Make Homemade Play Dough
Whip up this colorful DIY play dough in a snap with only a handful of simple pantry staples.

Cassidy Garcia

Pinterest is filled with loads of homemade play dough recipes — so many that it can be a little overwhelming to pick just one. HGTV Handmade’s Jill Tennant did all the homework for you and shares a tried-and-true, homemade play dough recipe that stands out among the rest. Round up a handful of common kitchen ingredients and get the kids involved with this easy, homemade play dough recipe.

Cassidy Garcia
Ingredients + Tools
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup table salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- food coloring
- saucepan
- whisk
- spatula
- parchment paper
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1: Add Ingredients + Color
Add 1 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of table salt to a medium saucepan (Image 1). Next, add 1 cup of water to a glass measuring cup and dash in several drops of food coloring (Image 2); stir together with a whisk. Next, pour the water and food coloring mixture into the saucepan with all dry ingredients (Image 3). Tip: Add food coloring and water at the beginning of the process rather than the end to avoid stained hands and ensure the color penetrates the dough evenly. Last, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan.

Cassidy Garcia

Cassidy Garcia

Cassidy Garcia
2: Heat + Stir
Turn the burner on medium/low heat (Image 1). Use a spatula to stir the mixture until it starts to become thick, solid and lumpy (Image 2). Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and stick together it's ready to remove from the heat (Image 3). Tip: Total cook time should be around 2-3 minutes.

Cassidy Garcia

Cassidy Garcia

Cassidy Garcia
3: Knead + Enjoy
Place the warm dough on a piece of parchment paper and it let cool (Image 1). Once cooled enough to touch, knead the play dough thoroughly to remove lumps (Image 2). Keep the play dough in a resealable bag and let your kids enjoy it for up to one month (Image 3).

Cassidy Garcia

Cassidy Garcia

Cassidy Garcia
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