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Color Salt Dough Ornaments are a whimsical way to decorate for Christmas! It’s a fun activity for adults and children alike, requiring just three ingredients.
This easy Salt Dough Recipe makes ornaments that can be used to adorn a Christmas tree or even as handmade gift tags.
One of our favorite projects each year is to make salt dough ornaments. It’s a fun family activity with results that last for decades.
I have such fond memories of making salt dough as a child and love passing that onto our children. It’s an easy way to make an abundance of shatterproof ornaments while spending precious time together.
Salt dough is a beautiful way to decorate their trees, without a lot of effort or expense. We mixed a soft pink, light blue, mint green and yellow and pressed away with cookie cutters.
I have developed the perfect Salt Dough Recipe! It’s quick, easy, foolproof and versatile! Best of all, you have everything you need to make them in your pantry!
Why You’ll Love this Salt Dough Recipe
- Easy to make
- Uses pantry ingredients
- The ornaments last for years
- You can use this Salt Dough Recipe to make salt dough handprint ornaments, gift tags, foot prints and so much more!
- It’s customizable using color, glitter, Mod Podge (to add photos) and can be colored or painted on!
- You can use cookie cutters, stamps and so much more to truly make it your own!
Ingredients to Make Color Salt Dough Ornaments
- Flour – All purpose flour is the foundation for salt dough. No need to sift, this is a no fuss salt dough recipe! Bleached flour is preferable for a consistent color, but unbleached flour works as well.
- Salt – Any salt will do, but table salt, also known as iodized salt is preferable. It’s fine and blends into the dough easily.
- Water – Warm water helps the dough come together and dissolves the salt creating great texture.
- Food Coloring – You can use gel or liquid food coloring, whatever you have on hand in your pantry!
Tools to Make this Salt Dough Recipe
- Mixing bowl and spoon or stand mixer
- Parchment paper (for easy cleanup)
- Baking sheet
Optional Tools (For Extra Fun!)
- Cookie Cutters – to make shapes
- Straw or Toothpick – to make holes for ornaments or to decorate
- Stamps
- Paint
- Glitter
- Glue
- Modge Podge – to glue on photos and pictures
- Polyurethane Spray – extra preservative
- Ribbon or Baker’s Twine – to hang ornaments
How to Make Color Salt Dough
- Combine ingredients.
- Add Color (optional).
- Roll out dough on parchment for easy cleanup.
- Cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
- Add a hole using a straw to make ornaments.
- Bake or dry!
How to Color Salt Dough
- Mint Green – 2 drops liquid green food coloring
- Pink – 2 drops liquid red food coloring
- Yellow – 4 drops liquid yellow food coloring
- Soft Blue – 1 1/2 drops…place 2 drops in 1/3 c water, adding just 1/4 c to the dough
Tips
- Dough feels too sticky? Add a bit more water.
- Baking time depends on the size and thickness of your ornaments, leave them in a little longer if necessary.
Ideas to Use Salt Dough Recipe
- Christmas Ornaments
- Handprint Ornaments
- Gift Tags
- Magnets
- Alphabet Magnets
- Jewelry – make beads or charms for necklaces or bracelets
- Bowls
- Leaf Impressions
- Paper Weight
- Play Food – make breads, rolls, paint apples, etc to make play for a kid’s kitchen
- Figurines like Salt Dough Snowmen
Will salt dough harden without baking?
Yes! However, they might take up to seven days to dry completely.
What’s the fastest way to harden salt dough?
Place them on a plate and put them in the microwave! Do 15 second increments until they have hardened. This can be especially helpful if you’re sending them home with kids after a party, for example!
You can tie it off with one of my printable gift tags to gift! These make a wonderful Advent gift – check out our charming Wooden Advent Calendar.
More Christmas Crafts
- Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Ornament Bath Soak Homemade Gift
- DIY Christmas Wreath
- Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
- Basic Wreath Update
Color Salt Dough Recipe
This salt dough recipe is easy enough for even children to make using just a few staple ingredients and your favorite food coloring! It's a fun Christmas craft everyone can participate in!
Supplies
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups salt
- 2 cups water
Optional
- drops food coloring until desired color achieved
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt and 1 cup of water. Divide into 4 dough balls and set 3 aside.
- To evenly distribute color, add food coloring to ¼ c water combine with dough ball. Knead with hands, if needed. Repeat for each shade.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- Roll dough, cut and use a straw to make a hole. Place onto parchment lined cookie sheets {flat sheets are best} and bake 20 minutes. Flip and return to oven 15 minutes.
Tips
Tips
- Use your favorite cookie cutters or fingerprints. You can also use these as gift tags!
- Dough feels too sticky? Add a bit more water.
- Baking time depends on the size and thickness of your ornaments, leave them in a little longer if necessary.
Enjoy!
Sandreachi says
I’m planning on using this recipe to do my sons handprint ornaments for the grandparents tomorrow. Do you still recommend I flip them half way through the cooking process? I don’t want the handprint shape to distort. Also I noticed a lot of recipes recommend sealing them and you did not suggest that. I will be writing his name and the year on them with a permanent marker so I don’t know if any of that makes a difference. Any suggestions?
Julie says
I’ve never sealed mine and have some from years ago. Enjoy!
Amy says
Other recipes I have read indicate it should bake for at least 4 hours. I find it interesting that this recipe calls for 35 minutes. I will give it a try and see how it works.
Julie says
I do the same for my regular salt dough ornaments as well.
Jasmin B says
Is that 200 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius?
Julie says
Fahrenheit – enjoy!
Erin says
These were so easy and such a fun family project. Thank you!
Geri Toth says
I made these years ago with my grandchildren. They’re grown now!! Thanks for the memories!!
Julie says
I bet you have a lot of fond memories! Hope you enjoy a beautiful holiday season!