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Cloud Dough

Looking for an easy way to make a no-cook, gluten free and super soft playdough? This Cloud Dough recipe is a fun twist on our traditional playdough recipe. We love that it’s only 2 main ingredients and can be scented with lotion. If you like making your own homemade playdough, then you definitely want to try this recipe!

RELATED: Playdough Recipe

Cloud Dough

This is a great recipe to make if you’ve never made playdough before. It’s really easy to make since it’s only 2 main ingredients and no cooking required! Kids also love the texture of this dough. It’s the softest dough you will ever try!

For our traditional playdough recipe, see it here.

How to Make Cloud Dough

You can make a few batches with different colors or choose your favorite. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then put in an airtight container to keep it fresh and long lasting.

How To Make Cloud Dough

This is a no cook playdough recipe. It’s perfect if you want to make some playdough and you don’t have access to a stove top or kettle. The mixture comes together easily in 5 minutes (it’s fast!).

This is also gluten free!

The consistency of this dough is different than regular playdough. It is a lot softer but also dryer to the touch and it is common for it to crumble a little when playing with it.

Here are the ingredients you will need: 

  • Cornstarch 
  • Lotion
2 Ingredient Cloud Dough

How Do I Store Cloud Dough?

To help your dough to last as long as possible, it’s important to keep it as airtight as possible so that it doesn’t dry out. Wrap each color of cloud dough in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container to help it stay soft. If you find that your dough has become a little dry, you can add a little bit of extra lotion and knead it in.

How Do I Keep the Dough Soft?

First wrap your dough in saran wrap then store in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag. You’ll notice that dough will go hard if left out – so the less air that can get to the playdough when storing, the longer it will last!

How Do You Make the Dough Soft Again?

If your dough dries out or turns out to be a little dry after making it, try adding in a little more lotion. If the dough is too sticky after making it, add a little bit more cornstarch.

What Do I Do if It’s Crumbly or Sticky?

If your cloud dough is still crumbly. You need to add more lotion. If you find it gets too sticky when you add more lotion then you are adding too much lotion. Add a little bit at a time and knead it. You will need to knead it for quite some time in order to get it to the right consistency. If it’s still too crumbly, then add a tiny bit more lotion. If it’s still too sticky, then add a tiny bit more cornstarch.

How Long Does It Last?

This dough will not last as long as our traditional playdough recipe. The lotion will start to dry out from it within a week. However, you can easily revive it by just adding a few extra squirts of lotion to it and kneading it in. This will make it almost like brand new again.

Cornstarch Playdough

Cloud Dough Recipe

Cloud Dough
5 from 31 votes

Cloud Dough

2 ingredient cloud dough recipe.
Prep Time5 minutes
5 minutes

Video

Materials

  • 1/2 cup lotion regular lotion or baby lotion
  • 1 cup cornstarch also called cornflour

Instructions 

  • Add 1/2 cup of lotion to a bowl. Add 1-2 drops of the food coloring (if using concentrated gel, if using regular food coloring you'll need more drops to color) and mix. 
    Mix Food Coloring with Conditioner
  • Mix the lotion and food coloring until combined.
    Mix Until Blended with Lotion
  • Add 1 cup of cornstarch and mix.
    Add Cornstarch to Lotion for Cloud Dough
  • Mix until combined.
    Mix Together Lotion and Cornstarch
  • Then take out the dough and place on some wax paper. Knead with your hands (you may want gloves here so your hands don't stain). Keep kneading until it forms a dough-like consistency (this may take 5-10 minutes). It will feel really sticky at first, just keep kneading. If after kneading for the full length of time it is still too sticky, add another tablespoon of cornstarch. If it's too crumbly, add a tiny amount of lotion in at a time and knead it in until it becomes the right consistency.
    Knead the Cloud Dough

Notes

If your dough is too crumbly or sticky: If the dough is too crumbly, you need to add more lotion. If you find it gets too sticky when you add more lotion then you are adding too much lotion. Add a little bit at a time and knead it in. You will need to knead it for quite some time in order to get it to the right consistency. If it’s still too crumbly, then add a tiny bit more lotion. If it’s still too sticky, then add a tiny bit more cornstarch. 
Repeat the recipe for each color you would like to make. 

Once your cloud dough is finished, use cookie cutters and rolling pins to play with it!

To store: simply put the playdough in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container to help it last longer. If the dough dries out, add a few extra squirts of lotion to it and knead back in.

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Recipe Rating




38 comments on “Cloud Dough”

  1. 5 stars
    This stuff is seriously the best. Easy to clean, doesn’t smell weird like store bought playdo, and it’s really cool with glitter mixed in. I love this! And so do my 6 and 3 year olds.

    1. It shouldn’t come off on the hands once it’s fully kneaded in. If you find it is coming off a little, just use less food coloring next time.

  2. 5 stars
    love this but hard to get the right consistency! any recommendations how to make it the right texture in order to roll? thanks for the recipe

    1. Yes! If you find it is too dry, and doesn’t roll out then you need to add a little bit more lotion in. Only add in a small amount to start, knead and then check it again.

  3. Would this recipe be enough for multiple colors? Or for only 1? Just trying to determine how much to make for 1 child with the colors in your picture 😘

    1. It’s enough for 1 color but you could split it in half and make 2 colors with it with smaller amounts of each.

  4. will it look fine after drying? i want to make fake macaroons as a bake sale decor. Hope they wont crack after drying

    1. It will eventually dry out and you can add more lotion to it to make it the same consistency. No you cannot use coconut oil instead.

  5. 5 stars
    So fun! I had to add quite a bit more starch than the recipe calls for, and tried it with 2 different lotions but both worked out great. I made an orange batch and a green batch to do a little Pumpkin-making activity with my 2 year old 🙂

  6. Sounds wonderful. Is the coloring made from natural ingredients or are they synthetic/harmful dyes (not food grade)?

    1. You can use any kind of food coloring you’d like so you can use natural dye if you’d like!

  7. if i use 1/2 cup of cornstarch then how much lotion will i need to make cloud dough

    1. The Best Ideas for Kids

      You could probably split 1 recipe between 2 kids so then you would want to make 13 batches. Hope that helps!

  8. Tried it! Nice and soft. Does stick to hands a bit but it’s really easy to make and fun to play with. Does not stain hands after you knead it. 13 month old loves it! 

    1. The Best Ideas for Kids

      It should stay together, if it starts to crumble or dry out just knead a little more lotion in.

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