Craft tutorials and free templates

Recipe for homemade glue

Homemade glueI‘d been meaning to try out this recipe for ages and last week we finally got round to it. Paper mache balloons were the order of the day and they turned out really well! Anyway…it’s dead easy, cheap and it works!

Ingredients

♥ Flour
♥ Sugar
♥ Water
♥ White vinegar

Combine flour and sugar in a saucepan (3:1 ratio). Add cold water to make a paste and beat out any lumps. Then stir constantly over a medium heat until the mixture thickens. Add one teaspoon of vinegar. Allow to cool before using. Store in an air-tight container. This glue will keep in a fridge for a couple of weeks or so.

Disclaimer: This recipe has been pinned on Pinterest over 14,000 times and is being described as home-made ‘mod podge’. The description is very misleading (but nothing I have any control over). The glue recipe is great, perfect for papier mache, collage and the like. It’s brilliant for little kids. It takes longer to dry than regular glue/paste. It’s not mod podge though and probably doesn’t compare to any commercial product! It is however, very cheap and completely natural!



60 thoughts on “Recipe for homemade glue

  1. ….forgot to mention that I also made a batch without vinegar and it seemed fine. Does anyone know exactly what the vinegar does? Would be great if someone could enlighten me!!

  2. I have never made paste before using vinegar, but I can say that home-made glue has the tendency to mold. In my recipe I use salt to prevent the molding, so that may be the purpose of the vinegar in your recipe!

  3. Yep vinegar has antibacterial properties, and being an acid, it prevents fungus as well. Way back when, vinegar was used as an antiseptic on wounds. I still use it to clean my kitchen regularly. It’s some amazing stuff!

  4. instead of vinegar, try using sodium benzoate powder as it is non toxic and fda approved substance. it has no taste and it is used as a preservative in bakery items.

  5. Thanks for adding the clarification! I came here from Pinterest, wondering about the ‘mod podge’ description. Great site!!

  6. I’m glad I came to your site for the ‘Mod Podge’ recipe, I don’t like pinning inaccurate information! I’m going to try your recipe, but I wondered if you could tell me before I do: when it does try does it look more glossy or matte?

  7. How well does this stuff work on glass? I’m making center pieces for my wedding and wanted to mix in glitter and paint fish bowls with it. Does it dry clear?

  8. The vinegar is a natural preservative. It will last longer with vinegar than without. ;0)

  9. Hi Charlie,

    It depends on how much you need and also how absorbent the flour is. You could start with 3/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of sugar…then add enough cold water to make a paste….then cook. Sorry I can’t be more precise.

  10. I was wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with any type of gluten free flour? If it needs to be adjusted or works at all, I would think it would but sometimes I am not so lucky. My son has severe allergies to most foods including gluten, but I would love to do this as it would give us a lot more crafting freedom at home 🙂

  11. Unfortunately we can’t really trust the FDA with what they approve. They approve a lot of stuff they know is bad for us. I’m going to school in the healthcare field and we’ve learned quite a bit about the FDA. I think I will stick to vinegar.

  12. I too came to find your site because of a pin claiming it was home-made mod podge. Thanks heaps for the clarification. I like to pin only form original sites and that way i get to find great new sites too. this site is a wonderful resource for crafty stuffs with the littlies. thanks heaps.
    I used to make flour and water glues for my kids when they were little and had to mind the mould issue. I will try it with the vinegar (and the next generation) now that I know that it helps to preserve it a little longer.

  13. Hi Jenna, I’m afraid i haven’t tried it with gluten free flour. You could always make a small amount to try out? You can make glue from rice (google rice glue and there are lots of recipe’s). Good luck ^_^

  14. I have been a crafter my whole life and have tried pretty much every craft I’ve ever come across on the internet. I love it. I just found this recipe from google and I am going to make it in a few minutes. I make all of my own gifts, I never buy them. I’m working on my Christmas list right now, and this glue is going to take me a long way through it. Thank you so much!

  15. How longs does this glue last? Is it just a make and toss sort of thing or can I use it for decorations and store it?

  16. Hi Laura, If you store in an air-tight container it will keep in a fridge for a couple of weeks or so.

  17. there is another recipe on here that iust white glue and water and you shake well and there it is…..mod podge 🙂 hope it helps, i’m trying it out soon!

  18. Wow this is great! I’m planning on using it on black poster board and picture. Just wondering if it dries clear?

  19. Hi Mathilde. It does dry clear but can sometimes leave a slight powdery residue. I strongly recommend testing it our before using it properly. Hope that helps ^_^

  20. I know you say a 3:1 ratio, but I’m bad with that stuff, if you just want a little batch how much do you actually need?!

  21. White house with water really isn’t anything like Mod Podge. Adding water may thin your for out to a similar consistency, but really that is making the glue WORSE than it was before. Adding water to white glue will only make it take longer to dry, and make your paper more likely to warp. See the “Mod Podge Rocks” blog for more technical information about how they are different. Amy, the Queen of that blog knows just about all there is to know about Decoupage.

    I am a very frugal person, therefore tried all sorts of “homemade Mod Podge” recipes. Even if the piece started out looking good, they didn’t hold up the way Mod Podge does. The real stuff not only adheres your paper or fabric, it also seals your project, which white glue does not do. When I spend hours on a project I don’t want it to end up doomed because I used the wrong product. Besides you can get a gallon of it on Amazon for a bit over $30, which is a LOT of Mod Podge! Of course you can buy smaller amounts too.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love homemade glue, and will probably try this one. I’ll just deal it with Mod Podge when I’m done. 😉 The rice glue sounds fun TOO! I try and make as many things from scratch as I can, o including laundry soap, hand soap, cleaners and more. Some things just aren’t going to work as well. Besides, I save enough money not buying expensive cleaners by making an alternative st home that I will let myself but my Mod Podge.

  22. MI PREGUNTA ES CUANTO DE HARINA POR CUANTO DE AZUCAR Y AGUA? AL FINAL MENCIONAS QUE UNA CUCHARADA DE VINAGRE PERO NO ME QUEDA CLARO LO PRIMERO

  23. When we lived in the mid west we used apple cider vinegar to remove mold. Since we moved out to CA people out here use a lot more white vinegar than we did in the mid west. I still use apple cinder vinegar to take mildew off walls just for spring cleaning just in case.

  24. Ciao se possibile sapere la quantita esatta dei prodotti acqua e quanta farina zucchero sale e aceto grazie

  25. it keep it from molding..sometimes it doesn’t set evenly or environment/climate/humidity causes flour and water to mold

  26. The vinegar is a preservative, but it will also deter insects who may want to chow down of bits of your projects.

  27. When I was a little kid, my mother made big wash pans of flour paste to put up her wallpaper.

  28. I agree, I don’t trust the FDA and prefer the natural properties of apple cider vinegar for LOTS of things. Drinking ACV is good for you too – google that!

  29. Aver si le puedo ayudar… Es Una copa de harina con 1/3 copa de azucar y Una cucharita de vinagre. Dice que es mas preferible usar la vinagre de manzana organico pero regular va estar bien. Lo siento, mi espanol no es perfecto. Buena swerte!

  30. When I was a kid in the 50’s the glue in kindergarten tasted like rice pablum. Does anyone know what it was made of?

  31. Great glue. Made some and sticks well. Does adding more vinegar help on lasting or it will ruin it. thanks
    .

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