Painting pictures and seeing color added to a page is such a fun experience. How much more fun though when that painting has dimension and texture! Kids (and grown-ups!) love puffy paint, and this recipe makes it safe for even the youngest artists to try, because it’s entirely safe to taste. In fact, it’s based on the recipe for royal icing!

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Giving children a blank piece of paper is great for encouraging creativity, but sometimes they might need a little something to get started. So, I’ve included a few fall designs that can be printed and painted on.

Printable Fall Puffy Paint Pictures

Taste-Safe Puffy Paint
(makes about 1-1/2 cups)

1 heaping cup of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder
2 tablespoons water
food coloring

Note: The meringue powder does contain eggs, but unlike raw egg whites these are safe for children. However, those with egg allergies should avoid this recipe.

Place all of the ingredients in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer. You won’t want to do this with stirring unless you’ve got crazy mixing stamina!

Use as much food coloring as you want, and blend whatever color you want for your paint. Of course, you can also leave it white for painting snow, ghosts, stars and more.

Set the mixer on high and let it mix for 5-7 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally. As it comes together the paint will start to get fluffier and form peaks when you lift the mixer.

Scoop the paint into a bowl, then give your child a paint brush, cotton swabs, or other tools. And I recommend painting on card stock. You might want to demonstrate how they can get the most “puff” by dabbing instead of brushing too much. But either way, it’s fun.



The pumpkin shape was fun to make these lines, while the owl got a solid, swirly treatment. There’s so much you can do, and you can reshape the texture as you paint!

Depending on how much paint is on the page and how thick it is, it will take up to 12 hours to thoroughly dry and harden. As it does, you’ll notice that it soaks through the back of the paper a bit. Keep that in mind and don’t set it on anything important! This really is more about the process than creating a painting that will keep forever.

Unused paint can be stored in an air-tight container for several days. Just give it a stir before using.

Also, even though this is taste-safe, I wouldn’t encourage children to eat the paint. After all, it’s primarily sugar!

Happy painting!