This glow in the dark playdough recipe is guaranteed to make playtime exciting! And the best part is that you only need to add ONE simple ingredient to our super squishy playdough recipe to make the magic happen.

Whip up your batch below and then continue the squishy, hands-on fun with our done-for-you playdough mats! Snag your set in our shop!

Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe

Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe

To make the glow in the dark playdough, I pulled out the ingredients for the original recipe PLUS a few bottles of glow in the dark paint I purchased from the craft store.

  • 3 cups flour
  • 3/4 cups of salt
  • 6 tablespoons of cream of tartar
  • 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 3 cups of water
  • Glow in the dark paint

My 4 year old daughter, a playdough making pro, measured all of the ingredients, stirred the dough until it was clump-free and then handed me the pot so I could cook the dough.

Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe. {Playdough to Plato}

We left out food coloring because we’d be using the glow paint for color after the dough was cooked.

Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe

Once the playdough cooled a bit, we divided it into three balls and began mixing in about a tablespoon of paint at a time by making a well in the ball then squirting the paint right in.

(This step does get a little messy and, since paint could get on your work surface, you may want to cover it before kneading your dough.)

We ended up using a little over half the bottle to get a nice bright color in the daylight.

Glow in the Dark Paint Recommendations

Of the three paints we used, we all agreed that Martha Stewart paint worked the best.

Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe

The Americana brand produced a grainy looking glow effect (the purple dough below), while the Martha Stewart brands produced a bright, even colored dough that really shined under the blacklight.

We did try charging the dough under a strong desk lamp and both brands did glow but it was so faint and fleeting we opted to play under the blacklight.

Awesome! Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe. {Playdough to Plato}

Playdough Play Time

Once the paint was mixed in, my kids were more than eager to play with this “magical” dough.

My 4 year old is obsessed with Halloween, so I brought out some goggly eyes, straws, pipe cleaners, and jewels so she could dive in and start building monsters.

Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe

The characters and stories my kids came up with were hilarious and so much fun to watch come alive. Their imaginations were definitely working overtime!

Awesome! Glow in the Dark Playdough Recipe. {Playdough to Plato}

My kids begged to skip bath time for a few extra minutes with the playdough and even then didn’t stop playing until I flipped the lights on and the dough lost its magic.

This glow in the dark playdough is a hands down favorite for kids and adults alike in our house!

Grab the Playdough Mats!

Continue the squishy, hands-on fun with our done-for-you playdough mats! Snag your set in our shop!

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