Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (2024)

This homemade play dough recipe is super easy to make and requires no cream of tartar. I can whip up a batch in about 5 minutesand have a totally customized play dough!

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (1)

Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar

I have never been one to make my own play dough. It seemed like too much work and required expensive supplies (like cream of tartar). It never really seemed that much cheaper than just buying a few cans for $0.99 at Meijer.

When I did finally try to make my own I used a no cook recipe because that seemed more my speed. However, it failed. In a big way.Since then, I have always just bought play dough.

We use itall the time for play dough invitations – like this book inspired play dough invitation, this scarecrow play dough invitation and this ocean play dough. We even learned about weather with play dough.

But one day I got the great idea to make my an apple pie play dough invitation. The only thing is, I wanted it to be a certain color and I definitely wanted it to smell like apple pie.

And since you can’t buy apple pie smelling play dough, my only option was to make some.

After trying a no cook recipe yet again, I decided no cook just wouldn’t work for me. And since I don’t want to buy cream of tartar in bulk for $20, I decided I needed to come up with an alternative.

So I did some research andI learned that you can substitute vinegar or lemon juice for the cream of tartar. I figured lemon juice would smell better and hopefully would not overpower the apple pie smell.

After 3 failed batches, I came up with this super easy play dough recipe that uses no cream of tartar!

FREE Alphabet Play Dough Mats

Make learning letters and their sounds a fun, hands-on experience when you get these FREE Alphabet Play Dough Mats.

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (3)

No Cream of Tartar Play Dough Recipe

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Ingredients:

  • 1cup of flour
  • 1/4 cup of salt
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • Food coloring
  • Any seasonings or scents you would like

I also love using these super affordable airtight containers to store my play dough in the refrigerator.

Making the Play Dough:

  1. Add the water, oil and lemon juice to a mediumnon-stick pot and heat on medium heat on the stove (maybe even slightly lower heat depending on your stove).
  2. Add food coloring, liquid scents or Kool-Aid to the water mixture.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and any dry seasonings you are using.
  4. After the water is hot, but not boiling, slowly add the dry ingredients to the pot andwhile mixing to combine. I use a wooden or plastic cooking spoon.
  5. Continuously stir until the ingredients combine, dry out and begin to form a ball. If there are parts that seem a bit sticky still, just flatten the dough out and put the sticky side down on the bottom of the pot very briefly. Flip back and forth frequently until it doesn’t seem sticky anymore.However, don’t cook it too long. It is better to be a bit undercooked as it will firm up as it cools down.
  6. Place on a sheet of wax paper until it cools down a bit. Then knead the dough for a minute or two to bring it all together.

This all happens quite quickly. I can make a batch of play dough in less than 5 minutes and I am totally new to making play dough.

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (4)

Play Dough Recipe Tips and Information

Weused these neon gel food colors to make the blue and the purple play dough. I added several drops of these candy flavoring oils to them as well. My daughter wanted the grape in the purple play dough and my son wanted the cherry in his blue play dough.

I only used the oils because I got them on clearance, but in the future I will use Kool-Aid to scent and color my play dough. You can even had a few drops of food coloring for even more vibrant colors.

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (5)

The pinkish color smells like apple pie because my son combined my red apple play dough and the vanilla pastry play dough we used for our apple pie play dough activity.

This play dough is so soft and amazing in the hands! I just love it!

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (6)

One batch makes enough to fill one of these 16 oz plastic air tight containers. These containers are my favorite play dough hack!I use them to store my play dough in the refrigerator so it lasts longer.

I hope you now feel empowered to make fun scented and colored play dough for your kids!

If you want to try a no cook play dough recipe instead, here is one without cream of tartar.

Here are some additional play dough activities you can do with this play dough recipe!

FREE Printable Alphabet Play Dough Mats

Number Recognition and Counting with Play Dough

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (7)

Play Dough and Alphabet Beads Activity

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (8)

Farm Play Dough Activity

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (2024)

FAQs

Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar? ›

No Cream of Tartar Recipe

Lemon juice or Vinegar-Stabilizes the playdough to make it super soft. Food Coloring-If you want to dye your playdough a few colors you can knead in each color. Otherwise, add your food coloring to your boiling water.

What can I substitute for cream of tartar in playdough? ›

No Cream of Tartar Recipe

Lemon juice or Vinegar-Stabilizes the playdough to make it super soft. Food Coloring-If you want to dye your playdough a few colors you can knead in each color. Otherwise, add your food coloring to your boiling water.

What is the best homemade playdough recipe? ›

how to make the world's best homemade play-doh. You'll need 3 cups of white all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cream of tartar, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of table salt, 3-4 tablespoons of any cooking oil (start with 3 and add more if necessary), 3 cups HOT water, and food coloring.

What will happen if we don t use cream of tartar in the play dough? ›

Cream of tartar is used in playdough to stabilize the dough. It helps give playdough a soft and malleable texture, as well as help it last longer. If you don't have cream of tartar to add to this playdough recipe, you can substitute it with the same amount of lemon juice.

What is a good substitute for cream of tartar? ›

What is a Good Replacement for Cream of Tartar? A good replacement for cream of tartar in baking is 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar.

How to make play dough easy no cook recipe? ›

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in the oil, warm water, and 2-3 drops of food coloring until the mixture is well combined. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and let it sit for a few minutes. It may feel a bit sticky, but DO NOT add more flour.

What is the secret ingredient in play dough? ›

*2 tablespoons food-grade vegetable glycerin (if you don't have any on hand, it's worth ordering some from Amazon. In addition to being the secret ingredient to silky play dough, it's also the secret ingredient for making cheap but fun bubble solution for sunny days, too!)

How to make homemade playdough soft and stretchy? ›

Cream of tartar– gives the dough it's body and texture. A little makes the dough soft and stretchy, add a bit more, and the Makes the dough soft and stretchy as opposed to soft and crumbly. Vegetable oil- Keep the dough moisturized, so it doesn't dry out as quickly.

How do you make 3 ingredient playdough? ›

1/2 cup cornstarch. 1 cup baking soda. 3/4 cup water. optional: 2-3 drops of essential oils are fun to add in.

Can I skip cream of tartar in a recipe? ›

You can use 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder to replace 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar. This substitution is ideal because it can be used in any recipe without modifying the taste or texture of the final product.

Can you use cornstarch instead of cream of tartar in playdough? ›

The wikiHow Video Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. Making play-dough without cream of tartar is both fun and easy! The most traditional recipe calls for flour, salt, water, and oil. However, you can also use cornstarch and conditioner to make play-dough.

Can I use citric acid instead of cream of tartar in playdough? ›

Today, I chanced upon a different recipe that said to use Cream of Tartar OR citric acid. I still had citric acid in my pantry, so I went ahead and tried this variation. And lo and behold – the citric acid batch made wonderful non-sticky play dough!

Can you use alum instead of cream of tartar in playdough? ›

I put this into my book#234006. Best playdoh recipe EVER! Using alum instead of cream of tartar makes the dough a really nice consistency. My 8year old granddaughter made a batch today and it is the perfect playdoh!!!

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