Homemade Kool-Aid Playdough is a fun DIY activity for the kids that’s colorful, edible, and entertaining for hours! Kids and adults alike always have a blast making and playing with this vibrant craft.
Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe
School’s out for the summer! That means enjoying fruity cocktails, going to the beach, and grilling all your favorites by the pool, right? Well, yes… But it also means that it’s time to entertain your kids now that they’re not in school for 8 hours a day!
Keeping the kids busy can be quite the hassle. I’m always looking for new ways to entertain them that don’t break the bank and won’t make a big mess. That’s where this Kool-Aid playdough comes in! It may get everyone’s hands a little messy, but it’s a much more contained mess than some other crafts out there.
Kids of all ages have fun with this colorful craft! It’s always fun to not just open a container and play with something, but to actually make it yourself. It’s also a very fun way to spend quality time with the kids! They love helping out with this craft just as much as they love playing with it.
Why You’ll Love this Fun Homemade Craft Recipe:
- Fun: This is playdough made from Kool-Aid – it practically screams fun!
- Vibrant: You and your little ones are going to have so much fun experimenting with all of the different vibrant Kool-Aid colors and flavors.
- Unique: Toss the regular Play-Doh, coloring books, and painting kits to the side. This unique DIY craft is more interesting than all of that stuff.
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that this is a copycat recipe for an existing product, and some of these ingredients are trademarked products. Kool-Aid and Play-Doh are proprietary brands that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
How to Make Homemade Play-Doh using Kool-Aid
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and Kool-Aid together in a medium saucepan.
- Stir in the water and oil.
- Heat the mixture over medium-low.
- Continue stirring over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the mixture from the pan and place it on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Knead the mixture until it becomes a dough.
This is the BEST part about making this craft! Usually, when your kids make a craft, it’s all done by the time it’s created.
However, this playdough will stay fresh for up to 2 months! Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
Here’s the thing – this playdough is going to smell SO good, WAY better than actual Play-Doh. However, just like Play-Doh, this isn’t necessarily meant to be consumed. If your little one sneaks a taste, it’s not the worst thing in the world, but try to avoid anyone taking big bites out of this craft.
I’ve discovered that using real Kool-Aid is the most certain way to get the best smelling and most vibrant playdough! While generic brands will also work, nothing can quite beat the original stuff.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- When storing this playdough, use a durable Ziplock bag or Tupperware that’s truly airtight. This stuff can dry out pretty easily.
- For an even more vibrant color, or just to experiment with colors, you can use food dye! Squirt in a few drops when you’re initially pouring all of the ingredients into the pot.
- Want to be the coolest parent at the birthday party? Hand out this playdough in mini solo cups with lids as a party favor!
More Crafty Recipes
Have a lot of fun this easy, unique, and colorful Kool-Aid playdough recipe!
More Fun & Unique Recipes We Love
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Kool-Aid Playdough Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 grams
- ½ cup kosher salt 72 grams
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 7 grams
- 0.26 ounces Kool-Aid drink mix 7.2 grams (2 packets)
- 1 cup water 227 grams
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil 13 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, and Kool-Aid until there are no lumps.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup kosher salt, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 0.26 ounces Kool-Aid drink mix
- Pour in the water and oil, stirring to combine.1 cup water, 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- While stirring, heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken and gather around the spoon.
- Remove the mixture from the pan and place it on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. Knead the mixture until it becomes a nice smooth texture.
Notes
- If the playdough is exposed to air, it will start to dry out.
- If the playdough starts to get dry, you can knead in a small amount of oil to add moisture, but it can’t be saved if it starts getting hard and crispy.
- The cream of tartar will help the texture of the playdough; it causes a chemical reaction to help make it fluffy. You don’t have to use it, but it will have a denser texture. I found you can get it on Amazon for a better price than the grocery stores.
- This is a craft recipe and is not intended for consumption.
Leave a Review