You can’t make Legos at home, but you can mix up a batch of soft, colorful playdough in just a few minutes with ingredients you have on hand. Homemade Playdough Supreme feels silky smooth and comes out bright and vibrant. It costs little to make and brings hours of squishy fun.
Homemade playdough goes back to the Pleistocene—or is it Plasticine?—Age. We have carbon-dated the handwritten index card to back when our kids were actual kids. So we don’t remember which clever parent gave it to us. Or where it got the name “Supreme.”
But we’re grateful it still works like a dream. So we’re always ready to roll out a little fun with our grandkids.
Homemade Playdough Supreme
Doubles well
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup salt
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Food coloring
- Mix all ingredients except food coloring in a saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes, stirring. When it forms a ball in the center of pot, turn it out, wait until it has cooled down enough to handle. Then then knead briefly on a floured surface until smooth.
- Divide into 3 balls for coloring.
- Color each ball in a food processor or mini-prep, adding desired food coloring and processing until color distributes evenly. Or, you can put each ball into a plastic bag, add color, and knead the ball in the bag.
- Let playdough cool completely, then store in zipper plastic bags or sealed containers. Store at room temperature for up to 3 months.
