The Best Homemade Marshmallow Recipe

Over the years I’ve had many marshmallow recipes published to the blog, and I’ve always been asked: but sam, do you have a basic homemade marshmallow recipe? To these requests I’d direct them to other marshmallow recipes on the blog but say, leave this out and swap this for that, etc. I finally decided we needed to get this down in writing, and make things much easier for those of you searching for something simple and versatile. 

Recipe Origins 

The base of this recipe might be recognizable to you if you’ve made any of my other marshmallows, especially this popular brown sugar chocolate swirled marshmallow recipe which in turn was an adaptation of BraveTart’s marshmallow recipe. This basic vanilla marshmallow recipe below is less fancier than the brown sugar mallows as we’re skipping the chocolate and keeping white granulated sugar rather than brown. 

Where this recipe differs is in its vanilla, which we want to be much more prominent so we’re using more (and if you can, I’ll encourage you to use two types), but also the use of golden syrup (rather than honey or corn syrup). I tend to use syrups (or sugars) that not only help cover the flavor of gelatin but give the marshmallows much more depth of flavor, usually in the form of molasses. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Gelatin: powdered gelatin, usually found in the baking aisle (I use Knox). I cannot say how to make this with gelatin sheets as I don’t have access to them. 

Water: cool tap water. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and/or a scraped vanilla bean. The more vanilla the better, the flavor will stand out here. 

Salt: fine sea salt. If using table salt just use ¾ of a teaspoon. 

Golden Syrup: golden lyle’s syrup (sometimes in the baking aisle sometimes in the international section). If you cannot find it, use dark corn syrup. 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar. 

Powdered sugar: check the label and ensure that the sugar is made with tapioca not cornstarch. Tapioca melts on the tongue, cornstarch needs to be heated. Because the mallows are coated in powdered sugar and won’t be heated, it’s best to use tapioca. 

Tools needed to make Homemade Marshmallows 

Small bowl and a whisk or fork: to whisk the water with the vanilla, then the gelatin. 

A kitchen scale: for accurate measurements. 

Medium or large pot and a wooden spoon: the pot is to boil the sugar syrup, the spoon to stir it early on and it can be placed over the pot to break up the steam so the mix doesn’t boil over. 

Thermometer: this is absolutely required but it can be a candy thermometer, an instant read (for both of those you’d stick the thermometer into the center of the syrup, without touching the base of the pan) or a laser thermometer (doesn’t need to be inserted into the syrup but swirl it around and check it a few times to ensure it’s accurately reading the syrup’s temperature). 

9 inch baking pan and a rubber spatula: the spatula is to scrape the marshmallow fluff out of the mixer’s bowl, the pan is where you’ll pour in the fluff so it can set. You can also use a 13×9 cake pan, this will give you shorter marshmallows (which are tbh, more practically sized). 

Chef’s knife: to slice the marshmallows after they’ve set. Oil the knife so it doesn’t stick to the mallows. 

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows 

Mix the vanilla and the cool water together. 

Whisk or beat in the gelatin powder, it will begin to thicken immediately 

Add water, sugar, syrup and salt to a pot and set it over medium heat 

Boil until temperature reaches 245 F or 250 F (no higher!) 

Whip the bloomed gelatin and hot syrup together 

The mix will start out a dark syrup, it will steam. Gradually it will thicken into a lighter colored foam

Then it will become like marshmallow fluff, thick and pulling away from the sides of the bowl towards the whisk

Oil a 9 inch baking pan and smooth in the marshmallow 

Set the mallows overnight or for 4 hours in the fridge 

Oil a chopping knife and dust the countertop with powdered sugar: 

Slice the marshmallows and coat in the powdered sugar 

Troubleshooting the Recipe 

My gelatin didn’t thicken (bloom) 

Something’s off with the gelatin or the water was too warm/hot. Water should be cool and check the expiry date on the package. 

The marshmallow didn’t whip to a thick fluff 

Sometimes this is just a matter of patience. I wouldn’t want anyone to attempt this without a stand mixer (a hand mixer just won’t cut it for our purposes, too slow and not as strong) and stand mixers can vary in strength which will mean the whipping might be over in less than ten minutes, or more. 

This can also happen if the syrup cools too much before you start whipping it with the gelatin. 

The marshmallows didn’t set 

If your gelatin bloomed the way it should’ve, you are sure you got the syrup to the right temperature then the problem was likely in the whipping. Whip until the mallow is pulling away from the edges of the bowl, it should still run down the whisk when you lift it but it will be thick. 

The marshmallows are too firm 

This happens when the sugar syrup overcooks; to beyond 250 F. The mallows are fine to enjoy, they will just be less bouncy and soft.

FAQ 

How long do homemade marshmallows last? 

About three weeks at cool room temperature. 

What’s the best way to store homemade marshmallows? 

In an airtight container at cool room temperature. 

Can I use this recipe to make homemade rice krispie treats? 

Unfortunately, not. This marshmallow base makes a soft mallow, one that doesn’t have the same structure as store bought marshmallows and the rice krispies will be overly soft. 

The best way to toast homemade marshmallows? 

With a kitchen torch – just fire it right at the marshmallow and on all sides. 

Best Homemade Marshmallows Recipe

Best Homemade Marshmallows

Bouncy and soft homemade marshmallows made with a handful of ingredients: gelatin, golden syrup, water and sugar and lots of vanilla.

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Setting Time: 8 hours hrs

Yields: 16 xl mallows or 32 medium

4.75 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

• 320g or 1 ⅓ cups cool tap water divided in half
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 28g or 4 envelopes powdered gelatin
• 180g or ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon Lyle’s Golden Syrup or dark corn syrup or honey
• 400g or 2 cups fine granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• about 70g or ½ cup organic powdered sugar made with tapioca starch for coating the marshmallows

Method

• In a small bowl, whisk together half of the water (⅔ cup or 160g) with the vanilla. Pour in the gelatin powder and quickly whisk as the gelatin thickens. Set aside to bloom.
• In a medium sized pot, add the other half of the water, the sugar, salt and the syrup. Stir with a wooden spoon and set over medium heat.
• Cook the syrup until the temperature reaches 245-250F (no more than 250 F); if it’s boiling up, place a wooden spoon over the top of the pan (this breaks up the steam so the liquid won’t rise). As soon as the syrup reaches the correct temperature, turn off the heat and move the pan away from the source of heat. Let it cool for about 30 seconds.
• Scrape the bloomed gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer, affix the whisk attachment and pour in the hot syrup. Begin whisking on low, then work up to medium speed.
• The marshmallow base will need to be whisked for about ten minutes, you’ll see it start out as a dark liquid then gradually turn into a lighter brown that’s foamy, then thicken into a marshmallow fluff (it sort of looks like a meringue). If you see bits of vanilla sticking to the sides, stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape it, then keep whisking. Stop the mixer when the marshmallow base is thick and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Grease a 9 inch square baking pan (for tall and thick marshmallows) or a 13 x 9 inch pan with canola oil. Scrape the marshmallow fluff into the pan (it will be sticky and messy - do your best) and then smooth it down into an even layer.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and leave it at room temperature overnight (if you want a shorter period, put it in the fridge for 4 hours).
• Once the marshmallow is firm, dust the top with powdered sugar and dust the countertop too and set the rest of the powdered sugar in a bowl. Flip the marshmallow from the pan onto the countertop. Oil the chef’s knife and slice the marshmallows into smaller squares, dip the squares into the bowl of powdered sugar to coat on all sides.
• Store the marshmallows in an airtight container, they’ll keep for 3 weeks.

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