all the ingredients, except the food coloring, in a medium saucepan.

  2. Cook over low/medium heat, stirring. Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring.

  3. Continue stirring until the mixture is much thicker and begins to gather around the spoon.

  4. Once the dough is not wet, remove and put onto wax paper or a plate to cool.

  5. After cooling (30 minutes) knead playdough for a few seconds.

    PLAY!

  6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge!

Recipe Notes

The above will make you ONE large ball of playdough. I usually make it repeatedly for however many colors I want (so if you want 6 big balls, know that you will need 6 times the ingredients listed above, but you need to make them separately).

Don’t forget to order some sweet playdough cutting toys to go along with your new playdough! I love this Alphabet Dough Cutter Kit

Things you might need for this recipe – Click to shop below:

The BEST Homemade Playdough - I have tried every recipe and this is by far the best! Lasts 3+ months, coloring does NOT stain hands, and it's super easy!

Reader Interactions

Comments

        • I had a cooked playdough recipe that I loved, so I tried this one and it was super sticky. I tried adding more flour as I kneaded it to no avail. It sticks to everything! Did I not cook it long enough? It wasn’t wet. I was trying to avoid it cooking too long and coating the bottom of the pan.

          Reply

          • It needs to cook through. Once it firms up on the bottom of the pan, you scrape it so the wet ingredients then cook, and keep flipping it. It shouldnt be sticky at all. Maybe you mismeasured one of the other ingredients. Check the step by step video to see the cooking process.

            Reply

            • I also made this play dough recipe and it was sticky. I left it in the pan for about 20 mins, flipping the dough over and over again. Now cooling for 30mins. Time will tell.

              Reply

            • I also made this play dough recipe and it was sticky. I left it in the pan for about 20 mins, flipping the dough over and over again. Now cooling for 30mins. Time will tell. This is my first time posting.

              Reply

              • Mine also came out sticky even after cooling and kneading. Sticky with crusty parts for some weird reason. So I threw it into the microwave for 30 seconds and kneaded it. Came out much better but still leaving some residue on my hands so I microwaved it for another 30 seconds and they came out perfect.

                Reply

  11. Oh I LOVE it!!
    Never made playdough but I’m definitely going to try
    I think (no, I’m sure) my nephews and nieces would be thrilled
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • I know! Spring break is so long if you have nothing to do! This is a great time passer…both making it, and playing with it!

      Reply

  15. Your play dough looks awesome. I feel like whenever I make some, it’s an epic fail! I need to try yours….if it worked for you, maybe it’ll work for me ! THanks for sharing at Pinworthy Projects.

    Reply

  17. Your playdough does look better than many I’ve seen. Please consider sharing it on Look What We Did, a month long link up hosted by HammockTracks. As a matter a fact, I think you have many posts that would link up well there.

    Reply

    • Thanks for the sweet comment and stopping by! I checked out your site, but I didn’t see the link up…can you post the link? Thanks!

      Reply

      • Hello do you have a recipe if I want to use my kitchen aid ? When I cook it I have noticed it’s not as dense and spongy as I would like it’s a little stringy when I pull it apart do you have any suggestions?

        Thank you

        Reply

        • This is the best recipe I have. not sure what’s happening on your end as I have never had an issue with it being stringy. I would make sure you are measuring the ingredients carefully and following the directions.

          Reply

  22. Thanks for sharing at Freedom Fridays! I just shared this on Facebook, Google+ and pinned it as one of the awesome features of Freedom Fridays:)))

    Hugs

    Reply

  23. Thank you so much for posting this and with the pictures. My son was just informed he has celiac and cannot play with regular play dough. I just took out the flour and put in a Gluten Free Flour as the rest of the ingredients are ok. His daycare has play dough all over so I am now preparing to make new stuff for the daycare. Wish me well!!

    Reply

    • YES! What you need to do is put each ball into a zip lock bag, and keep it in the fridge. I still have the playdough I made from this very post nearly 3 months ago in the fridge, and it’s the same as it was the day I made it!

      Reply

  27. I mixed the food coloring with the liquids in a bowl and it came out good it was easier for me that way.

    Reply

  28. Will storing it in plastic containers be ok? Want to make & give as a gift but want it to look a lil more presentable rather then zip lock bag lol

    Reply

    • I am not sure because I haven’t done that. I would give it a try, and maybe include on a tag that it should be refrigerated in the containers. Good luck!

      Reply

    • Monica, we make something very very similar to the recipe and give it away in plastic containers all the time! It keeps just fine. Ours keeps for many months in plastic bags and not refrigerated. Some have even lasted over a year!

      Reply

  29. I just did this with my kids today and they are complaining of the smell. 🙁 Is there anything that you would suggest that I could add to it to make it smell a little better? I tried a few drop of lemon juice, but they said it only helped for a minute or two. 🙁

    Reply

    • That’s a bummer! I have never had or heard of an issue with the smell. Have you let it cool and refrigerated it? That might take some of the smell out. Otherwise I would just try adding a drop or 2 of scented essential oil (like lavender, lemon, peppermint etc) to each ball. That might help!

      Reply

      • I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. It gave the dough a great coconutty smell and it seems to be holding up just as well as my batch of dough that i made using the vegetable oil.

        Reply

        • Thanks for letting us know, Shelley! I am going to make a note of this in the recipe! Thanks for coming by!

          Reply

    • I’ve been making this same awesome recipe for 3 decades, except I mix 1 package unsweetened kool-aide with the flour and omit the food coloring. The kool-aide colors the playdough AND makes it smell wonderful. If you are worried about the delicious smell enticing the kid’s to eat it, don’t worry–it still tastes gross!

      Reply

  30. I just made this and it seems great so far – putting the food coloring in while cooking made my colors come out great! Last time I made play dough from scratch (different recipe), it got all funky and kind of oily/wet after a while – any issues with this dough becoming ‘wet’ over time and any way to correct it and ‘bring it back’?

    Reply

    • Mine did not ever get ‘wet’ afterwards. I would make sure you let it cool completely and then put it into the ziplock bags and store it in the fridge. I didn’t have any issues! I hope you don’t either. Like I said, I have tried tons of recipes and this has been by far the best one!

      Reply

  31. Wow! Thank yo so much for posting this! This is waaay better than the playdough I remember my mom making when I was a kid. And it is fantastic! It feels just like the store stuff, and is absolutely fantastic! And SO easy! We didn’t actually let it sit, just kneaded it until it cooled down and it was great! How long does it keep. (I will reread…maybe you say that. Don’t remember

    Reply

    • I am so happy you made it and loved it! mine kept very well over 3 months, and then it got a little iffy, and then I finally saw some mold on it (eek!). I have made it time and time again though, and like I said, it’s the best! Make sure you store it in the fridge! I’d love if you would share a picture of it/your kids playing with it on my facebook page!

      Reply

    • I really have no idea, Ryann! You can give it a try and let me know…I have only tried it with regular. Thanks for coming by!

      Reply

  33. I made this today and it was awesome!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! We will be using this for years to come!

    Reply

  36. I love this! I made this for my son and he absolutely loved it. I found your step-by-step pictures and hints extremely helpful. Very easy to make, and I like the fact that I know exactly what went into the play dough. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

    • I am so happy to hear that it turned out well for you, Tam! It really is the best recipe that I’ve tried as well, which is why I had to share it with everyone!! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  37. have you used this and PURPOSELY dried out the shapes you made?? Does it crack?? I have made sooooo many “clay” recipes…but they “crack” when drying 🙁 this looks great…wondering if it dries well????

    Reply

    • Angie, I have no idea because I have never tried that! I wonder if it would? I would suggest just making 1 batch and trying it out. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  38. This is the exact recipe my mom always used when we were kids except we added the color as we kneaded it to cool it down. That was always my favorite part. I forgot about all the times we made play dough together. I will have to make a batch up with my kiddos soon. Also, the best thing we found to store it in was the store-bought icing containers. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  39. Coming from a preschool teacher, this is the best play dough recipe I’ve found! I made it using rice flour to some of my kids allergies, and it still came out perfect! Thank You! 🙂

    Reply

    • That’s such a wonderful testament to how great this recipe is! I am so happy it works for you with the rice flour so that your students can enjoy it! Thanks for coming back to let us know!

      Reply

    • That’s interesting! I have never tried baby oil, but I have never had an issue with vegetable oil smelling bad. I have had it stay good for months in the fridge, no smells!

      Reply

  41. I suggest putting your drops of food coloring in the water and mixing it before it goes into the pot with the rest of the ingredients, I’ve done this as a class experiment with my preschoolers and it helped me avoid the stress from mixing and trying to get an even color. It made things much more simple for me!

    Reply

    • Great tip! For me it works just fine adding it when I usually do, but this would also be easy as well! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

      • I make it for our preschoolers and I use the microwave for 5 minutes stirring every minute and scraping sides, I add food coloring and stir right before I put it in the microwave. When it cools to the touch but still warm knead it several times to make sure color is mixed well.

        Reply

  42. this works great!i didnt add cream of tartar because we didnt have any.my lil one loves her play dough. 🙂

    Reply

  43. How am I just finding this now? Oh well, good timing! My granddaughter just started playing with play doh! She’s 2 1/2 and will love playing with it at grandma’s house with neon colors!

    Reply

    • I have never made it without the Cream of Tartar, so I can’t tell you that it will come out great without it. I know people can sub baking powder in it’s place in other recipes though, so maybe try that. If you want to hit up the grocery store you will find it in the spice aisle for only a couple bucks! A little goes a long way, too!

      Reply

  50. This is an incredible recipe! Just made some for my nephew for Christmas. Holiday colors and scents -green spruce, red peppermint, white vanilla, and brown chocolate 🙂

    I cut the recipe in half though and it made me a ball about the size of a baseball. I add the essential oils and color when the mixture is pre-lump stage. Also did this with coconut oil and it turned out wonderfully.

    Invest in some essential oils (for everyone asking how to make it smell better) and it adds a great touch to your playdoh.

    In regards to it drying out, I wonder if adding a few drops of water and a tiny bit more coconut oil to it….microwaving all of them for about 10 seconds and then kneading it would help? Not sure but I will have to suggest it to my sister!

    Thanks again for this incredible recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  51. This is the same recipe my mother passed on to me, and I have found that it is best not to add any heat until all the ingredients are mixed together, and adding essential oils is a fabulous way to bring in another sensory play.

    Reply

  53. Anyone know how to not get the white residue while playing with the playdoh? This recipe leaves more white residue than typical playdoh.

    Thanks!

    Reply

      • When you play with the playdoh, it leaves like tiny little crumb-like residue. Maybe I should add a couple drops of oil?

        Reply

  54. This is very similar to the one we love. But I love to add the food coloring while I knead it. That way we usually get 2 colours per recipe. We also add essential oils and it smells wonderful!! And keeps forever.

    Reply

  55. Thanks for the recipe. This is the first time I tried out something so fast and it turned out just amazing. my kid is thrilled. the finish is so smooth and the color amazing.

    Reply

  56. I have been using this recipe for the majority of my life and as a child care provider have made it countless times. It is the best! Here are some ideas: Add a packet of Kool-Aid to both color and scent it. Glitter is a fun add-in also. In the fall, we add cinnamon, cloves, or all-spice to color and scent it. Adding a couple drops of glycerin will add some shine ands help to moisturize dry hands. We give as gifts and it always puts a smile on a little one’s face. It is perfect for Valentine’s in a classroom. In my experience, each batch makes enough for 4 kids to have a moderate amount, slightly less than a can of Play-do. Coconut oil works well in place of the vegetable oil an adds a nice scent but it leaves the playdough a little drier than adding vegetable oil.

    Reply

  57. Snowy day here. Just made this for my 2 & 4 year old boys. AWESOME! I used the coconut oil & also added about a teaspoon of rose water. The smell is incredible & my hands are so soft after kneading it. Also love that I don’t have to freak out when my 2 year old eats a bit of it…

    Reply

  58. Thanks for this great recipe! I can’t believe how easy it was to make, and how much cheaper it is than the real stuff. My little guy loves it I made 6 colours, but he is slowly mixing them all together 🙂
    I wanted to avoid mixing the ingredients together 6 times, and cooking/washing the pot 6 times for the different colours, so I made a double batch and added the colour once it had cooled enough for me to touch it. I just divided the big ball into 6, then added a few drops of food colouring to each ball and kneaded it in. You just have to be careful not to get the colour all over your hands, but it was super quick to make the colours.
    PS you have great colours! I have to look into buying that food colouring!

    Reply

    • I did the exact same thing tonight (doubling the batch, dividing, and kneading in colors) and it turned out wonderfully! The texture is perfect. We had a nice time after dinner making play-dough creations as a family. 🙂

      Reply

  60. When I think I’m printing a recipe for playdough I really don’t want 22 pages of peoples comments in addition to the recipe….what a waste of paper.

    Reply

    • Oh no! If you scroll down to the bottom of the post, where the actual recipe is, there is a button on the top right of the rectangle that says ‘save recipe or PRINT’, when you click print, you will only print the recipe and not everything else on the page. Alternatively, if you select print from your browser, you could set it to print only the page the recipe is on. Usually there is a print preview and it will show how many pages you are printing. Hopefully that helps next time!

      Reply

  62. Thank you for this recipe. It is AWESOME. Love the texture and how easy it is to make. This is really the best play dough that I’ve made. A keeper for sure. 🙂

    Reply

  63. Can you bake this and paint it with acrylic, then varnish it? It seems with the oil maybe it wouldn’t work for ornaments you want to varnish. ???

    Reply

  66. I also have tried about 10 recipe and finally found these recipe and love it.. I tried to mix all ingredients before cooked it.. My daughters love it too becoz these recipe stays longer than other recipe and perfectly consistency.. Thank you for sharing with us.. 😊👍🏼

    Reply

      • Sorry autocorrect changed it. The color did stain my hands but only with one color and after washing several times seems to be gone. Perhaps it was something in the pink gel color.

        Reply

        • Was it actually the dye that stained your hands or the playdough after the fact? If you touch the gel food coloring it will stain your hands. I mean it doesn’t stain your hands in the way that when you’re playing with the playdough, there is no color rub off…

          Reply

  68. 5 stars
    I always use this dough for my PreK class. Tonight I didn’t have salt, but I had a lot of baking soda. I needed the dough for school tomorrow. The recipe turned out fine with substituting baking soda for the salt. I don’t know if it will keep as long, but in a pinch-it is an option.

    Reply

  70. 5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this. I make it for my daughters friends as gifts and they all loved it. Sooth texture and so easy to make.

    Reply

  71. 5 stars
    Thank you!! I just made this for my girls and it is great! The only thing I changed was I used 1 packet of kool-aide instead of food coloring. We are in Jamaica and I couldn’t find food coloring. The playdough here costs almost $10 for a small for pack! Thanks for a fun diy recipe and for saving me money! Oh and not to mention, the quiet time I will get while the girls play! 🙂

    Reply

  72. 5 stars
    I was happy to find this recipe as I haven’t made this in years and had misplaced my recipe. My granddaughter needed some fresh playdough as her containers of playdo had all dried up. This was so easy and she could start playing with it so quickly after making it, as we started playing with it when it was still warm. The consistency was perfect. I only had liquid food coloring but I’m sure the gel would have made it a bit prettier. Thanks for this super easy and fun recipe:)

    Reply

  73. 5 stars
    Awesome recipe. Made some this evening as I’m babysitting my niece tomorrow. 45 minutes later and I’m not sure I don’t want to share it now. It’s just like the playsough I used to play with as a kid.

    Reply

  74. 5 stars
    Playdough is awesome! A little staining but well worth it, kids are exstatic!!! Thanks so much! It even smells like the store stuff

    Reply

    • I am shocked to hear you had a little staining! I have never encountered any making this recipes 100’s of times! What type of dye did you use?

      Reply

  75. 4 stars
    Hello, i have tried many play dough recipes and each one i make comes out perfect except when u look at your hands you find dry little pieces on your hands , i made this recipe for my kids as i have a small yet growing preschool and although from the other recipe’s i have tried, this recipe also left very little dry pieces on the kids hands, is this normal while making your own play dough ?

    As well as mentioning the smell i added a few drops of essence and it smelt wonderful.

    Reply

  76. This looks great. I want to use it in PreK and Kindergarten classes. I do need large amounts- will it still be cheaper?

    Also, my entire purpose is to learn about mixing colors. What gel colors do you recommend? I need a red and blue that will make a true purple.

    Thanks,
    Kathy

    Reply

    • Kathy- definitely the gel set I recommend in the post are the most vibrant ones I have found. I would order those for sure. It will definitely be cheaper to make it yourself. I would buy the cream of tarter in bulk, like this (good deal) because it gets pricey if you buy a lot of the little bottles.

      Reply

  79. 5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! My kid is obsessed. Quick question: when I made this I missed the part about keeping it in the fridge. I have it in zip lock bags but it’s not in the fridge. It seems to be doing okay (looks the same as when I made it). Is there a benefit to keeping it refrigerated?

    Reply

    • I find that it keeps longer in the fridge. I highly suggest it, because I have left it out for a week and it’s grown mold 🙁 I would just pop it in the fridge – but it’s up to you how long you want it to keep! So glad y’all love it!

      Reply

  83. 5 stars
    Thank you Allyson for sharing this! I really love the idea of adding 1/3 cup of salt, which is really works to keep it sticking!
    How i wish i can share my result! 🙂
    Blessings!

    Reply

  85. I didn’t have cream of tartar and used lemon juice instead. The site I found for substitution send do 2 times what it calls for for cream of tartar – use either lemon juice or vinegar. It worked out great!

    Reply

  87. Tried a number of recipes and this is best by far! I cut the recipe in half and make more colours that way and it still turns out great!!!

    Reply

  88. 5 stars
    Seriously perfect and I love that it’s completely sage if they decide to try and eat it. HIGHLY recommend it 😁

    Reply

  89. 5 stars
    I have used many different recipes to make playdough, but this is the best one. Heating is the key to making it stretchy and soft. It activates the cream of tartar. Happy playing!

    Reply

  94. Have not tried it yet but thank you for sharing the recipe!

    Does anyone know if the food coloring could be added with everything else before heating or.. does that step have to come after?

    TIA!

    Reply

  95. This was truly a foolproof, super easy, and super quick playdough recipe. I made it with the children I babysit and they loved it. My one tip is to color the color with your food coloring of choice before adding it into the mix. This way you get an idea of what color your dough will look like and you still have time to tweak it without the time pressure of the dough cooking on the stove. Enjoy!

    Reply

  96. 5 stars
    Look yummy! One of my favorite Playdough, nice to see your recipe, easy to follow, will cook this for family this weekend. Thanks you!

    Reply

  97. Hi. I have made the playdough but was wondering whether the playdough should be stored in the fridge after every time. Thanks.

    Reply

  98. 5 stars
    This is THE best!!! We didn’t store it in in the fridge and ours lasted over a year!!! We just alway put it away when we were done. It is seriously the best recipe!!!

    Reply

  99. Hi! Any oil alternatives I can use in place of vegetable oil if I don’t have any? Also, no food coloring?

    Reply

  100. 5 stars
    This was awesome!! I decided to use powdered coloring since I had more variety. We make make ( bath bombs )It feels like the real thing! In fact I think it is the real thing! Thank you so much for sharing this

    Reply

  101. 5 stars
    This is fantastic!! We did use lemon juice though as I was out of cream of tarter. I add it to my water to not over do my liquid. But the texture is the best yet!
    We also add a little flavoring for a great scent, and multi sensory experience.
    Thank you for sharing your recipe!

    Reply

  103. 5 stars
    Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it. And now that I know you’re in the same area as I am, I’m dying to meet you in person!

    Reply

  105. I want to make this for my daughters birthday party. I plan on making smaller diff color balls and putting them in baby food jars ( decorate it as if it was gumballs inside) do they have to be fridged or will the glass jars keep it fresh and useable?

    Reply

  106. Great idea for the birthday party! I am not sure about the glass jars, since I haven’t tried that, but I would give it a try. Can you put them in the jars, and then in the fridge until the party?

    Reply

  107. Did it end up lasting long in glass jars? I am doing the same thing for the party favors. Im thinking of using glycerin drops instead of oil also.

    Reply

  108. I haven’t tried it in glass jars, but I would say whatever you do, make sure you store it in the fridge. I don’t see why it wouldn’t last in the glass jars as long as they are sealed.

    Reply

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