Homemade Marshmallows (Without Corn Syrup)

Published December 14, 2019

I was in high school when I first tried homemade marshmallows. Our basketball team would spend weekends at Autumn’s house. Her mom would make a long tray of giggly marshmallows, so light and fluffy that we ate the entire tray in one sitting.

I’ve wondered how difficult marshmallows would be — since it required gelatin to make. I decided that I should tackle a challenging recipe before the year is over. So this week, I’ve made homemade marshmallows.

Ingredients You Need for Homemade Marshmallows

During my initial research I saw that most marshmallow recipes used corn syrup, which I am not a fan of using. You can add honey instead of corn syrup, or find a recipe that’s made without corn syrup altogether.

Unless you’re vegan, your marshmallows will need gelatin — there’s no substitution for that. I never worked with gelatin, so that’s why I checked.

You also need a candy thermometer, which I’m glad I invested in. My research said you can use a bowl of water to figure out whether your sugar mixture is done, but that seemed too complex for my first-time making marshmallows.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (Without Corn Syrup)

Cooking the Marshmallow Base

This recipe is a time commitment, so if you’re in a rush or want instant results, this is not for you.

Watching the sugar takes the most amount of time. I started my sugar on a medium light, to try and get it to bubble. Eventually it did, but then it started to rise higher and higher.

My recipe research never specified the size of the saucepan — but my bubbles were boiling so high and fast that they were going to overflow out of the pan. I lifted the pan from the stove and let the bubbles go down before adjusting the light.

It took me a while to get the best temperature, one that would be high enough to raise the temperature, but low enough that the sugar didn’t overflow.

Getting to 240°F (soft ball formation) — took me longer than normal. I stopped looking at the clock after 30-minutes.

As you’ll see in the recipe video, I was nervous when golden streaks bubbled throughout my sugar. I wondered if the pan was burning because I had it on so long. But in the end, the mixture turned into white marshmallows.

Fluffy Marshmallows

Though I have a hand-mixer that I use for my cookie recipes, these marshmallows require a stand mixer. My stand-mixer has a larger whisk attachment, which is better for mixing the expanded marshmallow fluff.

I also think that a hand-mixer would get stuck in the marshmallow as it expands. Let me know what tool you use for your homemade marshmallows! I’m glad I had my stand-mixer so I could clean my kitchen as the marshmallows formed.

How long do I mix my marshmallows for?

My research said to mix the marshmallows for 15 minutes.

As I look back at my video footage, I think I had better consistency around 10 minutes, when the marshmallows were silky and smooth. Around 13 minutes, they started to look tacky.

Though I like the final product, I think I could’ve had silkier marshmallows if I stopped mixing them sooner.

The Final Product

Overall Thoughts

Homemade Marshmallow Shape

I’m happy to have a final edible product!

I cut my final marshmallows into large, thick squares, since I used a shorter pan. If you have a thinner layer of marshmallows, you can use cookie cutters for holiday shapes.

If you want a neater-looking marshmallow, you can cut the edges and top, so they are smooth.

As you can see in my recipe video, it’s challenging to smooth the marshmallow mixture into a smooth flat layer without them pulling away from the parchment paper. Don’t worry if your mixture isn’t smooth. Once it solidifies, you can cut the outer layer to form prettier marshmallows.

Serving and Storage

I couldn’t figure out why the marshmallows needed to sit overnight before cutting. I let mine sit overnight, though 6 hours would’ve been enough.

I covered my tray with plastic wrap and left it on the counter until the next evening. Then I cut the marshmallows and kept them in a plastic bag.

I read that the marshmallows can be stored for up to three months, so you can use them in future recipes.

Recipe Score

I would give these homemade marshmallows without corn syrup a 7/10 for the following:

• Recipe Level

  • Difficult: I’m not a baker nor a candy-maker, so this recipe was stressful. Baking/candy is an exact science with little room for error. You need to be patient and pay attention when heating your marshmallow base, and continually adjust the temperature to reach 240°F. Be careful not to over mix your marshmallows when you add them to your stand-mixer. Now that I’ve made these once, I think I will be more confident in the future to make them again.

• Ingredients

  • Besides the gelatin (which you can find at the supermarket near the jello/baking section) — you should have most of the ingredients on hand. You can customize the marshmallow flavor based on your preferences.

• Prep

  • Make sure you have a pan (I used the 9-inch pan for thicker marshmallows), candy thermometer, powdered sugar, and parchment paper. These are essential for the final product.

• Flavor

  • 7/10: I had a hint of the vanilla, though my marshmallows (of course) were sweet. I would like to test additional flavors and to stop mixing my marshmallows sooner, and see if that changes the texture. Overall, I am happy to have a fluffy, sweet marshmallow for my holiday drinks!

K. Martinelli Makes Homemade Marshmallows Without Corn Syrup

Thanks for Watching

Have you made homemade marshmallows before? Do you have a favorite recipe or technique? Tell me about it in the comments below or browse other holiday dessert recipes here.