Fun Christmas playdough idea!

This Christmas pudding playdough smells like real Christmas pudding – sweet and spicy. It’s a fun, tactile Christmas sensory play idea that will keep preschoolers busy and engaged in creative play. They can even help to make it.

This easy playdough recipe was originally published in 2014 and has been updated and republished for today’s audience

Here is a Christmas playdough recipe that smells amazing and is quick to throw together. To make it I used an easy no-cook playdough recipe for the base and added common kitchen spices used in traditional Christmas pudding recipes.

Although this playdough does smell yummy it tastes terrible (just like any play dough it contains tons of salt). So, kids won’t like it anyway but please supervise your kids and tell them this is for playing with and NOT for eating.

To make this you first need to make a base recipe, then divide it into two parts for the ‘pudding’ and the ‘vanilla custard’. Scroll to the end of the post for the printable recipe card.

Making the Christmas playdough

Basic no-cook playdough recipe

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tbsp cream of tarter
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted in the microwave
• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups boiling water

How to

Mix the flour, cream of tarter and salt together and add the melted coconut oil. Stir and then gradually add the 2 cups of boiling water a little at a time. Once added keep stirring until the dough is soft and resembles playdough (a few minutes). It will be very soft. As it cools down it will become more stiff and less soft. This is the first time I have attempted simply adding boiled water instead of cooking it on the stove-top (as we did in our Cinnamon Cookie playdough, but the recipe is the same otherwise) and I’ve found that the playdough is softer and has a nicer texture. This is the way I’ll be doing it from now on!

Divide the basic white playdough into two separate bowls, at a 60/30 ratio. The bowl with two thirds of the mixture will be for the ‘pudding’ and the other for the ‘vanilla custard’.

To make the pudding dough:

Add the following ingredients and knead into the dough until combined. If you think it needs a little more of something go ahead and add it.

• 2 heaped tbsp cocoa (we actually used 3 but the chocolate scent was a bit overpowering and I’d recommend adding 2tbsp and a third if you think it needs it)
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 heaped teaspoons mixed spice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• the finely grated rind of one lemon

To make the vanilla custard dough:

Add a small amount of yellow food colouring (not too much or it will be too yellow) and 2-3 tsp vanilla extract

Miss K helped me to knead the ingredients into the base mix, commenting on how good it smelled all the while, and then our dough was ready for play!

Setting up for play

As an optional extra you can cut some holly-shaped leaves from green felt and add some mini pom-poms for the berries.

My kids both made some mini puddings, and then moved on to other things, adding their own accessories as they went.

Lots of Christmas cookies were made.

…and a fun ‘froggy playland’ by Miss K.

This dough can be stored in a plastic container and will keep well.

My kids have already played with it several times since we made it. Miss R opens the lid and smells it every time she walks past, saying “mmm, Christmas pudding!“.

Christmas pudding playdough

Print

Easy no-cook playdough recipe that smells like real Christmas pudding

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tbsp cream of tarter
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted in the microwave
• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 heaped tbsp cocoa
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 heaped teaspoons mixed spice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• the finely grated rind of one lemon
• a drop of yellow food colouring
• 2-3 tsp vanilla extract or essence

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, cream of tartar and salt together in a heat-proof bowl
2. Add the melted coconut oil and stir
3. Gradually add the 2 cups of boiling water a little at a time. Once added keep stirring until the dough is soft and resembles playdough (a few minutes). It will be very soft. As it cools down it will become more stiff and less soft. 
4. Divide the basic white playdough into two separate bowls, at a 60/30 ratio. The bowl with two thirds of the mixture will be for the ‘pudding’ and the other for the ‘vanilla custard’.
5. To make the pudding portion, add the cocoa, ginger, mixed 2 tsp of vanilla and knead until combined
6. To make the vanilla custard portion, add the yellow colouring and 2tsp vanilla extract and knead until combined

More Christmas crafts and activities for preschoolers

• Make some recycled cardboard ornaments with our free printable Christmas shapes
• Here is a recipe for cinnamon cookie playdough that kids will love
• Create beautiful and colourful leaf art for Christmas
• Make some mini paper lanterns with our free template
• Create the nativity from paper with this printable set
• Kids will love making a winter snowman scene with finger print snow