Cloud slime is possibly the most popular and difficult to make slime type. If you’ve ever wondered how to create that incredibly soft and fluffy slime texture that resembles a cloud, we’ve got you covered.

An incredibly fluffy ribbon of sea foam green cloud slime drizzles down into a swirly pile on a white marble counter. The texture of the slime looks like spun cotton candy.

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In this guide, we’ll delve into the secrets of cloud slime, including its unique transformation from dense to lightweight, and the perfect ingredient ratio to create this magical sensory dough at home.

What is cloud slime?

While some people call any fluffy slime “cloud slime”, in the ever growing slime business community, it means a specific type of slime made with white glue and instant snow powder.

A fluffy pastel yellow swirl of cloud slime sits on a white marble board. The side light is strong, giving the slime an ethereal glow.

The quality making cloud slime so special is that it easily moves between two different textures. When squeezed or pressed, it compresses to a slightly dense dough. The firmly packed texture is similar to fresh homemade sugar cookie dough that is a little wet but not sticky.

But as the slime is stretched and pulled, it begins to expand into a fluffy texture that is hard to visually comprehend. The slime truly looks like fluffed up cotton. You expect it to be soft, dry, and feathery to the touch. Yet it has the same moisturizing feel spread into hundreds of thin silky strands.

The photo has three images showing cloud slime in its different texture stages. In the first frame, neon turquoise, bright green, and pale yellow balls of cloud slime are smooth and compact showing almost no texture. In the middle frame, each of the balls of slime has been stretched a few times before twisting into a pile. The center of the twists are smooth and creamy while the edges are quite fluffy. The third frame has a long thick ribbon of cloud slime drizzling down. All three balls of slime have been mixed together to make a bright sea foam green, but fluffy bits of each individual color are still visible.

What is a cloud slime drizzle?

The standard for measuring the quality of cloud slime is “the drizzle”.

The best cloud slime will slowly drizzle from its stretched form into a plush pile of fluff that some call a cloud. To me it looks more like a pile of fur sheared from the softest and shaggiest imaginary animal in the world.

An incredibly fluffy ribbon of yellow cloud slime drizzles down onto a white marble counter. A white measuring cup is in the background, with a mint green chair back, an orangey tan wooden door, and a sheet white curtain.

If the fluffed up slime is falling quickly, it’s a downpour, not a drizzle. This means your ratio of ingredients isn’t quite right, or you may need to mix and stretch your slime longer to get all the moisture, snow, and activator incorporated evenly.

Cloud slime ingredients

Our simple cloud slime base uses 5 ingredients:

White glue
Activator
- 1 teaspoon Borax dissolved in 1 cup of water
Instant Snow
White unscented lotion
Water as needed

You can also add optional ingredients like scented oils, food coloring, or paint.

What is instant snow?

Let’s talk about the special ingredient that gives cloud slime its incredible fluffiness: instant snow! Instant snow is like a magical powder that expands when it comes into contact with water. You may also hear it called powdered hydrogel, fake snow, or snow powder.

A woman's hand holds a tablespoon filled with granular white instant snow above a clear glass bowl filled with white glue. The bowl rests on a white and grey marble counter and has a mint green silicone spoon sticking out of it.

Instant snow is different from plastic artificial snow, which is just tiny shredded bits of plastic. That kind of fake snow IS used for making snow fizz slime.

Instant snow is made of a special polymer that absorbs and holds onto water molecules, causing it to transform into a fluffy, snow-like texture.

The amazing instant snow polymer has the ability to absorb many times its own weight in water, creating a light and airy consistency in the slime. When we mix instant snow with traditional slime ingredients like glue and activator, it disperses throughout the slime mixture.

The tightly compacted web of slime incorporates these fluffy polymers. As you stretch it out, the soft “snow” particles separate on the long thin strands of slime giving the airy texture.

Can you make cloud slime with clear glue?

You absolutely can make cloud slime with clear glue. But clear glue slimes tend to be a little more difficult to make with borax activator. They can be so incredibly sticky while mixing, and then suddenly overactivated and tough.

This can be frustrating for some slime makers, so I always recommend white glue since cloud slime is also a trickier texture.

Can you make cloud slime with liquid starch?

Liquid starch can work as an activator for making cloud slime. If you’re concerned about Borax, you can read about Borax safety in our Borax slime recipe post.

A big blue jug of Sta-flo liquid starch is isolated on a white background.

You should know that liquid starch does contain a form of Borax, but it also includes softeners, cornstarch, and other ingredients.

We like a Borax activator because it’s a more exact ratio for consistent slime recipes. But you can definitely use liquid starch if that’s what you have available.

Can you make cloud slime without lotion?

Lotion is not a necessary ingredient for cloud slime. But we use it in all our cloud slimes because it gives a nice moisturizing feel to the slime, and helps with making the polymers in slime stretchy.

A large white bottle of Equate body lotion with a black pump lid.

Our favorite lotion for slime, that is also really affordable, is Equate Beauty Advanced Recovery Body Lotion from Walmart.

Make sure to use a dye free scent free lotion to avoid interfering with any dyes or scents you want to use. Or if you have a favorite scented/colored lotion that you want your slime to be like, give it a try. That lotion might make the perfect cloud slime for you!

Different types of cloud slime

While cloud slime is simply slime with lots of hydrated instant snow, there are a lot of varieties of cloud slime.

Scent and color varieties

You can have varieties based on the color and scent added to the slime. These are usually still a regular cloud slime texture. Think slime with names like Blue Cloud Slime, Citrus Cloud Slime, or Cotton Candy Cloud Slime.

You might also hear cloud slime titled based on the company that makes it. For instance, Elmer’s cloud slime is a variety of Elmer’s Gue premade slimes.

Texture varieties

You can also change the texture of cloud slime by reducing the amount of instant snow, or adding clay.

Here are the main texture varieties:

Three different discs of slime lay on a white and grey marble board. The textures look similar but the orange slime is labeled cloud dough slime, the yellow slime is labeled cloud slime, and the green slime is labeled cloud creme slime. — While cloud slime, cloud dough slime, and cloud creme slime look very similar while compacted, they feel and perform quite differently when stretched and drizzled.

Cloud Dough Slime: Cloud dough slime has clay added to it. This makes that sugar cookie dough compacted texture even doughier, and the texture stays similar as the slime is stretched. There will be some fluffiness at the edges as you stretch and pull your slime, but you won’t get a cottony texture that drizzles.

An orange cloud dough slime is swirled into a pile on a white and gray marble board. The edges of the ribbons of slime are filled with tiny little fissures like a chilled compacted sugar cookie dough.

Think of cloud dough slime like a cross between cloud slime and butter slime. You might also see it called cloud butter slime, butter clouds slime, slime cloud dough, or snow butter slime.

This is the most popular slime for making ice cream slimes, because the snow in the slime gives it those tiny charming cracks like you see in a scoop of well chilled ice cream.

Cloud Creme Slime: This is where differences in slime chefs can make things a little tricky. Cloud creme slime (also spelled cloud cream slime) is a cloud slime with less instant snow.

A swirly pile of green cloud creme slime sits on a white and grey marble board. The slime looks buttery and creamy, like a thick buttercream frosting.

This makes it creamy and very spreadable. It also fluffs up a bit but doesn’t do the amazing drizzles that a cloud slime does. Think of it like a thick buttercream frosting that isn’t sticky.

BUT, some slime chefs call a cloud slime with clay added (the cloud dough described above) to it a cloud creme slime.

This is why it’s important to remember that slime making is similar to cooking. You can adjust ingredients or ratios to get the texture that is most appealing to you.

A cloud slime shop should have images or video (or both!) along with a good description to help you know the texture you are purchasing.

How to make cloud slime

Here are the steps for making cloud slime. This cloud slime recipe makes a big batch that can be divided into three slimes.

You can choose to add color and scent to the base as you make it, for a big batch of the same slime. This is what I show in the photos below.

Close up of a large fluffy pile of pink cloud slime swirled in a woman's hand. She is wearing a black shirt and dark mustard yellow sweater and holding the slime above a white marble counter.

Or you can skip the dye and scent, divide it into thirds once complete, and give each third a different color and scent.

Cloud slime instructions

STEP 1 : Pour 1/2 cup white glue (I used Amazon school glue) into a large bowl.

A woman's hand holds a silver measuring cup filled with white glue above an empty clear glass bowl. The bowl rests on a white and grey marble counter along with some orange measuring spoons and a mint green silicone spoon.

STEP 2: Add 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon lotion, 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons room temperature water, and 2 Tablespoons + 2 1/4 teaspoons dry instant snow powder.

A woman in a black shirt and dark mustard yellow sweater uses a silver measuring spoon to dump instant snow powder into a bowl of white glue and water to make cloud slime.

STEP 3: Add a few drops of food coloring or paint for color, and scented oil if desired. Begin gently mixing to slightly incorporate the ingredients before adding activator.

STEP 4: Start mixing in activator (1 teaspoon of Borax powder dissolved in 1 cup warm water) about a teaspoon at a time.

A clear condiment bottle with a black lid is filled with clear liquid slime activator and being squirted into a glass bowl of chunky slightly mixed slime ingredients.

STEP 5: When your ingredients begin to look like cottage cheese, you’re ready to start mixing and stretching the slime by hand.

A woman's hands tip a large clear bowl to the camera to show the cloud slime ingredients she has mixed slightly so they resemble cottage cheese with red and pink speckles.

STEP 6: Press and stretch the slime slowly and gently until it gets longer and fluffier with each pull.

STEP 7: Continue adding activator a little at a time. Fold and knead the slime to incorporate, then begin carefully and gently stretching it slightly longer each time. It may rip at first, but should begin to fluff up and stretch as you continue working on it.

STEP 8: If you over activate your cloud slime, and stretching doesn’t work to correct it, you can add a bit of lotion.

A collage of three photos shows a shaggy pink cloud slime in process of being mixed. One photo has clear liquid activator being drizzled in with a condiment bottle. The middle photo shows white lotion being pumped onto the slime. The last photo shows a woman's hands kneading the slime like a bread dough.

STEP 9: When the texture is correct, the slime should feel wet and moisturizing but not sticky. When you fluff up and stretch the slime it should slowly drizzle down into a pile.

A woman's hand holds a large pile of incredibly fluffy pink cloud slime drizzling down in a swirl and looking just like cotton candy.

TIPS FOR MAKINg cloud slime

Cloud slime takes a LOT of mixing and time. You may want to let it sit for 10-30 minutes at a time to make sure the instant snow is fully saturated before adding additional activator or lotion.
If your slime is well mixed but individual pieces of snow are easily visible when the slime is compacted, you need additional activator or water. There are two ways to test this:
- DRIZZLE TEST: Fluff the slime out by stretching, and then drizzle it down. If it falls quickly you need a bit more activator. If it is barely falling you need a bit more water.
- WEB TEST: Compact a small amount of the slime then stretch it wide. The sheet of stretched slime should look cohesive and furry. Think the fake spider fluff you buy to decorate for Halloween. If the sheet quickly gets holes and droops apart (like the photo on the left), you need more activator. If it is too tight to stretch into the sheet, add a little bit of water.

Two pictures of stretched pink cloud slime held in the air are side by side. On the left the under activated slime looks like a spider web that is poorly made and falling apart. On the right, the cloud slime is a cohesive sheet of fluffy soft looking webbing.

If you’re struggling with deciding what your cloud slime needs, try working on small amounts. Add a drop of water to one small ball, a drop of lotion to another, and a drop of activator to a third. Mix and stretch each one to see which texture improves the most.

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Four photos in a collage show the steps of making a fluffy pink cloud slime including adding clear activator liquid, white lotion, kneading, and drizzling.

pRINTABLE RECIPE

Yield: About 15 ounces

Cloud Slime Recipe

Get ready to whip up some fluffy fun with the best cloud slime recipe! We walk you step by step through the process for creating this mind blowing, drizzly, dreamy slime texture. The recipe makes a big batch that can be divided into three slimes.

You can choose to add optional color and scent before mixing, for a big batch of the same slime. This is what you'll see in the step by step photos. Or you can skip the dye and scent, divide the slime into thirds once complete, and give each third a different color and scent.

Ingredients

Activator

1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon Borax powder

Cloud Slime

1/2 cup white school glue
2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon white unscented lotion
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons + 2 1/4 teaspoons dry instant snow powder
OPTIONAL food coloring, tempura paint, or scented oils

Instructions

Mix the Borax into the cup of warm water until completely dissolved. This is your slime activator. We like keeping ours in condiment squeeze bottles. (Make sure you label your activator so no one thinks it's water to drink!)
Pour 1/2 cup white glue into a large bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon lotion, 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons room temperature water, and 2 Tablespoons + 2 1/4 teaspoons dry instant snow powder.
OPTIONAL: Add a few drops of food coloring or paint for color, and scented oil if desired.
Begin gently mixing to slightly incorporate the ingredients before adding activator.
Start mixing in activator about 1 teaspoon at a time. When your ingredients begin to look like cottage cheese, you're ready to start mixing and stretching the slime by hand.
Press and stretch the slime slowly and gently until it gets longer and fluffier with each pull. Alternate between kneading it like bread dough to create the polymer bonds, and pulling and wrapping it in loops to stretch those bonds and make them longer.
Continue adding activator a little at a time. Again fold and knead the slime to incorporate, then begin carefully and gently stretching it slightly longer each time. It will rip at first each time you add activator, but should begin to fluff up and stretch as you continue working on it.
If you over activate your cloud slime, and stretching doesn't work to correct it, you can add a bit of lotion.
When the texture is correct, the slime should feel wet and moisturizing but not sticky. When you fluff up and stretch the slime it should slowly drizzle down into a pile.

Notes

If your slime is well mixed but individual pieces of snow are easily visible when the slime is compacted, you need additional activator or water. There are two ways to test this:

DRIZZLE TEST: Fluff the slime out by stretching, and then drizzle it down. If it falls quickly you need a bit more activator. If it is barely falling you need a bit more water.
WEB TEST: Compact a small amount of the slime then stretch it wide. The sheet of stretched slime should look cohesive and furry. Think the fake spider fluff you buy to decorate for Halloween. If the sheet quickly gets holes and droops apart, you need more activator. If it is too tight to stretch into the sheet, add a little bit of water.

If you're struggling with deciding what your cloud slime needs, try working on small amounts. Add a drop of water to one small ball, a drop of lotion to another, and a drop of activator to a third. Mix and stretch each one to see which texture improves the most.

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Cloud Slime DIY Recipe