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Homemade marshmallows are so much better than store-bought (and easy to make)

This is the marshmallow recipe you need

Lindsay Parrill
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Hot chocolate season is upon us, and that means marshmallows. Soft and pillowy, bouncy and sweet, tender, chewy marshmallows. Maybe it’s just us, but even with the summertime s’more craze, winter seems to be the true marshmallow season. There’s just something delightfully wintery about a marshmallow’s pure white sweetness, perfectly complimenting so many warm and cozy treats.

Three cups of Aztec hot chocolate with marshmallows and cinnamon sticks on a table.

And sure, you can always buy a bag of one of the store-bought varieties. They’re cheap, convenient, and these days come in a wide variety of flavors, colors, and shapes. But homemade marshmallows are precisely one million times better than any bagged version you can pick up at the store. And chances are, they’re a whole lot easier to make than you think. So this winter season, why not adopt a new kitchen skill and learn to make your own homemade marshmallows? Not only do they taste better, but they’ll last forever in your pantry, and make for perfect holiday gifts. Make a big batch and hand them out to neighbors, coworkers, teachers and your favorite barista this holiday season.

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Homemade marshmallow recipe

The Flavor Bender

(From The Flavor Bender)

This fantastic marshmallow recipe from The Flavor Bender is exquisite. These marshmallows are perfectly balanced, sweet-but-not-too-sweet pillows of pure heaven. Their bouncy consistency somehow defies physics and melts away in your mouth. Furthermore, their ability to take on different flavors with a quick swapping of extract gives you an enormous assortment of flavored marshmallows with just this one simple recipe.

Homemade marshmallow tips and tricks

  • When cooking your sugar syrup, it’s important that no sugar crystals remain on the sides of your pot. Use a pastry brush to clean the sides of the pot, and make sure there are no rogue sugar crystals outside of the mixture.
  • A candy thermometer is pretty crucial in making marshmallows, but be sure to secure it to your pot correctly. If touching the bottom of the pot, you’ll get an inaccurate temperature read. Be sure that the probe is in the syrup, but not touching the bottom of the pot.
  • Never rush the gelatin blooming process. Gelatin needs enough time to hydrate thoroughly to prevent undissolved pieces of gelatin from bobbing about in what should be a smooth-textured marshmallow.
  • Obviously, the smaller the pan, the thicker your marshmallows will be. This is entirely your preference; just be sure to grease whatever pan you choose properly. It goes without saying that marshmallows are sticky! It’s also a good idea to grease any utensils that will come in contact with your marshmallows- knives, scissors, cookie cutters, etc.
  • This recipe will give you a perfectly traditional, classic vanilla marshmallow. However, feel free to substitute vanilla extract for any other flavoring you’d like. Peppermint makes for a very festive and delicious holiday treat. But be creative here!
  • Always store your finished marshmallows at room temperature in an air-tight container. If put into the fridge or freezer, they will harden, and their perfectly pillowy texture will be lost forever.

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Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
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