Fall Playdough -- 3 Scented Recipes (2024)

These super soft fall playdough recipes smell like your favorite things about the season! Learn how to make apple, pumpkin, and cinnamon scented play dough in 2 minutes in the microwave!

Fall Scented Homemade Playdough

One of my favorite things about fall are all the smells! Apple pie, pumpkin spice lattes, even the smell of leaves on the ground — I love it all!

These fall play dough recipes are inspired by my favorite autumn fragrances. I started with my favorite microwave play dough recipe —which only takes 2 minutes to make — and added festive fall ingredients.

They’re all non-toxic and taste-safe and they all smell FABULOUS!

Related: Try our scented Christmas playdough recipes too!

1. Apple Scented Playdough Recipe

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cupsalt
• ⅔ cup water
• ⅓ cup apple sauce
• ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
• 2 TB cream of tartar
• 2 TB oil
• red food coloring

Directions: Add all ingredients (except food coloring) to a microwave safe mixing bowl. Stir well to combine.

Add 2-3 drops of food coloring and stir until the dough is evenly colored. Add more food coloring as needed, a couple drops at a time. You can always add more, but if you use too much from the get-go, the dough could be too dark and more likely to stain.

2. Cinnamon Scented Playdough Recipe

• 1 cupflour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cupsalt
• 2 Tablespoonscream of tartar
• 2 Tablespoonsvegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoonscornstarch
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• brown food coloring, as needed

Directions: Add all ingredients (except food coloring) to a microwave safe mixing bowl. Stir well to combine.

If you don’t use any food coloring, you’ll have a light brown dough. Feel free to use brown food coloring to get a rich cinnamon color. Start with 2-3 drops and add more as desired.

3. Pumpkin Scented Playdough Recipe

• 1 cup flour
• ⅔ cup water
• 1/2 cupsalt
• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2TB cream of tartar
• 2 TB oil
• orange food coloring, if needed

Directions: Add all ingredients (except food coloring) to a microwave safe mixing bowl. Stir well to combine.

You may not need any food coloring, as the pumpkin puree is a dark orange. You can use a couple drops of orange food coloring to brighten things up if you like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do You Use Cream of Tartar in Playdough?

You’ll notice that we use cream of tartar in our fall play dough recipes. Here’s why:

• Cream of tartar acts as a preservative, helping your homemade play dough last longer. When stored in the fridge, homemade play dough can often last for weeks!
• Cream of tartar also adds a bit of elasticity to your dough, so it is extra stretchy and doesn’t break apart as easily.

What Can I Substitute for Cream of Tartar?

If you don’t have cream of tartar readily available, here are a couple substitutes:

• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, strained first to remove the pulp

Does Homemade Playdough Need to be Refrigerated?

When I make my basic microwave playdough recipe, I usually don’t need to keep it in the fridge. I simply store in an airtight container.

Salt acts as a preservative in homemade playdough recipes to make them last longer. If not using salt, please keep refrigerated. We’ve made it both ways and the texture is similar with or without salt. It’s up to you!

One thing I want to point out is that both the pumpkin and apple pie playdough recipes both use fruit-based ingredients, which are extra moist and more likely to mold. I recommend keeping them in the fridge to extend the life of your dough.

Always check any homemade play dough before reusing and discard if there is any sign of mold or if it smells “off.”

Is This Dough Safe To Eat?

While all these fall scented play doughs smell good enough to eat, they are not intended to be consumed as a food item. They probably don’ttaste that great anyway!

These playdoughs are made with non-toxic ingredients and we’ve microwaved them (which helps to heat treat the raw flour) so they are probably ok if your kid sneaks a taste or puts their fingers in their mouth. Always supervise your kids when playing, especially younger children.

If you are concerned about using raw flour in a homemade playdough, there are two ways that you can heat treat flour to make it safe:

• Use a food thermometer to ensure that your dough reaches 160°F after microwaving.
• Pre-treat the flour in the oven by spreading on a baking sheet and baking at 350°F for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through to prevent scorching. Always watch the flour closely while you cook it.

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3 Fall Playdough Recipes (Printable Instructions)

Pin these autumn play dough recipes on Pinterest:

More fall fun:

Fall Snow Globe

Toilet Paper Pumpkins