This marshmallow play dough has to be the EASIEST play dough recipe I’ve ever made. And the best part is that it’s completely safe to eat! It tastes sweet, but it doesn’t taste amazing or anything, so the kids (probably) won’t gobble it all up on you – or at least mine didn’t. They can squish it, roll it and stretch it, and have a little bit of fun taste testing it while they play! It kind of tastes like fondant icing. (I couldn’t help myself from having a bit of a taste test too!)
Now that the kids are on summer break I am SO EXCITED to start doing fun kids activities here on the blog again! We had a blast last summer making things like homemade puffy paint, dish soap silly putty and homemade gak. I tell you, there are hundreds of fun things you can make at home with the kids! If only there were more hours in a day! (And a maid to follow us around all day cleaning up our messes… wouldn’t that be amazing?! “Excuse me madam, here’s a cup of coffee for you…” Ah, now I’m dreaming…)
We haven’t played with play dough in ages around here. I usually find it really messy, especially with all the doo dads that come in the play dough kits. Not to mention the crumbs that fall on the floor and dry up and stick to the bottom of your feet. I hate that! My four year old will beg at least once a week to play with play dough, but I usually try to redirect her to something else.
I was a little nervous about this marshmallow play dough before we got started, but to tell you the truth, it wasn’t nearly as messy as I thought it was going to be!
It’s a very moldable ball after you make it, but it isn’t crumbly like play dough, so there weren’t any bits that fell onto the floor. It was kind of a cross between silly putty and play dough. The clean up was actually easy!
It’s a little bit greasy from the coconut oil and also a little sticky when it’s still warm. So make sure you’ve protected your table top before the kids play with it. We played with ours on sheets of parchment paper taped to the table and then on a silicone baking mat (it stayed in place much better than the paper), and the clean up was a breeze!
Check out our video on How to Make Marshmallow Play Dough:
If you liked this kids activity, here are some more you might want to try out!
Edible Marshmallow Play Dough
The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post, but here’s what you’ll need:
- Large Marshmallows
- Corn Starch
- Coconut Oil
- Neon Food Colouring
No flour. No cream of tartar. No cooking on the stove. It uses super simple ingredients. And I mean, come on, what kid doesn’t love marshmallows?! I was inspired by the recipes over at MomDot and Growing a Jewelled Rose.
Add the marshmallows, corn starch and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl:
Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Then add the food colouring to the marshmallows or the oil. Don’t add it to the corn starch or you’ll have a harder time getting a consistent colour when you mix it together. (So ignore that I added it to the corn starch in my photos below. I learned from my mistake…)
See how the marshmallows puff up a little bit? The kids thought that was pretty cool!
Stir it with a spoon to get all of the ingredients combined.
When it gets too hard to stir with a spoon, you’ll need to use your hands to kneed it to finish the job. It might be hot from the microwave, so check the temperature before giving it to the kids to kneed.
My Suggestions:
I made a few batches of this marshmallow play dough, and I didn’t have any troubles. But if for some reason it isn’t working for you, here are my suggestions:
- If it’s too sticky and doesn’t combine, try adding another heaping teaspoon of cornstarch to see if that helps.
- If it’s still too sticky, add about 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil, and squish it all together.
- If it’s sticking to the kids hands, let them rub a bit of coconut oil on their hands. I found that once I did that, it didn’t stick to us at all.
- It sticks to paper towel and doesn’t come off. Just saying.
- Play with it on a non-stick surface, such as parchment paper taped to the table, or on a silicone baking mat.
- If it gets a bit hard after 15-30 minutes just pop it in the microwave for up to 10 seconds to soften it up.
It was slightly harder than normal play dough, but it was also stretchier. It flattened out really easily on the parchment paper.
And then we were able to use play dough cutters to cut out shapes.
It was very moldable.
And stretchy. Doesn’t it look like silly putty here?
I took this next photo of all the colours stacked when we were done playing with it. I just thought it would make a pretty photo. But heads up, the different colours stick to each other pretty much instantly so I couldn’t separate them and they were pretty much stuck this way. haha Oops! I sliced through all the colours with a wet knife though, and the kids had fun playing with rainbow coloured strips.
My 18 month old was a big fan. He did a lot of taste testing for us.
My 6 year old had fun mixing everything together, but when it came time to get her hands dirty she lost interest.
My four year old, on the other hand, LOVED this stuff. She played with it for almost an hour while I did the dishes after supper last night. You can see how I greased up her hands a little bit to keep it from sticking to her. She thought it was great!
Edible Marshmallow Play Dough
Materials
- 6 Large Marshmallows
- 1/4 cup Corn Starch slightly heaping
- 2 tsp Coconut oil slightly heaping
- 12 drops Liquid Food Colouring
Instructions
- Add the marshmallows, corn starch and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave on high for 30 seconds until the marshmallows expand.
- Add the food colouring drops on top of the marshmallows or coconut oil (not to the corn starch).
- Stir with a spoon to combine all the ingredients.
- When it gets too hard to stir, kneed it by hand until the colour and ingredients are completely combined. (Be careful, it might be hot.)
- If it's too sticky, add more corn starch. If it's still too sticky, add more coconut oil. Cover your hands in coconut oil to keep it from sticking to you.
- Play with it on a non stick surface, such as parchment paper taped to the table or a silicone baking mat.
This marshmallow play dough was a huge hit with the kids! My 6 year old had a blast making it. My 4 year old had a blast playing with it. And my 18 month old had a blast taste testing it. There’s no cooking on the stove, so it’s a super easy recipe to get the kids to help out with. This is a great activity to add to your summer bucket list!
If you’re looking for more fun kids activities, here are some of our favourites:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon |  Barnes and Noble |  Books- A- Million |  Indiebound |  Indigo |  Amazon Canada
Jeana says
Do you know how long the marshmallow playdough lasts?
Debbie @ One Little Project says
We only used ours for the one day, but I stored it in a zip lock bag for about 3 days and it still looked usable. After that, I was nervous that it might grow mold or something since it was all food ingredients, so I threw it out. Hope that helps!
Anja says
I’m so worried that it won’t work, I’m trying your Metamucil slime I have tried your gak. So far so,good could you do instructions on starburst slime?
Heather says
its almost the same as marshmallow fondant and that lasts 3 months in an air tight container. now if it probably wont last that long with the kids playing with it for an hour.
Tina says
I was going to say this, too. Nearly the same as marshmallow fondant, except cornstarch instead of powdered sugar. Should last a few months as long as you keep in an airtight container and start with clean hands when you play.
SM says
Here is a video of when I made this for my kiddos. It was easy enough to make. The kiddos were able to play with it for a little while but then it got way to sticky and stuck to everything. It also dyed their fingers for a day or so after they played with it. That aside, it was fun to make. 🙂
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=397230590654569&id=250178585359771
🙂
TLM says
I’m wondering about using marshmallow creme instead and maybe adding a little extra cornstarch if necessary .
Cassandra says
Debbie, I was curious of this too. I work in a classroom and Marshmallow puff would be easier to use. Have you ever used it?
Debbie @ One Little Project says
I’m pretty sure marshmallow creme will work too. I’ve never tried it before though, so you might have to experiment with the quantities. I’d recommend starting with this:
1/4 cup Marshmallow Creme
1/3 cup Cornstarch
2 teaspoons Coconut Oil
If you make it and have suggestions for the quantities, please let me know!!
Stacy Cooper says
Hey I tried it out it works great!
Laura says
Hi Stacy,
Did you try the original or with the creme?
valentine says
great , i will be try with my son. Thank for the idea
Erin Vincent says
This is fantastic! My play dough loving 3 year old is going to thoroughly enjoy this!
care bear says
i work all the time, so i don’t have time to do this kind of stuff for my kids. i thought maybe they could make it. i haven’t made it so i was wondering how hard it is so that i know if they can handle it. the oldest is 5.
Debbie @ One Little Project says
Well, I would say it definitely needs some adult supervision since it gets hot in the microwave. If you’re brave enough, you can try giving them plastic bowls and follow the same recipe using marshmallow creme that I wrote out a few comments down in the comments section. If your oldest is 5, you’ll probably end up with a big mess, but it should be fairly safe and easy for them to make by themselves instead of using the microwave version. I would definitely expect a mess when they’re done though, so that’s totally up to you! 🙂
care bear says
ok. thank you. maybe we will try it to see how it turns out!
Chantel says
Hi Debbie, definitely want to try this. Just wondering, do one have to use coconut oil or can one use normal sunflower oil…what is your thoughts please? Thank you
Debbie @ One Little Project says
I imagine it would probably work with sunflower oil, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if it works if you end up trying it!
cjnoes says
Thank you, will definitely let you know if sunflower oil works or not. Thanks again! 🙂
Laura says
It Needs To Be An Oil That At Room Temperature Stays At A solid.
Savannah says
I love this sooooo much!!! I’ve been thinking about getting some playdough for my 18 month old for some sensory play, but I was super worried about the eating aspect, so this post has come just in time!! I’m sooo excited to give this one a try! Thanks for sharing <3
pjcamp says
So what happens if you use a jar of marshmallow fluff? Then you wouldn’t even have to microwave.
Debbie @ One Little Project says
Some other commenters have been asking about that as well. I think you can use marshmallow fluff, but I’ve personally never tried it, so I can’t say for sure. You might have to experiment with the quantities, but you can try this:
1/4 cup Marshmallow Creme
1/3 cup Cornstarch
2 teaspoons Coconut Oil
If you end up trying it, let me know how it goes!!
Terri says
Do you still cook it if you use marshmallow fluff?
Edit says
Hi,
how long it can be stored without loss of quality and mold?
Thanks
Debbie @ One Little Project says
It’s definitely best on the first day. But you can still use it for about 3 days after that. I’m not sure how long it takes mold to grow, but I wouldn’t be comfortable stretching it past 3 days. Especially if messy little hands have been playing with it.