Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (2024)

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Homemade marshmallows are so sweet, delicious, and fluffy. They are so much more flavorful, you’ll never look at store-bought marshmallows the same. Follow my tips on how to make marshmallows below.

Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (1)

Y’all homemade marshmallows! Need I say more? It is something that is so simple and fun you would never guess.

Making homemade marshmallows are a super fun and easy dessert your kids will love. They seem like a daunting task, but they are fun to make and tasty.It’s fun to see how big and fluffy they get too.

I’ve played around with this recipe a lot over the years since first posting it, and we love also making them without refined sugar.

I’ve dipped them in white chocolate and coconut, decorated them for Easter, made pumpkin spice, and even peppermint marshmallows. There are so many ways you can make these.

These are delicious to top hot cocoa with! You may have seen a picture from last week on Instagram and Facebook of my delicious homemade hot cocoa topped with these bad boys.

These are so much better than the store-bought marshmallows.

Yeah it was beyond awesome! I savored every single drop and I love how these marshmallows melt. Have I convinced you yet?

Tips For Making Homemade Marshmallows:

  • I don’t usually use a thermometer and it seems turn out just fine. Its a good option to have, but you don’t need a thermometer.
  • You can use all honey and not use refined sugar at all which is a plus.
  • You can flavor them if you want to! Different extracts work well. Maybe try vanilla your second round of making them.
  • When you cut your marshmallows, make sure to warm the knife under hot water and it will help cut the homemade marshmallows.

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Tools you may need:

Whisk

Electric Mixer

Measuring cups and spoons

Saucepan

9×13 baking dish

Parchment paper – you can either grease the baking dish or line it with parchment paper for easier removal.

Cutting board

Knife for cutting marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (2)

Can you make these without refined sugar?

Yes! Instead of using 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup honey, just use 1 cup of honey (or maple syrup). You could also use half sugar and half honey or maple syrup. Therer are definitely different options you can choose from.

How long do homemade marshmallows last?

The homemade marshmallows will usually keep for 3 weeks are room temperature. You can also freeze them, see below.

Do marshmallows freeze well?

Since the sugars acts as a preservative, these homemade marshmallows keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Dividing the marshmallows into small clusters and wrapping with cling wrap will help them keep their freshness.

Homemade Marshmallow Ingredients:

Gelatin – I always go for grass-fed gelatin because grass-fed animals are a much healthier option.

Organic Sugar

Honey

Salt

Vanilla extract – you can easily make your own homemade vanilla extract.

Powdered sugar

Organic cornstarch

Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (3)

How To Make Homemade Marshmallows:

  1. Whisk 1/2 cup of cold water and gelatin into the bowl of the electric mixer. Allow the mixture to sit for 15 – 20 minutes.
  2. Combine the sugar, honey, 1/2 cup of water and salt in saucepan over low heat. Make sure to stir until the sugar completely dissolves.
  3. Increase the heat to high and cook the mixture without stirring until the temp reaches 240 degrees. Take off heat immediately. Many times I don’t actually take the temperature and it still works out fine.
  4. Turn your stand mixer on low and slowly pour the honey mixture in the soften gelatin. Once combined, increase the speed to high and beat for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Add the vanilla during the last two minutes of whisking.
  6. While its mixing, combing the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
  7. Generously grease the baking dish (or line with parchment paper) and pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan and smooth out flat. Let it sit for 4 hours or overnight.
  8. Turn out onto a cutting board and cutting using a knife or cookie cutter.
  9. Break apart the cubes and roll in powdered sugar and cornstarch mix to keep it from sticking.

More delicious dessert ideas:

  • Easy Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
  • How To Make Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Creamy Custard Pie: Easy Dessert Recipe
  • Vegan Fudge: Easy Decadent Dessert
  • Lace Cookies With Pumpkin Spice

Homemade Marshmallow Recipe

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back, commented on the post, and give it 5 stars! Please and thank you.

Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (4)

Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows made with simple ingredients that taste better than store-bought.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade marshmallows, how to make marshmallows

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 15

Calories: 92kcal

Author: Amy K

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbs gelatin unflavored preferably grass fed
  • 1 cup water cold and divided
  • 1 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 tspsalt
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar and GMO free corn starch for coating the marshmallows

Instructions

  • Whisk together 1/2 cup cold water and gelatin in the bowl of your electric mixer. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.

  • Combine sugar, honey, 1/2 cup water and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

  • Increase the heat to high and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches about 240º. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.

  • Turn your stand mixer to low. Using the whisk attachment, slowly pour the hot honey mixture into the softened gelatin. Once combined, increase the speed to high and beat for about 15-20 minutes. Add in vanilla extract during the last 2 minutes of whisking.

  • Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan and smooth out flat. Let sit for at least 4 hours to overnight. Turn out onto a cutting board and cut marshmallows using a knife. I found it easiest to cut the marshmallows if I ran the knife under hot water before cutting each row.

  • Break apart cubes and roll in powdered sugar and cornstarch mix to keep from sticking.

Notes

Lightly cover to keep fresh. Will stay fresh for 3 weeks. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @ablossominglife or tag #ablossominglife!

Have you ever made homemade marshmallows before?

Originally published in 2015, this post was updated in December 2019.

Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the three main ingredients in marshmallows? ›

A typical marshmallow contains sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin, plus some air. That's it. “A marshmallow is basically a foam that's stabilized by gelatin,” says Richard Hartel, a food engineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In marshmallows, the foam is made up of air suspended in a liquid sugar mixture.

Why are my homemade marshmallows not fluffy? ›

Even just a couple degrees too hot or too cool makes all the difference. If the sugar isn't cooked hot enough, they'll be mushy (and possibly contribute to the "soggy" factor mentioned above). If the syrup is cooked too hot, they'll set too firm and chewy and lack volume.

What makes marshmallows fluffy? ›

Air bubbles make marshmallows light and fluffy

That's because marshmallows are a foam. They contain a lot of tiny air bubbles which are surrounded and stabilized by sugar and proteins from egg whites and gelatin. Since air doesn't weigh much, adding it into a product decreases its density.

What are the ingredients in marshmallows list? ›

Marshmallows are made of sugar, corn syrup (sugar), water and gelatin. They can have other things added for flavor and color, but that's it. The magic is how the ingredients are combined. Marshmallows are a scaffolding of sugar and gelatin that stays rigid enough to become a network of stable air bubbles.

How long will homemade marshmallows last? ›

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

How to keep homemade marshmallows fresh? ›

In a Sealed Bag With Bread

Set the bag away from direct light and in a cool, dry place. The bread pulls moisture out of the air and away from the marshmallows to keep them fresher for longer. Get more tips about baking cookies on our Baking Tips Pinterest board.

What gross things are in marshmallows? ›

Most commercially available marshmallows contain gelatin, which is a jelly-like substance derived from the collagen of the bones of many animals including fish, cattle and pigs. While much gelatin is derived from the bones of pigs, no meat is present in the sweet marshmallow product.

Why is my homemade marshmallow runny? ›

The marshmallow needs to be whipped till it makes stiff peaks. At this stage, the marshmallow can hold a soft shape for a moment before collapsing back into itself. If the mixture cannot do this, it will be too runny. If you mix past this point, you'll have a thick, rigid that doesn't spread easily in your pan.

Can you overmix marshmallows? ›

But don't slack off, because too few or too many strokes will mess up your marshmallow. "Overmixing takes away from the fluffy texture," Barbera says. "Underwhipping is a big problem," Hergatt adds. "You want the proper aeration so that it sets nice and pillowy."

What does cornstarch do in marshmallows? ›

That cornstarch will absorb all of the sticky moisture on the surface of your marshmallows, which will cause them to lose their syrupy texture and smoothly separate from each other. You won't ruin the great sweet taste of the marshmallow either since cornstarch has a neutral flavor.

Can you overbeat marshmallows? ›

If it sinks back in immediately, keep beating. Here's another secret: the only time I've ever screwed up making marshmallows was when I over-beat the batter. We're not after meringue-like "stiff peaks," here. That's a wee bit too much, and you might have a giant bowl-shaped marshmallow on your hands like I did.

What are marshmallows made from meat? ›

Unfortunately, they're not. “Marshmallows are not vegan because they contain gelatin, an animal protein derived from the ligaments, tendons, and skin of animals, such as cows and pigs,” explains registered dietician Grace Pascale.

Are marshmallows good for you? ›

Marshmallows are a sweet treat that many of us enjoy with hot chocolate, on top of sweet potatoes, or even shaped into peeps at Easter time. But these fluffy white puffs aren't very nutritious. Marshmallow ingredients usually include just sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin.

How are marshmallows made from cows? ›

Marshmallows are made from sugar, water, and gelatin. Gelatin is usually made by boiling bone and hide from cattle and pigs. Hooves were also used historically, but not so much now.

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