{"title":"How to Make Cloud Dough: Basic, Colored and Chocolate","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-cloud-dough","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Babble Dabble Do","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxcWYE_GFpLKyRFi_dzlkhQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xq0-M2Ut5w"},"tldr":"How to make cloud dough with flour and oil in 5 minutes. Plus how to color it, a chocolate version, toddler safety tips and how to contain the mess.","quickAnswer":"How to make cloud dough with flour and oil in 5 minutes. An easy project: about 10 minutes. Materials cost about $2 to $5. You need 9 things, including all-purpose flour, baby oil or vegetable oil and oil-based candy coloring. The 9 steps start with measure the Flour and Oil for Cloud Dough, stir the Flour and Oil Together, knead the Cloud Dough Until It Holds a Shape and mix Candy Coloring Into the Oil for Colored Cloud Dough.","totalDurationSeconds":314,"videoDurationSeconds":314,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":10,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":10,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":2,"max":5},"yield":"about 2 cups of cloud dough"},"tools":["large mixing bowl","measuring cups","spoon","plastic storage bin","molds, cups and cookie cutters for play"],"materials":["all-purpose flour","baby oil or vegetable oil","oil-based candy coloring (optional)","unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Measure the Flour and Oil for Cloud Dough","text":"Cloud dough uses one simple ratio: 8 parts flour to 1 part oil. Put 2 cups of all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Then measure a quarter cup of oil. Ana likes baby oil, but canola or olive oil works as well. Pour the oil over the flour. Double everything for a bigger tub of dough."},{"number":2,"title":"Stir the Flour and Oil Together","text":"Stir the oil into the flour with a spoon. At this point it looks like dry, lumpy sand, with a few wet patches where the oil landed. Keep stirring until most of the flour has touched some oil and you see small crumbs forming. It will not look like dough yet, and that is fine."},{"number":3,"title":"Knead the Cloud Dough Until It Holds a Shape","text":"Now use your hands. Squeeze and rub the mixture between your palms to work the oil through. You know it is ready when a handful pressed together holds its shape, then crumbles when you brush it. If it stays powdery and will not clump, knead a little longer or add a teaspoon more oil."},{"number":4,"title":"Mix Candy Coloring Into the Oil for Colored Cloud Dough","text":"For colored dough, start a fresh batch with 2 cups of flour. Measure a quarter cup of oil, then stir a few drops of oil-based candy coloring into the oil before it goes in the bowl. Mixing color into the oil first spreads it evenly. Regular food coloring is water based and will not blend with oil."},{"number":5,"title":"Pour the Colored Oil Into the Flour","text":"Pour the colored oil over the flour. You will see bright streaks and spots of color on the white flour. Stir it in with a spoon to start, the same way you did the plain batch. The color looks patchy at first. It evens out as you work it with your hands in the next step."},{"number":6,"title":"Knead Until the Cloud Dough Color Is Even","text":"Knead the dough with your hands until no white streaks are left. It takes a minute or two of squeezing and rubbing. The finished dough should be one soft, even color all the way through, and it should still hold a shape when you press it. The blue batch here came out light and fluffy."},{"number":7,"title":"Sprinkle Cocoa Powder Into Plain Cloud Dough","text":"Chocolate dough is a favorite with Ana's kids, and it needs no coloring. Take a bowl of plain cloud dough and sprinkle in a few spoonfuls of unsweetened cocoa powder. Start with about a quarter cup for a 2 cup batch. Add more for a darker brown. It smells like brownies."},{"number":8,"title":"Knead the Cocoa Through the Chocolate Cloud Dough","text":"Stir the cocoa in with a spoon, then knead it with your hands until the color is an even brown. The cocoa adds a soft scent and makes the dough look like cookie crumbs. Kids use it to make pretend cakes and cookies. If it feels dry after the cocoa, add a few drops more oil."},{"number":9,"title":"Mold and Play With the Cloud Dough","text":"Time to play. Pack the dough into cups, bowls or silicone molds and turn it out like a sandcastle. It holds a crisp shape until you poke it. Cloud dough is messy, so set it up in a big plastic bin or outdoors on an old sheet. Store it in a lidded tub between play sessions."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-23T14:09:51.046Z","published":"2026-10-23T14:09:50.772Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}