I love making playdough for Locky. It’s such a fun activity for us to do together. I’ve allowed him to help me “mix” the dry ingredients before and though that turned out to be a hideous floury mess, he loved it and had lots of fun so really one can’t complain. Usually I make it on my own when the boys are asleep, or at least Locky is asleep. Cooper is still so little that he isn’t interested in getting involved yet.. Much faster, easier and a heck of a lot less messier when I do it without the toddler.
This is my favourite playdough recipe so far. There are so many recipes out there but to me they’re all pretty similar. I love the consistency of this recipe. It stays together nicely, isn’t too firm for little hands and doesn’t leave any yucky residue on your hands. It’s quite rubbery which I like also.
The other thing I love about this recipe is that there is no cooking required and that my friends is a massive plus for me. I don’t have the need to be dirtying more pots and pans than I already do.
This easy playdough recipe is a hot water method recipe. You can find recipes for cold water which is much more fun and better if your children are helping the whole time and like my toddler completely impatient to allow the dough to cool down before touching it. I’ll share with you a cold water recipe next time and you can decide what you prefer but so far this is my favourite recipe.
EASY HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH RECIPE
What Ingredients Do I Need?
2 Cups Plain Flour
1 Cup Salt
2 Tbsp Cream Of Tartar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cups Boiling Water
Food Colouring
How Do I Make This Bad Boy?
1. Place all the dry ingredients in a large metal bowl. Mix.
2. Create a well in the middle of your dry mixture. Add olive oil followed by the boiling water.
3. Quickly stir dry and wet ingredients.
4. Leave until cool enough for you to touch and knead.
5. You have two options. You can do one colour for one batch (that is a lot of one single colour) or like me you can separate the batch into a few balls and make different coloured smaller balls. If you wish to make one large batch I suggest you add the food colouring with the wet ingredients. If you wish to make a selection of colours out of one single batch then after creating your individual balls, make a well in the middle of each ball and add your desired colours. The amount of food colouring depends on wether you want a light coloured playdough or a vibrant coloured selection. This is completely up to you. Once you have added your food colouring knead until the dough and food colouring are mixed well and have an even colour.
Now you can play and enjoy some serious playdough fun and best of all you know exactly what’s in it and your child can go to town with it! I still don’t like Locky eating it but I’m at ease if he does eat it without me watching.
I will admit this will leave your hands fairly stained unless you wear gloves but it is so much fun to make. Once the food colouring is well mixed into the dough you shouldn’t have any concerns about your child getting food colouring all over them.
Locky loves playing with this stuff. He really thinks it’s the best fun ever. I love having it around to quickly set up for some fabulous sensory play.
Have you made playdough for your little one yet? What recipe did you try? Where you happy with the results?
I think homemade playdough is the best. I must say that you were very brave to make 6 colours at once, it just all gets smashed together at my place so we usually only do one or two colours at a time.
It all turned grey Malinda! Luckily not brown. I sit there and tense us as I watch him smooshing all the colours together but he loves having different colours and practices his colours as he plays so I just deal with it and make more! haha.
Hi Maria.. I’ve never tried the no cook method. Looks so much easier, I hate cleaning sticky pots. What kind of food coloring did you use? Your colors are so vibrant!
Hi Marina, it’s SO easy! I hope you try it. I purchased generic colours from my local supermarket and forgot the brand name. The key I think is that I just added a lot into the mix… I’m talking like 1-2 tsp for each ball of dough. The orange and yellow aren’t as vibrant because I ran out of food colouring otherwise they would be even brighter! haha. Next time I’m going to make a pastel batch using a lot less food colouring. 🙂
I love the bright colours you made! Playdough is awesome fun:)
How fun are they! Love the bright colours also!
Visiting from the Sundays Down Under linkup. I will be using this recipe today! Have a great afternoon!
Hi Stacy, welcome and I’m excited you will be trying it out. Let me know how it goes and if you do make it, share it with me on Facebook so I can see your creation! 🙂 x
I love this recipe especially as a Grandma. The play dough will harden sometimes before the kids want to play again. This makes it easy to have some on hand. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
You will find this recipe will stay really nice for ages Vickie. My son left some out for over 24 hours and a “hidden” spot a while back and when I found it the outer layer was a little hard but once a added a tiny bit of water and kneaded it it was good to go again! 🙂
Oh my granddaughters are going to love this Maria. Thanks for sharing at Five Star Frugal! Love, Mimi xxx
It’s great playdough. My son loves it! xx
Oh my I just love those play dough colors, pinning it to make it for my girls!
Thanks Love. They are so nice and vibrant aren’t they! 🙂
Great recipe and such cute pictures! Thanks for sharing on #ToddlerFunFriday! Can’t wait to do this with my daughter!
You’re welcome Ali. Let me know how you go when you try it 🙂
It looks good enough to eat…well, my son would try to eat it!
Locky tried to eat it all the time also Eva, big reason why I started making it also! It always goes into his mouth and though I would prefer him not to eat it I prefer this recipe than the store bought stuff.
the colors came out really great!
All three of my kids love playdough! It is usually at least an hour long activity, which for a two year is a very long time!
That’s fabulous Ashley! I can’t say mine last that long but they play with it for a fair while!
My sister makes this all the time for her little ones as well as her friends and their little ones. It’s so easy, cheap, and lasts forever. Thanks for linking up with Delicious Dishes Recipe Party!
These look amazing! Thank you for sharing. Little kids love playdough, but even as older children the dough is used in so many experiments or for explaining how things work, or even as stress release. 🙂
Wow! I found your post from Marilyn’s Treats: Wonderful Wednesday. I really like to play homemade playdough with my niece. I’ve pinned this and shared this with my sisters in law.
Nice. I love homemade things. I know it much safer to use around the kids.
Definitely a better options for little ones who love to eat everything and put everything in their mouths! 🙂
Thank you very much for this recipe. I have been looking for this one. Grandkids & I will have fun with it.
You’re welcome Bonnie 🙂 It’s a fabulous recipe!