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Learn how easy it is to make honey-sweetened Healthy Marshmallows. They are perfect for gifts, roasting, baking, or in a cozy cup of cocoa. Marshmallows without corn syrup are the perfect allergy-friendly treat.
Making homemade marshmallows are surprisingly easy to make! Even better, the taste is amazing and these are 100% free of corn syrup.
Try these homemade marshmallows in this Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge recipe, Addicting S’mores Bark, Instant Pot Hot Chocolate, or Nordy Bars. Or, for a total fun twist, try your hand at dehydrating marshmallows for a crispy DIY version of Lucky Charms.
What ingredients are in Healthy Marshmallows?
These homemade marshmallows are rocking:
- honey
- a pinch of salt
- unflavored gelatin
- vanilla (try making homemade vanilla extract)
#1 Success Tip For the Best Homemade Marshmallows
Have everything prepared before you start the honey mixture cooking on the stove. Once the honey and water are heated and ready to go, you need to start mixing everything right away.
How to Make Homemade Healthy Marshmallows
*You’ll find a printable version of this recipe with measurements at the bottom of the post.
You’re going to start by combining water, salt, and honey in a medium-sized pot over medium heat without stirring (see printable recipe card for exact measurements). Pro tip: don’t pick a huge or heavy saucepan because you won’t be able to get an accurate temperature reading if the syrup is too shallow. But you also need something deep enough where the syrup won’t boil over as it heats.
While the honey is heating up, you’re going to add water to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle unflavored gelatin over the top of that. Again, you’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card below! Place a whisk attachment on the stand mixer.
When the honey mixture has reached 230 degrees F (use a candy thermometer for exact temps), turn your stand mixer to the lowest setting and slowly pour the honey into the bowl of the stand mixer. Add vanilla extract.
Slowly increase the speed of the stand mixture every few minutes until the last few minutes the mixer is going at the highest speed.
After two minutes:
After six minutes:
After eight minutes:
After 10 minutes:
Pour the mixture into a buttered 9×13 baking dish.
And now…you wait. Keep them uncovered for 6-12 hours at room temperature.
How to Know When Paleo Marshmallows are Done Mixing?
How to Cut Honey Marshmallows
Pro tips/recipe notes
- If the marshmallows too firm or chewy it means your honey mixture was too hot when it was added to the gelatin in the stand mixer.
- If they seem a bit soggy even after they have dried, it is because everything was not mixed at a high enough speed for long enough.
- Homemade marshmallows will keep at room temperature for 2-3 weeks. Dust them with powdered sugar before storing in an air-tight container.
- Dust them with powdered sugar prior to freezing.
More Recipes Like This:
- Check out all these Pantry Staples You Can Make Yourself
- Mocha Frosting
- Honey Simple Syrup
- Stovetop Candied Pecans
- How to Make Brown Sugar
- Homemade Peppermint Extract
Healthy Marshmallows
Equipment
- Candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 tbsp unflavored gelatin (the equivalent of 3 small packets)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup honey
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour 1/2 cup of water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit for five minutes.1/2 cup water, 6 tbsp unflavored gelatin
- Place 2/3 cup of water in a deep saucepan. Add the honey and salt, and cook without stirring until the temp reaches 230 degrees.2/3 cup water, 1 1/4 cup honey, 1/8 tsp sea salt
- Turn the mixer to the lowest setting and slowly pour the hot liquid mixture in. Add the vanilla and continue to mix on low for a few minutes.2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Slowly increase your mixer speed incrementally, and mix for a total of 10-15 minutes.
- While the mixer is running, butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- The marshmallows are done when you lift up the mixer arm to elevate the whisk into the air and the mixture holds for 5 seconds.
- Pour the thickened mixture in, and push it down with your hands. Leave it uncovered for 12 hours.
- After at least 12 hours, remove the solid marshmallow rectangle and cut through it using kitchen shears to create individual marshmallows.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I now have proof I *need* a stand mixer. I love that you let your kid play with a knife, and I appreciate the comment that your breasts were perfect prior to 2 years of breast feeding!
Great blog!
I have watched so many Law and Order episodes in my life, and I know this would totally stand up in a court of law as proof. It’s pretty much mandatory that you get a stand mixer at this point! ;-D
Dude, my boobs are a sad state of affairs. I wish I could go back and few years and slap myself for complaining how small they were. At least they were adorable!
I’ll have to give this recipe a go… I tried making them from a book that I have a couple of weeks ago and they were so terrible that I threw them out. I momentarily felt like a failure so made fudge and ate it and felt so much better lol
I like your thinking Elizabeth! Fudge does make everything better!
Homemade marshmallows are PERFECT in hot chocolate! They melt down so much better and they’re super creamy! YUM! 🙂
We make homemade marshmallows often (since I discovered how easy they were last fall). We’ve roasted them over fire. They don’t roast as nicely because they are more dense but they still taste good. I plan on trying the recipe with fruit juice some day and I have seen recipes using agar agar instead of gelatin.
You ROCK!
MUST.TRY.THIS.
Let me know how they turn out Karen!
I made peppermint marshmallows one year from Martha Stewart. Packaged them up in cute little bags and gave them as gifts with nice coffee mugs and hot cocoa mix. Everyone loved them. I’ll have to dig up the recipe and compare them….
I’m so glad you showed the different stages. I have a Kitchen-Aid, too, so the speed setting explanation was also helpful. I’ve been wanting to try homemade marshmallows, and thanks to you I’m not afraid to give it a shot now!
You can do this Katie!
You SHOULD stop referring to me as a hobag. But only if I can still call you a skank.
And fyi, Amazon sells them too. 🙂
https://www.amazon.com/KRAFT-JET-PUFFED-MARSHMALLOWS-Marshmallows/dp/B0005XNERS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341925408&sr=8-2&keywords=marshmallows
I believe you called me a crazy lady and a bean pole yesterday. Those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones!
xo
I’ve been intimidated to try this, especially as I plan to try to use a vegan gelatin. Thanks for posting the pictures of what it should look like at different steps!
I honestly have no idea how it would work with the vegan gelatin, but I’d love to hear about it if you end up making it!
was the honey taste very strong? And I’m wondering if they are sturdy enough to roast over a campfire??
I use raspberry honey which is a very sweet and mild honey. Honestly it just tasted like a rich marshmallow to me!
We’re going to roast them next week during a trip to the ocean, so I will let you know! ;-D