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Easy Homemade No-Cook Playdough Recipe From Pantry Ingredients

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This homemade no-cook playdough is quick and easy to make from ingredients you already have in your pantry. What’s more, it’s very inexpensive.

easy no-cook play dough recipe

Homemade playdough is a fraction of the cost of store-bought playdough.

It can be whipped up in minutes and can keep children amused for hours, which is always a good ROI. 

And because it’s made from edible ingredients, it’s non-toxic.

What’s great about this recipe is you don’t have to cook it on the stove. Instead, use boiling water to mix and this playdough is reading in just a couple of minutes. 

Playdough is definitely a favourite activity at our house. It keeps my kids happily amused for hours. Not to mention for years!

It’s great for fine and gross motor skills with all the rolling and cutting and pressing and shaping a moulding. 

It’s also perfect for pretend play. Make cakes and pancakes, cooked ina toy frypan, or make worms by pressing the dough through a garlic press. 

If your kids need distracting while you’re cooking dinner, set them up in the kitchen with a chopping board, a kid-sized knife and some playdough. Let them practise chopping beside you.

I tend to make up a batch of play dough and then divvy it out a quarter at a time, keeping the rest in an airtight container in the pantry. This makes it last a bit longer. 

If left out, playdough dries out fast, so keep it in an airtight container for many hours of fun. 

You might also like: Best Budget Art and Craft Supplies For Kids (lots of free ideas)

Playdough Tips

While there are many fun playdough tools on the market, it’s cheaper and less clutterful (is that a word?) to use what you already have lying around the house.

Some ideas include:

  • Kid-sized blunt knife
  • Rolling pin
  • Spatula
  • Cookie cutters
  • Dried food like beans, lentils and pasta
  • Sticks and rocks
  • Pop sticks and craft matchbox sticks
  • Pasta cutter
  • Garlic press
  • Potato masher
  • Kid’s scissors
  • Plastic Animals
  • Matchbox cars
  • Stamps
  • Lego
  • Straws
  • Beads

You might also like: How to Make a Recycled Materials Craft Box

Yield: 3 cups

Easy No-Cook Play Dough Recipe

easy no-cook play dough recipe

This homemade no-cook play dough is quick and easy to make from ingredients you already have in your pantry. What's more, it's very inexpensive.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $1 - $2

Materials

  • 1 cup of table salt
  • 2 cups of plain flour
  • 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
  • 2 cups of boiling water
  • 2 Tbsp. of oil
  • food colouring

Tools

  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixing spoon
  • Small jug
  • Kettle or microwave for boiling water

Instructions

  1. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl. In a jug, combine the wet ingredients and then pour into the dry ingredients.
  2. Mix until the dough comes together then turn out onto the bench and knead lightly until smooth. The dough will be quite hot to touch at this time, so take care.
  3. Depending on the flour or how much food colouring you add, the dough may come out a little sticky. If the dough is too sticky, knead in a little extra flour until you have a smooth dough.

Notes

Store in an airtight container.

Did you make this project?

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One Comment

  1. Farah Raja says:

    great idea. Awesome!