Easy Salt Dough Recipe (for Ornaments and Keepsakes) (2024)

This salt dough recipe is SO EASY to make and it works perfectly every time! It’s soft and easy to roll, and you can make it with only 3 ingredients! Combine flour, salt, and water into a dough that hardens perfectly in the oven.

Salt dough is really fun to work with, and you can use it to make all kinds of ornaments and keepsakes! It’s also a great recipe for kids to help with measuring and mixing – they may even be able to make it themselves!

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How many ornaments does this recipe make?

This will depend on how thick your creations are – but we were able to make 12 ornaments (about 3 inch in size) with the dough rolled out to 1/4 inch thick.

You can probably make 2 or 3 handprint keepsakes that are about 1/2 inch thick with this recipe.

This recipe makes about 2 cups of salt dough. Feel free to cut the recipe in half to make a smaller batch.

Can you let salt dough air dry?

Yes, you can let salt dough air dry – but it can take a long time for the salt dough creations to dry. An ornament can take from 3 days to a whole week to completely air dry, depending on how thick it is. It’s much quicker to dry them in the oven.

Can I make the salt dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can definitely make the salt dough the day before – or even a few days ahead of time. Simply wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Then bring the dough to room temperature before working with it!

How long does the salt dough last?

This salt dough should last for about 1 week if stored in the fridge. It will dry out slightly in the fridge so try not to make it too far in advance.

How can I colour my salt dough?

For a colourful dough, you can add food colouring or liquid watercolour paint to the water before mixing. See our Salt Dough Monster Pets for more on that – it’s easy to make the dough brightly coloured!

You can also paint your salt dough creations with acrylic paint after they are fully dry.

Should I seal my salt dough creations?

Your salt dough creations should last several years if they aren’t sealed. Probably even longer.

If you want your salt dough creations to last for decades (yup, decades!), we suggest sealing them with Mod Podge or a spray sealer. Just make sure your ornaments are completely dry before painting and sealing them.

Paint will also seal the salt dough to some degree. Add at least 2 coats of paint to both the front and back of your ornaments before decorating them. Adding a layer of Mod Podge after painting will help keep the moisture out and make them last for years!

Making salt dough is such a fun indoor activity! It’s a classic dough that makes great handprint or paw print ornaments. And don’t forget to write the year on the back, or mark it in with a toothpick before baking!

Here’s even more salt dough craft ideas:

Salt Dough Ornaments

Paw Print Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt Dough Monster Pets

Salt Dough Cat Ornaments

Our bookLow-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!