How to Make Natural Pumpkin Spice Playdough Without Cream of Tartar
This homemade pumpkin spice playdough smells so good and is super easy to make! It requires boiling water but no other cooking on the stove and doesn’t require expensive cream of tartar. You can adjust the spice level to your liking, but my recipe will create a pleasant Fall spice fragrance perfect for Autumn or a Thanksgiving themed activity. Plus if you choose to use organic flour and natural dyes it will be a nice natural playdough for your kids to enjoy.
Ingredients Needed for Pumpkin Spice Playdough
Unbleached All Purpose Flour
You can use organic if desired.
Kosher salt
I recommend using fine kosher salt. You can use coarser salt if that’s all you have but your dough may be a little bit gritty. Consider buying in bulk so you will have plenty for future batches of playdough.
Spices
To create a pleasant Fall scent I blended ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and vanilla extract. You can use organic spices if desired.
Coconut Oil
I love coconut oil for just about everything! You can use organic if you’d like. If you use unrefined your dough will smell a little more fruity than if you use refined, but that’s totally okay! I used unrefined and it smells amazing!
Lemon Juice
This acts in place of cream of tartar to extend the life of your playdough.
Boiling Water
Make sure your water is truly boiling, not just hot – this helps blend all the ingredients together. If you are letting kids help make the playdough be sure to have an adult handle the boiling water and don’t let the kids knead the dough until it is cool enough to handle safely.
Food Dyes
This is how you get your playdough to look pumpkin colored! It’s totally up to you if you want to use conventional food dyes or natural vegetable-derived dyes. I’ve included directions for both. Conventional dyes will give you a bolder color, but if you don’t want those added chemicals it’s worth it to go for natural dyes.
These natural dyes by McCormick are a less expensive option but do include corn. If you’re looking to go completely natural and avoid any possible GMO’s then check out these natural dyes by India Tree. Just be aware that they have a much shorter shelf life than other brands and are more pricey.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Playdough
First thing you need to do is get your water boiling in a kettle or pot on the stove. I don’t recommend boiling water in the microwave because of the phenomena of super-heating water that can result in an eruption of scalding water. I actually had this happen once and it was unbelievably scary. Thankfully no one was hurt.
While your water is heating, gather all your ingredients, measuring cups and spoons, a large bowl, and a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon. You can melt the coconut oil either gently in the microwave or on the stove.
Measure your dry ingredients – flour, salt, and dry spices into the bowl and stir to combine. In a heat-proof glass measuring cup measure out your melted coconut oil, lemon juice, food dyes, vanilla, and boiling water. Give it a gentle stir to combine, then add it to your bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir until ingredients are fully mixed and a dough comes together. It will be slightly wet and sticky. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding extra flour as needed until the dough is the right consistency. Enjoy!
How to Store Pumpkin Spice Playdough
Store your dough in an airtight container or bag when not in use. Try to squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing. It can be refrigerated to help it last longer – up to several months.
If your playdough begins to look slimy, watery, or is growing mold, discard it immediately.
If Your Pumpkin Spice Playdough Is Too Sticky
If your playdough is too sticky, continue kneading flour into it. It will get there!
If Your Pumpkin Spice Playdough Is Drying Out
If your playdough starts drying out, you can knead it with tiny bits of water to help revive it. Or try wrapping it in a damp towel and letting it rest for a little while.
Fun Cookie Cutters
Get the recipe!
Natural Pumpkin Spice Playdough
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon
- Heat-safe liquid measuring cup
- Kettle or pot for boiling water
- Parchment paper
- Stovetop or electric kettle
Ingredients
- 3+ cups unbleached all purpose flour plus more for kneading
- 1 cup kosher salt, fine
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- small splash vanilla extract
- yellow food dye, conventional or natural – conventional takes 36 drops, for reference
- red food dye, conventional or natural – conventional takes 12 drops, for reference
Instructions
- Begin heating the kettle and melting your coconut oil while you gather your ingredients and equipment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, all spice, and cloves.
- To a large glass measuring cup add lemon juice, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and food dyes. Add in boiling water and gently mix.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until completely combined. Dough will be somewhat wet and sticky. Turn dough out onto parchment paper.
- When the dough is cool enough to be handled, knead the dough, adding extra flour as needed, until it is the desired consistency and no longer sticky.
- Enjoy! Dough should be kept in an airtight container when not in use. May be refrigerated to increase shelf life. Discard if playdough begins to look wet, moldy, or slimy.
Notes
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Thanks for reading!
Blessings,
Melissa
