Kool-Aid Play Dough
One of my favorite recipes for homemade play dough is Kool-Aid Play Dough! The Kool Aid adds scent and color to the playdough without having to mess with food dye or scent extracts.
Kool-Aid Play Dough Recipe
Even though most of our play dough recipes last for at least a month, but since I run a daycare with lots of little hands digging into the dough, I tend to whip up a new batch every two weeks.
I could honestly probably whip up a plain batch every time and the kids would still dig in enthusiastically, but I like to mix things up with different colors, scents and textures, as well as different play set-ups.
One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways I’ve found to do this is to incorporate Jell-O or Kool-Aid into the play dough. I don’t have to stock up on tons of different flavor or scent extracts or dye my hands kneading in food dye. Just add the mix into the dough and it imparts a light color and yummy scent to the mix, at the tune of about a quarter each time.
This Kool-Aid play dough lasts easily for a month, retaining a great squishy and moldable texture and amazing scent. Towards the end of it’s life it gets a bit too soft and requires a bit of kneading to return to it’s original texture, which gives a decent head’s up that you’ll want to whip up a new batch soon. If you want a longer lasting play dough, you will need to cook it on the stove, but I really really (really) hate scrubbing out the pot after making stovetop play dough so I usually stick to no cook play dough recipes.
My favorite thing about play dough as a sensory material is not only does it build hand strength thanks to it’s squishy yet somewhat tough texture, it allows children to use their imaginations while also exploring different concepts. They can create shapes (early math skills), discuss texture and the characteristics of their creations (language building), experiment with different tools (science) and learn how to share the dough and different tools with their friends or siblings (emotional and social skills building).
Some of our favorite play dough set ups over the years include:
- Lemon Meringue Play Dough (Bake Shop Play)
- Homemade Butterfly Play Dough Kit
- Watermelon Play Dough Counting
- Teach Children to Floss with Play Dough
- DIY Tooth Models & Tooth Sensory Play
Is play dough safe to eat? While play dough is considered taste-safe for toddlers who may sneak a small sample (thanks to all natural, food-based ingredients), play dough is not safe to eat in large quantities due to the large amount of salt in the recipe. So, don’t freak out if they sneak a taste, but try to encourage not eating it (though most will be deterred by the strong salty taste if they do give in to their curiosity.)
How do I keep play dough soft? This play dough stays soft and actually softens over time, unlike cooked play dough, as long as it’s stored in an airtight container when not in use.
This video shows how to make a conventional play dough – you just need to swap in the Kool-Aid for the food dye used in this recipe:
Kool Aid Play Dough Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- KOOL-AID Unsweetened Drink Mix, any flavor
- Cream of Tartar <– I buy the big container or from a bulk store as those little jars are so expensive! A bulk container will last us for months of play dough making – and can also be used for soft sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, etc.
- Water
- Vegetable Oil <– you can use melted coconut oil but if it’s cold where you are, it will make the play dough a bit tough at the start of playing (will soften with the heat of hands playing)
- Additional Food Coloring, optional <– this set of food coloring has lasted me forever and I love that it creates highly saturated colors with just a drop
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: if using a big tub of Kool-Aid, you just need a teaspoon but you can use as much as you’d like to to 2 Tablespoons. Adding more packets will result in a more vibrant color and scent.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Kettle or Saucepan to Boil Water
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula
- Mixing Bowl
How to Make Kool-Aid Play Dough
Boil water.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and Kool-Aid.
Measure the water into a liquid measuring cup & add the oil to the measuring cup.
Pour the water-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The dough will form into a ball.
Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and knead the play dough well, at least 2 minutes. Try to avoid adding additional flour for the first minute unless really sticky.
Pin this Easy Homemade Play Dough Recipe:
Grab your free printable recipe card for our Kool-Aid Play Dough recipe:
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Kool-Aid Play Dough
How to make No Cook Kool-Aid Play Dough, a soft, squishy play dough with a bright pop of color and yummy scent, without having to mess with food dye or flavor extracts. This Kool Aid Play Dough will last for a month and give so many fun opportunities for play
Materials
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Salt
- 1 envelope KOOL-AID Unsweetened Drink Mix, any flavor
- 2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
- Additional Food Coloring, optional
Tools
- Kettle or Saucepan to Boil Water
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula
- Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Boil water.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and Kool-Aid.
- Measure the water into a liquid measuring cup & add the oil to the measuring cup.
- Pour the water-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The dough will form into a ball.
- Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and knead the play dough well, at least 2 minutes. Try to avoid adding additional flour for the first minute unless really sticky.
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I hope your kids love getting to play with this easy Kool-Aid play dough recipe.
For more fun homemade play dough recipes and play ideas, check out our full play dough collection here:
Check out our full sensory play collection here:
I can not find a recipe from 26 years ago. I know it is somewhere safe. My daughter who is now 31 got it when she was in kindergarten. I think this may be it. I used it as a mold for plaster hand print plates. I actually pressed it into cheap pie pans and put the kids hand print plus name and year ( reverse backwards- pencil dots worked great) and then insert 2 straws at the top to make holes for a ribbon to hang it. Once the playdough is all the way you want it make and pour the plaster into the pan and let it dry. Pops right out and the playdough peals right off and is still good to use. I am going to mix silicone and try to make a baby hand mold for a baseball hand print that I want from my 3 month old grandson that will not cooperate with ink.
Hi Jeanne,
I’d love to hear how this works out! Please keep me updated 🙂