Stay At Home Educator

intentional teaching for purposeful learning

  • About
    • Copyright and Disclosure Policy
    • Contact
  • Preschool Lesson Plans
  • Literacy
  • STEAM
  • Development
  • Thematic Activities
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account

How to Make Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

October 25, 2017 by Sarah Punkoney, MAT 29 Comments

If you are a preschool teacher, you probably go through a lot of play dough. If you are a preschool parent, you probably go through a lot of play dough, too. It can get pricey, which is why you need this absolutely perfect no-cook playdough recipe without cream of tartar, and it really is…well…absolutely perfect.

How to Make Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar - Have you run out of cream of tartar? Try this easy, scented, no-cook playdough! This is perfect for sensory activities! Playdough recipe without cream of tartar.

I love this play dough recipe because, not only is it quick and easy to make and smells delicious, but it’s also the perfect consistency for hand strengthening. Preschoolers need hand strengthening activities to prepare them for life skills. It also prepares them for learning the correct and mature pencil grasp. Playdough is also a great accompaniment to a variety of preschool themes and math activities.

And, did I mention it’s cheap? I don’t know about you, but with the quantities of play dough made around here, cream of tartar can get pricey. Or, if you’re like me, you’ve used the last of it in your mom’s best snickerdoodle recipe and now you have none left for play dough.

So, a play dough recipe without cream of tartar is a really valuable thing!

This recipe does not call for cream of tartar to stabilize it, and the recipe doesn’t call for expensive extracts or essential oils for fragrance.

Aside from this play dough recipe being so extremely affordable, the play dough itself really is just perfect. It is malleable, but not sticky, holds its shape beautifully, but without being crumbly.

Other perks include the fact that this is a no cook play dough recipe, which makes it super fast and easy to make. This is easily our favorite recipe.

Disclaimer: I have had my fair share of play dough fails. Remember this Facebook post of my failed red play dough that brought my sweet daughter to tears? Well, tears no more, because I’m also sharing some tips and tricks to making play dough perfect the first time!

Scented No-Cook Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar

Ingredients

  • flour
  • salt
  • cooking oil
  • lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • Kool-Aid(optional for scent and coloring) or essential oils for fragrance
  • Food Coloring (optional)

Cooking Supplies Needed for No-Cook Play Dough

  • large mixing bowl
  • glass, heatproof, microwavable 2-cup measuring cup
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • aluminum foil, parchment paper or wax paper
  • wooden paddle for stirring

Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar

***I created this recipe to make small batches so it would be easy and quick to make several colors. Each batch makes just a bit over one cup of play dough. If you want to do rainbow colors like the above photo, begin with white and work your way all the way through the rainbow. This way you won’t have to wash or rinse in between batches.***

1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
3/4 cup of water minus 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 packets kool-aid (optional for fragrance and coloring)

Directions for Making Play Dough without Cream of Tartar

Measure the water and lemon juice into a heatproof, microwavable 2-cup measuring cup. Heat in the microwave until just boiling, about three minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the flour and salt.

If using Kool Aid for the fragrance, slowly (and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y, because the mixture will foam a bit) pour the kool-aid packets into the HOT water and lemon juice mixture and add additional food coloring to intensify the color if desired.

playdough recipe without cream of tartar

Slowly pour the liquid into the flour and salt mixture, and stir with a wooden paddle until it just barely begins to form a dough.

Drizzle the tablespoon of cooking oil over the dough and stir again until it forms a ball. At this point, you may want to knead the dough with your hands.

It may feel a bit sticky, too, but DO NOT add more flour. As the dough cools it will thicken and become less sticky. (Just like how gravy turns to sludge once refrigerated).

Now, once the dough is completely cooled, you may add flour a tablespoon at a time until it is the perfect consistency.

scented play dough recipe without cream of tartar

Allow the dough to cool a bit on a sheet of aluminum foil, parchment or wax paper. By the time you finish the next batch of play dough, the first will be cool enough to store. I love to store play dough in these freezer jam containers because the screw on lids are more airtight than snap-on lids.

playdough recipe without cream of tartar

Now Play with that Scented Play Dough!

My daughter took a giant whiff of blue raspberry lemonade scented play dough. As far as a scented play dough recipe goes, the possibilities are endless! Literally. We made grape scented play dough. Apple scented playdough. Peach mango scented playdough. It’ll make your kitchen smell like a fruit orchard! (Or a Bath and Body Works shop).

Do you have a favorite no-cook playdough recipe without cream of tartar?

scented play dough recipe without cream of tartar

Try Some of My Favorite Playdough Accessories


More Like this from Stay at Home Educator

Edible Play Dough Recipe
The Softest Play Dough Ever
Perfect Edible Gingerbread Play Dough, and Cookie too!
Orange Creamsicle Sensory Dough
Seashells and Play Dough: Invitation to Play


Join our community!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
Sarah Punkoney, MAT

I am Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home mama of five! I am the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught range of levels, including preschool and college, and a little bit of just about everything in between. Right now, my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction

https://stayathomeeducator.com/

You might also enjoy:

Perfect Edible Gingerbread Play Dough And Cookie, Too! Seashells and Playdough Invitation to Play Cooking with Preschoolers – Applesauce Bread Super Soft Play Dough Recipe without Cream of Tartar

Filed Under: Play, Sensory Play Tagged With: Fine Motor, playdough, Sensory Play

« Top Tips for Buying Shoes for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Colorful Turkey Art Activity that Focuses on the Process »

Comments

  1. SHARITA says

    January 10, 2015 at 8:31 am

    Wow! I’ve pinned it because I love it! I’ll use this recipe with my preschoolers. A million THANKS!

    Reply
  2. Still Playing School says

    January 12, 2015 at 6:07 am

    I bet that it smells amazing!

    Reply
    • Sarah Punkoney says

      January 12, 2015 at 2:32 pm

      It really does, and because of the Kool Aid, each color has a different scent, which the students love!

      Reply
      • Leanne says

        April 22, 2017 at 2:11 am

        Sarah, how long does it last? I want to make about 200 – 300 batches ifor a school carnival thats 4 months away

        Reply
        • Sarah Punkoney says

          April 27, 2017 at 5:28 pm

          I’ve had playdough last for up to six months! But most recommend to get rid of it after three months.

          Reply
  3. Ann Eifler says

    January 16, 2015 at 4:37 am

    I can’t wait to make this for my Sunday school class. The recipe I have used for years calls for Cream of Tartar and is so expensive for as often as I need to make it. Thanks for sharing and God Bless your days.

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    January 17, 2016 at 3:27 pm

    Please tell me what I have done wrong it has sat and cooled for over an hour and it is still sticky

    Reply
    • Sarah Punkoney says

      January 17, 2016 at 8:31 pm

      I have never had that problem. Try adding more flour a few tablespoons at a time. Knead well.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        January 17, 2016 at 8:37 pm

        I ended up using cornstarch and it’s better. Thanks for the response and the recipe!

        Reply
        • Sarah Punkoney says

          January 18, 2016 at 6:44 am

          Glad you got it to work out! Smart idea to use cornstarch. I’ll remember that.

          Reply
      • Ariel says

        September 23, 2017 at 10:14 am

        Hi. I also had the same problem. After a long time, still so sticky! I’m using it in the classroom so any kind of stickiness won’t work. I tried without the koolaid and a bit of extra flour ( I used peppermint extract) and it came out perfectly, which leads me to believe that the koolaid is the cause of the stickiness. I saved my koolaid scented batches by adding almost triple the flour. It works then – maybe add a note in the recipe that adding extra flour maybe necessary after it cools.

        Reply
        • Sarah Punkoney says

          September 25, 2017 at 9:25 am

          I’m so glad you commented and shared your solution. I really have had no problem with it, but I really appreciate you sharing how you saved the batch. And I will edit as you suggest. What a smart idea.

          Reply
          • Ariel says

            September 27, 2017 at 1:33 pm

            Hi! Update: I used the playdough in the classroom today. The one with peppermint oil was perfect. The one in which I used strawberry koolaid and almost three times the flour to thicken was a mess. Ended up the consistency of frosting! You can imagine what a mess that is with 26 kids. The purple grape koolaid scented playdough ( which also used almost thrie the flour) was pretty good! So I don’t know why, perhaps the kind of koolaid I used was the culprit? All I know is, if you are a teacher and want to use it in the classroom, this is an awesome recipe if you use oils to scent it. Beware of the koolaid batches……. I wish I could share photos of my students getting messy. In the end it was a success in that everyone had fun and it was a happy mess.

          • Sarah Punkoney says

            September 28, 2017 at 2:34 pm

            Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Play dough can be so funny, sometimes! I also love to use essential oils in playdough.

    • paula says

      July 23, 2017 at 11:20 am

      Mine flopped completely. I followed the instructions exactly but it was so sticky that I ended up throwing it away. I really don’t know where i went wrong 🙁

      Reply
      • Sarah Punkoney says

        July 24, 2017 at 10:03 am

        Ok, I have had this happen before. Did you let it cook completely? Just as flour makes a great thickener for a gravy, you will not know the thickness until the gravy is completely cooled. So, if yours turns out sticky, it may be because it didn’t have time to set up.

        Reply
  5. Dorothy says

    February 18, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    This worked amazingly well. I swapped out the kool aid/food coloring for a water flavoring product that had a lot less ingredients (so I felt better about using it). Not as cost effective, but it was a personal preference. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Suchitra says

    October 12, 2016 at 12:26 pm

    Just made it and loved it. Made a few minor, if any modifications . Kid loved it. Thanks.

    Reply
  7. Rose says

    March 3, 2017 at 8:58 am

    Hello, what type of cooking oil should be used? Vegetable oil?

    Reply
    • Sarah Punkoney says

      March 6, 2017 at 2:26 pm

      Yes, I use vegetable oil, but really any kind of cooking oil will work the same.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Playdough Math Invitation to Play says:
    October 16, 2015 at 6:01 am

    […] playdough (You can find my favorite recipe here). […]

    Reply
  2. 6 HOMEMADE PLAYDOUGH RECIPES – of the wild studio says:
    December 16, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    […] Stay At Home Educator offers a cost-effective alternative to classic playdough recipes by switching out cream of tarter for a few tablespoons of lemon juice. […]

    Reply
  3. Ocean Themed Inviation to Play says:
    June 7, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    […] love it! And with just a few seashells that can be purchased at a minimal cost and some playdough that is even cheaper to make, once introduced this easily becomes a favorite activity in our ocean […]

    Reply
  4. Easy Play Dough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar says:
    September 8, 2016 at 9:42 pm

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

    Reply
  5. Eight Arctic Themed Preschool Activities says:
    January 2, 2017 at 4:53 am

    […] Play Dough (play dough recipe with added glitter. click here for play dough […]

    Reply
  6. Homemade No Cook Almost Organic Play Dough & Cookie Cutter Creativity | The Phd Mama says:
    January 22, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    […] Stay At Home Educator. After sifting through the many search results, I came upon her recipe for Scented No-Cook Play Dough that did not use cream of tartar and decided to make it. I did modify it a little […]

    Reply
  7. Top 10 Homemade Playdough Recipes – Crafty Momma says:
    February 20, 2018 at 5:31 am

    […] This next playdough recipe is by Stay at Home Educator, and is made without cream of tartar and is no […]

    Reply
  8. Best Homemade Playdough Recipes – Crafty Momma says:
    March 10, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    […] This next playdough recipe is by Stay at Home Educator, and is made without cream of tartar and is no […]

    Reply
  9. Best Homemade Playdough Recipes - Crafty Momma says:
    March 12, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    […] This next playdough recipe is by Stay at Home Educator, and is made without cream of tartar and is no […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search This Site

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Find preschool printables at the Stay at Home Educator on Teachers Pay Teachers buy learn with play book and ebook

PRINTABLE SHOP
PLANNING
LITERACY
MATH
DEVELOPMENT
THEMES
PLAY
Visit Sarah @ Stay At Home Educator's profile on Pinterest.
Stay At Home Educator

© Copyright 2015 Foodie Pro Theme · Genesis Framework · Customizations by Kara Carrero ·

Wordpress