How to Make a Smoke Bomb from Potassium Nitrate and Sugar

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Last Updated: April 4, 2025

This article will explain to you how to make a smoke bomb. This is by far the best recipe and even beginners will be cooking up smoke bombs in no time

1

Measure out the ingredients.

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If you don't have any weighing scales, don't worry, the ratio is 3 parts of potassium nitrate to 2 parts sugar, so you can just use a tablespoon or use the small spoons found in baby formula milk (e.g. Cow and Gate, Optamil).

2

Heat the ingredients in a non-stick pan.

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Put the heat on as low as it will go. This prevents any unwanted accidents from happening.^{[1]
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3

Stir the mixture

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After about 10 minutes, you will notice that the powder starts to flow a bit like water. This happens because the sugar is caramelizing.
After few minutes, brown lumps will start to appear. After another few minutes, the whole mixture will turn brown and will go all soggy,a bit like peanut butter.^{[2]
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4

Pour the mixture into a cardboard tube.

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Take the mixture off the stove and pour it onto foil or into a cardboard tube. It is really important that you take it off when it looks like peanut butter, otherwise it will turn chocolate-y, and eventually start to burn.^{[3]
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- To make a tube for your smoke bomb, just get a toilet paper tube and tape the bottom using electrical tape or duct tape.
- Clean your pan. A good thing to do would be to get a lighter and set any remaining bits on fire to make sure that the batch will work.

5

Insert a fuse.

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If you don't have a fuse, no problem, the mixture is flammable so you can light it directly.

6

Wrap the tube up with electrical tape.

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Make sure to leave a small hole where the fuse sticks out

7

Drill small holes near the bottom of the tube.

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Make about 2-4 holes. This step is optional, but doing this will allow any pressure that might build up to escape.
- And that's it—go outside and enjoy!

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Question

Is it okay to breathe the smoke?

Community Answer

Not in large amounts. The smoke is similar to the smoke given off from burning wood, meaning it can irritate the lungs and eyes.

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Can I use the pan again for normal stuff?

Community Answer

Yes. Since the mixture is water-based, you can simply dissolve it in hot water and it will come right out.

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Question

What can I use instead of potassium nitrate if I don't have any?

Community Answer

Potassium nitrate is easy to find at any gardening or home improvement store. It is used as a stump remover. There are a couple of brands, so look for the ones with more than 90% potassium nitrate (KNO3).

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Tips

You can use anything to make the tube. For example, you could use a Smarties tube, or even make your tube out of paper.

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Don't allow the mixture to become too dark while cooking.

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Electrical tape is better to use, as it is more flexible and easier to handle than duct tape, but it will melt and is quite messy afterwards.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

I don't use any tubes or tape when I do this, I just pour the mixture out onto newspaper. Once it's cool and hardens, I just break off a piece at a time when I want to use it.
Melt crayons of the same shade with the mixture in the pan to make colored smoke!

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Warnings

While cooking, keep a glass of water nearby. If your mixture starts to burn, immediately grab the glass and throw the water into the pan. This will stop the burning.

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When using the smoke bomb, be responsible. Don't throw it at people and use it on concrete or another similar material.

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