DIY Salt Dough Pumpkins

 

Ingredients:

• • 4 cups all-purpose flour

• • 4 cups of table salt

• • 4 cups of warm water

• • 4 tsp. Ground ginger

• • 4 tsp. Ground cinnamon

• • 4 tsp. Ground clove

• • 4 tsp. Nutmeg

 

Equipment:

• • Cookie sheet or baking sheet - these are in my kitchen

• • Parchment paper - these are in my kitchen

• • String, toothpick, or wooden skewer

• • Large spoon

• • Large bowl

• • Matte Mod Podge - (optional) - HERE

• • Foam brush or paint brush - my favorite - HERE

• • Cinnamon sticks or small sticks – pumpkin stem                           

 

Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients

 

Place 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 cups of table salt, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg into a large bowl. If you’re using essential oils, add about 10 drops into the dry ingredients. Mix everything with a spoon until well combined.  

 

Step 2: Add Warm Water 

 

Slowly pour in warm water while stirring; this is how the salt dissolves. Keep stirring until it forms a dough ball. It should be the consistency of play dough.

 

Cindy’s Food Coloring Tip: If you’d like to add color, mix food coloring into the warm water before combining. It may make the dough a little sticky, so you might need extra flour. I personally skip food coloring and instead paint afterward with acrylic paints.

 

Step 3: Knead the Dough 

 

Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes. Since these are pumpkins, I didn’t want my salt dough creations to be perfectly smooth; I love a rustic, natural look. While kneading, preheat your oven to 200 degrees. A low temperature is key to drying any salt dough recipe.

 

Cindy’s Tip: Normally, I knead my dough for 10 minutes to get smooth results, especially when making homemade ornaments for Christmas time. It’s a great way to get a perfect finish. At the end of this post, I’ll share links to more of my favorite salt dough pieces.

 

Step 4: Shape and Form

 

Roll the dough into small balls (the size of a large meatball) and shape them into pumpkins. To make the classic pumpkin creases, I used both a string and a toothpick. Pulling the string too tight flattens the pumpkin, so press gently. Use the side of a toothpick to deepen the lines all the way to the bottom. Finish with a cinnamon stick on the top of the pumpkin for a pumpkin stem. Important: See note below about adding small sticks for a pumpkin stem.

 

Cindy’s Tip: If you’d rather use small sticks for the stem, make a small hole at the top of the pumpkin before baking and secure the stick with hot glue afterward.

Step 5: Drying

• • Place the pumpkins on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees. Since they are thick, they’ll need extra time to harden fully.

• • Bake for 3 hours on the cookie sheet.

• • Move to a wire rack and bake for 1 more hour at 200 degrees.

• • Let them cool completely

• • Total drying time: 4 hours. They should feel completely hard once the drying process is finished.

 

Step 6: Seal with Mod Podge

 

Once cooled, brush on a thin coat of Mod Podge or matte polyurethane spray to the pumpkins. This protects them from moisture and helps them last for a long time. You will use these seasons after seasons.

 

Cindy’s Tip: Sealing is optional, but I always do it. The coat of Mod Podge has kept my salt dough creations looking great for years.

 

 

 

Happy crafting!