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Learn how to create adorable salt dough ornaments with this easy recipe and step-by-step guide! These ornaments make the sweetest keepsakes and are perfect for a fun, family-friendly activity.
Whether you use them to decorate your tree or gift them to loved ones, these ornaments will spread holiday cheer and preserve the sweetest memories.
When I was pregnant with my first and only child, I excitedly bought new Christmas ornaments to start our family traditions.
Of course, it didn’t dawn on me at the time that glass ornaments and a small child don’t mix. By the time my daughter was a year old, those ornaments had to go.
Since then, we've had a serious Christmas ornament shortage.
But this weekend, that's about to change! I'm hosting a cookie and ornament decorating party for my daughter and her friends, and we're using these adorable handmade salt dough ornaments.
Salt dough ornaments are easy to make, even for someone like me who's just venturing into family crafts (my daughter is now three, so Christmas crafts are new for us!).
You only need flour, salt, water, and craft supplies, such as cookie cutters and paint.
These ornaments are all prepped for the party, so I haven't decorated them yet-but I know the kids will make them even more adorable.
Still, they're just so precious; I couldn't wait to share them with you.
These salt dough ornaments have become a new holiday tradition in our family, and I hope they'll bring just as much joy to your family as they do to ours.
What Are Salt Dough Ornaments?
Salt dough ornaments are handmade decorations crafted from a simple dough made of flour, salt, and water. Once shaped and dried, the dough hardens into sturdy, lasting ornaments.
While salt dough can be used for various crafts, it’s especially popular for making Christmas tree decorations.
These ornaments are a budget-friendly and fun way to make cherished keepsakes that capture the magic of the holiday season.
Why You’ll Love Making Salt Dough Ornaments
Family Fun: These ornaments are perfect for kids of all ages. Little ones will love cutting out the shapes, while older kids (and adults!) can get creative with painting and decorating.
Homemade Keepsakes: These ornaments preserve holiday and family memories. For a keepsake, you can have your little ones make handprint ornaments.
Budget Friendly: DIY salt dough ornaments are budget-friendly and so easy to make! Plus, with a little care, they can last for decades-talk about a great holiday tradition that keeps giving.
Creativity: Making Christmas ornaments is a great way to inspire creativity in your kids (and yourself!). You can get creative not only in designing and decorating them but also in using them as gifts, garlands, and more.
Baking without the Sugar Rush: Salt dough ornaments are a fun baking project that doesn’t end in 4 dozen cookies waiting to be devoured.
Easy Gifting: Salt dough ornaments make thoughtful gifts for family and friends. I think they would be really cute attached to a bow on a present. And one would be a great addition to a DIY sourdough starter gift basket.
Ingredients
Flour: You just need plain old all-purpose flour for salt dough ornaments.
Salt: Table salt works best for salt dough ornaments. I just grabbed the cheapest box of salt I could find at my local grocery store.
Water: Start with 3/4 cup water and add a spoonful at a time until the dough is combined and smooth, but not sticky.
Tools You Will Need
Mixing bowl: Grab a medium or large mixing bowl to combine the ingredients.
Whisk: I like to use a whisk to combine the flour and salt.
Rolling pin: I prefer a French rolling pin because it is easy to control. But any cylindrical object will work: a wine bottle, a reusable water bottle, etc.
Cookie cutters: My husband 3D printed my cookie cutters and stamps. However, for similar ones, I recommend these cookie cutters.
Tool for poking a hole: Just about anything will work for poking a hole. A straw or a toothpick is a good option. I used an allen wrench, and it worked just fine.
Cookie sheet: Two large cookie sheets held all the ornaments I made from this recipe.
Decorating supplies: You can use anything to design and decorate your ornaments: acrylic paint, watercolor, puffy paint, glitter glue, markers, and pom poms. There’s no limit!
Twine: I used red and white baker’s twine because I had it on hand. But I think these would be cute with natural twine, too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the water and mix with a spoon until combined.
If the dough is dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until it comes together. The texture should be soft and smooth, not crumbly, wet, or sticky.
Step 2: Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface and knead for a minute or two just to combine the ingredients.
Step 3: Lightly dust the counter with flour and roll the dough to about 1/4″ thickness. Because salt dough is dry, I haven’t had much problem with it sticking. But if it sticks to the counter, add a little more flour.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 200° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or two, depending on how many and the size of the ornaments you make).
Use cookie cutters to cut the dough. I also used stamps for an added decorative touch.
Step 5: Poke a hole in the top of each ornament for the string.
You can use a straw, toothpick, or any other tool you have lying around. Just make sure the hole is large enough for the twine to slip through.
Step 6: Gently transfer the ornaments to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 7: Bake the ornaments for 30 minutes at 200° F. Then, flip them over and bake for another 30 minutes.
Continue turning them every 30 minutes until they are dry, hard to the touch, and no longer pliable.
The time depends on your oven and the thickness of the ornaments. Mine usually take about 2 hours. Check on them regularly.
Step 8: Transfer the ornaments to a wire cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature.
Once they are completely cool, it’s time to have fun! Decorate them with puffy paint, glitter, watercolors, acrylic paint, gemstones-anything you can imagine.
Tips for Success
- The ornaments can take a few hours to bake. So if you have kids anxiously waiting, plan ahead. Make the ornaments in advance (that’s what I did for our ornament party), or plan plenty of activities for the wait.
- Make sure the dough isn’t too dry or too wet. It should come together with no dry ingredients in the bowl. And it should be smooth, not crumbly, wet, or sticky.
- Overbaking salt dough ornaments can cause them to turn brown and possibly crack. Check them every 30 minutes.
- Rough edges and imperfections create a rustic, handmade look. But if you want a cleaner aesthetic, tidy up the edges with a knife or mildly abrasive sandpaper.
- The number of ornaments you can make from this recipe depends on the size. I used standard-size cookie cutters and made 24. But if you make small ornaments, this recipe can yield much more.
- This recipe is easy to half or double, so you can make as much or as little as you want!
- If the hole you poked is too small for the twine, use a small knife to carve a bigger hole. This happened to me once, but it was really easy to widen the hole.
No-Bake Option
If you prefer ornaments that are white on both sides, you can air-dry them instead of baking them. Just keep in mind-especially if you have little ones waiting to decorate-that this can take a few days.
To air-dry salt dough ornaments, place them on a cookie sheet. Turn them every 12 hours or so until they are completely dry.
How To Decorate Salt Dough Ornaments
Puffy Paint: This is a good option for older kids. Puffy paint is a little hard to control, so it might be hard for little hands.
Paint: Any paint will work on salt dough. If you have really small kids, make sure it is washable.
Glitter Glue: I prefer using glitter glue pens for crafts because they are less messy.
Gemstones: Little peel-and-stick gemstones are cute and easy to use.
Stamps: If you have cookie stamps, stamp the dough before baking. This is a really easy way to add detail.
Handprints: Little handprints and fingerprints make the cutest ornaments. And if you have fur babies, paw prints are adorable, too.
FAQs
Salt dough is pretty easy to tidy up even after baking. If the hole is too small for the twine, use a small knife to carve a slightly larger hole. This actually happened to me once, and it was an easy fix.
Your salt dough might be curling if it is too thin, baked too hot, or not flipped during drying/baking.
Well, technically, salt dough is edible. But you won’t like the way it tastes. The ingredients are all real food. However, the recipe isn’t designed for eating. Instead, the ingredients and the high salt ratio are designed to preserve the dough, which can last many years or even decades.
Salt dough can crack if the dough is too dry, thin, or baked at high temperatures.
No, the salt is part of what makes the ornaments sturdy. It also acts as a preservative, making your ornaments last longer.
No worries! You can use anything you have around the house, such as cups, knives, etc., to cut basic shapes. Then, decorate them to match the occasion.
Let's Connect!
If you made salt dough ornaments and loved them, leave a comment or review below!
Also, don't forget to pin this post and follow Moon + Magnolia on Pinterest. You can save all my recipes on your boards and keep up with the latest happenings!
Share your salt dough creations on Instagram and tag @moon_and_magnolia!
More Holiday Posts
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- 13 Ways To Prep Your Kitchen for Holiday Cooking
- Can You Put Underbaked Cookies Back in the Oven?
- Gift Guide and Ideas for Sourdough Bakers (2024)
- Sourdough Eggnog Bread Pudding with Buttery Rum Topping
- Sourdough Cranberry Walnut Bread
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- Our Family Christmas Menu
DIY Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments
Equipment
- Tool for poking a hole
- Cookie sheet
- Cooling rack
- Decorating supplies (puffy paint, glitter glue pens, paint, gemstones, etc).
- Twine
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup table salt
- 3/4 cup water, plus more if needed
Instructions
Combine the Ingredients
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup table salt
- Add the water and mix with a spoon until combined. If the dough is dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until it comes together. The texture should be soft and smooth, not crumbly, wet, or sticky.3/4 cup water
Knead and Roll the Dough
- Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or work surface and knead for a minute or two just to combine the ingredients.
- Lightly dust the counter with flour and roll the dough to about 1/4" thickness.
- I usually roll it forward and backward a few times, then from right to left to make sure all directions are close to equal thickness. I also like to flip the dough once or twice while rolling.Because salt dough is dry, I haven't had much problem with it sticking. But if it sticks to the counter, add a little more flour.
Cut the Dough
- Preheat the oven to 200° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or two, depending on how many and the size of the ornaments you make).
- Use cookie cutters to cut the dough. I also used stamps for an added decorative touch.
- Poke a hole in the top of each ornament for the string. You can use a straw, toothpick, or any other tool you have lying around. Just make sure the hole is large enough for the twine to slip through.
Bake the Ornaments
- Gently transfer the ornaments to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the ornaments for 30 minutes at 200° F. Then, flip them over and bake for another 30 minutes.Continue turning them every 30 minutes until they are dry, hard to the touch, and no longer pliable. The time depends on your oven and the thickness of the ornaments. Mine usually take about 2 hours. Check on them regularly.
Cool and Decorate
- Transfer the ornaments to a wire cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature.
- Once they are completely cool, it's time have fun! Decorate them with puffy paint, glitter, watercolors, acrylic paint, gemstones…anything you can imagine.
Air-Dry Option
- If you prefer ornaments that are white on both sides, you can air-dry them instead of baking them. Just keep in mind (especially if you have little ones waiting to decorate) that this can take a few days.To air-dry salt dough ornaments, place them on a cookie sheet. Turn them every 12 hours or so until they are completely dry.
Video
Notes
- The number of ornaments you can make from this recipe depends on the size. I used standard-size cookie cutters and made 24. But if you make small ornaments, this recipe can yield much more.
- This recipe is easy to half or double, so you can make as much or as little as you want!
- If the hole you poked is too small for the twine, use a small knife to carve a bigger hole. This happened to me once, but it was really easy to widen the hole.
- The ornaments can take a few hours to bake. So if you have kids anxiously waiting, plan ahead. Make the ornaments in advance (that's what I did for our ornament party), or plan plenty of activities for the wait.
- Make sure the dough isn't too dry or too wet. It should come together with no dry ingredients in the bowl. And it should be smooth, not crumbly, wet, or sticky.
- Overbaking salt dough ornaments can cause them to turn brown and possibly crack. Check them every 30 minutes.
- Rough edges and imperfections create a rustic, handmade look. But if you want a cleaner aesthetic, tidy up the edges with a knife or mildly abrasive sandpaper.
Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not reflect your final product. Please verify independently if needed.
