If you have a baby or toddler at home who still likes to put everything in his or her mouth, you’ll love this easy edible play dough recipe. This 3-ingredient peanut butter play dough is no-cook, gluten-free, dairy-free, and it comes together in under 5 minutes!
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Play dough is SUCH a fun activity for kids, and one doesn’t require a whole lot of adult involvement.
But if you have a baby or toddler at home who likes to put everything in his or her mouth, you may be looking for a non-toxic alternative.
While homemade salt-based play dough is technically taste-safe, salt can be toxic when consumed in large quantities. So for younger kids who like to eat everything—even things that don’t taste good (trust me, I’ve been there!)—edible play dough may be a better choice.
We are big fans of sensory play around here, so naturally, we’ve tried lots of edible play dough recipes. But we’re always looking for new ideas to try.
And since we like to buy our peanut butter in huge jars at Costco, I thought it could be fun to find a way to incorporate it into our play!
That is how this DIY peanut butter play dough recipe was born. Not only does it require just 3 ingredients, but it’s also no-cook, gluten-free and super simple to make.
And while some of the other recipes on the Internet call for milk powder, this one can be made without dried milk, which makes it perfect for kids who can’t eat dairy. (Most of our kids are lactose-intolerant, so I try to avoid milk ingredients whenever I can.)
This easy edible play dough recipe is perfect for one year olds and up, and it comes together in under 5 minutes. You’ll definitely want to give it a try! (You can also check out these Edible Play Dough Recipes if you’re looking for alternatives.)
Note: If you’re planning on making this play dough for a child under the age of one, please make sure you read the section on ingredient substitutions, as honey is not safe for children under 12 months old.
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Required Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make DIY edible play dough with peanut butter:
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tbsp honey
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (this is sometimes called icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
That’s it! No salt, no cream of tartar and no complicated ingredients—just 3 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
Note: While this play dough is technically edible, I wouldn’t recommend letting your child eat it as a snack. But at least you’ll know they’re safe if they do decide to have a nibble!
Ingredient Substitutions
There are a few different substitutions possible if you don’t have—or would rather not use—the ingredients listed above. Here are some swaps you may want to consider:
- Peanut butter: If you’re concerned about allergies, you can replace the peanut butter with a creamy nut-free butter of your choice, such as Sunbutter. Depending on the thickness of the butter you use, you may need to adjust the quantities slightly in order to achieve a texture you like.
- Honey: Due to the risk of botulism, honey should not be given to infants who are less than 12 months of age. If you wish to make this edible play dough recipe for a child under one year old, you can replace the honey with another liquid sweetener such as maple syrup, agave syrup, or even corn syrup.
- Powdered sugar: Because this play dough is made with sugar, it actually tastes pretty good. If you don’t want the play dough to taste good because you don’t want to encourage your child to eat it, you can replace the powdered sugar with cornstarch (you may know it as “corn flour” if you live in the U.K. or Australia).
Please note that while this play dough recipe is naturally gluten-free, if you’re making it for a child with coeliac disease, you’ll probably want to check all of the ingredient labels carefully to make sure there are no gluten-containing additives in the specific products you purchase.
How to Make Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough (Step-by-Step)
1. Combine Peanut Butter & Honey
Start by pouring ½ cup of creamy butter and 3 tbsp of honey into a bowl and stirring them together with a spoon.
2. Add Powdered Sugar
Pour ⅓ cup of powdered sugar into the bowl containing the peanut butter mixture, and gently stir the ingredients together until the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated.
Once the first ⅓ cup of powdered sugar has been incorporated into the mixture, add a second ⅓ cup of sugar and stir that in as well.
3. Knead Play Dough
When you have gotten as far as you can with a spoon, set it aside and knead the dough with your hands until it feels perfectly smooth.
Free free to adjust the texture as needed by adding more powdered sugar (if the dough feels too sticky) or a bit more honey (if it feels too dry).
Once you’re happy with the texture, it’s time to play! This edible peanut butter play dough couldn’t be simpler to make, and it has SUCH a smooth texture. My almost-four-year-old loved it!
The play dough was soft enough for me to flatten it with my hand, and it would work great with a rolling pin. We also used cookie cutters to make little peanut butter “cookies” to play with.
All in all, this recipe was a huge success and we will definitely be making it again!
How to Store Homemade Peanut Butter Play Dough
Provided you make sure your child’s hands are clean before they play with it, you may be able to get a couple uses out of this play dough.
If you would like to try storing it for future use, I recommend placing it in a zip-top bag and keeping it on your countertop. (We tried storing it in a container and it got dry pretty quickly, so a zip-top bag is best.)
You can also place it in the fridge, but if you do, you’ll need to bring it back to room temperature before you can use it.
Keep in mind that the play dough will only last for a couple of days, so make sure you don’t wait too long before taking it out again!
Edible Peanut Butter Play Dough
Sacha
If you have a young child at home who still likes to put everything in his or her mouth, you'll love this easy edible play dough recipe that comes together in under 5 minutes. This 3-ingredient peanut butter play dough is no-cook, gluten-free, dairy-free and super smooth!
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Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Play Dough
Cuisine American
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tbsp honey
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Combine peanut butter and honey in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.
Add ⅓ cup of powdered sugar and stir with a spoon until fully incorporated.
Add the second ⅓ cup of powdered sugar and stir as much as you can with the spoon, then set aside the spoon and knead with your hands until it forms a smooth ball of dough. Adjust the texture as needed by adding more sugar or honey. Play immediately.
Notes
Because it contains honey, this recipe is only suitable for children aged 12 months and up. If you are making it for a child under the age of 12 months old, replace the honey with another liquid sweetener such as maple syrup, agave syrup or corn syrup.
Have you tried this?Mention @thecraftathomefamily or tag #thecraftathomefamily to let us know how it went!
Related Edible Play Dough Recipes
Looking for more baby-safe or toddler-safe play dough recipes to make at home? Check out these articles:
- No-Cook Jell-O Play Dough
- 2-Ingredient Pudding Play Dough
- Pumpkin Pie Play Dough with Pumpkin Purée
- Edible Marshmallow Play Dough
- 3-Ingredient Frosting Play Dough
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