A Classic: Salt Dough Recipe

Here is the classic salt dough recipe. Something that's a favorite of my own kids, especially the younger two.

My kids are avid crafters and they love to sculpt. Unfortunately for them, I don't allow store bought Play Dohs in my house. I know, some people might think that's awful, but have you ever tried to get dried Play Doh out of clothes, or worse yet, your carpet? So I gave my kids this inexpensive, completely water soluble alternative that's actually as fun to make as it is to sculpt with.

You can probably find the ingredients for this in your kitchen right now and go whip up a batch of this easy salt dough recipe.

All you need are:

2 Cups of Flour
1 Cup of Salt

1 Cup of Water

Get a nice big, deep bowl and mix the flour and salt together.

Start to pour in the water slowly and knead it in gradually. Some recipes for salt dough only call for a 1/2 cup of water. I usually start with 1/2 cup and then add in the rest as I feel it's needed. If you find the dough is dry add more water a bit at a time.

If you find it's hard to knead you can add in a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Once you've made this dough the first time you can experiment with different amounts of all the ingredients until you get it the way you want it.

To add color to your dough you can add:

Food Colorings:

Oil Paints: This can be messy. If you're making this for your kids, try to use one of the other methods, however, if you want to do some serious artwork with this dough, which you definitely can do, this is a great way to get deep, even color.

A pack of Powdered Drink Mix: Just mix in a packet of drink mix to add color and fruity aroma to your salt dough. My 7 year old loves adding color this way.

The easiest way to add any of these is to mix it into the water before you pour it into the dry ingredients, but you can also knead any of these coloring options into the finished dough.

You can dry sculptures made with this salt dough recipe by letting them air dry. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the project.

You can also put them in a 200 degree oven on a non-stick cookie sheet for a couple of hours. Again, the actual time will depend on the project. They should be completely dried out and you should be able to tell this by the deepened golden color.

Once dried your salt dough sculptures can be painted.

You can store the dough in a ziploc baggie for a couple of days in the fridge.

I hope your family enjoys this salt dough recipe as much as mine does, and don't forget, not only is this dough fun for moms to make, it's also great fun to sit down with your kids and make your own work of art.

Learn how to Add Color to Uncooked Macaroni for another Great, Inexpensive Family Craft.

Return to Free Family Crafts from Salt Dough Recipe