Halloween Play Doh Recipe

Shannon Cairns

October 5, 2023

DIY

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This Halloween Play Doh recipe is so much fun for littles during spooky season! Making play dough is so easy, and you will love how long it stays soft too!

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How to make Halloween Playdough

Making playdough isn’t hard at all, and it comes together very quickly. You only need a few ingredients, a small pot, a whisk, and a silicone spatula!

Halloween play doh is a ton of fun to make and play with! Pick your favorite spooky colors, add some fun Halloween manipulatives and cookie cutters for little hands and let them play to their heart’s content!

Take it a step further and make this cute Halloween spider craft for kids to add to the Halloween playdough fun!

Supplies needed for this Halloween Playdough

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Step 1: Whisk all your ingredients, except for the food coloring, together in a small pot. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so there aren’t any lumps of flour.

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Step 2: Next, you can whisk in the food coloring of choice. We used Wilton brand icing colors and they turn out great!

Do not use liquid food coloring. The liquid ratio can make your dough watery.

If you want to make a black play dough like we did, you will need to use a LOT of food coloring gel to get a true black. Keep in mind that colors end up darker when the play dough is cooked all the way.

Step 3: Cook your fully mixed Halloween play doh batter over high heat, stirring and flipping constantly with a silicone spatula.

Your play dough should cook within 2-3 minutes max, so don’t walk away! As soon as you no longer see any liquid, immediately remove from the pot and place it on a paper plate to let it cool.

Allow your play dough to cool for 20-30 minutes before handling, as it will be very hot. Be sure to test it with your hands before giving it to a little one to make sure it’s cooled enough.

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Each batch of Halloween play dough you make following this recipe will be roughly the equivalent to 4-5 regular store-bought containers of play dough.

This Halloween playdough recipe makes a very soft and squeezable dough that kids just love! It stays soft for MUCH longer than store-bought play dough, and it’s so much cheaper to make at home too!

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Storage

Store your Halloween Play Doh in sealed plastic baggies in a cool, dry place. You can also store in tupperware containers, but we love using baggies because they’re easiest for little hands to open and close.

This play dough has stayed out for days at a time and remained soft! It’s an excellent recipe that’s so easy to make you will want to make every color of the rainbow!

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Homemade Play Dough Tips & FAQs

  • Food Coloring. Always use gel food coloring and not liquid for the best results. Mix in the food coloring before you cook the play dough.
  • Cooking. Cook over high heat, but be sure to stir and flip constantly to keep it from burning. A silicone spatula and non-stick pot works best.
  • Clean-Up. Be sure to clean your pot, whisk, and spatula completely before making a different color batch.
  • Safety. Freshly cooked play dough stays hot for a while. Give your play dough 20-30 minutes to cool before handling. Always test the play dough in your own hands first before handing to a child.
  • Storage. Store your play dough in airtight containers to keep it soft and pliable. Play dough should last up to a year when stored properly.

Halloween Play Dough Ideas

  • Cookie Cutters. Get some Halloween themed cookie cutters for easy play dough fun!
  • Manipulatives. Fun themed items like googly eyes, spiders, etc are great things to add to your play dough fun.
  • Monsters. Make play dough Halloween monsters like ghosts, Jack O’Lanterns and Frankenstein to get the creative juice flowing!
  • Activities. Use this list of Halloween play dough ideas and activities to make playing with your homemade Halloween play doh even more fun!
Yield: 1

Halloween Play Doh

halloween play doh recipe

This Halloween Play Doh recipe is so fun for littles during spooky season! Making play dough is easy, and you'll love how long it stays soft!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Cooling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 2/3 Cup Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  • 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Cup Water
  • Gel Food Coloring

Instructions

  1. Whisk all ingredients in a small pot, except for the food coloring.
  2. Add in the gel food coloring until the desired color is reached. Whisk together mixture until there are no more streaks.
  3. Cook over high heat, stirring and flipping constantly with a silicone spatula for 2-3 minutes, or until there are no wet spots left.
  4. Immediately remove the play dough to a paper plate to cool for 20-30 minutes before handling.

Notes

  • Food Coloring. Always use gel food coloring and not liquid for the best results. Mix in the food coloring before you cook the play dough.
  • Cooking. Cook over high heat, but be sure to stir and flip constantly to keep it from burning. A silicone spatula and non-stick pot works best.
  • Clean-Up. Be sure to clean your pot, whisk, and spatula completely before making a different color batch.
  • Safety. Freshly cooked play dough stays hot for a while. Give your play dough 20-30 minutes to cool before handling. Always test the play dough in your own hands first before handing to a child.
  • Storage. Store your play dough in airtight containers to keep it soft and pliable. Play dough should last up to a year when stored properly.
  • Did you make this recipe?

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    hi! I'm shannon

    I’m a wife, mom of three, doctor, and blogger! In 2018, I decided to turn my mom blog, into a personal finance blog so others could follow along on our journey to pay off over HALF a MILLION dollars in student loan and practice start up debt. I hope you enjoy following along, and maybe even find some inspiration along the way.