How to make salt dough - Easy salt dough recipe and craft ideas

Follow our easy salt dough recipe to make salt dough crafts to treasure! We love salt dough crafts and making salt dough is so easy! Follow our simple step by step how to make salt dough instructions for the simple salt dough recipe we use to make all our adorable salt dough crafts and keepsakes. I treasure all our salt dough creations! (printable salt dough recipe included!)

Making salt dough is cheap and easy using everyday ingredients and salt dough is such an easy material to craft with. Salt dough crafts will last for years once sealed. Take a look at our easy salt dough recipe and list of salt dough craft ideas for kids below.

As well as adding step by step instructions for making our easy salt dough recipe we have added a few salt dough tips to help you make the best salt dough recipe ever! We have added a printable salt dough recipe for people that would prefer to have the salt dough recipe in front of them when making salt dough crafts. 

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see images of all our salt dough craft ideas for kids. There are over 20 salt dough creations to browse through. Click on the images or links for full instructions or take a look at our salt dough ornaments.


SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ALL OUR SALT DOUGH CRAFT IDEAS (images are at the bottom)

How to make salt dough

Easy salt dough recipe supplies

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• 2 cups of plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of water (you may need less)

We recommend using acrylic paint and sealing with mod podge sealer. There is also a spray sealer that you can use if you prefer.

Easy Salt Dough Recipe

Making salt dough is so easy! Just follow the 4 easy steps below to create the best salt dough recipe.

1. Mix 2 cups of plain flour and 1 cup of salt together in a large bowl. 
2. Add 1 cup of water.  Add it in slowly as you may need less. 
3. Knead the mixture into a dough. 
4. Get creating! 

That's all there is to it! You can't really go wrong with this easy salt dough recipe. If the mixture is too sticky add more flour, if it is too dry add more water. 

We have added our best salt dough tips for colouring salt dough, drying out salt dough, sealing salt dough and storing salt dough below.


Click here for a printable salt dough recipe





See all our recommended salt dough supplies for making, painting, varnishing and decorating salt dough in our amazon storefront.

How to colour salt dough

You can colour salt dough before you make your salt dough crafts by adding paint, food colouring or natural spices to your salt dough mixture. Just add the colouring to the water before you mix it with the flour and salt.  Click here for  more information on coloured salt dough. (TIP: add lots of colouring as the salt dough will fade a little once dry). 

Alternatively you can wait for your salt dough creations to dry out and then paint them using acrylic paint. 

How to dry out or bake salt dough

The best way to dry out salt dough is to put it in the oven at a low temperature. Ovens do vary, but I turn the oven to 100 degree (celsius) to avoid any burning or the salt dough puffing up. Your salt dough crafts will take several hours to dry out depending on their thickness. Thicker salt dough models may take longer. Turning your salt dough crafts over every now and again can speed up the drying process. 

If you don't have time to wait to dry your salt dough creations in the oven you can dry them out in the microwave. Put your salt dough craft on a microwave safe plate and then zap your salt dough craft for 10 seconds at a time. It really won't take long at all!

Alternatively salt dough can be dried by leaving it out in a warm room, but this will take several days. This would work well if you have made a lot of salt dough crafts with a large group of children. 

How to seal salt dough

You must seal salt dough (on the front and back) if you want your salt dough craft to last. Sealing salt dough might seem like an added unnecessary step, but without it moisture will be able to get into your salt dough craft and ruin it! 

We use Mod Podge all in one sealer glue and finish to varnish and preserve our salt dough. You can also use a spray sealer. Once sealed your salt dough creations should last for years. 

How to store salt dough

Your salt dough craft must be kept in a warm, dry room.  If any moisture gets into the salt dough it will go soggy and be ruined.   If you have made salt dough ornaments that you want to store away for part of the year ensure that they are kept in an air tight box to avoid any moisture getting into them. Wrapping your creations in white kitchen roll or tissue paper will also help to protect them. 

KEEP SALT DOUGH AWAY FROM DOGS AS IT IS DANGEROUS FOR DOGS IF EATEN. 

Salt Dough Crafts

Take a look at our collection of salt dough crafts below. All of these salt dough crafts can be made using the easy salt dough recipe above. You might also like our DIY keepsake craft ideas.

Salt Dough Ornaments

We have made a huge collection of salt dough ornaments over the years. I love the salt dough photo frame ornament at the top of the list below as you can add a photograph to personalise your salt dough ornaments. 

The Santa salt dough handprint ornaments are another of my favourites and I look forward to bringing them out to decorate the Christmas tree each year.

Our fingerprint salt dough Christmas tree ornament has been popular over the years. It is really easy to make so it is a perfect salt dough ornament for toddlers or preschoolers if you want them to do most of the crafting independently.

Click on the links below for full details of each salt dough craft (images can be seen if you scroll down)

• Photo Frame Salt Dough Ornament
• Santa Handprint Salt Dough Ornament
• Fingerprint Christmas Tree Salt Dough Ornament
• Fingerprint Gingerbread Man Salt Dough Ornament

• Handprint Robin Salt Dough Ornament
• Footprint Penguin Salt Dough Ornament
• Reindeer Footprint Salt Dough Ornament
• Snowman Salt Dough Ornament

• Colourful Bird Salt Dough Ornament
• Penguin salt dough handprint ornament
• Elf salt dough handprint ornament
• Easy salt dough decoration to colour

Salt Dough Crafts, Gifts and Keepsakes

We love making salt dough gifts and keepsakes as they are always well received. All of these easy salt dough crafts can be made by or with children using the easy salt dough recipe above. 

The salt dough handprint bowl has to be a favourite of mine as 2 years later I still have it on my sideboard with my rings inside! I actually love all the handprint salt dough crafts as it reminds me of how tiny the kids hands once were. 

• Salt Dough Handprint Bowl
• Salt dough Handprint Photo Frame
• Salt dough family handprints

• Salt Dough Heart Candle
• Salt dough Fingerprint Heart Magnet
• Salt Dough Heart Magnet - Thumb-body Loves You

• Salt Dough Marbled Heart Magnets 
• We Love You to Pieces Salt Dough Heart
• Salt Dough Handprint Keepsakes

• Fingerprint Ladybird Salt Dough Magnet
• Fingerprint Butterfly Salt Dough Magnet

Making salt dough crafts is easy and creates some beautiful gifts and keepsakes, but we also have lots of other homemade gifts kids can make for you to browse through too.

Salt Dough Activities for Kids

Salt dough crafts can be fun for toddlers and preschoolers to make and then play with. The salt dough currant buns that we made have lasted for years and are so much fun for singing the nursery rhyme '5 Currant Buns'.  Making a whole set of salt dough food is next on our list. 

• Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils
• Salt Dough Currant Buns
• Salt Dough Donut Craft

Salt dough Crafts for Kids using our easy salt dough recipe

Take a look at some of our salt dough crafts for kids (click on the images for instructions): 

 

 

We hope that this printable salt dough recipe helps you to make the best salt dough crafts for kids! We have tried to include salt dough craft ideas for making salt dough creations with kids of all ages. If that isn't enough salt dough crafts for you, here are even more salt dough ideas! 

Hopefully, our salt dough tips and easy salt dough recipe will help you make the best salt dough recipe and salt dough crafts you have ever made!