Learn how to make homemade edible paint for toddlers. Made with just 3 basic household ingredients in less than 5 minutes, this is a homemade edible finger paint that is a fun idea for sensory play for younger children.
For best results use this edible food paint on paper or try painting on bread for a different texture. Toddlers will have so much fun with this homemade paint as they work on fine motor skills by mixing the colors.
As a parent, you’ll love food paints as much as your kids. It doesn’t make a big mess and is easy to clean up, made with edible ingredients, and is safe if tasted. It’s a win-win for everyone! This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and using gluten-free food dyes.
Edible crafts are a great kid-friendly way to keep kids engaged after school, on the weekends or during the summer months when school is out. Our Preschool Snack Necklace, Cake Pops, Peanut Butter Playdough, Bread in a Bag and Pudding Slime are all kid-approved craft ideas.
To get started, grab the equipment and ingredients. Kids can help each step of the way or come running to the kitchen once the paint has cooled!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour or gluten-free flour
- 1 cup hot water
- food coloring
How To Make
Our liquid edible aret paint is made in just three simple steps then left to cool before its ready to use.
Start by adding the flour and cup of cold water to a medium saucepan then whisk over medium heat until you see the mixture start to thicken on the bottom. Once this happens, turn the heat off and continue to whisk until thickened and smooth. The mixture should be the consistency of a thin pudding or continue heating and keep string if you want a thicker custard-like consistency. You can adjust the thickness of the paint by adding more liquid if needed.
Next, divide the thickened batch of paint into a mini muffin tin or regular muffin tin. This is a kid-friendly way to prevent your toddler from spilling a bowl of paint. It also makes for a super quick clean-up.
Add drops of liquid food coloring or gel food coloring to the muffin tin and stir using toothpicks or a small spoon. Create a fun vibrant color by using beet powder or beet juice.
If you have older kids at home, they can help stir together the colors for your toddler. Kids of all ages love watching the thickened mixture turn a variety of colors. Kids enjoy combining drops of different colors together to see what color it turns into!
Let the paint cool in the muffin tin before using. Once cooled, children can use it as finger paint or use paintbrushes on paper or bread slices. Sugar cookies and marshmallows are two other fun foods for kids to paint. You could purchase edible markers to decorate sweets with for another fun project.
How To Blend Paint Colors
Mix together a variety of paint colors for your kids. Here is a quick guide to creating colors. Adjust the number of drops of food coloring as desired to lighten or deepen the colors.
- Green = blue + yellow
- Purple = red + blue
- Orange = red + yellow
- Brown = red + yellow + blue
Tips and Tricks
Prepare Your Workspace: Cover the table or workspace with newspapers or plastic tablecloths to catch any spills and make cleanup easier. Make sure you have all your ingredients and tools ready before you start.
Whisk Gradually: Add the flour to the hot water slowly while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Gradual mixing will help you achieve a smoother consistency.
Consistency Check: Keep a close eye on the mixture as it heats. It should start to thicken on the bottom. Once you see it thickening, turn off the heat and continue to whisk until it’s smooth and well combined.
Provide Appropriate Surfaces: Offer a variety of surfaces for painting, such as paper, cardboard, or slices of bread. You can also let kids paint outside on a large piece of cardboard to minimize mess indoors.
Supervise and Encourage Creativity: Supervise the children while they paint and encourage their creativity. Offer them paintbrushes, sponges, or even their fingers to create different textures and patterns. Have a sink or tub nearby for easy cleanup. This paint is washable, but it’s best to clean up any spills or messes as soon as possible to prevent staining.
Homemade finger paint is not only a fun activity but also an excellent way to engage children in a creative and sensory experience. Enjoy the colorful masterpieces your little artists create!
Frequently Asked Questions
This paint recipe is not meant to be eaten but is completely safe for kids to taste. As parents, we all know that it is almost impossible for toddlers to keep their fingers out of their mouths. With this kid-friendly paint, there is no need to stress if fingers (and paint) end up in your kid’s mouth.
Any leftover paint can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week. Keep in the muffin covered with foil or transfer to air-tight containers or ziplock bags. If the paint hardens, stir in a few drops of hot water until smooth.
From our experience, this recipe does not stain hands. Kids can easily wash the paint off their hands with soap and water.
Storage Instructions
You can store any leftover finger paint in airtight containers in the refrigerator for a few days. Make sure to label the containers with the colors inside.
More Toddler-Friendly Recipes
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Homemade Edible Paint Recipe For Toddlers
Equipment
- small saucepan
- mini muffin tin or regular muffin tin
- toothpicks or spoons
- paintbrushes
- paper or bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour ✅ use gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup hot water
- food coloring ✅
Instructions
- ⭐️Heat the mixture. Add the flour and water to the saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until you see the mixture start to thicken on the bottom. Turn heat off and continue to whisk until thickened and smooth.1/2 cup flour, 1 cup hot water
- Divide and color. Divide the thickened mixture into a mini muffin tin or regular muffin tin. Add food coloring and stir using toothpicks or a spoon.food coloring
- Paint. Let cool. Children can use as a finger paint or use paintbrushes on paper or bread slices.
Notes
Nutrition
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Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Lo says
It turned into a very thick dough. I had to add over 2X the amount of water and it was still goopy.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. What kind of flour did you use? Make sure to turn the heat off as soon as it starts to thicken. Hope that might help if you try it again.
Tina says
Do you think I could use hot water from a crockpot?
If it’s not meant to be eaten, why paint bread? (I was all excited to call their creations “Rainbow toast!)
Thank you, Tina, teacher of toddlers with no easy access to kitchen
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Tina! I am not sure if the crockpot would work. If you started heating the water before making the paint then added the flour as it gets hot it might work, but it would be best to give it a test run as it’s not something I’ve tried. I added the bread for different textures. Since it’s just flour they can eat it, it just won’t taste super good.