EASY Salt Dough Ornaments That Last Forever

Learn how to make adorable salt dough ornaments for your Christmas tree! Fun, easy, and perfect for adding a personal touch to your holiday decor.

Skills Required: Beginner. You’ll make salt dough according to the recipe, cut your shapes, and then bake it. Then you’ll paint and Mod Podge the resulting ornaments. Anyone can do this project without prior experience.

Hey there, crafty friends! Are you ready to try a festive project that’s guaranteed to spread holiday cheer and leave you with the cutest ornaments ever?

Let’s talk about salt dough ornaments, specifically those adorable gingerbread men that look good enough to eat (but trust me, they’re not!).

If you’re itching to add a personal touch to your Christmas tree this year, or if you just love the idea of homemade decorations that are as fun to make as they are to display, you’ve come to the right place.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: “Salt dough ornaments? Isn’t that something kids do?” Well, yes, they are perfect for kids, but they’re also a fantastic project for grown-ups.

Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just looking for a fun weekend activity, making salt dough Christmas ornaments is a delightful way to get into the holiday spirit.

Plus, it’s a great way to create lasting memories and unique decorations that you’ll cherish for years to come.

Why gingerbread men, you ask? Well, they’re classic, charming, and just plain fun to make. With their cheerful faces and tiny little details, these ornaments will bring a smile to anyone’s face.

And the best part? You don’t need a bunch of fancy supplies or special skills. If you can roll dough and use a cookie cutter, you’re already halfway there!

So grab your apron, preheat your oven, and get ready to have some festive fun. Scroll down for the full tutorial on how to make these delightful salt dough gingerbread men ornaments.

Tips for Making Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

These ornaments are perfect for adding a personalized touch of whimsy for the holiday. Then, of course, you can hang them on your Christmas tree. They look great against the pine backdrop!

How to Make Salt Dough

This is a very affordable project. You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen! Our salt dough recipe is made with flour, salt, and water. It’s *really* easy and you can’t mess it up.

The only thing I ask is that you don’t eat the dough, or let your children eat it. It tastes terrible anyway.

Preserving the Ornaments

You have a few options for preserving your ornaments. Before you do any preservation, you’ll want to paint them (if you want to use paint). You can paint the entire ornament or partial . . . and I recommend acrylic paint.

After that you can do one of two things. You can seal the ornaments with Mod Podge (giving the ornament a few coats) or you can use a spray sealer. Or both. The decoupage medium is sufficient, but more coats just makes them more durable.

The finish you use to preserve the salt dough is up to you – pick Satin, Gloss, or Matte depending on what you like. I used Matte in this project.

How Long do Salt Dough Ornaments Last?

If you preserve your ornaments properly, salt dough can last for years. I have some dough ornaments from my childhood, so they would be at least 40 years old. They are still in great condition and there’s been no disintegration whatsoever!

Are you ready to start the project? Here’s what you’re going to need!

Gather These Supplies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup table salt (you can also grind up other salt)
• 3/4 – 1 cup water
• Mod Podge
• Baker’s twine or twine
• Parchment paper
• Acrylic paint
• Acrylic paint markers
• Sandpaper (optional)

Tools

• Paintbrushes
• Cookie cutters
• Rolling pin
• Scissors
• Baking sheet
• Oven

It’s as simple as that! These are so fun and easy to make, and it’s a great Christmas kids’ craft, as well!

Get the printable how to card for this project below:

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Salt Dough Ornaments

Learn how to make salt dough Christmas ornaments using this how-to! This salt dough recipe can be used for many other kids' crafts.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Active Time30 minutes mins

Bake Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Yield: 16 ornaments

Cost: $1

Equipment

• Paintbrushes
• Cookie cutters
• Rolling Pin
• Scissors
• Baking sheet
• Oven

Materials

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 3/4 – 1 cup water
• Mod Podge
• Baker’s twine or twine
• Parchment paper
• Acrylic paint
• Acrylic paint markers
• Sandpaper optional

Instructions

• [mv_schema_meta name="Mix the Dough"]Make the dough by mixing the flour, salt, and water in a bowl. Knead the dough to combine. If your dough is too dry, add a bit more water, if it's too wet, just add more flour. Salt dough is very forgiving; it's hard to mess it up!
  
• [mv_schema_meta name="Roll Out the Dough and Cut Out"]Roll out the dough on a flour and cornstarch dusted surface, around 1/4 inch thick. Use a gingerbread man-shaped cookie cutter to cut your shapes. For any remaining dough, gather it up and form it into another ball to roll out and cut. Repeat until there is little to no dough left.
  
• [mv_schema_meta name="Poke a Hole in Each Ornament"]Use the end of a drinking straw or skewer to poke a hole at the top of each ornament for hanging.
  
• [mv_schema_meta name="Bake the Ornaments"]Place on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours. Let cool. Flip the gingerbread men a few times so they bake evenly and do not curl up. Allow them to cool completely. If desired, sand off sharp edges.
  
• [mv_schema_meta name="Mod Podge to Seal"}Mod Podge the top, sides and bottom of your gingerbread ornaments once baked and dry to seal and so you have a nice, even surface for painting. Let dry.
  
• [mv_schema_meta name="Paint and Decorate"]Paint and decorate your ornament – to give it a gingerbread color, I used a mixture of tan and brown acrylic paints. Let dry completely. Add embellishments with acrylic paint markers for the ‘icing’, or even using puffy paint, ribbons, trim and other craft items.
  
• [mv_schema_meta name="Seal and Add Ribbon to Hang"]Once everything is dry, seal with another coat (or two) of matte Mod Podge, and then add your ribbon or twine to hang.
  

Video

Notes

Bake ornaments until hard and dry – mine took about 2 hours.

If you are interested in making some additional crafts with salt dough, get inspired by our salt dough pins. I’d also love for you to check out these ornaments:

Confetti • Decoupage Fabric • Glass Balls • Kids’ Handprints • Last Minute Paper • Letters • Mason Jar Lids • Mod Podge Glitter • Night Light Bulbs • Painted Wood • Paper Bags • Paper Balls • Photo Blocks • Shadow Box • Spools • Sugar