# Gluten-Free Cloud Dough
> Mix baking soda, cornstarch, vegetable oil and food color into a silky soft, moldable cloud dough with no flour, so gluten-sensitive kids can play too. Set it out in a sensory tub with baking cups, scoops and toy animals for scooping, molding and pretend baking.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-cloud-dough-recipe-gluten-free-cloud-dough/
- Ages: 2–5 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: high
- Time: prep 15 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, fine-motor, pretend-play, language, color-mixing
- Cautions: corn, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 0.5 cup Baking soda
- 0.25 cup Cornstarch (cornflour in the UK/Australia)
- 2.5 tbsp Vegetable oil
- Food coloring (gel or liquid)
- 1 piece Dry, clean mixing bowl (household)
- 1 piece Spoon for mixing (household)
- 1 piece Clear sensory tub
- Silicone baking cups (optional)
- 1 piece Ice cream scoop (optional)
- 1 piece Cookie scoop (optional)
- 1 piece Pastry brush (optional)
- Toy animals and figures (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of food color: Liquid food coloring (The author used gel colors plus one liquid color. Both work fine.)

## Safety
- Taste-safe is not the same as food: the ingredients come from the pantry, but this is a play dough. Don't let kids eat it, and supervise toddlers who mouth things.
- The recipe has no flour, but it contains corn (cornstarch). For a child with allergies or celiac disease, check the oil and food color labels too.
- For gluten-sensitive kids, use bins and tools that haven't held flour-based dough. Wash hands and scrub under fingernails before snacks.
- Keep the powdery mix away from eyes, and wash hands after play.
- Food color can stain hands and clothes.
- Oily crumbs on a hard floor can be slippery. Play over a tray, mat or tub.

## Before you start
- Make sure the mixing bowl is completely dry and clean.
- For a rainbow tub, plan one batch per color.
- For gluten-sensitive kids, wash any bins and props that have held flour-based dough.

## Steps
1. Put 1/2 cup of baking soda in a dry, clean bowl.
2. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and mix well.
3. Add food color. Add a little extra, because the color lightens once the cornstarch goes in.
4. Add 1/2 tbsp more oil and mix well until you have a super soft, squishy mixture.
5. Add 1/4 cup of cornstarch.
6. Add 1/2 to 1 tbsp more oil and mix until the dough is soft and moldable.
7. Repeat with other colors, then spread the cloud dough in a clear tub with baking cups, scoops and a brush.
8. Add favorite toy animals and figures to the bin.
9. Scoop, mold and stack cloud dough balls, and bake pretend cupcakes in the baking cups.
10. Wash hands and scrub under fingernails when play is done.

## Tips
- Baking soda and oil take color REALLY well. Gel or liquid food color both work fine.
- Remember the color lightens after you add the cornstarch, so add color accordingly.
- We liked it squishier and added 2.5 tbsp of oil. You can reduce the oil to 2 tbsp.
- Invariably kids start making cupcakes, and how can you bake without baking cups!
- Brightly colored sensory bins elicit longer, more verbal play. Ours had a green pasture, pink 'food' for the giraffes and a teeny red patch of 'hot lava'.
- No need for an elaborate rainbow tub. If you don't have the time or energy, a basic cloud dough will be just as fun.
- A parent of a three-year-old with celiac disease says cloud dough gets stuck under fingernails, so scrub nails well after play. (from readers)
- A mom of a gluten-free 3 1/2-year-old says regular flour cloud dough gave her child a rash, so she was glad to find this version. (from readers)

## FAQ
**Is it powdered food coloring or gel?** The author used gel food colors and one liquid color. Baking soda and oil take color really well, so both work fine.
**Why does gluten-free matter if kids don't eat it?** The author's view: 2-4-year-olds may take a quick taste or skip handwashing before a snack, so it's best to remove the allergen. Parents of celiac kids reported rashes, blisters and illness after flour dough. Another reader notes that for most gluten intolerance, ingestion, not touch, is the concern.
**What is cornstarch called in the UK or Australia?** Cornflour.
**Do I need to make a rainbow sensory tub?** Not really. Colorful bins tend to keep kids playing longer, but a basic cloud dough is just as fun.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014)

Simple homemade cloud dough which is also conveniently gluten-free. The children will enjoy running their hands through this silky soft homemade cloud dough which is moldable and provides for an engaging sensory activity { All our [**sensory activities for kids**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/sensory-bins/) here} Oh! how we adore cornstarch. We love it so much that we rounded up 10 [**play recipes using cornstarch**](https://www.funlittles.com/play-recipes-using-cornstarch-for-art-activities-and-sensory-activities/) and my friend Asia at Fun at Home with Kids rounded up [**15 ways to have fun with cornstarch**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2013/07/15-ways-to-play-with-cornstarch.html) . That's your hint for this simple gluten-free homemade cloud dough recipe which is available at the bottom of the post. My uber-vibrant invitation to explore this new material and PLAY. Colored cloud dough along with a few basic props to extend play in a nice, clear sensory tub { we use a **[Sterilite container](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OPT8TK/?tag=blmemo-20)** for these purposes} Props we used

- **[Baking Cups](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EIA53PK/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Ice Cream Scoop](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095PC6SA/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Cookie Scoop](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CDVD2/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- **[Pastry Brush](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQLRZU/?tag=blmemo-20)**

 The children immediately added their favorite props in the bin. Do you spy a Medusa there? The homemade cloud dough we made was silky smooth and very fluffy. It has a very distinct texture.  The baking cups are a staple in all our sensory activities for kids and this homemade cloud dough play was not exception. Invariably kids start making cupcakes and how can you bake without baking cups!! *gasp** 

During this particular session, there was a bunch of giraffe play involved.



Let's feed the giraffe some pink food.



Let's turn the food into a hat for the giraffe.



Let's start baking!



and make some yummy cupcakes and pink balls.  and lava cakes. The cloud dough is perfectly moldable.   The kids can easily scoop them, mold them and stack the balls.  So the recipe? READ VERY CAREFULLY ( I'm not yelling, just speaking a bit louder now!) Here is our super simple homemade cloud dough recipe which is gluten free. frame **Materials**

- Baking Soda 1/2 cup
- Cornstarch 1/4 cup
- Vegetable Oil 2-2.5 TBSP
- Food Color

**Process**

- Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a dry and clean bowl
- Add 1 TBSP of oil, mix well
- Add desired amount of food color -we love **[AmeriColor Food Color](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029YDR82/?tag=blmemo-20)**
- Remember the color lightens after you add more cornstarch- add color accordingly
- Add 1/2 tbsp of oil and mix well
- You should get a super soft and squishy mixture
- Now add 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- Add anywhere from 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
- We liked it squishier an hence added 2.5 tbsp of oil. You can reduce the oil amount to 2 tbsp.

/frame
There you have it a smooth, soft, squishy, gluten-free cloud dough which is perfectly moldable. A sensory materials all the kids can enjoy!



**Food for thought!**

frameDo you really NEED to sit down and create an elaborate rainbow tinted cloud dough tub? /frame

frameSimple answer, not really - kids definitely benefit from sensory activities but there is no need to create an elaborate sensory tub. The fabulous Stephanie at Two-Daloo has a fantastic post on the very same topic - **Sensory play: Is it necessary?**. /frame

frameHaving said that if you love to create one and have the time and energy, I bet the children would love this even more simply because of the colors. Here is something I observe during the play session which involves brightly colored sensory bin - they do elicit more extended and engaged play. With bright and colorful sensory bins, the play continues for a longer duration, is more verbal due to multiple stories spinning around them, with many color mixing session, a spontaneous small world pattern arises and so much more. *Case in point* : During this play session, the green part of the cloud dough became a pasture. Pink cloud dough was "food" for the giraffes because leaves are boring! The teeny red part was obviously "hot lava" So, if you have the time, interest and energy give colorful sensory bins a try, if not a basic cloud dough will be just as fun for the kids./frame

Stop by the fantastic Tinkerlab for their version of the [**cloud dough**](http://tinkerlab.com/gluten-free-cloud-dough/). So unique!

Thanks for reading