Edible Candy Cane Slime (with Peppermint Extract!)


Published: December 2, 2022 · Updated: December 24, 2023 by Sacha — This post may contain affiliate links. Read our full disclosure.

Do your kids love slime? If so, they’ll love this peppermint-scented candy cane slime that is both super stretchy AND made from edible ingredients. Celebrate the holidays with this fun Christmas-themed sensory activity that is perfect for toddlers through teens!


Do your kids love slime? There is something so satisfying about stretching it with your hands and seeing it ooze between your fingers.

But if you have young kids at home, you may be worried—and rightly so—that they’ll try to eat it. After all, most slime recipes contain glue and borax, which aren’t exactly safe for human consumption.

That’s where this DIY edible slime recipe comes in. Not only is it wonderfully stretchy, but it’s also made from food ingredients, which makes it safe for toddlers and younger preschoolers! Plus, it has a wonderful peppermint scent and a fun combination of colors.

So if you’ve been looking for an easy Christmas activity to try with your kids (or pre-K class), you’ll definitely want to give this one a try!

Related: No-Cook Marshmallow Fluff Slime (Fun + Edible)

Required Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to whip up a batch of edible Christmas slime for your kids:

Ingredients to make edible candy cane slime.

How to Make Edible Candy Candy Slime (Step-by-Step)

1. Mix Cornstarch & Sugar

Start by adding ⅓ cup of cornstarch and ⅓ cup of icing sugar to a medium bowl and stirring them with a spoon.

Bowl with cornstarch and icing sugar.

2. Add Marshmallow Fluff

Once the cornstarch and sugar have been combined, spoon some marshmallow fluff into the bowl.

You’ll need to add about 1 cup, but don’t worry about using exact measurements as you can always adjust the texture later on by adding more cornstarch or marshmallow fluff.

Bowl with marshmallow fluff added to dry ingredients.

Note: Make sure that you complete these steps in the right order. If you add the marshmallow fluff to the bowl before the cornstarch and sugar, it will stick to the bowl and you’ll have a difficult time mixing it in.

3. Start Mixing Ingredients

Gently stir the ingredients with a spoon until they start to combine. Don’t be too heavy-handed or the cornstarch and sugar will likely end up outside of the bowl.

Bowl with cornstarch, icing sugar and marshmallow fluff lightly mixed with a spoon.

4. Add Food Coloring

Since this slime is meant to look (and smell) like a candy cane, you’ll need to create two batches: one white and one red. And because this slime is naturally white, you’ll need to add food coloring to the red batch.

To do this, using the same measurements, repeat the previous steps in a separate bowl. Once you have a second bowl containing cornstarch, icing sugar and marshmallow fluff, squirt some gel food coloring onto the marshmallow fluff.

Bowl with cornstarch, icing sugar and marshmallow fluff lightly mixed with a spoon and red gel food colouring added on top.

If you want it to be bright red, you’ll need to add quite a lot—but you can always add just a little bit if you don’t mind the color turning out pink.

5. Add Coconut Oil & Peppermint Extract

Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and a few drops of peppermint extract to each bowl.

If you want to scent of peppermint to be really strong, you can add about ⅛ teaspoon to each. But a few drops should be fine to give it a light scent. (You can always add more later, so start with a few drops if it’s your first time making this and you’re not sure how strong you want it to smell.)

6. Stir Mixture with Spoon

One bowl at a time, continue to stir the ingredients together with a spoon.

Red marshmallow fluff slime mixture stirred with spoon.

You probably won’t be able to combine the ingredients completely this way, and that’s totally normal. But if you combine them as much as you can, the spoon should get the process started and stop the food coloring from staining your hands too much.

7. Knead Slime

Once you’ve gotten as far as you can with the spoon, use your hands to continue mixing the ingredients. You can add a bit of coconut oil to your fingers before you start to help the slime stick less.

Red marshmallow fluff slime looking smooth after being kneaded with hands.

Fair warning—even with coconut oil, the mixture will be quite sticky. Just do your best to knead it and if you need to add a bit more coconut oil to make the kneading easier, feel free to do so.

Note: If you’re worried about the food coloring staining your hands, you can protect them by wearing latex or nitrile gloves.

8. Adjust Texture

Once you’ve combined the ingredients as much as you can, it’s time to adjust the texture! If your slime is too sticky, work in some more cornstarch and/or a bit more coconut oil; if it’s too stiff, add in more marshmallow fluff.

9. Twirl White & Red Slime

Once you have kneaded and adjusted the texture of both colors of slime, roll each one into a thin log. (Add a bit more coconut oil if needed to make it stretchier and prevent it from drying out.)

Red and white marshmallow slime rolled into thin logs.

Then, wrap the two logs around each other to create the look of a candy cane and your homemade holiday slime will be ready to play with!

Red and white slime logs twirled together to look like a candy cane.

Our kids had SO much fun playing with this slime! And since it’s made from edible ingredients, it’s safe for younger kids who like to put everything in their mouths.

Fair warning though—while this slime isn’t meant to be eaten as a snack, it actually tastes pretty good. (One almost-two-year-old will attest to that.) So you’ll want to supervise to make sure your kids aren’t just snacking on it instead of playing with it!

Edible candy cane slime twisted into the shape of a candy cane.

How to Store Marshmallow Fluff Slime

Assuming your kids don’t lick it too much, any edible peppermint slime that is still usable can be stored in an airtight container for a couple days and taken out during play time.

I would recommend storing the slime at room temperature as marshmallow fluff tends to harden when it’s cold.

If you’d rather store your slime in the fridge to make it last longer, you’ll need take it out ahead of time to give it a chance to warm up, or heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time to bring it back to room temperature. (Just make sure not to overheat it!)

Edible candy cane slime twisted into the shape of a candy cane.

Edible Candy Cane Slime (Peppermint Scented)

Sacha
Do your kids love slime? If so, they'll love this peppermint-scented candy cane slime that is both super stretchy AND made from edible ingredients!
No ratings yet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Slime
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • cup cornstarch
  • cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups marshmallow fluff
  • red gel food coloring as needed
  • 2 tsp coconut oil melted
  • peppermint extract optional

Instructions
 

  • Add ⅓ cup of cornstarch and ⅓ cup of icing sugar to a medium bowl and stir them with a spoon.
  • Spoon about 1 cup of marshmallow fluff into the bowl and gently stir with a spoon until the ingredients have started to combine.
  • Repeat the previous steps in a second bowl. Then, add some red gel food coloring to one of the bowls.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and, if desired, a few drops of peppermint extract to each bowl. Feel free to add up to ⅛ teaspoon of peppermint extract to each bowl if you want the scent of the slime to be nice and strong.
  • Gently stir the ingredients together with a spoon. Once you've gotten as far as you can get with the spoon, use your hands to continue mixing the ingredients. You can add a bit of coconut oil to your fingers before you start to help the slime stick less.
  • Once the ingredients have been completely combined and the mixture has a slime-like consistency, adjust the texture as needed by adding a bit more cornstarch and coconut oil (if the slime is too sticky) or marshmallow fluff (of the slime is too stiff).
  • Roll each color of slime into a thin log, then twist the two logs together to create a candy cane effect. Once that's done, give it to your child to play with!

Notes

Add coconut oil as needed if the slime dries out during play. When not in use, leftover slime can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Have you tried this?Mention @thecraftathomefamily or tag #thecraftathomefamily to let us know how it went!

Related Taste-Safe Slime Recipes

Looking for more edible slime recipes to try with your kids? Check out these articles:

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