One of the questions we’ve been asked in the past is how we make white salt dough. We’ve pointed readers to our Homemade White Clay recipe as this is brilliant white but it does involve cooking so isn’t as child-friendly as classic salt dough recipes are. But, we’ve been playing around with our recipe and have a really simple way of making it white and you can air dry or oven dry the finished articles. So here we go our White Salt Dough Recipe.
What You'll Find on This Page
How to Make Salt Dough White
Salt dough because of the plain flour used is traditionally an off white colour. In the past, for our snowmen Christmas tree ornaments, we have to use acrylic paints to get them white or use the homemade white clay dough recipe linked above.
But, playing around with our classic recipe a little we’ve managed to produce a bright white salt dough that is great for snowmen ornaments as well as some pretty stamped gift tags.
This salt dough is much drier before you add in the white ingredient this is the exact one that we use as this will add moisture to the dough. It’s also intended for ornaments we have been working on a dough that makes it easy for hand and footprint ornaments with even pets and babies! So watch out for that one to come.
When it comes to drying this salt dough we have tried oven drying and also air drying. Oven drying took us around an hour for our 1/2 cm thick dough to completely dry so wasn’t too long and as we didn’t need to paint afterwards they were ready to go.
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How to Seal your White Salt Dough Ornaments and Gift Tags
Sealing your ornaments and gift tags will ensure that if you store them and bring them out year on year they won’t disintegrate or soak up moisture.
Simply coat with either PVA glue (white school glue) or use an acrylic sealer like Mod Podge so that the moisture doesn’t get in. Give each side at least one coat and allow to dry thoroughly before turning over.
White Salt Dough Recipe
Equipment Needed
- Bowl
- Rolling Pin
Materials Needed
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1/2 cup table salt
- 1/4-1/2 cups warm water
- white acrylic paint
- greaseproof paper
Instructions
- Place the plain flour and salt in a bowl and mix together
- Add in the warm water and knead.
- If the mixture is too dry then add in a little more water.
- Once kneaded keep the salt dough in the bowl and squirt in some white acrylic paint.
- Knead this together. We added the white paint twice to get the desired whiteness of the salt dough.
- Knead well until the white is thoroughly mixed then place on a surface.
- IMPORTANT – At this point WASH your equipment and hands.
- Roll out to around 1/2cm thick to create your Christmas Ornaments.
- Cut out your desired shapes.
- Place on a lined baking tray.
Oven Drying
- Set the oven to 100C.
- Into the oven for around 1hr. Turn over and check that the ornaments are thoroughly dried if not return and continue drying.
Air Drying
- Leave to dry in a warm dry place for around 12 hours.
Video
Notes
Check out our Salt Dough Gift Tags that we made with this recipe.
Favourite Salt Dough Recipes
We love Salt Dough and have a few favourite recipes that we like to use.
Cerys Parker
Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, high school teacher and mum. Realising that life doesn't have to be put on hold and you don't just have to survive whilst the kids are young she shares ideas to inspire you to LIVE with the kids, with activities to do together, recipes to cook and enjoy and family travel to make memories to last a lifetime.
Can these be used as a background for a picture? If I glue a picture to it, will it stick?
It will depend on the type of glue you use. I have used a hot glue gun and that has worked to attach things.
how many decorations does this recipe make?
We made 12 circular gift tags with it around about 5cm diameter.
Hi there! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve never worked with salt dough before…what is the longevity like? For example, can I make ornaments out of this and then store them and reuse them for years to come? I’m assuming they are breakable but do they spoil?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Amanda they will last and last – my parents still have some that I made with my mum as a toddler (40+ years ago). The best thing to do once this Christmas season is over is to store them in an air tight container with some rice or one of those packets of silica gel that will absorb any moisture. Then just bring them out again and again. It’s a great way to remember the different years.
Can you paint these when they are done drying?
Yes you can – we recommend using acrylic paints to do it.