This is the BEST butter slime recipe! It’s really easy to make and you can use any kind of clay that you’d like! This butter slime is stretchy and soft.
RELATED: Fluffy Slime
Butter Slime Recipe
Butter slime doesn’t actually have butter in it. But it has a cool buttery-like texture instead which is probably where it got its name from. It’s also not as stretchy as you would expect, but more moldable and fluffy. Most butter slime recipes you’ll find have some sort of soft clay added in. We have used Model Magic clay since it’s non-toxic. You can also try a different form of soft clay but be sure to check that it’s non-toxic also.
We tested many different recipes for butter slime and found most of them to be not that stretchy. We actually tested about 10 different recipe variations before we were finally happy with this butter slime recipe.
From all the recipes we tested, butter slime is not very stretchy. We’ve added in water, baby oil and baby lotion to help make it stretchier. If you do not want it to be stretchy and want it to be more of a moldable substance you can skip these ingredients. If you want a stretchier slime, try our fluffy slime.
The reason it’s not that stretchy is from the Model Magic – so adding lotion and oil help to make the Model Magic stretchier and more pliable.
This butter slime will be the most stretchy when you first make it. If it sits out too long the clay will start making it harder, so when it’s not in use we recommend sealing in an air tight container to preserve it.
This slime is really easy to make and leaves very little mess on your hands since you don’t have to use any food coloring. We like to use colored Model Magic for this reason. You won’t end up with any stained hands from having to color your glue with food coloring.
The Model Magic is also fun to play with and if you have extra you can use it to turn it into something else! If you keep the Model Magic sealed after use you can continue to use it like playdough and sculpt and make different things.
Watch the Video Tutorial!
Will this Slime Recipe Work?
If your slime has failed and does not turn into slime it’s usually due to not having one of the correct ingredients. In order to make sure that your slime turns out – please be sure to read the instructions and ingredients carefully.
Contact Lens Solution: The type of contact lens solution and glue you use is very important. Substituting these ingredients for other brands may result in your slime not working.
Glue: We prefer Elmer’s regular white glue for most of our slime recipes because it is quality PVA glue. Dollar store glue or other brands of glue may not work as well. We also like to stay away from Elmer’s Glue All or natural brands.
Can You Use Different Clay?
Yes you can substitute with another brand of modeling clay. We’d recommend this soft clay for slime as an alternative to the model magic.
Ingredients Needed to Make Butter Slime
- Elmer’s White Glue (8 oz) – Note: We have only tested this with Elmer’s glue and recommend this brand as other brands may not work. Do not use Elmer’s Glue All.
Tip: We like to buy the large gallon-size of Elmer’s Glue.
- 1 TSP baby oil
- 2 TBSP baby lotion
- 1 TSP Baking Soda
- 3 TBSP water
- 1 TBSP of Contact lens solution. **Important: your brand of contact lens solution must contain boric acid and sodium borate. We like this brand the best and use it in all of our slime recipes. See our full contact solution slime recipe for the brands we recommend.
How to Make Butter Slime
1. Pour 8 ounces of your white glue in a bowl.
Tip: We like to buy the large gallon-size of Elmer’s Glue since it’s the most economical. It’s easy to pour and measure out your glue with measuring cups and you can use it to make lots of batches of slime!
2. Mix your baking soda in.
3. Add you water and mix thoroughly.
4. Add the baby oil and lotion and mix.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution and mix.
6. Pour the slime out on the table as it will be very sticky still.
This is what you want since when you add your clay it will take the stickiness away.
Add a little amount of clay (as pictured below) and fold over your slime and knead it into the slime. Keep kneading until your slime is colored and the clay is thoroughly mixed.
7. The more you knead the less sticky it should be until it feels like regular slime.
You can now stretch and fold a few times and create your own swirl!
How Long Does Butter Slime Last?
Keep your butter slime stored in an air tight container or bag and it will last at least 1 week. We like to store in a Ziploc bag so we can press out all of the air from the bag.
Note: the clay in butter slime will make it harden faster than regular slime.
What is Slime?
Slime is a polymer. Other examples of polymers are Jell-O, gum and rubber bands. Glue is also an example of a polymer. A polymer is made of long chains of polyvinyl acetate molecules. These chains slide easily between one another making the substance pourable.
The Science Behind the Slime
Making slime is fun for kids but it’s also really cool science! Explain the science to your kids when you mix the contact lens solution with the glue. When you add the contact lens solution to your glue, it counteracts the glue and forms a viscous substance. This turns into slime and can be shaped and stretched. The slime forms when the glue molecules cross-link with the borate ions in the contact lens solution. This is a bond that causes the large molecules to no longer slide freely past one another (like the substance was when it was a glue). Therefore resulting in slime!
We hope you love this butter slime recipe as much as we do! You can also substitute the clay and add some cornstarch in for a similar consistency. We would recommend about 2-4 tablespoons of cornstarch.
For more fun slime recipes, see these other favorite slime recipes we have:
What Are the Best Slime Containers?
I typically store my Butter Slime in a large Ziplock bag with the air removed. But if you want to use slime containers, these plastic containers that come with labels that you can use for the type of slime you create are great! They’re just $17 at Amazon for a pack of 12 and hold 10 ounces each.
Slime Safety & Precautions
Note: Making slime is a science experiment and safety precautions should still be made when creating slime. By making this slime, you agree to our site terms which you can read here.
- Adults should handle any chemicals and products
- Adults should make the slime
- Always read and follow the labels of products used. If contact lens solution is accidentally ingested, seek medical attention immediately.
- This project is not suitable for children under 4.
- Slime should not be placed in the mouth. Always wash hands before and after playing with the slime.
- If you notice any skin irritation, discontinue use immediately. If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves while making and playing with the slime.
- Slime is a science experiment and should be made and played with in moderation. Do not allow children to make their own slime and do not play with slime for an extended period of time.
More Slime Recipes
Have you tried fluffy slime yet? This fluffy slime is really fun to play with! See how we turned it into unicorn fluffy slime.
Can you replace the baby lotion and oil with something else
You can leave it out of the recipe but it will not be as stretchy.
great slime thanks!☺️🙂
ur instructions for slime are incredible 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
what clay did you use
This is so helpful
Thank you
If don’t want to put clay in and I guess you just want the slime Will it still work? Sorry this wasn’t a comment.
Yes if you don’t put the clay in it will just make regular slime.
What brand of baby lotion do you use?
Any brand is fine.
This recipe took awhile to get right, I didn’t have model magic, tried another model clay and that didn’t work at all. Added LOTS of cornstarch, baby powder, baby oil and finally added some borax with water, about 1/4 tsp borax in 1/4 cup warm water, then only added 1/2 tsp of the water and it finally came together. It’s wonderful now, great texture. Took about 10 minutes of playing with it to not be super sticky too.
Awesome to make with your grandkids
Would you be able to substitute the baby oil for another kind of oil?? Grapeseed, olive, avocado, basically all the oils haha!
I would just leave the baby oil out and use more lotion on your hands if it’s sticky.
I really want to make this with my kids, but I can’t get Model Magic here where I live. Any ideas how to make it without the Model Magic?
Thanks.
You can try adding cornstarch instead to get a similar consistency! I’d recommend 2-4 tablespoons of cornstarch as a replacement.
How many recipes could you make using one package of model magic? I want to make this slime with a group and was uncertain how much I should buy.
You only need a little amount from the package, so one package should let you make at least 4-5 batches of the slime depending on how much clay you use in each.
This is THE BEST slime recipe EVER! We have made many kinds and this is the only one that doesn’t stick to my kids hands. I used Walgreens multi-purpose solution and it worked great. I highly recommend this recipe.
At what point in the recipe would we add the cornstarch if we want to go that route?
Also, if we wanted to use cornstarch but wanted colorful butter slime, at what point in the recipe would we add food coloring?
Thanks!
Add in the cornstarch and food coloring after you add in the water.
We just made this! We cut the recipe in half and added some food coloring into the glue so it’s super bright! This is a great recipe!
As soon as I added the baking soda the glue turned to rubber. Any ideas
You can try adding in less baking soda. Make sure it was only a teaspoon. You can try 1/2 teaspoon. Also add in less model magic as that makes it more stiff as well.
Made the slime and it was fantastic the first time!!
After playing for awhile it got stiff. How do we soften it back up please?
Add a little lotion into it and it will soften it back up. 🙂
I made this without the model magic – I needed to add 2 cups! of cornstarch to make it manageable enough to hold! Definitely bump up the amount of cornstarch if you aren’t using model magic!
Great tip thanks! We haven’t tried it with just cornstarch yet we’ll have to give that a try. 🙂
Our slime came together well and very suddenly turned into a clumpy porous mess, dripping coloured liquid everywhere. It was though the solid and liquid were splitting apart. Any ideas what might have gone wrong? We’ve tried a version with cornstarch as well, which turned just as awful.
Magda did you use Elmers glue and Renu or Equate contact solution? It could be any one of the ingredients that could be the problem. We recommend you try with the same ones we used and if it’s still an issue you can skip the water but the slime won’t turn out as stretchy.
I put too much baking soda now it’s runny. What can I add to make it form
If it’s too runny you can try adding more glue to it and then a little more contact solution. Hope that helps!
What is the purpose of the baby oil and lotion? Can it be left out?
The model magic makes the slime hard so if you want it to be stretchier the lotion and the oil help soften it up and make it stretchy. Otherwise if you want a more moldable, playdough like substance then you can leave it out. 🙂