About: I helped start Instructables, previously worked in biotech and academic research labs, and have a degree in biology from MIT. Here’s how to make your own non-toxic toy with custom colors and playdough recipe. This is the classic method that involves a bit of cooking on the stovetop – I prefer it because cooked playdough has a better texture than uncooked varieties. If you want the kids to be able to do it all themselves, try this uncooked playdough recipe.
Warning: Keep away from dogs and other pets. Playdough smells like people food but contains lots of salt, and a hungry dog can eat enough to cause a dangerous salt imbalance. Playdough is a classic childhood toy everyone can have fun with, and it’s so easy to make at home you’ll never buy that stinky store variety again. Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, as shown below, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle. IMPORTANT NOTE: if your playdough is still sticky, you simply need to cook it longer!
Keep stirring and cooking until the dough is dry and feels like playdough. I’ve gotten many comments asking about sticky dough, so please just keep cooking a bit longer and it will work! Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or silicone mat, and knead vigorously until it becomes silky-smooth. Divide the dough into balls for coloring. Make a divot in the center of the ball, and drop some food coloring1 in. Fold the dough over, working the food color through the body of the playdough, trying to keep the raw dye away from your hands and the counter. You could use gloves, a big ziplock bag, or plastic wrap at this stage to keep your hands clean- only the concentrated dye will color your skin, so as soon as it’s worked in bare hands are fine.
Work the dye through, adding more as necessary to achieve your chosen color. 1 If you use Kool-Aid or similar unsweetened drink mix for color, test on a small ball first- it won’t go as far as the “real” food coloring. Play with your playdough- I really don’t need to help you there. It’s entirely edible, if a bit salty, so it’s kid-safe.
When you’re done, store your playdough in an air-tight container. If it begins to dry out, you can knead a bit of water in again to soften the dough back to useability. If it gets soggy, you can re-heat it to drive off the extra water the dough absorbed overnight. This is usually the result of high humidity, but is fixable!
You can also bake it in the oven to make hard dough figures and ornaments, then paint or otherwise decorate the surface. One of the comments below even suggests using baked play-dough as a salt lick for your pet rabbit! Does it matter what type of oil one uses? Will it turn out the same with Coconut oil? A “yes” answer to “Does it matter what type of oil one uses?
A “yes” answer to “Will it turn out the same with Coconut oil? I have been using this exact recipe for years for my own children. I just made a batch this weekend, though, and left its natural color because I will be using it for my pre k classes later this week, while we talk about teeth. I made a second batch for home, too. I added purple food dye and lavender essential oil. It not only feels good, but it smells good, too!
