DIY Marshmallow Playdough

Sharing is caring!

When you are a kid, what could be better than playdough . . . except for maybe playdough that you can make yourself? Oh wait. How about playdough that’s scented?? Or, even better, what about playdough that is edible?! Today I’m going to share an DIY Edible Marshmallow Playdough that ticks all of those boxes. This recipe for marshmallow playdough requires only a few ingredients, and you probably already have everything you need to make it at home!

My daughter and I discovered this DIY playdough recently and have already made it multiple times. Like many kids, she enjoys getting her hands dirty and being creative! In addition to the fun process of making it, this marshmallow playdough is also just really interesting and cool to play with.

It’s a very different texture from salt-and-flour based playdough. Instead, this recipe creates a putty-like dough that actually leaves your hands feeling moisturized, not dried out. But don’t worry, it’s not super sticky (once you are finished creating it, anyway). It also smells delicious and – yes – you can eat it!

(While I wouldn’t suggest eating a lot of it, being able to take a nibble out of their homemade marshmallow playdough will likely amuse your kids!)

Ingredients:

This DIY Marshmallow Playdough also only takes 4 ingredients to make! You’ll need:

• Cornstarch
• Coconut Oil
• Marshmallows
• Food dye (optional, but fun)

Also, make sure you have at least one little helper nearby. Most ages can do this one. For reference, my daughter is 5, and she is able to do all of the steps pretty much by herself ( with supervision).

Of course, making playdough, slime or any kind of goop, is universally fun, no matter your age– so you’ll also want to include older kids, teens, or even other adults in your family or household. I enjoyed making this playdough almost as much as my 5 year old did. Even my grandmother (who is in her 80s) joined in on the fun!

Before you get started, you’ll want to make sure you have a good space for this activity that is prepped for messes. I like to either use a plastic folding table for DIY projects like this, or sometimes just spread out a trash bag over the top of my regular table. This project is going to be a bit messy, so just make sure you’re prepared for that!

Next, put 10 marshmallows in a microwaveable bowl and add 3 tsp of coconut oil. (The hardest part of this activity is definitely resisting the urge to eat that bowl full of marshmallows.)

Microwave the marshmallows and coconut oil for 30 seconds. Ask your kids to observe how this changes their shape and texture. (They should fluff up!)

If you want to add color, now is a great time to do that. My daughter loves purple, so she added one drop of red and one drop of blue in order to create a light lavender color. If you’re doing this DIY project with little kids, now is a good opportunity to talk to about how we can combine primary colors to create secondary ones. Once you’ve added your drops of color, mix up the ingredients with a spoon.

Tip: Be wary of adding too much dye, because you will mixing this with your hands pretty soon! No one wants purple hands!

And hey, don’t worry if your colors have trouble mixing and end up looking like the picture below.

In fact, there’s a scientific explanation!

The dye is water-based and the the coconut oil is- well – an oil! Here, you can explain to your kids that oil and water have different chemical profiles and properties. Essentially, water molecules are polar, and oil molecules are nonpolar. They’re not inclined to immediately “get together.”

Keep mixing! After awhile, both the oil and the dye will mix into the marshmallows, too, and then the colors will start to combine. Next, add 3Tbs of cornstarch, one at a time, while mixing all of the ingredients in the bowl. The mixture will be very sticky at first, but should get less so as you add in the cornstarch.

Once everything is combined and your dye is dispersed throughout the playdough, you can start to work it with your hands. At this point, cover your prepared surface with 2 -3 more tablespoons of cornstarch ( a little bit more won’t hurt anything), and pull out your blob of playdough-in-progress. Roll it on your cornstarch-covered surface, working it with your hands.

 

Kids will love this part! The more you work it, the less sticky it will get. If you’ve incorporated all of the cornstarch thoroughly and it’s still too sticky, add a little more. (It’s hard to add too much!)

When your marshmallow playdough is moldable and flexible, but not chalky or sticky, it’s done. Play away! My daughter enjoyed smelling it (it smells like marshmallows of course), stretching it, rolling it, and tasting it!

We also rolled some out and used cookie cutters to cut it into different shapes.

This DIY Marshmallow Playdough is single-use (because of the sugar content), so enjoy playing with it as long as you can directly after making it, then dispose of it. The nice thing is that it’s so fun and easy to make, you can whip some up anytime you feel like it! This DIY Marshmallow Playdough is such a fun summer afternoon activity to make and play with! It’s also a great way to introduce young kid to some scientific concepts in a hands-on and accessible way.

 

 

 

Sharing is caring!