Salt Dough Ornaments (EASY Salt Dough Recipe!)

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Salt dough ornaments are super easy to make and will last for many years to come. Salt dough is made with salt, flour, and water.

This easy kids craft project is especially popular for the holidays for salt dough ornaments and hand prints. It’s a wonderful family activity and Christmas craft around the holidays for beautiful, handmade ornaments that will last for decades!

Hand painted Santa face ornaments on brown Kraft paper drying.

The holidays are over and our tree is put away. For some reason, I always think I can accomplish way more than I can during the busy holiday season. Now that things have calmed down a bit and I have some time, I’ve been painting salt dough ornaments with the kids.

I made the actual cookies a few weeks prior to Christmas with the grand hopes of getting them done for teacher’s gifts and such, but got too busy and never had the time. Winter is a great time for me and I can spend some of my afternoons and weekends relaxing and painting.

For some creative homemade DIY Christmas gifts, be sure and check out Caramel Apples, Barbecue Sauce, Mixed Berry Jam, and Raspberry Rhubarb Jam.

Or make a Christmas cookie tray filled with Chewy Fudge Brownies, Molasses Cookies, Raspberry Bars, and rolled sugar cookies. Or make these beautiful homemade Christmas cookies made from a rolled sugar cookie and decorated with royal icing. One of my absolute favorite holiday desserts is my grandma’s Cream Puffs.

Supplies needed to create Salt Dough Ornaments

disposable straws
sharp knife
spatula
baking sheets and parchment paper
shaped cookie cutters (This is the cute vintage truck cookie cutter with Christmas tree that I use!)
acrylic paint
an assortment of brushes
small disposable plates
disposable cup with water
oil-based polyurethane
small sponge brushes
Kraft paper
disposable rubber gloves

Santa salt dough ornaments with paint drying on brown Kraft paper.

How to make Salt Dough Ornaments

Step 1: Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and roll out on a lightly floured surface to your desired thickness. You’ll want to lightly flour the surface of the dough once rolled out, so your cookie cutters don’t stick.

Cut out your desired shapes (I found really cool vintage cookie cutters on Amazon) and lift them up with the spatula. Place the cookie shape into your left hand and smooth out the edges with your right (opposite if you are left handed). Slide gently onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Step 2: Put a hole in the top of the cookie with a disposable straw. Twist the straw around in a circular motion to make the hole a little bigger. Iit will close up a bit during the baking process!)

Step images with young boy making salt dough ornaments.

How do you bake salt dough ornaments so they harden?

Bake at 170-200 degrees for about 12-15 hours. You’ll need to bake them at this low temperature for a long period of time so they don’t puff up or curl. Once they are done, let them cool fully. See painting instructions below.

Salt dough ornaments of Santa faces drying on brown Kraft paper.

Salt dough ornaments take a while to dry in the oven. The reason you want the oven as low as it will go and it takes so many hours is so they do not puff up and become distorted.

What’s the best way to paint and decorate salt dough ornaments?

Step 1: To prep them for paint, I blow off any excess flour and paint the entire cookie with white acrylic paint as a base coat. Set aside and let them dry thoroughly. Apply a coat of white acrylic paint as a base coat to all of the cookies. Set on Kraft paper to dry thoroughly.

Step 2: Once they are fully painted, you can apply a few layers of polyurethane to seal the ornaments and help them last for years to come.

What kind of paint do you use on Salt Dough Ornaments?

Acrylic paint is the best for painting on salt dough. It’s water based and will wash off your hands easily for quick cleanup. It also rinses out of brushes easily.

Step images of salt dough ornaments on brown Kraft paper.

Step 3: To seal the paint, apply a thin layer of oil-based polyurethane to each side, one side at a time. Apply about 3-4 coats per side and let dry thoroughly in between coats. Set them on Kraft paper as they dry. They should last for many years to come.

Salt Dough FAQs

What kind of paint do you use on Salt Dough Ornaments?

Acrylic paint is the best for painting on salt dough. It’s water based and will wash off your hands easily for quick cleanup. It also rinses out of brushes easily.

PRO TIP: I use a rubber glove on my left hand and apply the poly with my right hand. Use oil-based polyurethane since it tends not to yellow as much as water-based poly. Make sure to get the poly into all the crevices of the ornaments.

Keep the sponge brush fresh in a small plastic bag for in between coats. Once you have one or two coats on the backside of the ornaments, you can write the date and/or your name with a black Sharpie.

Salt Dough ornaments of painted Santa faces drying on brown Kraft paper.

More Christmas DIY Gifts

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