Thermomix Playdough Recipe - ThermoFun | Thermomix Recipes & Tips (2024)

January 27, 2014

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The Thermomix playdough recipe from the EDC has always been a little hit and miss for my liking especially when it comes to my 3 year old nephew - who just happens to know his playdough!

So after months of tweaking the Thermomix playdough recipe and putting it through the kid test - we have a winner! I must admit the feel of this playdough is nice and silky and smooth and I may have just played a little longer than normal at the playdough table with him! Well what else does an Aunty do but spoil their nephew?!

I am not sure why I insist on making separate colours for him though, because after one session we do end up with a rainbow playdough!

Please keep away from pets as salt is very toxic to them.

ThermoFun – Kids Everyday Essentials – Playdough

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Ingredients

320g boiling water from kettle
100g cooking salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
350g plain flour
15g coconut oil
food colouring to suit

Instructions

Place salt into TM bowl and mill 3 sec / speed 9. Depending on the brand of salt you use you may need a little longer - you want it to look like a fine powder.
Add cream of tartar and water and heat 3 mins / 60°C / speed 3.
Once finished, look to make sure that all the salt has been dissolved, give a little stir with the spatula and heat for a further 2 mins / 60°C / speed 3.
Add flour and mix 20 - 40 secs / speed 3 or until well combined.
Add coconut oil, set dial to closed lid. Interval speed 1 - 2 mins - you are looking for small pebble like consistency.
I then like to add food colouring in a separate bowl and knead together as I find if I knead in the Thermomix it dries out too quickly - that being said wear some disposable gloves if you don't want rainbow hands!
Once kneaded to colour consistency you want, I tend to wrap mine in baking paper and then pop in a zip lock bag until delivery - where his Mum has a couple of playdough pots to put them in.

Notes

Depending on brands of ingredients used you may need to add more flour. To get the consistency you are after, add additional tablespoons of flour one at a time through the MC hole. The texture can vary depending on the humidity in the air.
Store playdough in a plastic bag or container in the fridge.
If using blue food colouring for some reason this requires more flour!
Please keep away from pets as salt is very toxic to them.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Deb says
August 08, 2018 at 11:18 pm

Just be careful if you have a dog, I made some play dough when my friend was staying with her little girl. We didn't notice that my dog snuck inside and caught her eating a ball of play dough. Because of the salt content this is very toxic to dogs. Lucky I knew about salt toxicity to dogs and got her to the vet straight away. $1000 and 2 days in hospital on a drip she was lucky to be okay.
Reply
- thermofun says
  August 12, 2018 at 8:35 pm
  
  Thank you Deb for warning others. What a scary time that must have been for you. So relieved to hear she is ok.
  Reply
Rebecca says
July 13, 2017 at 12:50 am

This recipe worked perfectly - I followed the recipe to a tee including putting the coconut oil in hard. I also added essential oils while it was kneading. Serenity for my pink batch and peppermint in my green batch (Doterra oils). Thank you!
Reply
- thermofun says
  July 13, 2017 at 1:23 pm
  
  What a fabulous idea Rebecca with adding oils! Thank you for sharing such an awesome tip! :)
  Reply
abi says
October 28, 2016 at 11:59 am

really awsome
Reply
- thermofun says
  October 30, 2016 at 11:42 pm
  
  Pleased to hear you enjoy it abi. Have fun with the playdough! :)
  Reply
John says
August 30, 2016 at 11:11 am

As an aside...for any men out there whose wives actually allow them near the thermomix, I use tuna oil for my playdough as it makes great fishing bait. ?
Reply
- thermofun says
  September 02, 2016 at 8:44 pm
  
  Thank you John I learn something every day! - I even had to Google to confirm the fishing bait idea as I thought you may have been spamming me! lol! :)
  Reply
Marianne says
July 10, 2016 at 3:06 pm

Just made this today. I also found it very sticky to start with but added a fair bit more flour (regular plain flour) and it ended up perfect & silky smooth :-)
Reply
Pati says
June 16, 2016 at 1:35 am

Amazing! Less then 5 min and i have a batch.
Thanks for sharing. My kids are delighted.
Reply
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- thermofun says
  June 17, 2016 at 4:23 pm
  
  Fabulous! Great to hear kids are delighted too! :)
  Reply
Anne says
May 11, 2016 at 7:05 am

A great playdough recipe Leonie. I make playdough all the time and this recipe turned out perfect. Soft light dough with no gritty salt!! I'm a early childhood teacher and the children still like to taste this - I like that there isn't much salt and the coconut oil added to the sensory experience (touch, smell, taste!!). I made two batches to take to work and this recipes makes much more than the one in the EDC. Thanksfor another winning recipe.???
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 11, 2016 at 11:26 am
  
  Thanks Anne for your lovely feedback!
  Reply
jill ford says
October 30, 2015 at 4:23 pm

So silky smooth. I find I have to add more flour,but it's such a nice playdough. Everyone loves it
Reply
- thermofun says
  October 31, 2015 at 3:13 pm
  
  Thanks Jill. :)
  Reply
Erin says
September 24, 2015 at 11:57 am

Yes we added a bit more flour too so now the consistency is beautiful! Weve made it for my daughters strawberry birthday party for an activity table- so, of course, we added strawberry essence! Smells delicious, hopefully it won't get eaten!
Reply
- thermofun says
  September 25, 2015 at 6:33 am
  
  Happy Birthday to your daughter Erin. I love the strawberry idea! :)
  Reply
Alicia says
August 04, 2015 at 3:07 pm

Great recipe my kids love making it and playing with it! I couldn't be bothered kneading it so thought I'd see if it still worked if I added the colour at the liquid stage before the second lot of heating and it works great and I don't have to knead it by hand after.
Reply
Carmen says
July 19, 2015 at 11:55 am

Hi there!
I have just made a batch of your play dough in my TM5 and it is the BEST play dough I've ever made! I can't compare it to the one in the EDC because I've never made it, but your recipe gives a wonderful smooth play dough! I didn't colour in the thermo because my daughter wanted two colours with different glitter in each, so I just halved it after it was done and kneaded as you suggested. I used your measurements and didn't need to change a thing. I won't ever make play dough any other way... Thanks!
Reply
- thermofun says
  July 19, 2015 at 5:15 pm
  
  oh wow, thank you Carmen for your lovely comment. I'm pleased it was a success and may your daughter have many, many hours playing with it! :)
  Reply
Kate says
June 24, 2015 at 2:07 pm

Just tried this and it's brilliant. I added the colour with the hot water and it worked beautifully. I didn't get the pebble consistency that you mentioned but it came out beautiful and smooth ready to go! I'm a mum and a primary school teacher and this will be my 'go to' recipe from now on. Thank you!
Reply
Leisa says
May 20, 2015 at 12:00 pm

Our go to recipe.
No problems for me!!! Occasionally I tweak the flour depending on the humidity, but overall it's is a winner Leonie!
Thanks
Ps: I'm also a pre school educator and I get requests from the other teachers to make this one!!! The kids have loved it when I bring in my thermie and teach them how to make my play dough!!!
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 20, 2015 at 10:52 pm
  
  Thanks Leisa! Your kids at school are very lucky too! :)
  Reply
Angela says
May 11, 2015 at 3:52 pm

Great recipe! I added about 4 or 5 tbs extra of plain flour but it's so silky and perfect. Thank you!
Reply
Carin says
April 15, 2015 at 3:40 pm

Ps I used this recipe in my TM5. It started going into a pebble consistancy and I added the food colouring while mixing. Then it just turned more into a dough which I put into a bread board and got my 4 year old to finish kneading in the food colouring. I do think this is the most successful play dough recipe I have tried for play dough :)
Reply
Carin says
April 15, 2015 at 3:37 pm

Made it - love it and so does my 4 year old! Smells delicious due to the coconut oil and beautiful smooth consistancy. I did not need to alter the recipe at all - perfect as is. Thank you!
Reply
Bernadette says
March 18, 2015 at 11:04 pm

I'm a TM5 owner and am a little confused with step 5 where it says "interval speed, 1-2mins". Is this the dough setting on the TM5 for
1-2 mins? I've tried this a couple of times but don't seem to get the pebble-like consistency you describe. Play dough still turns out pretty great but I'm just wondering if I'm doing this step wrong?
Thanks!
Reply
- thermofun says
  March 19, 2015 at 1:47 pm
  
  Hi Bernadette yes it is the dough setting. To be honest I haven't done the playdough in my TM5 YET!
  Reply
- Megan says
  April 13, 2015 at 11:04 am
  
  I was just about to ask the same question! I too didn't get the pebble like consistency and was wondering what I did wrong.
  Reply
Simone says
March 15, 2015 at 10:49 am
See Also
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Was a hit with my daughter. I did need to add more flour as it was very sticky. Made 5/6 small sized containers so we managed 5 different colours.
Reply
Daniel Gault says
February 27, 2015 at 11:19 pm

Great recipe. The dough is still good months later. I see you updated to keep in the fridge, which I'll try, but doesn't seem to be necessary. My son seems to prefer this over the bright coloured commercial stuff we keep in the same box.
Reply
- thermofun says
  February 28, 2015 at 2:30 pm
  
  Thanks Daniel - pleased your son likes it! :)
  Reply
Fleur says
February 14, 2015 at 11:51 am

Thank you so much for this recipe!! I use it all the time for my kindy class and find that the play dough is lovely and moist and lasts a long time.
Reply
- thermofun says
  February 14, 2015 at 6:17 pm
  
  Thank you Fleur - sounds like your kindy kids enjoy it too! :)
  Reply
Kristy says
February 12, 2015 at 5:15 pm

Great recipe my kids loved it and it turned out perfect
Reply
Caroline O'Clery says
February 02, 2015 at 10:27 am

Very good! 3 1/2 yo expert helped make & choose colours. Texture just right.
Reply
Lynn Birt says
January 25, 2015 at 7:05 pm

Made the playdough tonight in preparation for granddaughter's visit tomorrow. Substituted rock salt for cooking salt and Canola Oil for Coconut oil. Also put the food colouring in when I added the boiling water. First time I've made it, turned out perfectly, not sticky, lovely smooth consistency. Loving my Thermomix!
Reply
- thermofun says
  January 25, 2015 at 9:45 pm
  
  Pleased to hear you liked it Lynn. Enjoy your play with your granddaughter tomorrow! :)
  Reply
Joanne Beattie says
December 30, 2014 at 7:08 pm

Made the play dough for my grandchildren when they had a play day. They loved it it was so easy and nice and smooth. They were able to pick the colors they wanted. Thank you.
Reply
- thermofun says
  December 30, 2014 at 8:14 pm
  
  Pleased to hear your grandkids enjoyed it Joanne. I hope you had fun with them too! :)
  Reply
Chiara says
November 18, 2014 at 5:28 am

Hi there...
Can I use sunflower oil instead of coconut oil? I couldn't find any...
Thanks x
Reply
- thermofun says
  November 18, 2014 at 1:11 pm
  
  Yes Chiara :)
  Reply
Kg says
October 31, 2014 at 1:15 pm

Worked really well. Had to add extra flour for humidity as per the instructions. The coconut oil made it silky smooth and gave it a lovely aroma. The kids hands felt lovely after playing with it too. Thankyou!
Reply
- thermofun says
  October 31, 2014 at 2:32 pm
  
  Pleased you had success with it. Hope the kids enjoyed playing too! :)
  Reply
Alan says
June 21, 2014 at 5:10 pm

Didn't read the instructions, just put everything in to the TM. Got a bit of luck in that it worked perfectly. Great recipe! We will be using this on a weekly basis from now on!!
Reply
- Elizabeth says
  December 28, 2015 at 9:40 pm
  
  I put in everything except the flour, gave it a whirl to dissolve and mix then added the flour, 65 degrees 4 minutes on speed 5. Bit easier and PERFECT (all 4 batches).
  Reply
Deanne says
June 04, 2014 at 2:33 pm

Just made this, my son is happily sitting next to me playing with his green dinosaur dough. I added the food colouring with the oil and worked out great, just needed more flour as I had no coconut oil. Loved the idea of blitzing the salt, the EDC is terribly grainy!
Reply
- thermofun says
  June 04, 2014 at 2:54 pm
  
  Oh Deanne, love that your son is playing with his green "dinosaur" dough. What a brilliant way to use it. Thanks for the feedback!
  Reply
Sarah says
May 29, 2014 at 1:37 am

I love this recipe, I had to add a little more flour (maybe 20g) and I also added the food colouring in when heating the water. It is a lovey and smooth dough and much easier than the EDC recipe. Thanks for sharing, my boys are playing with it now, well except for the 2 year old who is currently having a melt down!
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 29, 2014 at 7:22 am
  
  Hi Sarah, Thanks for the feedback and I have heard of people also popping in some good quality essentials oils, might help with the 2 year old meltdown. Otherwise I hope it didn't last too long.
  Reply
Nicole says
May 25, 2014 at 8:47 pm

Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made 3 batches of it this afternoon and it was just perfect! I used canola oil and home brand flour and it was so lovely and soft and silky. I didn't bother blitzing the salt (I just used cooking salt) in the second and third batches, and added the colour in with the water and cream of tartar. My children couldn't stop raving about it - especially the texture and that it wasn't gritty!!! Thank you once again :).
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 25, 2014 at 9:15 pm
  
  Hi Nicole, Thanks for your feedback, I am sure that my nephew would love to come and play with all that play dough!
  Reply
Susan says
May 16, 2014 at 12:39 pm

I made this and it's beautiful. I live in Canberra and the air is very dry. So I added 20g of oil instead of 15. Not sure where you live but maybe some of the people making it live in humid areas.
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 17, 2014 at 1:14 pm
  
  Thanks Susan great to know - yes I'm sure the humidity has a lot to answer for! :)
  Reply
Emma says
May 13, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Awesome recipe, best playdoh I've ever made... And we've made HEAPS!
For a bit of extra fun, we add glitter to our playdoh!
Black dough with rainbow glitter is super cool!
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 13, 2014 at 1:32 pm
  
  Thanks Emma - I love the glitter idea!! :)
  Reply
Rashini says
May 11, 2014 at 11:09 pm

Sorry to say but this was a fiddly recipe for me, very sticky and had to add more flour. I decided to try out the EDC recipe after and it was perfect. No tweaking necessary. :(
Reply
- thermofun says
  May 12, 2014 at 11:34 am
  
  Rashini, Thank you for your comments, I have also found that depending on the weather I may have to use more flour. As I did today. I have updated recipe to note this. I will be making another batch in the near future and will put the adjusted amount.
  Reply
Melissa says
April 30, 2014 at 10:41 pm

Made it tonight worked out perfectly.
Reply
Jacinta says
April 11, 2014 at 10:11 am

Just made this and it's a lovely smooth dough. Thanks.
Reply
- thermofun says
  April 11, 2014 at 11:08 am
  
  Thanks Jacinta. Did you have any trouble like Melanie and Lindsey with it being too sticky?
  Reply
Melanie says
April 09, 2014 at 10:33 am

Thanks for this recipe. I also had a bit of trouble with the stickiness and I added an extra 70g of flour (I didn't have coconut oil, so I added sunflower oil and this may have been the cause of the problem). The consistency was excellent and the kids loved it.
Reply
- thermofun says
  April 09, 2014 at 11:34 am
  
  Thanks Melanie - I'm pleased to hear your kids loved it! :)
  Reply
Lindsey says
April 01, 2014 at 3:03 pm

It was SOOOOO sticky, couldn't use it =( What went wrong. I followed all the directions and weights (checked my scales before starting using my mc).
Reply
- thermofun says
  April 01, 2014 at 7:26 pm
  
  Hi Lindsey, Was the coconut oil that you used solid or runny?
  You may need to just add more plain flour as some fours have more gluten which would bind together better.
  I hope this helps.
  Reply
  - Emma says
    May 21, 2016 at 9:59 am
    
    Hi there, I just made this today for my kids, and it was quite sticky. I just saw your comment about the coconut oil, I heated my coconut oil up in a water bath to make it runny as I assumed it needed to be runny, I didn't think it would blend hard. Should I have put it in hard? I'm going to try it again hard I think. Thanks for the recipe, it is a great texture after adding more flour ??
    Reply
    - thermofun says
      May 21, 2016 at 2:50 pm
      
      Emma it is ok to put the oil in when it is hard. The humidity in the air will make it sticky. Enjoy! :)
      Reply
      - Emma Standen says
        May 21, 2016 at 6:03 pm
        
        Thanks so much!
Kirsty says
January 27, 2014 at 7:15 pm

Perfect timing Leonie, I'm just about to make some batches for my art room at school!
Thanks!
Reply
- thermofun says
  January 29, 2014 at 7:44 am
  
  Thanks Kirsty. Hope your art students have fun with it! :)
  Reply

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