Clay & Playdough Play for Kids

Three Different Ways to Make Homemade Playdough for Kids

May 3, 2021

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Our favorite homemade playdough recipes including a quick and easy no-cook playdough recipe, the best cooked playdough, and edible playdough.

Updated March 2022

Here are our go-to recipes anytime we need a new batch of homemade playdough.

Homemade playdough is better than store bought for so many reasons! It’s easy to make, cheap, and you can make a big batch which really allows kids to use it more expressively and naturally. Plus the homemade stuff is soft and smells good. And when you make your own, you can add your own personal touch with color, essential oils, and glitter (great for pairing your playdough play with seasons, holidays, party themes, and mood!).

Here are our three favorite playdough recipes: a quick no-cook recipe, a wonderful cooked playdough, and an edible playdough. Plus we include a link to a gluten-free playdough recipe at the bottom of the post.

3 Awesome Homemade Playdough Recipes

No-Cook Playdough Recipe

Here’s the no cook playdough recipe we like the very best, which uses the hot water method. We find that we typically make no-cook playdough more often because it’s quicker, easier, and the kids can get involved.

The Best Cooked Playdough Recipe

We really love cooked playdough the best; the texture is smooth and playdough rubbery and the batch makes a generous amount to play with. It also lasts just about forever.

Peanut Butter Play dough for Kids — Photo by Jean Van’t Hul

Edible Peanut Butter Playdough

This peanut butter playdough is perfect for kids of all ages but is especially great for younger children who still like to ‘taste test’ while using playdough!

Which batch of homemade playdough do you think you’ll try? And want some fun ideas for your new playdough? Here is our ultimate list of ways to play and learn with playdough!