Marshmallows are a great addition to a number of desserts and especially atop a piping hot cup of hot cocoa or another warm beverage on a bone chilling winter day. However, marshmallows found in the store are filled with corn syrup and synthetic ingredients such as whipping aids to make them fluffier, artificial flavors, and food dye. Homemade marshmallows can actually be made from extremely nourishing and natural ingredients in just a few simple steps!
My grandma always had marshmallows at her house that she would give out as a snack to her grandchildren and now the great-grandchildren. For this reason, she has been affectionately named the “marshmallow grandma”. If I’m being honest, I too aspire to one day be called the marshmallow grandma because this is one of my favorite foods to make and share with others. I love how light and fluffy they are. You literally get to see them come to life in front of your eyes!
Homemade Marshmallow Recipe
Marshmallows are one of those foods that I would have never thought could be made from scratch in my own home. During my journey of learning to cook from scratch, I have had so much fun learning to cook things that I thought could have only been made in the store. For this reason, I always find marshmallows to be so much fun to make.
Why I Love Homemade Marshmallows
Simple, clean, nourishing ingredients: Unlike the commercial version, these marshmallows have just 4 simple ingredients. They are ingredients from nature which contain real nutrients rather than the synthetic store bought version. Since we always have the ingredients on hand, it is easy to whip (literally) these up at any time.
Perfect topper for a winter hot beverage: There is something about have a marshmallow slowly melt on top of your hot beverage that just makes it better. You have to make a drink like hot chocolate way too hot to drink to actually get a store-bought marshmallow to melt in your drink. Sure a cup of coffee or hot cocoa are great by themselves but are obviously better with a marshmallow on top!
They bring out my inner child: Marshmallows remind me of my childhood. At a certain point, I grew out of them and found them less exciting. However, when I started making them for myself, the magic returned.
Ingredients
Homemade marshmallow are made with just 4 simple ingredients.
Water: The simplest of ingredients but so important for blooming the gelatin and getting the marshmallows to set up properly.
Gelatin: I use the Perfect Supplements Brand Gelatin. While gelatin desserts have gotten a bad reputation for being filled with too much sugar and food dyes, grass-fed, unflavored gelatin is actually an extremely nourishing food. It’s nutrients support the health of our skin, hair, joints, and gut among other body systems.
Maple Syrup: A delightful natural sweetener that contains vitamins and minerals. You could also use honey if you prefer.
Salt: Enhances the other flavors.
Instructions
- Stir the gelatin into 1/2 cup of cold water and let it sit for 3-5 minutes or until it forms a gel. This is called “blooming” the gelatin.
- While the gelatin is blooming, add maple syrup, salt, and the rest of the water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 8 minutes. Make sure to stir it frequently to prevent it from burning.
- After 8 minutes, pour the water/maple syrup mixture over the bloomed gelatin. With a hand or standing mixer (you could also do this with a whisk if you’d like an arm workout), whip the mixture for 5-10 minutes. The length of time will depend on the power and speed of your mixer. Whip until soft peaks begin to form in the mixture. It will look like a marshmallow fluff texture, and should be easy to spread into a pan.
- Pour the marshmallow fluff into a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. Place in fridge for 2-3 hours to allow them to set up. They will only be slightly sticky to the touch when the gelatin has fully set up.
- Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut them into the marshmallow size of your preference.
- Serve atop a hot beverage or use in a dessert to add a sweet, fluffy, and gooey texture.
Common Questions
How do I make the marshmallows sweeter?
This recipe will give you a subtly sweet marshmallow. You can adjust this recipe according to your desired sweetness. The most important thing to remember is to make sure the maple syrup and water amounts add up to 2 cups together. If you’re looking for something on the sweeter side, use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of maple syrup. You can also choose any amount of maple syrup between these to options if you adjust the water/maple syrup ratio accordingly.
Can you over-whip the marshmallows?
Yes, the marshmallows can be over-whipped. You will be able to recognize this when the mixture starts to harden and crystalize. Stop mixing immediately if you start to notice this. While there isn’t a way to remedy over-whipping, don’t worry, all is not lost. They will still taste delicious but just won’t be quite as fluffy.
Can you under-whip the marshmallows?
Yes, you can under-whip them as well although this is less of an issue since you can just whip them a little more. Under-whipped marshmallows will be more of a liquid type texture that is less fluffy. Again, still perfectly edible even when under-whipped.
Why aren’t my marshmallows fluffy?
There could be a couple of reasons your marshmallows aren’t as fluffy as you had hoped. It could be one of the above problems such as over-whipping or under-whipping. See the questions above for more details on that. There are also theories out there that you need to boil the water/maple syrup mixture for longer or shorter periods of time. I have not found much of a difference with this but maybe it will work for you!
Can you roast these marshmallows over a fire?
You can definitely roast these over the fire. They don’t contain some of the artificial whipping agents that cause them to puff up like the store bought ones. However, it still does make for a delicious, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside texture.
Can I use these marshmallows in baking?
Yes, they can defintely be used just like a store-bought marshmallow in baking. They will melt into a wonderfully gooey, sweet substance to spice up any dessert. Use them to make the s’mores dessert of your choosing!
Even More From Scratch Recipes…
Freshly Milled Flour Shortbread Cookies
Homemade Marshmallow Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Small Saucepan
- 1 Hand or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Water** divded into 1 cup and 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup Maple Syrup or Honey**
- 3 tbsp Unflavored Gelatin preferably grass-fed
- pinch Sea Salt
** see notes below
Instructions
- Stir the gelatin into 1/2 cup of cold water and let it sit for 3-5 minutes or until it forms a gel. This is called "blooming" the gelatin.
- While the gelatin is blooming, add maple syrup, salt, and the rest of the water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 8 minutes. Make sure to stir it frequently to prevent it from burning. After 8 minutes, pour the water/maple syrup mixture over the bloomed gelatin.
- With a hand or standing mixer (you could also do this with a whisk if you'd like an arm workout), whip the mixture for 5-10 minutes. The length of time will depend on the power and speed of your mixer. Whip until soft peaks begin to form in the mixture. It will look like a marshmallow fluff texture, and should be easy to spread into a pan.
- Pour the marshmallow fluff into a 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. Place in fridge for 2-3 hours to allow them to set up. They will only be slightly sticky to the touch when the gelatin has fully set up.
- Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut them into the marshmallow size of your preference.
- Serve atop a hot beverage or use in a dessert to add a sweet, fluffy, and gooey texture.
Notes
Do you store these in the fridge or on the counter? Very yummy and easy to make!
Glad you enjoy them! I store them in the fridge to help preserve them. I have stored them for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Have you tried mixing these with cereal to try making rice krispie like treats?
Has anyone tried to make rice crispy bars with them?
I haven’t but I have heard of others who have and it worked well from what I hear.
What brand of gelatin do you recommend that’s grass fed?
I have used a couple different ones but am not sponsored by any. Both with good results. Perfect Brand Supplements and Great Lakes Wellness. I believe you can also order it from Azure Standard although I haven’t tried their’s yet.
I used the recipe 1 cup water 1 cup syrup, how much water should I use to bloom the gelatin, because I did 1/2 cup and after whipping for 20 mins its still liquid and shows no sign of setting up.
1/2 cup to bloom the gelatin works well. Make sure the water is cold to allow the gelatin to bloom properly. While the gelatin is blooming heat the remaining 1/2 cup or water with the maple syrup, letting it boil for 8-10 min while stirring frequently to prevent burning. Then pour the heated mixture over the bloomed gelatin and whip until fluffy. Hope this helps!
How long can these be stored? Wanting to gift some for teacher presents.
That’s a great idea! They usually keep well in the fridge for up to two weeks.