Homemade Naturally-Sweetened Marshmallows (2024)

One of the best things of summer is campfires with homemade naturally-sweetened marshmallows. This simple recipe is healthy and nourishing!

Nothing quite brings in summer like homemade naturally-sweetened marshmallows. Warm summer nights with the sparkle of campfire embers inevitably are accompanied by good conversation, endearing moments, and roasting fluffy white pillows of pure delight.

Why Homemade Marhsmallows?

Have you read the ingredients on the package of marshmallows in the store? Maybe you don’t really care. Maybe you just want to try your hand at making a yummy treat because you’re stuck at home during this season of ‘Rona’ and need a new hobby.

Whatever your reason, you can feel good about making these marshmallows.

For my family, I prefer to stay away from all highly processed ingredients, like sugar.

Here’s a look at your typical puffed like a jet marshmallow …

INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, WATER, GELATIN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (WHIPPING AID), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BLUE 1.

Video Tutorial— Homemade Naturally-Sweetened Marshmallows

Here’s an interesting way to roast marshmallows. I kinda like this idea!

Quality Ingredients for Homemade Naturally-Sweetened Marshmallows

Natural Sweeteners

Instead of using HIGHLY processed sugar like corn syrup, there are much better choices.

Maple syrup is our personal fave. But you can also use honey, sorghum syrup, molasses, or even a DIY sugar-free syrup made with monk fruit or erythritol.

Gelatin

Grass-fed gelatin is what gives these marshmallows their firm composition. But it is also what gives this confection a nourishing component. Enter mom’s ability to declare this a healthy snack. In moderation, of course. 😉

Gelatin is made from the bones of grass-fed cattle. It contains important amino acids and has a host of benefits such as improves gut health and digestion, protects joints and lowers joint pain, helps improve sleep quality, improves skin health, and much more. Source

Pin It!

Tools You Need

Electric mixer with whisk attachment—this is similar to the one I use. I have an old, gifted KitchenAid Heavy Duty K5SS model. Works like a champ! Man cub added some gear grease to it when it started making a weird sound and seized up after about 5 years of my use, and made it work like new again. He’s amazing, he’s my hero!

9×13″ glass dish, or this pretty dish (I like pretty things)

Naturally-Sweetened Marshmallows Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup cool water

1/3 cup water, just off the boil

4 TBS grass-fed gelatin

1 cup maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of choice (I’ve also used 2/3 cup monk fruit with great results)

Generous pinch of quality mineral salt (I use himalayan salt)

1/2 tsp real vanilla (learn how I make my own)

Directions

To the bowl of your mixer, add 1/3 cup water and sprinkle the gelatin over to bloom.

To the bloomed gelatin (basically just cool water soaked up by the gelatin) add the off the boil water to dissolve the gelatin. Stir until all dissolved.

Turn mixer on lowest setting and slowly add sweetener of choice. Add remaining ingredients.

Turn mixer up to high and beat until soft peaks form. The longer (stiffer) you beat, the more rustic your marshmallows will look. Not a bad thing. Just a little more difficult to spread into pan for us type-A people. Uh hem.

Pour into a greased 9×13″ pan and refrigerate until set, about an hour.

Flip out marshmallow cake onto cutting board and slice up to desired size.

Store in airtight container in fridge or freezer.

Toss in powdered sugar or arrowroot starch to keep from sticking if desired.

To roast, leave out on cookie racks for several days to create a dry “shell” about them. They toast over campfires BEAUTIFULLY!

More Homemade Recipes to Enjoy

Homemade Salted Caramel Ice Cream

BEST Fudge Brownie Skillet Pie

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Hot Chocolate Made Healthy, Frugal

Sourdough Wraps | Starter To The Rescue!

Try It Out!

This recipe is so easy, quick and fun! The perfect way to get your kids involved in the kitchen with you. They’ll LOVE the results.

Have you every made marshmallows? Did you find them hard to roast?

P.s. We did. That’s why I had the grand idea to dry them out a bit to help them not dissintegrate over the fire before that coveted toasty coat was achieved. Anybody? So I thought … I’ll just use the dehydrator. On the lowest setting, of course, D U H H H. Welp, let’s just say it didn’t work. Another pool of goo. Hint: dry them out while waiting oh-so-patiently for days. Yeah. That’s the hardest part of this whole thing.

Summer marshmallows = patience and forethought.

Winter marshmallows = divine cocoa and coffee, AKA instant pleasure!