Taste-Safe Water Beads

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It’s no secret that we love water beads around here. And with our Water Bead Sensory Window being one of our all-time top posts, I would take a good guess that y’all do too 😉

The thing about Water Beads is that even though they are a ton of fun, they aren’t something that can typically be done with kiddos that still mouth things. In fact, the most common question I get from readers when we share a water bead play idea is – is there a solution for the little guys? With these Taste-Safe Water Beads there most definitely is!

How to Make Edible Water Beads

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Items Needed:

You can also purchase your Boba Tea pearls already colored and skip out on dying. We did this for our Edible ABC Slime and the colors turned out fantastically vibrant.

DIY Water Beads Directions:

When it comes to making these, it can be a bit of a process if you plan on making multiple colors. To make every color of the rainbow took me about an hour from start to cool-down, but I was definitely able to do other stuff while doing this.

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

1. To start, fill a small saucepan with water, add in food dye, and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and add in 2-3 handfuls of tapioca pearls. Allow that to boil until they begin to float and start looking transparent. If you are unsure if they are done, take one out, rinse it under cool water, and squish it. It should be squishy but still firm enough to hold shape.

3.Once the pearls are floating, drain and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. I got lazy and skipped this with our last color (red) and while it didn’t stain our hands, it did eventually bleed into all the other colors. So rinse them really really good.

4. Set aside to cool and repeat for every single desired color. Once cooled play!

In total we made about 1/4 of the bag.

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

These are so bright and vibrant, they are a fun activity on their own. We didn’t even really add in any toys, just some scoops.

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

The kids played for at least an hour just scooping…

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

…and pouring…

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

…and squishing…

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

We had too much fun!

Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

Here is a simple phone video of how my little guy (15 months) played with these. It was storming heavily out so the color is distorted a tad.

Easy peasy play 😉

Edible Water Beads

Edible Water Beads
Active Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Difficulty Intermediate
Estimated Cost 5.00

Materials

  • One or two packages quick-cook tapioca pearls
  • Water, as called for
  • Food dye in rainbow colors

Tools

  • Saucepan
  • Spoon

Instructions

  1. To start, fill a small saucepan with water, add in food dye, and bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and add in 2-3 handfuls of tapioca pearls. Allow that to boil until they begin to float and start looking transparent. If you are unsure if they are done, take one out, rinse it under cool water, and squish it. It should be squishy but still firm enough to hold shape.
  3. Once the pearls are floating, drain and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. I got lazy and skipped this with our last color (red) and while it didn’t stain our hands, it did eventually bleed into all the other colors. So rinse them really really good.
  4. Set aside to cool and repeat for every single desired color. Once cooled play!

Did you make this project?

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Edible water beads: a taste-safe alternative to traditional waterbead play

Sharing is caring!

3 thoughts on “Taste-Safe Water Beads”

  1. Thank you for the safer option for water beads. My question to you is, how long do they last? Are they a one day activity or can they be stored in the the refrigerator for a few days? I would appreciate any feedback that you have.
    Thank you!

    Reply

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