Kool Aid playdough is easy to make and looks and smells great! This easy homemade play dough recipe made with Kool Aid has vibrant colors and a heavenly smell with a tropical PUNCH! Kids of all ages will love to make Kool Aid play dough out of their favorite flavor of Kool-Aid. The flavors smell SO yummy.

Koolaid play dough - 5 minute Koolaid Playdough recipe - 5 different Kool Aid flavors made into playdough shown - green, purple, yellow, blue and red - Kids Activities Blog
Let’s make Kool Aid playdough!

Best Kool-Aid Playdough Recipe

We prefer not to have our kids drink stuff high in artificial dyes, but they can still enjoy the flavors of Kool Aid in a different way…Koolaid PLAY DOUGH! Since we originally published this article more than 5 years ago, Kool-Aid has come out with some unsweetened drink mix, naturally flavored and dye-free alternatives…yay!

Many thanks to 36th Avenue and Fun at Home with Kids. Desiree inspired us to add koolaid to our dough this week and Asia told us that we didn’t need to use the stove to make our dough – we can microwave it!

-Homemade Play dough advisors {Giggle}

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Koolaid play dough lined up and shown with the corresponding kool aid mix packets for each color - Kids Activities Blog
Choose your Kool Aid flavor…and you get vibrant color and an amazing smell!

5 Minute Playdough Recipe with Koolaid

This Kool Aid playdough recipe only takes 5 minutes to make and I think the colors are way cooler than what you can make with food coloring or food dye.

One of the reasons I really like to make Kool Aid play dough is because it gives you a variety of colors associated with the flavor of Kool-aid you choose to use. Each type of Kool Aid has a flavor, Kool-aid colors and SMELL associated with it and that makes for an extra fun activity because it has a yummy smell.

Kool Aid Playdough Recipe

Koolaid play dough ingredients needed to make
This is all you need to make Kool Aid Playdough

Ingredients Needed to Make Homemade Koolaid Play Dough

How to Make Playdough with Koolaid

Watch My Short Video on How to Make this 5 Minute Kool Aid Playdough Recipe

Step 1 – Mix the Playdough Ingredients

Mix all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir them until they are all wet and mixed.  The dry ingredients should be fully integrated.

Koolaid play dough step 1 - mixing the ingredients together in a bowl with a wooden spoon
The first step is to mix everything together!

Step 2 – Microwave the Homemade Play-doh Mixture

Put your bowl into the microwave for 50-60 seconds. Stir the edges of your bowl and then let it sit for a minute to set. With a spatula stir the dough and then scrape it out of the bowl.  

This is in lieu of heating the playdough dough in a medium saucepan over medium heat…isn’t this much easier?

Step 3 – Knead Your Kool Aid Playdough Recipe

Add another tablespoon of flour to your table surface and dump the dough onto it. Work the play dough until it is elastic.

Total time = 5 Minutes! Marvelous!

Koolaid play dough ball shown with the packet of Kool Aid mix that was used - green apple shown
This playdough smells just like green apples!

How to Store Playdough with KoolAid

This homemade playdough recipe will last several days in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature. If you would like to extend its shelf life, then put that air-tight container or plastic bag into the fridge and it will keep for several weeks.

How to Fix Homemade Playdough Recipes

As we estimate our ingredients (see above video – my five year old is our play dough “cook”) here are solutions we have discovered if our batch does not come out as we had planned:

  • If the dough is stiff, add a teaspoon of water.
  • Crumbly dough? add another teaspoon of oil.
  • If the dough is sticky, add another teaspoon of flour.
  • If you prefer a “silky” dough, add a teaspoon of glycerin.

Kool Aid Play Dough FAQ

How long does Kool Aid Playdough last?

You can store your leftover Kool Aid playdough for several days in an airtight container. If you want to keep it fresh a little longer, try storing it in the fridge for up to a week.

How do you make Kool Aid Playdough without boiling water?

Instead of using boiling water, we microwaved the playdough recipe in step 2 for 50-60 seconds and then stirred the bowl contents afterward which makes it much faster and easier to make Kool Aid playdough!

Does Kool Aid Playdough stain hands?

Kool Aid itself can stain your hands and depending on how vibrant your colors might be, the playdough can too. If this happens wash your hands with toothpaste instead of soap after playing or wipe hands thoroughly with a vinegar soaked rag or paper towel.

What does cream of tartar do in play dough?

Cream of tartar when added to playdough can help stabilize the dough allowing it to be softer and fluffier similar to the way it works with egg whites.

Why do you need salt in play dough?

Salt in playdough adds bulk and texture to the dough and keeps it fresh longer.

What ingredient makes play dough soft?

A common ingredient in homemade playdough that keeps it soft is cream of tartar.

What ingredient makes play dough stretchy?

In this recipe it is the combination of flour and oil when combined with the other ingredients gives this homemade playdough a little stretch.

Can you freeze playdough?

I love the idea of freezing a batch of playdough ahead of time, but have never had it turn out well in the end so we don’t recommend freezing playdough.

Is Kool Aid Play Dough Edible?

While all the ingredients in this recipe are non-toxic, kids should not eat Kool Aid play dough.

Kids can easily get sodium toxicity from eating homemade dough. Please encourage your kids to keep this OUT of their mouths!

Yield: 1 batch

How to make Playdough with Koolaid

Koolaide playdough

This super easy homemade playdough recipe uses Kool Aid as the coloring which makes it also smell amazing. Kids of all ages will love making this Kool Aid homemade play dough recipe for sensory play and just because it is cool.

Active Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $5

Materials

  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1/4 cup of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 2 Kool-Aid drink mix packets
  • 3/4 cup of water

Tools

  • large bowl
  • wooden spoon
  • flat surface

Notes

    1. Mix all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir them until they are all wet and mixed.
    2. Microwave your Kool Aid playdough mixture for 50-60 seconds and then stir and let sit for a minute.
    3. With a spatula, scrape it out of the bowl onto a floured surface.
    4. Knead until it is an elastic consistency.

More Play Dough Recipes from Kids Activities Blog

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Leave a comment: Did the kids enjoy making this Kool Aid playdough recipe? 



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