Last Updated on June 27, 2023
When my 5yo starts to get a little wild and restless, I mix up a batch of cornstarch, water and food colouring and he’ll be happy and quiet for at least an hour! I remember playing with the same concoction as a kid, we sat on a big plastic sheet and made a huge mess with it!
So I started trying to find new goop recipes we could try just to mix it up a little. (see what I did there? mix it up? haha) What I’ve found is that there a ton of ideas for non-toxic & edible play dough, slime, goop or whatever you want to call it.
Here are my top 12 choices.
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The following recipes could be categorized as slime, goop, silly putty, clay or play dough. They vary in consistency but the main point is that they are fun to make and will entertain your kiddos on a rainy day.
What is Edible Play Dough?
Edible play dough is any kind of dough, putty or slime that is safe for children to ingest because it is made with ingredients readily found in a home kitchen. Edible play dough does not contain any questionable ingredients that might make your child sick.
Even though the recipes listed here are taste-safe, always supervise when kids are playing with them. Eating a large enough quantity of anything can make a little tummy hurt.
Taste-safe means that yes, you could technically eat a mix of cornstarch and yoghurt, but I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume that it doesn’t taste so good. Your toddler may disagree though. 😀
Is Store Bought Play Dough Edible?
Store bought play doughs are usually non-toxic, meaning that in small quantities they won’t harm your child. But they are not edible. They contain ingredients that you would not find in a home kitchen, and the fragrance and colouring alone would cause concern.
A lot of DIY slime recipes out there call for borax or liquid starch which I am hesitant to use in recipes small kids will be playing with. (However I’ll admit that I haven’t done a lot of research on the subject, so I won’t comment one way or the other on if they are safe to use or not.)
Easy Homemade Edible Play Dough Recipes
I haven’t personally tested every recipe listed here, but we are working through them! I ran out of cornstarch again, I need to track down a larger container because we go through it so fast!
My 3yo doesn’t like getting his hands dirty so sometimes when I mix up a batch of goop, I’ll put some in a ziploc bag for him to play with, mess-free!
Every time we play with anything goopy or doughy or messy, we bust out our silicon play mat. I love it because it helps keep some of the mess off the table and it is so grippy that the bowl or dough ball won’t slide around which helps avoid frustration. We happened to get our silicon play mat in one of our Kiwico boxes, but I found something similar on Amazon, here.
(As a side note, I highly recommend Kiwico boxes, they are excellent quality and provide such interesting learning and tinkering opportunities for children! If you use my link, you’ll get $10 usd off your first order!)
1. Cornstarch Goop (Ooblek)
This one is my go-to, I don’t even really measure anymore. I just mix cornstarch and water until the consistency is fun, but the general rule is 2 parts cornstarch and 1 part water. I find that as it is played with, it loses moisture. So I add a few drops of water at a time when it starts to look a little dry.
This stuff is super fun because it turns into a solid (ish) when squeezed or pressed, but as soon as you loosen the pressure it goes all liquid-y again. It’s very addicting to play with!
Get the full instructions from Babble Dabble Do,here.
2. Yoghurt ‘Dough’
We tried this one too and it was a hit! I found I had to play around with the measurements though, I needed extra cornstarch. We used vanilla yoghurt and it smelled delicious! Way better than that play doh smell!
Get the full recipe from Smart School House,here.
How do You Make Edible Play Dough with 3 Ingredients?
3. Lemon Pie ‘Silly Putty’
We had fun experimenting and coming up with this recipe for a deliciously edible, 3-ingredient lemon pie silly putty. It smells divine. My son regularly asks to make it! Find the recipe here.
4. Marshmallow ‘Dough’
This recipe is so intriguing! We are trying it next. Apparently it does not require cooking, just microwaving, but the dough does get kinda sticky.
Find the recipe from One Little Project,here.
5. Pudding Slime
I bet this smells amazing depending on what flavour of pudding you choose!
Get the recipe from The Soccer Mom Blog,here.
6. Gummy Bear Slime
I wonder if this would work with other types of gummy candy? Like off-brand leftover Halloween gummy treats?! Hmm….
Get the recipe from In The Kids Kitchen,here.
You may also be interested in this post: 17 Easy Science Experiments for Kids Using Household Items
7. ‘Edible’ Jello Silly Putty
I suspect this is very similar to the pudding slime, but there’s more colour and flavour options!
Grab the recipe from The Soccer Mom Blog,here.
8. Starburst Slime
This is apparently clay-like in consistency, so it might be too stiff for really little ones to play with. But it sure is pretty!
Snag the recipe from Teach Beside Me,here.
9. Peanut Butter Play Dough
How are you supposed to NOT eat this?! Somehow I don’t think this will make it from the mixing bowl to the play table.
Get the recipe from Conserva Mom,here.
10. Nutella Clay
O.M.GOODNESS! Yes yes yes yes yes!
Get the recipe from Growing a Jeweled Rose,here.
11. Gingerbread Play Dough
Essentially this is a cookie recipe without any eggs. But I bet it smells amazing! I wonder how well it would work to create Christmas ornaments with?
Grab the recipe from Best Ideas for Kids here.
12. Applesauce Goop
I wonder what would happen if you used icing sugar instead of cornstarch? A yummy snack perhaps?! This is very similar to the basic goop/oobleck recipe, just with an added touch of applesauce. 🙂
Get the recipe from Little Bins for Little Hands,here.
I can’t wait to try the rest of these recipes!
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Do you have any edible play dough or slime recipes to share?
Happy Playing!
