Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows

Homemade vanilla marshmallow recipe that are so light and fluffy you will never pick up the store bought kind again! And no candy thermometer required!

 

 I’m on my way to Maine this weekend for a “ski-cation” with some friends, and I thought what better than bringing some homemade marshmallows and hot cocoa mix along with me?

And I know, I know the holidays are over, and you might be trying to watch your waistline, but let’s face it- IT IS COLD OUTSIDE! At least here in Boston it is. And warming up to a perfect cup of hot cocoa is total bliss. But no cup of hot cocoa is complete without marshmallows in it, am I right?  

And I’m not taking about those weird white little bits in that packets from the store. Seriously, how those things are called marshmallows is beyond me. But homemade vanilla marshmallows that are ready to be sipped on (maybe with one of these 50+ hot cocoa recipes?). Now that’s a different story entirely.

Are homemade marshmallows worth it?

Yes you could go buy a bag of marshmallows from the store. Waste a couple dollars and some gas in the car. You’d be done and ready to sip on some hot cocoa. But I’m telling you homemade marshmallows are 1000 times better in the flavor department.

The texture of these is unreal. Nothing like the bagged variety. I’ve been finding myself popping and snacking on these when no one is looking. And even when someone is looking. Oh what can I say, I haven’t stopped eating them.

My husband said they were so light and fluffy, like biting into a cloud. He couldn’t believe that they were THAT much better than the store-bought. So are homemade marshmallows worth it? Yes, yes yes!!!

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients

• Gelatin – You will need 3 1/4-ounce packages of unflavored gelatin. This is what sets up the marshmallows and can not be omitted. If you’re trying to make vegan marshmallows I would use a recipe that uses agar insteadc, like this vegan marshmallow recipe from Serious Eats, (I haven’t tested it with agar and can’t say what the texture would be like).
• Water
• Granulated Sugar
• Corn Syrup – Corn syrup is what will keep your sugar from crystallizing.
• Salt
• Vanilla – You can use vanilla extract but I’ve also used vanilla bean paste before. You could also use a whole vanilla bean as well.
• Confectioners Sugar
• Cornstarch

How To Make Homemade Marshmallows

Step 1: Making your gelatin mixture

Before you start go ahead and line your pan with plastic wrap. Then you want to start by dissolving 3 packages of gelatin into a 1/2 cup of cold water for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Making your sugar mixture

Meanwhile, you boil 1/4 cup water, 2 cups granulated sugar, and 2/3 cups corn syrup on your stove. You want to bring this mixture to a boil over high heat and let it boil for 1 minute. No need to stir, and no candy thermometer. You just need to let it boil and dissolve the sugar before you add it to the gelatin mixture.

Step 3: Add gelatin mixture slowly

Once the sugar mixture has boiled rapidly for 1 minute, you slowly add it to your gelatin mixture. Add your a bit of salt (1/4 teaspoon) to just to balance out all the sweetness.

You let your stand mixer fitted with your whisk attachment take over and turn it all into marshmallows (about 10-12 minutes). It’s a beautiful thing to watch it turn into basically marshmallow fluff as it’s mixing.

Step 4: Add the vanilla.

Don’t forget to add the vanilla at this point. You can use vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean itself. I opted for vanilla extract, but I’ve made them with vanilla bean paste before beautiful specks of vanilla bean throughout. Either way all delicious!

Or you could you also flavor these if you wanted – a little peppermint extract would be delicious!

Step 5: Spreading them in the pan.

You are going to spread your homemade marshmallow mix into a pan that’s been lined with plastic wrap. The plastic warp is a must so that you can get the marshmallows out of the pan later.

Spreading the marshmallows can be a sticky mess. Do yourself a favor, use a spatula sprayed with a little cooking spray to make quick work. You do need to let the marshmallows set up for a couple hours before you can cut them. You want to cover the marshmallows with plastic wrap that’s been also sprayed with non-stick cooking spray so you can take it off later easily.

Step 6: Cutting the marshmallows

Cutting them into perfect  yummy squares. I used a pizza cutter, but a large knife would also work.

Step 7: Coat in cornstarch/sugar

You want to roll each marshmallow in a confectioner sugar/corn starch mixture so your edges don’t stick to you… your hair…your floor (*ahem* ask me how I know!)

Marshmallow Recipe Variations

• Peppermint: Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract to the vanilla and make peppermint marshmallows.
• Sprinkles: Stir in some festive sprinkles to the marshmallow fluff.
• Fruity: Make your marshmallows fruity by stirring in some freeze-dried strawberries (or raspberries) that you’ve pulsed into a powder.
• Colored: Add a few drops of food coloring to make a fun swirled marshmallow.
• Shapes: Spray some cookie cutters and cut them into shapes. I would recommend if you’re cutting them into shapes, to spread the mixture into a 9×13 pan to make thinner marshmallows.

Recipe FAQ’s

More Recipes To Try

If you love marshmallow-y treats, be sure to try my S’mores cheesecake and easy S’mores bars!

Or try all of these marshmallow fluff recipes!