# Cardamom Playdough (Warming Spices Playdough)
> Make a small batch of aromatic playdough with ground cardamom, then swap in cloves or cinnamon for a trio of warming fall spice doughs. Kids can help tap open cardamom pods for a fine-motor warm-up.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/homemade-playdough-recipe-cardamom-playdough/
- Ages: 3–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 30 min, activity 30 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: sensory-exploration, fine-motor, smell
- Cautions: wheat-gluten, food-dye, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 0.5 cup Flour (household)
- 2 tbsp Cardamom powder (or seeds ground from whole pods)
- 1 tbsp Ground cloves (optional)
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon powder (optional) (household)
- 2 tbsp Salt (household)
- 1 tbsp Oil (household)
- 1 tbsp Cream of tartar
- Food color
- 0.25 cup Boiling water (household)
- 1 piece Mixing bowl and spoon (household)
- Whole green cardamom pods (optional)
- 1 piece Small spice grinder (optional)
- 1 piece Small toy hammer or heavy spoon (optional) (household)
- Tray, small bowls of whole spices, cinnamon sticks, rolling pin (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Zip-top bags or airtight container (household)

## Substitutions
- Instead of cardamom powder: Seeds from whole cardamom pods, ground in a spice grinder (The author's method, since she buys spices in bulk.)
- Instead of cardamom powder: Ground cloves or cinnamon powder (1 tbsp) (Same recipe for cloves or cinnamon playdough. The spice amount is based on preference.)

## Safety
- Adult handles the boiling water and mixes the hot dough. Let it cool before kids knead it.
- Adult uses the spice grinder.
- Playdough is very salty and is not food. Don't let kids eat it, and supervise younger children who mouth things.
- Whole cardamom pods and cloves are small choking hazards. Keep them away from children who still mouth objects, and supervise closely if setting them out for play.
- Spice powders can sting eyes. Wash hands after play and keep hands away from faces.
- Supervise pod-tapping with a toy hammer or heavy spoon.

## Before you start
- If using whole pods: tap the cardamom pods to loosen them, split them open and collect the black seeds (kids can help).
- Adult grinds the cardamom seeds (coarse) and/or whole cloves (fine) in a spice grinder.
- Optional: make the dough ahead. It keeps in an airtight container if it isn't too moist.

## Steps
1. Tap each cardamom pod gently with a toy hammer or heavy spoon, split it open and collect the black seeds.
2. Adult: grind the seeds (or whole cloves) in a small spice grinder into powder.
3. Put 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp spice powder, 2 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp cream of tartar in a bowl.
4. Add 1 tbsp oil and a few drops of food color.
5. Adult: pour in 1/4 cup (or a little over) boiling water and stir until it comes together.
6. Once it's cool enough to touch, knead it into a ball. If it's too loose, knead in a little more flour.
7. Make more batches with 1 tbsp cloves powder or 1 tbsp cinnamon powder instead of cardamom.
8. Set out the doughs on a tray with small bowls of whole spices, cinnamon sticks and a rolling pin.
9. Store each dough in a zip-top bag or airtight container.

## Tips
- The fresh, black, round or oval seeds give the best taste and aroma. Dry, flaky seeds are still ok in playdough but don't smell as good.
- Removing the spices from the pods is a GREAT fine motor activity. My 5-year-old tried it for a while. As soon as the newness wore off she left, of course.
- The amount of spice is clearly based on preference. We used 2 tbsp cardamom, but just 1 tbsp each of cloves and cinnamon.
- If the playdough becomes too loose with excess water, add a little flour before storing it.
- Don't make it too moist and it will keep for a while in an air-tight container.
- With a little food color the playdough comes together really great!

## FAQ
**Can the playdough be made ahead and reused?** Yes. If you don't make it too moist, it keeps for a while in an air-tight container. The author stores hers in zip-top bags.
**Do I have to grind whole cardamom pods?** No. You can easily use cardamom powder. The author used pods only because she already had them in the pantry.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2013)

*: Make warming spices playdough for fall using this simple playdough recipe. We made cardamom playdough, cinnamon playdough and cloves playdough.* Fall has officially started here in the Northern Hemisphere and finally the weather has cooled down a little. It was time to whip up another bactch of playdough and this time we used a simple playdough recipe to make warming spices fall playdough. We used 3 simple spices : cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. For our whole collection of [**playdough recipes**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/play-doh/) and playdough play ideas visit our category page. **Cardamom playdough recipe** I can't believe how we have never used this aromatic, wonderful spice in our [**play recipes**](https://www.funlittles.com/flour-homemade-finger-paint-recipe/) before. I often replace cinnamon with cardamom in my tea and it tastes fantastic.

You can easily use cardamom powder for this playdough recipe. Since I buy all these spices in bulk, it will be a waste to buy the powder while I have the pods sitting in the pantry. I gathered a handful of the whole cardamom pods and gently tapped on each of them to loosen the pods. Split them open and collect the actual black spices inside. The fresh, black, round or oval ones give the best taste. I try to choose the nicest green pods as possible. Oftentimes you will find dry, flaky shapeless seeds inside. They are still ok to use in the playdough recipe but don't give the best aroma. Removing the spices from the pods is a GREAT fine motor activity for the little kids. My 5 year tried it for a while- as soon as the newness wore off she left of course. *I think the kids will have a great kick out of tapping on the pods* ( use a small toy hammer or a heavy spoon)  Once we collected some of the spices, I ground the black seeds in a small spice grinder and made a coarse powder. The next spice we used for this playdough recipe was cloves. Cloves are pretty common. I took a handful of them and ground them into a fine powder.



I modified our [**fresh flowers playdough recipe**](https://www.funlittles.com/fresh-flowers-play-dough-play/) to make the warming spices playdough.



With a little food color the playdough comes together really great!



Cinnamon doesn't need any introduction. I used store bought cinnamon powder for the playdough recipe.



I set out this aromatic spices playdough invitation to welcome fall. Check back tomorrow to see how we played with it. Ooh the kids made some wonderful creations.



***Warming spices playdough recipe***

- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tbsp cardamom powder (minimum- vary the amount based on preference)
- Few drops of food color
- 2tbsp salt
- 1tbsp oil
- 1tbsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup (or a little over) boiling water.

If the playdough becomes too loose and pliable with excess water make sure you add a little flour and then store it. We store in a air sealed bags (Ziplocs). Any air tight container should work.

For cloves playdough recipe and cinnamon playdough recipe, use the same measurements and replace cardamom with the cloves powder and cinnamon powder. We went with 1 tbsp of cloves powder and 1 tbsp of cinnamon powder. The amount of spice is clearly based on preference.

To see how we created and played with the play dough and spices visit our [**play dough play :**](https://www.funlittles.com/play-dough-play-spices-play-dough/) Spices and play dough post.

**Thanks for reading**

**Feel free to in this image**