This apple pie playdough makes the kitchen smell like an orchard. It’s a soft cooked dough with apple pie spice, split into red, green and “crust” colors.
Add some mini pie tins and kids will bake pretend pies for an hour.
How to Make Apple Pie Playdough
Fall Play Dough Task Cards
Get the printable1 cup flour
½ cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon apple extract (optional)
A sprinkle of apple pie spice
Red and green gel food coloring
Mix the dry ingredients
Stir the flour, salt, cream of tartar and apple pie spice together in a pot.
Add the wet ingredients
Add the water, oil and apple extract. Stir until it looks like thin batter.
Cook
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring the whole time, until it forms a ball that pulls away from the pan.
Cool and knead
Turn it onto parchment, let it cool until comfortable to touch and knead until smooth.
Color it
Divide into 3 pieces. Knead red into one and green into another. Leave one plain for crust. A zip-top bag keeps hands clean.
Roll and play
Roll each color into a ball and start baking pretend pies.
Safety note
This is a high-salt dough. It’s not food, so keep it away from mouths and pets. An adult should handle the hot pot.
Apple Pie Play Ideas
- Mini pie tins for pressing in crust and apple “filling.”
- Lattice tops: Cut thin strips of plain dough and weave them.
- Apple counting: Roll red and green apples and count them into pies.
- Storage: Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
More fall playdough
See all →
Build pumpkins next with our build a pumpkin play dough cards.
The fall task cards include
- Fall play dough task cards
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Fall and Thanksgiving
- Preschool and kindergarten
- Fine motor centers
Apple Pie Playdough FAQ
Cook flour, salt, cream of tartar, oil, water and apple pie spice until it forms a ball, then knead in red and green coloring.
No. It’s very salty and isn’t food.
Several weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
Cream of tartar makes it smooth and last longer. Without it, the dough is grainier and doesn’t keep as well.
More Playdough Recipes
See all →
From families like yours
Did you try it? Tell us how it went!
We love seeing these activities out in the wild: the lumpy letters, the snack breaks, the proud “I made a B!” moments. Leave a star rating, tell other parents what worked (and what totally didn’t), and add a photo of your setup if you’d like.
No stories yet. Be the first family to share how it went!
