An easy recipe for raspberry and vanilla homemade marshmallows, which are as light and fluffy as a cloud! Perfect for your Valentine! Egg and Gluten Free.
Homemade Marshmallows
Homemade marshmallows are a joy to eat. Light, soft and fluffy without a hint of chewiness they are poles apart from their chewy, rubbery mass produced poor relations Mine are so soft and pillowly I want to make a giant one and sleep on it, I am sure it would guarantee a good night’s sleep.
If you love good quality homemade marshmallows there are more and more people making them, in a variety of flavours, but at about £1 a piece it in an expensive indulgence, and making your own is so much cheaper, and certainly far more satisfying.
How to Make Homemade Marshmallows
Marshmallows are remarkably simple to make, with three main ingredients – sugar, syrup and gelatine – you can also use egg white, but having experimented I far prefer egg free marshmallows – I find them softer and creamier.
You do need two pieces of specialist equipment – a stand mixer, and an accurate sugar thermometer, I like a probe thermometer with an alarm that you can clip to the side of the pan and constantly monitor the temperature.
To make the marshmallow you pour the hot sugar syrup over dissolved gelatine and whisk and whisk and whisk at high speed until the mixture suddenly expands and becomes thick and sticky. I’d really not want to make it with an electric hand whisk, I do not think most have the strength or staying power.
Marshmallow is sticky, sticky, sticky and then even more sticky, be prepared to have a shower and wash your hair after making them (so speaks the voice of experience). Obviously sugar syrup is hot and sticky and burns; keep children and pets out of the kitchen when making these.
I’ve found that the best way to cut the slab of fresh marshmallow up is to use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors with some cooking oil rubbed into the blades to stop the freshly cut surfaces sticking.
Simply cut the block into strips, then into pieces before dusting all the sticky surfaces with a mixture of cornflour and icing sugar.
- Two sachets powdered gelatine about 20g
- 120 ml warm water
- 440 g sugar
- 100 g golden or corn syrup
- 200 ml water
- A dab of pink food colouring
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- 2 tbs cornflour
- 2 tbs icing sugar
- 1 tbs freeze dried raspberries optional
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Pour the 120ml warm water into a small pan and sprinkle the gelatine over, gently stir and set to one side to allow the gelatine to swell or “bloom”.
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Place the sugar, syrup and remaining 200ml or water into a heavy saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the syrup is at 120C. As it approaches this temperature the bubbles will become smaller and the mixture will start to darken.
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Whilst the sugar is heating, line a baking pan (about 30 x 20cm) with oiled cling film.
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If needed, warm the gelatine gently to fully dissolve it, then add it to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix on a low speed with the whisk to prevent it from setting.
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Once the sugar syrup has reached 120C increase the speed of the mixer to maximum and carefully pour the syrup over the gelatine. Whisk. The mix will puff up and after 5 – 10 minutes bubble gum like strands form. Whisk in the food colouring and vanilla.
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Pour into the prepared pan and leave at room temperature, covered with another sheet of oiled clingfilm for 2 hours until set.
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Mix the cornflour, icing sugar and raspberry pieces (if using) and liberally dust a board with it, turn the set block of marshmallow out, teasing the cling film from it. With a pair of oiled kitchen scissors cut the marshmallow into cubes dusting each freshly cut surface with the cornflour mix as you go. I found the cutting was the hardest part of the process, the marshmallow is fairly forgiving and robust so you can pull it around a fair bit.
- ALLERGY WARNING: Make sure to read the labels of all ingredients as some gelatine packets may contain gluten.
- This recipe is 4 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion
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If you love these you may also like my coal black rose marshmallows.
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion
Love the addition of dried raspberries. They are hard to find but I love them. Homemade marshmallows are the best!
Helen
The raspberries are just perfect as the tartness offsets the marshmallow perfectly.
Oriana @Mommyhood's Diary
My daughter is obsessed with marshmallows and she is going to LOVE this pink version. BTW that Thermapen looks awesome… is it only available in Europe?
Helen
Hi Oriana I am not sure if it available out of Europe – I’ll ask the supplier.
Renz
Always saying I need to try homemade marshmallows but always worried about getting precise temps…Thermapen looks like it worked great for you!!
Helen
The Thermapen is essential for getting the sugar syrup to the right temperature. Such a good gadget.
Molly Kumar
They look soooooooo pretty and especially love that baby pink color. I always wanted to make marshmallow at home and your recipe is really easy too.
Helen
As long as you have a stand mixer and an accurate thermometer it is super simple. I love homemade marshmallows.
Kate | The Veg Space
These look fab Helen, what a lovely gift they would make. I have a ThermaPen too and love it – so super-accurate, and really easy to use. It has transformed my baking – I just pop it into bread to find out whether its cooked through, takes out all the guesswork! I’m intrigued to try your marshmallows using vege-gel instead of gelatine – I had a bit of a disaster with my last attempt (using eggs), but this recipe would probably work much better. Will let you know how it goes!
Helen
What a good idea to use the Thermapen for bread. I’ve had no luck with marshmallows and vege-gel at all, with or without eggs.
Lynn
I need one of those thermometer pen things! My marmalade turned to toffee yesterday.
Helen
You absolutely do Lynn, they are so useful.
Ceri @Natural Kitchen Adventures
I have to say I am not a fan of marshmallows, but you make these look so inviting, such beautiful images too Helen. Maybe I could be persuaded… I bet a thermapen is just brilliant for tempering chocolate too.
Helen
Homemade ones are just so different Ceri, poles apart from the shop ones.
Dini @ The Flavor Bender
These look AMAZING!! I love making my own marshmallow but to add raspberry in them is just wonderful!! Definitely to try this for my next batch!
Helen
The tartness of the raspberry nicely balances the sweetness.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
These look amazing Helen and if I was making my own marshmallows I would definitely be using one of these.
I think my husband would love this recipe – he is marshmallow obsessed.
Helen
I adore homemade marshmallows, a massive one only has about 15g of sugar, which for a sweet is not really that much.
Bobby Robertson
I had never thought of making my own marshmallows before. What a great idea! The temperature probe looks much easier than my trad bulb one.
Helen
The Thermapen is super, it gives a reading so quickly, and is so easy to clean too.
Chelsea Wilkerson
What a lovely treat for sitting and watching TV. A little touch of luxury to brighten up an evening.
Helen
They are rather moreish!
Meredith Fletcher
That Thermapen looks very useful for meat as well as confectionary.
Helen
It is indeed. Excellent gadget.
Jenny Graham
Home-made marshmallows sound like a great idea. Could I make chocolate and/or chilli, to go with hot chocolate for when it’s very cold and miserable outside?
Helen
I’ve made honey and chilli marshmallows before. they’d be even better dipped in chocolate.
Dan Mccoy
AMAZING! Are they really easy? A Thermapen might just have to be my next gadget. Too bad Christmas has been and gone.
Helen
Really that easy! the Thermapen is an essential for the process.
Patricia Lewis
Those are great looking marshmallows, and I love the idea of the flavours. I might try chocolate and raspberry?
Helen
Sounds wonderful. I think I’d dip them in chocolate.