Edible Cranberry Play Dough

Have a young child at home who still tries to put everything in their mouth? This edible cranberry play dough is no-cook, easy to make, super stretchy and totally safe to eat. It is a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas!

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Ball of pink play dough surrounded by cranberries.

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If you have some extra cranberry sauce in the fridge from Thanksgiving or Christmas that you’re wondering what to do with, this simple play dough recipe is the perfect way to repurpose it into an activity for your child.

This activity is quick and easy to prep, and requires no cooking or heating. Plus, because it is made from edible ingredients, it is not only appropriate for older kids, but also safe for younger kids who still require activities to be taste-safe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Elastic texture: A lot of the recipes out there call for just cranberry sauce and cornstarch, but when I tried that, the texture wasn’t great. The addition of rice cereal gives the play dough an elasticity that is a lot closer to regular salt-based play dough.
No cooking or heating: This recipe doesn’t require any cooking or heating of any kind, which means that it is quick to make and perfect for little kids to help with.
Fully edible: Not only is this play dough taste-safe, but it’s made from fully edible ingredients like baby cereal and cranberry sauce. If you have a baby or toddler at home who likes to put everything in their mouth, this activity is a safe option for them.
Naturally colored: Not a fan of artificial food dyes? This play dough gets its pink hue from the cranberries in the sauce, and doesn’t contain any added coloring.

Looking for more naturally dyed play dough recipes? Check out this Cinnamon Vanilla Play Dough, this Edible Pumpkin Play Dough, this Homemade Dandelion Play Dough or this Chocolate-Scented Play Dough!

Required Ingredients

Ingredients to make edible cranberry play dough.

Baby cereal: I used Gerber’s organic rice cereal because it’s what we buy for our babies, but any type of baby rice cereal should do.
Cornstarch: You may know this as “corn flour” if you live in the U.K. If you don’t have any, other starchy flours like tapioca powder or arrowroot powder should work too.
Cranberry sauce: I tested this recipe with canned cranberry sauce (with whole berries, not jellied) because I wanted to keep the texture consistent, but homemade cranberry sauce should work too. If you do use homemade, you may need to adjust the quantities slightly depending on how thick or watery your sauce turns out.
Oil: I used vegetable oil because it’s inexpensive, but if you don’t have any at home, any other type of liquid cooking oil should work, such as olive oil or melted coconut oil.

The full ingredient list, quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card.

How to Make Cranberry Play Dough (Step-by-Step)

Cornstarch and baby rice cereal combined in a bowl.

Step 1: Combine dry ingredients. Add the baby cereal and cornstarch to a medium bowl, and stir with a spoon until combined.

Step 2: Add wet ingredients. Add the cranberry sauce and oil to the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Stir with a spoon. Gently stir the ingredients together with a spoon, combining them as best you can, until you’re no longer able to mix them further. (They will not be fully combined.)

Step 4: Knead dough. Set aside the spoon and knead the mixture with your hands until you obtain a smooth, elastic dough. If needed, add a bit more cornstarch to make the dough less sticky, or a tiny bit more cranberry sauce to make it less dry.

The play dough had a great texture, and my kids loved using a rolling pin and cookie cutters to create shapes with it! The recipe made just enough for one child to play with, and since it requires just a few tablespoons of cranberry sauce, it’s a great way to repurpose your leftovers into a fun activity for your child.

Hand holding up a star cut from pink play dough.

Helpful Tips

Get the perfect texture: The type of cranberry sauce you use will impact the final result. If it is too sticky, try adding a bit more cornstarch; if it is too stiff, try adding a bit more cranberry sauce.
Keep the dough from drying out: The play dough tends to dry out during play, as the rice cereal absorbs the liquid. To prevent it from hardening before you’re done using it, you can add a bit more cranberry sauce (or a tiny bit of water) anytime you notice that it’s getting stiff.
Make as much as you need: This recipe yields one small ball of play dough—enough for a single child to play with. To make enough for multiple children, increase the recipe quantities or make multiple batches.

Have a young child at home who loves sensory play? Check out these Edible Play Dough Recipes or these Taste-Safe Sensory Activities!

Storage Instructions

Unfortunately, I have found that this play dough dries out and hardens when stored for later, even if it is placed in an air-tight bag and kept hydrated. It is meant for one-time use and should not be prepared in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

This cranberry play dough hardened and lost its elasticity pretty quickly, even when stored in a sealed zip-top bag with all the air removed, so you should expect to only get one use out of it.

To make that one use as long as possible, make sure to keep some extra cranberry sauce on hand and knead a little bit into the dough if you notice it drying out during play.

Absolutely! Just keep in mind that because homemade cranberry sauce doesn’t always have the same moisture content, you may need to adjust the consistency of the play dough by adding more cornstarch (if it’s too sticky) or more cranberry sauce (if it’s too dry).

Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to help!

More Edible Play Dough Recipes

Applesauce Play Dough

Balls of pink and yellow play dough surrounded by bunny and chick marshmallow Peeps.

Easter Peeps Play Dough

Oatmeal Play Dough

Pumpkin Play Dough

If you have tried this Edible Cranberry Play Dough or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear from you!