This website contains affiliate links. Some products are gifted by the brand to test. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The content on this website was created with the help of AI.
Salt Dough Ornaments: Easy Recipe + 6 Styles That Sell
Flour, salt and water make ornaments that cost about 25 cents each. Here is how to make them look expensive and what to charge.
Get the cheat sheet ↓
How do you make salt dough ornaments? Mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt and ¾ cup warm water. Knead 5 minutes, roll ¼ inch thick, cut shapes, and bake at 200°F for 2 to 3 hours. One batch makes about 20 ornaments.
About 27,000 people search for salt dough ornaments every month in the US, and almost all of it happens in November and December. Make them now and you will be ready before the rush.
The recipe
How to make salt dough
One bowl, three things from your pantry, and about 10 minutes of work.
1. Mix
2 cups flour + 1 cup salt. Stir in ¾ cup warm water.
2. Knead
5 minutes until smooth. Add flour if sticky.
3. Cut
Roll ¼ inch thick. Cut shapes and poke a hole.
4. Bake
200°F for 2 to 3 hours. Flip halfway.
The ideas
6 salt dough ornament ideas that sell
Start with the classic white, then dress them up.
Classic White Salt Dough Ornaments (the Starter)
This is the one to master first. Plain white stars, hearts and circles look clean and modern, and they go with any tree.
Cut them, poke a hole, bake, and seal. That is the whole job.
What you need
- 1 batch salt dough
- Heart, star and circle cookie cutters
- A drinking straw for the hole
- Mod Podge Gloss to seal
How to make it
- Roll the dough ¼ inch thick on parchment.
- Press in your cutters and lift the shapes out.
- Poke a hole near the top with a straw.
- Bake at 200°F for 2 to 3 hours, flip halfway, then seal.
Tip: Thin ornaments puff and crack less. Keep them ¼ inch and the same thickness all over.
Handprint Keepsake Ornament (the Money Maker)
This is the ornament people cry over. Moms and grandmas will pay more for a baby’s handprint than for anything else on your table.
Paint a thin gold edge and it looks like a keepsake you would buy at a boutique.
What you need
- 4-inch circle of salt dough
- 1 little hand (press gently)
- Gold paint pen for the edge
- White string loop
How to make it
- Cut a 4-inch circle and poke the hole first.
- Press the hand in flat and lift straight up.
- Bake low and slow, about 3 hours.
- Paint the edge gold and seal.
Tip: Take custom handprint orders in early November. Have families drop off or press at home, then you bake and finish.
Gold-Edged Ornaments (the Look-Expensive One)
A little gold makes a 10-cent ornament look store-bought. Paint just the bottom edge so the white still shows.
Do a whole batch at once on a cooling rack so they dry flat.
What you need
- Baked white ornaments
- Metallic gold acrylic paint
- Small flat brush
- Wire cooling rack
How to make it
- Set baked ornaments on a cooling rack.
- Paint the bottom third gold.
- Let them dry 1 hour.
- Seal with Mod Podge.
Tip: Messy edges look handmade in a good way. Don’t fuss over a perfect line.
Print the salt dough cheat sheet
The recipe, all 6 styles, and the cost and pricing math on one page. Tape it inside a kitchen cabinet.
Open the printable →
Cinnamon Ornaments (the Scented One)
Cinnamon ornaments smell like the holidays for weeks. They are a deep brown, so they look great mixed in with the white ones.
They are not for eating. Put that on your tag.
What you need
- 1 cup ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 2 tbsp white glue
- Star and heart cutters
How to make it
- Mix cinnamon, applesauce and glue into a dough.
- Roll ¼ inch thick and cut shapes.
- Poke the hole with a straw.
- Air dry 2 days, or bake at 200°F for about 2½ hours.
Tip: Buy cinnamon in a 1 lb bag. The little grocery jars cost way more per batch.
Neutral Set of 6 (the Decor Set)
Mix 2 white, 2 gold-edged and 2 cinnamon. Now it is not just ornaments. It is a holiday decor set.
Hang them on a few birch branches in a vase and people see the whole look at once.
What you need
- 2 white ornaments
- 2 gold-edged ornaments
- 2 cinnamon ornaments
- White string loops
How to make it
- Tie a white string loop through each one.
- Mix the colors so no two match side by side.
- Hang them on branches for your photo or booth.
- Sell all 6 together.
Tip: Your listing photo sells the set. Shoot it on branches against a plain white wall, just like this.
Gift Box Trio + How to Price Them
A loose ornament sells for a few dollars. Three in a kraft box with white tissue is a gift, and gifts sell for more.
Your cost is about 25 cents per ornament, and the box adds about 45 cents. Here is what to charge.
What you need
- Kraft gift box
- White tissue paper
- 1 white, 1 gold, 1 cinnamon
- Kraft tag with care notes
How to price it
- Single ornament: $6.
- Gift box trio: $18.
- Neutral set of 6: $32.
- Custom handprint: $22.
Tip: Put a few trios at the front of your table. Teachers and hostess gifts are the easiest sale in December.
Make it easy
Your salt dough game plan
Do it in this order and you can have 60 ornaments ready in one weekend.
1. Mix
Make 3 batches back to back.
2. Bake
Fill every oven rack at 200°F.
3. Finish
Gold edges, seal, string loops.
4. Sell
$18 trios, $22 handprints.
Good to know: Seal every ornament so it does not soak up moisture. Store them in a dry box with tissue, and they last for years.
Keep going
What to read next
More things to make, gift, and sell.
Make your first batch this weekend
Start with plain white stars and hearts. You already have the flour and salt.
Get the cookie cutters →Updated October 9, 2026. This website contains affiliate links. Some products are gifted by the brand to test. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The content on this website was created with the help of AI.
This website contains affiliate links. Some products are gifted by the brand to test. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The content on this website was created with the help of AI.
