As many of you know, one of my favorite recipes ever is our No Cook Edible Slime.  It still is, but in several places worldwide it's challenging to find one of the main ingredients in that recipe - basil seeds.  I'm so excited to finally have a solution for you all!  My awesome blogging friend Dyan of And Next Comes L was working on trying to make our chia seed recipe work out (initially I'd tried the same approach as I did with the basil seeds, but the chia seeds lose water as you play, so the slime would fall apart over time) and we were chatting when I had a realization!  I'd been studying a lot of specialty ingredients for the series of gluten-free play recipes I created for our book - and I thought of something that just might fix the problems I was having with the chia seeds.  We tried it out and it works PERFECTLY:

The chia seed slime doesn't fall apart as you play and it's really fun and super stretchy!

 You can move it as one big glob.

You can make hand or footprints in it.

It's so fun to watch it ribbon down from up high!

And since it's edible (though please don't serve this to your child as a meal, haha), it's safe for very little ones to explore as well!

We got ours to stretch around 5 feet, which is amazing for an edible, chemical-free slime!

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From there, I wondered if I could modify the same basic recipe to make flax seeds work (I could) and then I wanted to see if I could make it work with no seeds at all (I could!).  Though the other two recipes worked, we all felt the best version of the slime was the chia seeds.  It was the most flexible and stretchy, so if you can get ahold of chia seeds, that's our recommendation.  And to save money, we buy our seeds and our xanthan gum in the bulk section of our grocery store.  Here are all three recipes.

To make Edible Chia Seed Slime:

Measure 1/4 cup chia seeds and 2 cups of water into a sealable container (we use tupperware containers) and store overnight in the fridge (12-24 hours).  If you can, stir at least once because the seeds tend to clump.  The next day your seeds should be nice and gelatinous.  Stir to break up any clumps, then add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum and whisk.  It won't completely mix in, but that's OK.   Add food coloring if you'd like, though as you can see from the photos above, you don't want to add a whole bottle of blue to make a really cool blue color.  It will just give your family smurf hands.  Add 3-5 drops and call it good and your hands will thank you. Next add one full 16 oz box of cornstarch (for UK folks this is cornflour) and mix.  At some point, it gets easier to knead by hand.  After that continue adding cornstarch by the Tablespoon until the slime isn't sticky.  We found that we needed to add 5 additional Tablespoons of cornstarch.  You will know your slime is ready when you can move it as a big heap.  If it's crumbly and not stretchy, add a teaspoon of water to correct and knead well.

We played with it for over an hour each time and it didn't dry out, but if it does, just wet your hands under the sink and knead them into the slime - this should be enough water to rehydrate it.

It is edible, which means it is perishable.  It will need to be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container when not in use.  It can keep for up to a week, but please inspect it for signs of mold or foul odor before presenting it to your child for play each time.  An interesting difference between this recipe and our Basil Seed Slime is that this recipe will harden in the refrigerator each time you store it.  To rehydrate it and get it ready for play, using your hands or a spoon, break it into small chunks and pour 1 Tablespoon of water over it at a time.  Knead the water in until your slime reaches its normal consistency.  It typically takes around 3 Tablespoons of water, but it will vary based on how many hours it has been in the fridge, etc.

  To make Edible Flax Seed Slime:

Measure 1/2 cup flax seeds and 2 cups of water into a sealable container (we use tupperware containers) and store overnight in the fridge (12-24 hours).  The next day your seeds should be nice and gelatinous.  Stir to break up any clumps, then add 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum and whisk.  It won't completely mix in, but that's OK.   Add food coloring if you'd like (3-5 drops is enough in our experience).  Next add one full 16 oz box of cornstarch + 1/4 cup (for UK folks this is cornflour) and mix.  At some point, it gets easier to knead by hand.  If the slime is still very sticky, add more cornstarch 1 Tablespoon at a time and knead between each addition.  If the slime is crumbly and not stretchy, add a teaspoon of water to correct and knead well.

We played with it for over an hour each time and it didn't dry out, but if it does, just wet your hands under the sink and knead them into the slime - this should be enough water to rehydrate it.

It is edible, which means it is perishable.  It will need to be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container when not in use.  It can keep for up to a week, but please inspect it for signs of mold or foul odor before presenting it to your child for play each time.  An interesting difference between this recipe and our Basil Seed Slime is that this recipe will harden in the refrigerator each time you store it.  To rehydrate it and get it ready for play, using your hands or a spoon, break it into small chunks and pour 1 Tablespoon of water over it at a time.  Knead the water in until your slime reaches its normal consistency.  It typically takes around 3 Tablespoons of water, but it will vary based on how many hours it has been in the fridge, etc.

To make Edible Seedless Slime:

Without the additional stabilization from the seeds and their gelatin, this slime is less stretchy and more prone to snapping than the above two.  However, if you don't have access to basil, chia, or flax seeds, it's still a very fun slime to play with!

Add 1 and 3/4 cups of water to 1 Tablespoon of xanthan gum and whisk.  The xanthan gum won't completely mix in, but that's OK.   Add food coloring if you'd like (3-5 drops is enough in our experience).  Next add one full 16 oz box of cornstarch + 1/2 cup (for UK folks this is cornflour) and mix.  At some point, it gets easier to knead by hand.  If the slime is still very sticky, add more cornstarch 1 Tablespoon at a time and knead between each addition.  If the slime is crumbly and not stretchy, add a teaspoon of water to correct and knead well.

We played with it for over an hour each time and it didn't dry out, but if it does, just wet your hands under the sink and knead them into the slime - this should be enough water to rehydrate it.

It is edible, which means it is perishable.  It will need to be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container when not in use.  It can keep for up to a week, but please inspect it for signs of mold or foul odor before presenting it to your child for play each time.  An interesting difference between this recipe and our Basil Seed Slime is that this recipe will harden in the refrigerator each time you store it.  To rehydrate it and get it ready for play, using your hands or a spoon, break it into small chunks and pour 1 Tablespoon of water over it at a time.  Knead the water in until your slime reaches its normal consistency.  It typically takes around 3 Tablespoons of water, but it will vary based on how many hours it has been in the fridge, etc.

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.