How to Make a Ninja Smoke Bomb: 4 Easy Methods

Since the Hollywood ninja craze of the 1980s, inquiring minds have wondered how to make a ninja smoke bomb.

It would be relevant to mention here that for several years of my youth, I experienced what could be described as a “ninja obsession.”

Already ankle deep in my martial arts journey, I recognized something in the mysterious image of the ninja — a kernel of magical intrigue that would later propel me into an even deeper obsession with China’s Shaolin monks, and then, into questions around yoga, alchemy, and more.

I read this main smoke bomb recipe for the first time in the 2000s in the Anarchist’s Cookbook. But as a kid, I wasn’t able to try it out (where do I get potassium nitrate? What is a hot plate?). Now that I’ve been able to try it for myself as an adult, my inner child and I can safely say that it is awesome — either as a functional device for ninja shenanigans, or as a fun science experiment for quarantined kids.

Earthshifting is about sharing interesting ideas from around the world, from ancient Chinese energy healing and traditional Colombian coffee…to smoke bombs.

Anyway, let’s get to it. I’ll share a few methods here, and at the end of the article, I’ll even share a totally original ninja smoke bomb recipe made from household items that explodes when it hits the ground.

Here’s how to make a ninja smoke bomb.

How to Make a Ninja Smoke Bomb

To make a classic ninja smoke bomb, you’ll need potassium nitrate (also called saltpeter or KNO3), as well as household table sugar. The two ingredients, when stirred over low heat, yield a thick, peanut butter-like mixture used to produce smoke.

1. Gather your ingredients: 3 parts potassium nitrate, 2 parts white table sugar (more sugar creates a slower burn). You will also need some aluminum foil and a piece of string for the fuse.
2. Place the potassium nitrate and sugar into a clean pan over low heat, or even better, a hot plate.
3. Gently stir the mixture for about 8 – 10 minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn. It will start to change color and create clumps that look like brown sugar.
4. As the mixture continues to heat, it will liquefy into a brown substance that resembles peanut butter. When it is smooth and uniform, remove it from the heat source and spoon it into a small circle on the aluminum foil. Do this quickly, because the mixture will start to harden as soon as it is removed from the heat.
5. Wrap the smoke bomb mixture in the aluminum foil and fold the wick inside, with one end sticking out so you can light it. If using a simple piece of string, bake it in the oven to help it catch more easily.
6. You’re done! When you light the fuse, the smoke bomb will catch fire and explode into an impressive flash and a billowing cloud of white smoke.

Potassium nitrate is a powerful oxidizer, available online or in hardware stores where it is often sold as “stump remover.”

The above represents the classic smoke bomb recipe. But I can hear some of you now — Adan, this isn’t a *real* ninja smoke bomb! A real ninja smoke bomb is thrown at the ground, whereupon it explodes into a smoky haze, allowing the ninja to make their escape!

Well, you’ve got me there. You’re right, and that’s why I’m also providing these directions explaining how to make an impact smoke bomb:

How to Make an Impact Smoke Bomb

To make an impact smoke bomb, you’ll need a few specific ingredients. In addition to table sugar, you’ll also need magnesium powder, black powder, and “party snaps,” the children’s firework toy that pops when you throw it.

1. Remove the wrappers from 6 – 7 party snaps and empty their contents — a highly sensitive primary explosive called Armstrong’s Mixture — into the center of a paper towel.
2. Mix together the black powder, magnesium powder, and sugar, and add them to the party snap pile.
3. Wrap the paper towel and tape it shut.
4. To use, throw the smoke bomb at the ground, and it will ignite into a puff of white smoke.

Although this version doesn’t exactly use household ingredients, it is simple to make. Be careful, these ingredients will blow up if mishandled.

To get a better idea of the device, what proportions to use, etc., check out this video from YouTuber kipkay:

But Adan — I can hear you now, once more — I am a lazy good-for-nothing. I do not want to procure scary ingredients, and I do not want to muck up my kitchenware with the illicit chemical tools of a Kurdish freedom fighter.

Luckily, I have your back. Here comes the simplest variation, which uses easy-to-find ingredients, and also teaches us how to make a smoke bomb without fire.

How to Make a Smoke Bomb Without Fire

Here’s a recipe for a ninja smoke bomb without fire or any sort of cooking in the preparation process.

You will need:

• 3 parts potassium nitrate
• 2 parts powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• Newspaper

1. Place the ingredients into a large basin, and cover them with a fair amount of water. Use just enough water to be fully absorbed by your newspaper.
2. Stir the mixture together, and layer your newspaper up from the bottom of the basin, allowing it to soak in the liquid.
3. After the newspaper has soaked for about five minutes, remove it and dry it in the sun.
4. You’re done. When you light the newspaper, it will burst into a smoky, fiery puff.

Now, I said at the beginning that I would share an entirely original ninja smoke bomb that both 1) explodes on impact with the ground, AND 2) uses ordinary household items. No gunpowder, Armstrong’s mixture, etc.

I’ve asked myself this question since I was a kid — in fact, I wrote up what could be considered a first draft of this article about fifteen years ago, in a TextPad document on the family computer.

Years later, I think I’ve found a beautiful solution.

Adan’s Ninja Smoke Bomb

This smoke bomb combines the original potassium-nitrate-and-sugar recipe with an entirely new method of ignition.

You will need:

• 3 parts potassium nitrate
• 2 parts table sugar
• Book of matches
• Masking tape

1. 1. Create the smoke bomb formula described in the first recipe.
   2. We’ll be using the book of matches to create a flame on impact, using the method outlined here.
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   3. Remove the matches from the book, keeping them together as a unit.
   4. Fold the matchbook back around the matches in reverse, so the match heads are flush against the striking surface.
   5. Pour the warm, liquid smoke bomb juice into the matchbook, so it covers the bottom of the matches but not the heads.
   6. Now you’re going to wrap it up tight with masking tape. It needs to be very tight, since that pressure, along with the impact of being thrown at the ground, will be used to ignite the smoke bomb.
   7. You should now have a tight little rectangular packet. Throw it corner-first at the ground like a throwing star and it will ignite, setting off your smoke bomb.

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Next time you need to disappear from an assailant, corrupt officers, or an awkward conversation, remember these important scrolls of smoke bomb wisdom.

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