Homemade Kool Aid Playdough
Homemade Kool Aid Playdough is easy to make and nontoxic-hours of fun for the kids! You’ll never go back to store-bought play-doh once you try this easy recipe!
Pssst….I have a secret. Do you want to know how to occupy your kids for an hour without them looking at a screen?
Yes, it’s possible!
Simply ask them if they want to make this easy homemade Kool Aid playdough! That’s what I did with my three boys last week when the rain wouldn’t stop and it was a huge hit-it bought me tons of Mommy time while they joyfully made pizzas, snakes, etc and occupied themselves. It was glorious!
Why I love homemade playdough
- This Kool Aid playdough is very easy to make-the kids can help, just be careful of the boiling water and make sure they let it cool down a bit after you take it off the stove so no little hands get burned.
- It’s easy to switch the colors up by changing out Kool Aid flavors and you can get more intense coloring if you double up the Kool Aid as well.
- It is nontoxic and taste-safe so no worrying if younger children eat a bit (not that my kids ever ate playdough!??)
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for this easy recipe.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 tablespoons cream of tartar-in the spice aisle
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- packet of Kool Aid-flavor of your choice-use more than one packet for a more vibrant color
Instructions
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- When the playdough mixture becomes a ball remove from heat and allow to cool. Knead the dough until it’s uniform.
Tips for best results
- if you take your dough off the heat and realize it’s too sticky simply pop it back in the pan for a few more minutes
- the pan will be much easier to clean if you let it soak in water for about 10 minutes before cleaning-trust me on this one!
- I have not found this to stain hands or surfaces (which was a big concern for me when I first tried it) but I can’t say that I’ve tried all the different flavors of Kool Aid over the years so I recommend testing it first just to be on the safe side.
Kool Aid Colors
The intensity of the color and scent depends on how many Kool Aid packets you use per batch.
- cherry – vibrant red
- watermelon – gives a pale peach/pink color
- orange – orange
- pink lemonade – pink
- grape – deep purple
- blue raspberry – light blue
- lemonade – pale yellow
- lemon-lime – green
FAQs
If stored in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the fridge, each batch of playdough should last at least 2 months.
In a pinch you can make this with baking soda but you will need to experiment to get the right texture.
If your kids like Kool Aid playdoh they might also really like this cool homemade slime (also called Non-Newtonian liquid-so you can get a bonus science lesson in!)
My 3yr old Grandsons is going to love this recipe! Not so sure about my Daughter-in-law, but I know that she will enjoy trying it with him. Thanks for making our day!
I am definitely going to try this, but one quick question- where’s the KoolAid? ? I think that you accidentally omitted it from your recipe. I’m assuming that you add one packet to the mix? Anyway, Thanks for the great idea! ?
The Kool Aid is there, It says……•Kool Aid packet of your choice-use more than one packet for a more intense color……. So that means use one pack of Kool Aid and if you don’t think that is bright enough then use two.
Also wondering about how much KoolAid to add
Use 1 packet, 2 for more intense color.
I can’t believe that there’s no way to Print this off….so that you can take it to your kitchen?….DUH!
Yes there is. High light text and right click, copy and paste to a word document.
I’m so excited to make this