How To Make Homemade Playdough

We’ll never turn up our noses at an 8-pack of Play-Doh picked up from the store, but there are few craft projects that trigger nostalgia quite like a batch of homemade playdough. And while there are dozens of recipes floating around the internet, we’re sticking to a tried-and-true recipe that calls for flour and cream of tartar, like this one from Domestic Superhero. It’s easy to make, soft to play with, and while it wouldn’t taste good, it’s technically edible too.

What you’ll need to make homemade playdough:

1 cup of flour

1 cup of water

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/3 cup of salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Food coloring

How to make homemade playdough:

First, place flour, cream of tartar, and salt into a saucepan. After you stir the dry ingredients together, add the water and vegetable oil. Turn the stovetop to low/medium and stir the ingredients together. Then, before the mixture thickens up, add a few drops of your chosen food coloring. Keep stirring the mixture together, scraping the bottom of the pot to keep it from sticking, until it’s no longer wet. This should only take a few minutes. Let the dough cool on a piece of wax paper. Once it’s cool to the touch, knead the dough, and play. Repeat the process until you have as many balls/colors of playdough as you would like. Store the playdough in an airtight container or bag in the fridge.

Why we love this craft:

It’s edible, so you don’t have to worry if your toddlers’ dough-covered little fingers find their way into their mouths while they play. We’re also fans of projects that don’t require an extra trip to the grocery or craft store, and you likely already have everything you need to make this playdough in your pantry. Best of all, your small investment of time and money pays off big time: If stored properly, the playdough should last a few months. Should it start to dry out, knead in a few drops of water to extend its shelf life.