These microwave salt dough trucks are super fun to make, and super fun to play with! Salt dough is the easiest dough to make with kids. Just 3 ingredients and you are on you way to endless creations! This post contains an affiliate link.
If you like these salt dough creations, you’ll love our DIY Sesame Street polymer clay figures!
Watch our step by step video!
The best part about having a little caboose at the end of our family is that I get to re-visit some of the fun crafts that I made with his big brothers when they were his age! I stumbled across this salt dough turtle in Aaron’s special box that we made ten years ago.
Yes, we still have it! Aaron loved it and kept in his room for years. Salt dough is so easy to make, and can be molded into just about anything.
Mac’s favorite things are trucks. Fire trucks are at the top of the list, closely followed by construction trucks. We made a set of trucks that he can bring wherever he goes. We might even add magnets to the back so that he can arrange them on the refrigerator.
How fun is it to be able to MAKE your own toys? That’s exactly what salt dough lets kids do!
How to Dry Salt Dough In The Microwave
You can let salt dough air dry or bake it, but microwaving it is the fastest way to dry the dough.
Every microwave is different and, depending on the thickness of the dough, the cook times are different. If your dough is thick, it’s a great idea to poke a few holes in it using a toothpick so that it doesn’t bubble while drying.
Cooking Times
Aaron’s turtle took abut 6 minutes to cook through, but these little trucks were nice and dry after about 30 seconds on each side plus an additional 10 seconds.
If you want a sturdy toy that will last the test of time you are going to want to seal it. We’ve found that painting it with acrylic paint works great, followed by a coat of mod podge to seal the paint. You can also spray the finished project with clear spray paint if you do not have mod podge.
WARNING: always keep salt dough creations out of reach of dogs as it is hazardous to their health if swallowed.
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5 from 3 votes
Microwave Salt Dough Trucks
These microwave salt dough trucks are super fun to make and super fun to play with!
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
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About Brandy
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com without any additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Cook them on high for three minutes, making sure you check on them every 20 seconds or so. If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up. As everyone's dough will be mixed differently and microwaves have different levels of power, please keep an eye on your creations when they are cooking.
The great thing about it is that the salt dough sculptures will harden if you leave them out to dry at room temperature. Depending on the size of the pieces, it will take 2 to 7 days to dry completely. Turn the pieces from time to time for faster drying.
If baking, place the salt dough ornaments on a cookie sheet and bake at 250°F for about 2 hours or until all moisture is gone. If the ornaments are still soft in some places, you can continue to let them air dry. Decorate the salt dough ornaments with acrylic paint, Mod Podge Sparkle or other accents.
HOW TO MAKE DOUGH RISE IN THE MICROWAVE. Dough gets its rise from leavening agents and a process called proofing where you cover the dough and place it in a warm, moist environment. You can use a microwave to make dough rise by placing the dough and a cup of boiling water inside the microwave and closing the door.
Bake the dough at 250 degrees F or about 2 hours. You want to bake them until they're hardened. They will harden a little more once you remove them from the oven and let them cool but you want them to have a good hard texture before you remove them from the oven.
It's important to seal your ornaments once they're dried, so that they don't absorb moisture from the air. Use Mod Podge (in matte) to seal the dough and give them a more finished look.
Just plain table salt will work. This is not the time to pull out your fancy, coarse ground sea salt or Himalayan pink salt – these will not incorporate as well into your dough and could make it look a bit chunky or off color. Best of all plain table salt is very budget-friendly.
Sealing your salt dough ornaments prevents them from becoming moldy and or cracking/crumbling. Any environment can cause salt dough to mold, even when extra precautions are taken. Once sealed, they are guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Make sure your oven is set to 150°f. This is SUPER IMPORTANT. I have seen others use hotter temperatures but I haven't been able to do so without getting puffiness. So, plain all-purpose flour, 150ºf oven and 1/4 inch thickness = no puffy ornaments.
Leave for as long as you can – overnight is ideal. If you don't want to use the oven, leave your salt dough creations out to dry for a couple of days. a string or ribbon through the hole to hang your decorations. Make decorations or ornaments and practise measuring and using ratios.
If your dough feels too sticky, you've likely added too much water. Go back to the mixing step and add a 4:1 mixture of flour and salt, a little at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky. You can also try rolling the dough out between sheets of parchment paper.
Dehydrator (A dehydrator will make this craft a SNAP. You can also use an oven, but your ornaments are more likely to curl up or stick to the pan. You can also air dry them over several days, but I have no patience)
If you don't have an oven (like in a nursery), you can also just wait until the salt dough dries out over time. This salt dough recipe works for no bake as well. It will take a couple of days until it's dry enough to apply paint on the crafts.
In the microwave, bread does not form a brown crust. Microwaved bread also rises more during baking, which can cause a texture problem: the texture may be uneven due to the collapse of gas pockets that form during rising. Be aware that yeast-based bread bakes best in an oven or bread-maker.
Bake the dough at 250 degrees F or about 2 hours. You want to bake them until they're hardened. They will harden a little more once you remove them from the oven and let them cool but you want them to have a good hard texture before you remove them from the oven.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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