Homemade slime recipe made with only 3 ingredients! Only takes a few minutes to make and will entertain your kids for hours!

Purple slime being pulled by hands.

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How do you Make Homemade Slime?

When it comes to kid’s crafts, homemade slime is one of the best ideas! It’s easy, quick and super inexpensive. My kids always have SO much fun playing with it!

Do you remember Gak? I remember playing with that stuff as a kid and LOVED it. I recently came across this slime recipe and knew I had to make some for my kids. It is very similar to gak. They literally played with it all afternoon and had so much fun!

This is a fun craft to do for an indoor activity. I know we will be making this slime recipe plenty of more times throughout the year. The best part is, it only cost about $1 to make! Seriously, my kids couldn’t get enough of this stuff. It is a little messy, so make sure to lay down a plastic tablecloth (a trash bag works too) so the slime doesn’t get on the table.

This is the best slime recipe because it comes together so quickly and only takes 3 main ingredients (plus food coloring if desired). Have fun with it!

Slime Ingredients

Slime ingredients: baking soda, elmer's school glue and saline solution.
  • 8-ounce bottle Elmer’s white school glue
  • 1 1/2 – 2 Tablespoons contact saline solution, more as needed (or slime activator)
  • 1 Tablespoon baking soda
  • Food coloring, optional

How to Make Homemade Slime

Step by steps to make slime with glue.

Add glue and food coloring to bowl. Squeeze the bottle of glue into a bowl (photo 1). Add your food coloring if desired, and stir until combined. Then mix in baking soda (photo 2).

Mix in saline solution. Add 1 1/2 Tablespoons saline solution and mix until combined (photo 3). If it’s too sticky, add 1/2 Tablespoon more solution at a time. The more you add, the thicker it’ll be. The less you add, the slimier it’ll be (see texture in photo 4).

Knead the slime. Using your hands, knead the slime until it holds together. It will be wet and gooey at first, but just keep kneading until it all comes together.

Store slime. Store slime in a container with lid, or in a zip top bag. The slime is best to play with on a place mat.

Purple slime in glass bowl.

Tips for Making Slime

  • Use plastic bowls and spoons to make clean up easier.
  • Make sure to get the color correct before adding the saline. It’s harder to mix in when it begins to thicken.
  • For thicker slime, add more saline solution. For a slimier texture, add less saline.
  • Slime is best to play with on a place mat, plastic tablecloth or even a trash bag.
  • Can add in extras like glitter, scented oils or even mini styrofoam balls.
  • Recipe makes about a cup of slime. Can double or triple based on how many kids there are.
  • If you have long hair, make sure to put it into a pony tail. If a little slime gets in your hair, simply rub some coconut oil or olive oil on top and comb it out.
Hands pulling purple slime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make homemade slime?

To make homemade slime, combine a bottle of glue, a Tablespoon of baking soda and slime activator or saline solution. Knead until smooth and stretchy.

How do you make slime with 3 ingredients?

1. Bottle of glue
2. 1 Tablespoon baking soda
3. 2 Tablespoons of contact solution or slime activator

Variations

This slime recipe is perfect for making fun variations like a fluffy slime or my butter slime recipe! It’s super easy to customize and add mix-ins like different food coloring dyes, glitter, scented oils or even mini styrofoam balls.

It’s especially fun to make different holiday variations, like the orange and green Halloween slime below. We put it in these hefty quart size bags and drew monster faces on for a fun Halloween activity. My kids loved the different colors and are already begging to make blue and pink!

More Slime Recipes and Kids Activities

hands pulling purple slime

Slime Recipe

4.98 from 278 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 batch
Homemade slime recipe made with only 3 ingredients! Only takes a few minutes to make and will entertain your kids for hours!
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Video

Equipment

  • Plastic bowl and spoon.
  • Ziptop bag for storing.
  • Place mat for enjoying slime.

Ingredients 

  • 8 ounce bottle Elmer’s white school glue
  • 1 Tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ – 2 Tablespoons contact saline solution or slime activator , more as needed

Optional: Food coloring

Instructions

  • Place glue in a bowl. If you're adding food coloring, add it now until desired color is reached. Then mix in baking soda.
  • Add 1 1/2 Tablespoons saline solution or slime activator and mix until combined. Add 1/2 Tablespoon more at a time if it is too sticky. The more you add, the thicker it'll be. The less you add, the slimier it will be.
  • Stir until you can no longer stir and then kneed with your hands. It will be sticky at first, but keep moving it with your hands until it is no longer sticky and desired consistency is reached. 
  • Pull apart and have fun playing. Store in a covered container or ziptop bag. Best to play with on a place mat.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Tips:
  • Use plastic bowls and spoons to make clean up easier.
  • It’s best if your saline solution contains boric acid and sodium borate
  • Make sure to get the color correct before adding the saline. It’s harder to mix in when it begins to thicken.
  • For thicker slime, add more saline solution. For a slimier texture, add less saline.
  • Recipe makes about a cup of slime. Can double or triple based on how many kids there are.
Optional Mix in’s: 
  • Food coloring
  • Scented oils
  • Glitter 
  • Mini styrofoam balls