Step up your play dough game this Valentine’s Day with my adorable DIY Valentine’s Day Play dough Recipe. If you’ve never made play dough before, then welcome to world of homemade play dough. But beware, once you start making themed play dough, you may never want to stop. My kids are well past the age of playing with play dough, and I still make themed play dough a few times a year just because it really is that much fun!
Valentine’s Day Play Dough
Well, Christmas has been over for a while and I’m thoroughly bummed. I love all the decorations and baking that come with the holidays and it’s always hard for me to let go of the season. For that reason I’m throwing myself deep into Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras prep.
Related Post: The Original Play Dough Recipe
In order to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit and get out of my Christmas slump, I enjoy putting together Valentine’s Day play dough. I started making this recipe 10 years ago when my oldest was tiny, and I still make it every year.
This Valentine’s Day play dough recipe is cheap, easy, fun and only takes a few minutes. Paired with some heart shaped cookie cutters, it is absolutely adorable. This would make a great DIY Valentine’s Day gift for a class party or play group. This is the same recipe I used for the fall play dough with a few changes.
How to make Valentine’s Day Play Dough
Valentine’s Day Play Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 Tablespoon red glitter
- 3 Tablespoons oil (I use coconut oil)
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- red food coloring
Instructions
- Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. Boil the water and add 10-15 drops of red food coloring once boiling. Stir well. Mix together and let sit for 10-30 minutes.
- Tip: if it seems too sticky, keep adding cream of tartar and flour until you get the consistency you prefer. Sometimes I need more, other times I need less. I think the humidity has a lot to do with it.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
- 2 Tablespoon red glitter
- 3 Tablespoons oil (I use coconut oil)
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- red food coloring
Instructions
- Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. Boil the water and add 10-15 drops of red food coloring once boiling. Stir well. Mix together and let sit for 10-30 minutes.
- Tip: if it seems too sticky, keep adding cream of tartar and flour until you get the consistency you prefer. Sometimes I need more, other times I need less. I think the humidity has a lot to do with it.
We once had a batch that lasted 4 months before I threw it away! I store mine in a glass Pyrex container and I think that is why it lasted so long.
If you can’t tell, my son loved his “dough” when he was a toddler. He asked for it at least once a day and it entertained him for a while.
Edited to add, as I have become more environmentally aware, I’ve stopped adding the glitter to my play dough even though it is so cute!
While my kids love to smell it, I haven’t caught them eating it yet.
How to get play dough out of your carpet
You should know that this comes right out of the carpet if you let it dry.
That is the trick: Let. It. Dry.
Don’t rub it in.
Trust me on this one. I may have had a few pink areas in our carpet for a couple of days. I use this particular upholstery cleaner for my carpets.
What do you need for homemade play dough?
Of course you need flour, salt, cream of tartar, glitter, coconut oil, water and food coloring, but you also need a few more things. I love these cookie cutters below!
As far as food coloring goes, you know I’m not a fan of artificial food coloring (learn more about it here). I love this all natural food coloring for homemade play dough.
Like this post?
If you like this post, you’ll love these other Valentine’s Day posts too:
- Free Printable Taylor Swift Inspired Valentines
- Free Baby Yoda Valentine’s Day Printables
- Heart Shaped Waffles Tutorial
- Free Valentine’s Day Printables for Seed Paper Hearts
- Free Darth Vader Printable Valentines
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Oil! My go to recipt is pretty bare bones and it gets crumbly sometimes. I’ll try the oil next time, thanks.
Looks so pretty – I pinned this so I can remember to do this with my son next month. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thank you. Let me know how it goes!
This turned out wonderful, and in the first try! Thank you for the recipe.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Your ingredient photo shows a bottle of vanilla, but the recipe does not list vanilla. Did you add that to scent it? And if so, how much? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it.
Sorry! I updated the recipe and took out the part that I sometimes add scents. My kids love smelling the dough too! For Valentine’s Day I add a tsp. of vanilla. When it’s Christmas I add cinnamon.
How may cups of dough does this make?
I’ve never actually put it into cups to double check, but I’d say it makes roughly 4 cups.
Thanks so much for the post! I made it today and it was super fun. Did you add vanilla extract? I saw it in the picture.
I’m so glad you liked it! Yes, I edited the post a while back and somehow I lost that part. I need to add it back. It works well either way though!
Does the red food coloring stain the counter when they’re playing with it?
It hasn’t for us. It did get in the carpet, but I haven’t had issues with the counter. To be clear I cheap countertops. I might not experiment with marble or granite.
Hey there! I’m attempting this recipe for a first time and mine is like flour. Extremely crumbly. I’m wondering what I could do to save it. Add more oil?
I mixed everything (first 5). Boiled water and added food coloring. Then I assumed I shut off stove and combine?!
Sounds about right. I will tell you that I live in Southwest Florida where it is very humid. I have to adjust for bread recipes so maybe we should adjust for this too? Try more oil and maybe a little more water one TBSP at a time?
Just made this and it was so easy! I had to use way more food coloring, but it was generic gel food coloring from the grocery store so that’s probably why. I put it in plastic jars tied with pink ribbon (all from the dollar store, and the glitter was from there, too). It’s the perfect inexpensive, non-candy Valentine’s gift for your kids!
I’m so happy to hear that it worked well for you. It is a tried and true favorite in our house.