Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit
Inside: Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe you can make today to make your house smell AMAZING!
Get your kids in the holiday spirit this year with this fun gingerbread playdough recipe! It's a quick and easy project for you to complete for your preschoolers and kindergartners, since it is easy and to put together. All you need is a few ingredients, some silly mixins, and some printable gingerbread playdough mats.
A little warning:
Just go ahead and buy all the ingredients you need for the base playdough right now, because once you make this, you'll be shocked at how simple it is, and you'll be itching to make more of a different theme next week!
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What You Need for No Cook Gingerbread Playdough
30+ easy play dough recipes your kids will want to make again and again.
- 1 cup flour Shop
- 1/4 cup salt Shop
- 2 Tbsp cream of tartar Shop
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil Shop
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon Shop
- 2 tsp ground ginger Shop
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg Shop
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves (a little goes a long way) Shop
- Splash of vanilla extract Shop
- Microwave-safe bowl Shop
- Airtight container Shop
- Mixing spoon Shop
How to Make Gingerbread Playdough
Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In your mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Step 2: Boil the Water
Add 1/2 cup of water to a separate microwave-safe bowl and microwave until it’s boiling.
Step 3: Add the Oil and Vanilla
Add the oil and a splash of vanilla to the hot water and stir.
Step 4: Combine and Knead
Slowly add the water to the dry ingredients, mixing continually. Don’t worry about clumps. Once all the water is in, turn the dough out onto the counter and knead until everything is well mixed and it’s cool enough for small hands.
All done!
Then play! Store the dough in an airtight container when you’re done.
We'd love to see yours! Snap a photo and share it in the comments.
Storing Your Gingerbread Playdough
Store your gingerbread playdough in an airtight container to keep it soft and fragrant. Cream of tartar acts as a preservative, so if you leave it out, use the dough within a few days.
It smells like cookies, but it tastes awful, so supervise little ones during play.
Gingerbread Play Ideas
Grab some gingerbread cookie cutters, buttons, and sequins and let kids make their own gingerbread people. The warm holiday spices make it a cozy sensory activity, and rolling and cutting the dough builds hand strength and fine motor skills.
Do You Need Cream of Tartar in Playdough?
No, but it helps the dough last. If you’d like to keep it for a week or more, use cream of tartar. Without it, the recipe still works for a few days of play.
Want More Play Dough Fun?
Grab the 30+ Play Dough Recipes for Kids eBook for easy, sensory-rich recipes your kids will want to make again and again.
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I made this with my first graders today and they LOVED it! The recipe came out perfect and I love that I could make it in my classroom and not need to bake anything!
Thank you so much for an amazing recipe!
YAY! That’s awesome! I bet your classroom smelled amazing all day! Haha
I made this for my classroom today. I needed more like 2 cups of flour to keep it together but it smells amazing and I’m excited for the kids to play with it this week!
Me too! Glad it wasn’t just me. Haha I thought all hope was lost but we just kept adding more and more flour and it finally got there!
I’m surprised! I didn’t have that issue, but I’ll add it into the post so everyone is aware. Thanks for letting me know!
I’m making this with my students with dyslexia as a way to keep them engaged before the holidays. Lol. I just brought the amount of water down to 1/2 C and it was perfect. I plan on giving them a dusting of flour to knead it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thanks for the advice! I went and reviewed my notes on this recipe, and I did make it with 1/2 cup water! I’ll fix the recipe. Eek!
In your directions, you still have to boil 1 cup of water…
I don’t have a love, can I still make it without?
Absolutely! It’s all just for the scent. When we have family in, we make it without clove because my family hates the smell of clove haha, it doesn’t change anything!
Clove*
Can this be successful without boiling water? Trying to make this in a classroom without microwave access
It will need to be hot water. 🙂
Can you dry this recipe out to make ornaments or hand prints?
I haven’t tried this out, but maybe that would work? My only fear with that is potential for mold later. But if it’s dry enough perhaps that won’t be an issue?
Mine seemed dry. The kids kept making a big mess with it, crumbles everywhere. Is this because I added to much flour?
Oh no! Play dough can be a little finicky, and it seems to be different based on where you are located too. I think it might be you just needed a little extra liquid! But less flour next time will help too.
I really love the light, soft texture of this dough! Thank you for the recipe! I did add a bit more flour but still liked the soft, cloud like texture. It will be perfect for my little ones who don’t have as much hand and finger strength yet.