Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit (2024)

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!

Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit (1)

This gingerbread playdough is perfect for the holiday season, but it can be made any time of year and enjoyed by all ages.

The best part about this recipe is that it doesn’t require cooking so there are no worries about hot ovens and keeping children out of the kitchen. Just mix everything together and add hot water, then mix mix mix!

How to Make Gingerbread Playdough Without Cooking?

Just like making traditional playdough on the stove, you'll put together all of your dry ingredients first, and then you add your hot water.

Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit (2)

To make no cook gingerbread playdough, you heat your water up without a stove. Which means you use tap if it's hot enough, or you microwave your water until it's boiling.

Once your water is boiling add your oil, and vanilla extract.

Then carefully add water to your mixed dry ingredients slowly, mixing as you go.

Related: Adorable Roll a Gingerbread Man Dice Game for Preschoolers

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Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit (3)

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Do You Need Cream of Tartar in Playdough?

No. You do not need cream of tartar in playdough recipes. It's simply used as a preservative. If you only want to use this dough for a day or two, there is no need to add in cream of tartar.

If you'd like to use it for a week or more — or you don't want to risk it, you need to use a preservative, and the easiest one to find is cream of tartar.

Prepare Your Gingerbread Playdough

I love putting together everything ahead of time to make sure everything is super easy for me. Okay, easy for them too, but mostly this is for me.

Since there is a heat element to this, I like to put the playdough together when they're not around. Either napping, sleeping for the night, or are out shopping for Christmas with their dad.

To keep this playdough fresh and soft and amazing for as long as possible, I recommend storing it in an air tight container, like these, which fit this recipe PERFECTLY (click here to check the price on Amazon)

Another safety note: This playdough is NOT for eating. It tastes terrible, and you don't want it in your kids system. Please always supervise your children while they play with it.

Please note: You might need to add more flour after this is mixed together, so have more than you need!

No Cook Gingerbread Playdough Recipe

Yield: 2 Cups of Playdough

Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe

Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit (4)

What better way to get in the holiday spirit than with this fun gingerbread playdough recipe. It smells DIVINE, and it's so quick and easy. Your house will smell like cloves in no time at all.

Prep Time5 minutes

Active Time5 minutes

Total Time10 minutes

Materials

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoon oil (vegetable or whatever you have on hand)
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves (a little goes a LONG way)
  • Splash of vanilla extract

Tools

  • Microwave Safe bowl
  • Air Tight Container
  • Mixing Spoon

Instructions

  1. Mix together all of your dry ingredients (flour, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves) in your mixing bowl.
  2. Add one cup of water to a separate microwave safe bowl and microwave until it's boiling
  3. Add oil and vanilla extract to your water and mix around, then add the water slowly to your dry ingredients bowl, mixing continually. Don't worry about any clumps in this step, you'll be able to fix them in the next step.
  4. When all the water has been added, remove from bowl onto counter, and kneed until all of the ingredients are mixed well, and it's cool enough for small hands.
  5. When done playing, put all of the dough into an airtight container to keep longer.

Notes

Cream of tartar is used as a preservative. I recommend using it, but the recipe will still work without it. Without it, I wouldn't recommend keeping the dough longer than a few days.

Although it smells amazing, it tastes awful! Don't eat it please!

Always supervise children when playing with this dough.

For all your playdough mat needs, check out my shop by clicking the banner below!

Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit (2024)

FAQs

Gingerbread Playdough No Cook Recipe to Get in the Holiday Spirit? ›

While cream of tartar is not an ingredient you probably keep on hand in your kitchen, it is worth the investment if you are trying to become a playdough making pro. Cream of tartar really helps to get your playdough to the fun gel form and prevent it from staying too wet.

How do you make gingerbread playdough without cooking? ›

No cook gingerbread play dough
  1. 2 cups plain flour (all purpose)
  2. 1/2 cup salt.
  3. 2 tablespoons oil.
  4. 2 tablespoons cream of tartar.
  5. (up to) 1.5 cups of cold water (added gradually until it is right)
  6. 1 tablespoon ground ginger.
  7. 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon.
Dec 1, 2020

How to make peppermint scented playdough? ›

Ingredients for scented peppermint playdough:
  1. 1 cup flour.
  2. 1/2 cup salt.
  3. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
  4. 2-3 drops of Peppermint Essential oil or Peppermint Extract (add more or less scent depending on how strong you want the smell)
  5. 1 tablespoon cream of tarter.
  6. 1 cup of water.
  7. Wax or parchment paper.

What is the secret ingredient in play dough? ›

While cream of tartar is not an ingredient you probably keep on hand in your kitchen, it is worth the investment if you are trying to become a playdough making pro. Cream of tartar really helps to get your playdough to the fun gel form and prevent it from staying too wet.

Can you make playdough without cooking it? ›

Each batch makes about one cup of play dough. Start by combining the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in the oil, warm water, and about 2-3 drops of food coloring until the mixture is well combined. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and let it sit for a few minutes.

How to make homemade playdough with 2 ingredients? ›

Instructions
  1. Place the cornstarch in a large bowl.
  2. Mix in the hair conditioner with your hands–it will just start coming together and it will be pliable and very, very smooth. If desired, add a drop or two or food coloring.
  3. You may need to add more conditioner as you go. Use food coloring to color as desired.
Nov 8, 2022

What are the 4 ingredients in homemade playdough? ›

For the most part, homemade playdough recipes contain the same essential ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, oil, water, and food coloring.

How do you make fizzy playdough? ›

Fill a spray bottle with vinegar. Spray the dough gently and watch how the vinegar reacts to form fizz!

What is magic play dough? ›

It's Magic Play-Doh! This amazing activity has become a tradition in my classroom! The magic happens when you provide students a small ball of white play-doh. If the play-doh changes color when the students squish it...and it will, it ensures that the student will have a great year!

Why put cream of tartar in playdough? ›

In fact, baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and cream of tartar. It is slightly acidic, and because of this, it affects the gluten structure of the playdough to make it more elastic. Tartaric acid acts as an emulsifier, so it helps prevent any added oil from separating.

How to make playdough without baking? ›

Simple no-cook playdough
  1. A large bowl.
  2. 1 cup of salt.
  3. 2 cups of plain flour.
  4. 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar.
  5. 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
  6. 2 cups of boiling water.
  7. Food colouring (optional)
Oct 12, 2023

How to make gingerbread dough for kids? ›

Gingerbread Play Dough
  1. 2 cups plain flour.
  2. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
  3. 1/2 cup salt.
  4. 2 tablespoons cream of tartar.
  5. Ground ginger (to your taste – add lots for a stronger scent and colour)
  6. Yellow gel food colouring (a very tiny amount)
  7. 1 cup of boiling water plus water to add in increments.
Dec 13, 2021

How do you dry playdough without an oven? ›

Cover the Play-Doh with clear nail polish for a fast-drying option. Grab a bottle of clear nail polish and spread a thin layer over your clay creation. Check the side of the bottle for the recommended drying time. This is a better solution for smaller projects.

References

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