How To Make An Easy Paper Maché Piñata

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Learn how to make your own piñata using simple ingredients from home. You will be shocked at how budget-friendly this DIY project can be.

collage of images including balloons, paper mache paste with girl hitting homemade pinata with a yellow bat.

There is no better party activity than a piñata. We have convinced our son that a family party in our new playset with cupcakes would be the perfect way to celebrate his birthday. What little kid doesn’t love hanging a piñata outside and finding all the customized treasures?

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Why not just buy a piñata?

I had a few in my online shopping cart but decided to save $20+ and make my own DIY piñata. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a homemade paper maché piñata. The best part about this easy DIY project is that it is budget-friendly. You probably already have most supplies in your pantry.

children feet and candy after hitting a homemade piñata

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Ways To Make A Simple Piñata

out of a cereal box
use a paper bag as the base
use an old cardboard box
traditional paper maché paste and crepe paper
mini piñatas out of cardboard tubes
create a base like large numbers out of bendable cardboard strips

Design Your Piñata Before You Start

Once you have decided on your piñata design you need to construct your base before making your paper mache paste.

For our simple Easter egg piñata that meant blowing up the balloon and prepping our workspace. This will take more time if you are using something other than a balloon for your base.

Our Design

I asked my son what he wanted, and he actually said the easiest thing possible…An Easter egg piñata. This basic shape could be made with a balloon and easy DIY paper maché paste.

Other DIY piñata ideas

Unsure of the piñata you want to build? Our DIY friends make them all the time. We will be consulting this list of cool piñata ideas for our next birthday party.

flour, balloon, bowl, measuring cup filled with water on newspaper in kitchen.

Recommend Supplies For Paper Maché Recipe

I.5 parts water
1 part flour
Tablespoon of salt
Newspaper or old brown paper bags
Colored Tissue Paper or paint (optional)
Balloons (this pack of balloons has also been a hit for extra games around our house)

*You can use cardboard or a different base than a balloon.

How To Make Homemade Paper Maché Paste

1. Pour flour into the bowl and slowly add water.

measuring cup with water being poured into bowl with flour.

2. Stir or whisk until it is not chunky at all.

3. Add salt (this helps preserve what you are making)

How To Make A Piñata From A Balloon

1. You will want to precut your newspaper or old paper brown bags into strips of paper about 1 inch wide. This can vary depending on your project.

hands holding orange scissors cutting brown paper bags into strips.

2. If using a balloon, bowl up to desired size and place in a bowl. This will help you have a stand to work on. If you are creating a cardboard base, then you would just get that ready.

balloon in bowl with mixing bowl and flour on countertop.

3. Dip a whole strip of newspaper into the flour mixture. Pull it out while keeping it flat. This allows the edge of the bowl to take some of the excess paper mache off. You can also use your fingers to take extra goop off.

hand placing newspaper strip in flour paper mache mix.

4. Keep strips flat and place them on the balloon or base. Rubbing it to get flat.

newspaper strips with paper mache paste on a balloon on the kitchen counter.

5. Overlap strips in different ways. You do not want the paper mache strips to all go the same way.

large balloon with paper mache paste and newspaper going different directions.

6. Repeat this until you have about 3 layers.

blue streamer on paper mache balloon piñata.

7. If you want to add a base color to your homemade pinata, then you can also carefully add tissue paper on top of the newspaper. You can try to do it while it is wet or revisit and add color after it dries.

blue homemade piñata in bowl with plate of paste and loose tissue paper on counter.

8. Your piñata base may take up to 24-48 hours to completely dry.

Optional Homemade Piñata Steps

Paint Dotters or Paint

Use paint dot makers to have little ones help you add decorations as we did after our homemade pinata dried.

pink, purple, silver paint dotters in front of balloon piñata.

Add Extra Colors Of Tissue Paper

Cut tissue paper in a fringe and glue it on to give it a more traditional pinata feel.

foam brush putting paper mache paste on top of pink tissue paper on homemade piñata.

Add Texture

Cut some squares of tissue paper, wrap them around the end of a pencil and dip them in glue. Add the tissue paper to the pinata. In the image below, we are making a simple textured tissue paper heart craft.

This will give that fluffy texture. I think I will probably try this the next time I need to make a pinata, but it probably would be pretty time-consuming.

hand holding square of tissue paper around pencil end and adding texture to heart shape.

How To Turn Balloon Into A Hanging Piñata

So here is where I knew it would get tricky.

1. First, pop the balloon. I did cover the whole balloon except for the knot.

2. Cut out a shape on the top big enough for you to drop your prizes into. Use an Exacto knife to cut a square flap out of the top. Do not cut the whole shape. Cut 3 sides so that the top of the pinata will flip open.

hand holding exacto knife cutting into paper mache piñata.

3. Drop in the prizes and small toys. Make sure that your piñata is strong enough to support whatever you are putting in. We added suckers, small toys, airheads, and my favorite little spiky balls to ours.

hand placing red and yellow spiky ball toy inside color piñata.

4. Punch or cut two small holes far enough away from the opening and add a string or ribbon.

purple ribbon going across inside of homemade piñata with toys and candy inside.

5. Flip the cut shape back on.

pink, green, blue tissue papered homemade piñata with open cut.

6. Make a small amount of homemade paper maché paste. Reapply flour paper mache on top of the cut seams.

paper mach newspaper on top of homemade piñata.

7. Add colored tissue paper back on top.

pink, purple and green wet tissue paper with flour mixture on it.

Let the paper mache strips dry and get ready to have some fun!

Hang Your Homemade Piñata

We decided to hang ours near our new treehouse and rock wall. Surprisingly, ours held up for quite a few swings. I was surprised at how strong 3 layers of paper mache were. My kids loved that they knew we had made it ourselves and couldn’t wait to see what was inside.

colorful piñata made from a balloon hanging outside.

They also really thought it was a mystery about how things got inside. While they helped with the paper mache part, they didn’t get to see me put the toys and candy inside. They were happily surprised by this homemade piñata!

Tips and Tricks For Making A Piñata

Make sure that your homemade piñata structure is strong enough to hold what goodies you put in.
Use a bowl to help prop up balloons or round objects.
Find ways to add details with the whole family (like using paint dotters)

How-To FAQs

How long does it take paper maché to dry?

Honestly, don’t be shocked if it takes over 24 hours for your balloon piñata to dry. By now 48 hours it should be completely dry no matter what environment you are drying it in.
Make sure to rotate the piñata or else you will have a wet spot. We kept ours in a bowl and just rotated it. If it is a sunny day you can also speed up the dry time by placing your balloon outside.

How many layers of paper maché do you need?

3 layers will make sure that your piñata is strong enough to hold the goodies you put inside. Make sure you criss-cross the strips when applying them to the balloon.

Can you make paper maché paste out of glue?

Classic paper maché consists of flour. However, we have had success mixing 1 part non-washable glue and 1 part water together for a flour alternative. Make your strips out of thinner paper or even paper towels for the best results.

What if the base of your piñata is not a balloon?

If you are using a box as a base, you would want to open parts of it and then retape it together with masking tape. This will make it easier for your children to smash.