Holiday Recipes: Homemade Corn Syrup Free Marshmallows

by Jamie Ervin on November 14, 2008

Did you know that traditional store bought marshmallows contain ingredients like blue dye, tetrasodium pyrophospate and artificial flavor? Ick. Not for my kids.

Our house is chemical free, which means nothing artificial in our food either! We also avoid corn syrup and cook with a lot of vegan ingredients.

These are the best ever marshmallows, perfect for topping hot cocoa (or adult beverage of choice) or whipping up in sweet potatoes and krisp rice treats.

Corn Syrup Free (Vegan Option) Marshmallows

3 T. of unflavored Gelatin (or sub 2 tsp. Agar Agar Powder or 3 T. of Agar Agar Flakes) You can find non animal derived jel like Lieber’s at Kosher and Natural Markets.

1 c. chilled filtered water

1.5 c. organic cane sugar

1 c. agave nectar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

1/4 c. powder sugar

1/4 c. corn starch

Chill your metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment(s).

Place chilled bowl on base of stand mixer and attach whisk.

Start by putting gelatin (or replacement) into bowl.

Add 1/2 c. chilled water

In medium saucepan combine remaining water, cane sugar, agave and salt. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until mixture reaches about 235-240 degrees F (soft ball stage). Once temperature is reached remove from heat.

Now, turn your stand mixer on low. Slowly add hot mixture to gelatin. When all syrup is added, put mixer on high. Continue to whip until mixture becomes thick and temp cools. Add the vanilla and whip for about a minute longer.

This mixture will whip for 10-15 minutes. So, prepare your pans while it is mixing.

Spray a 13 x 9 inch rectangular pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine powder sugar and corn starch in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture in pan to coat, cover pan and shake to fully coat.

Now you can add the mixture to the pan. It is difficult to spread. Use a rubber spatula coated with non stick spray or oil. Once spread out in the pan, sprinkle the top with more of the sugar/cornstarch mixture, cover w/ cheesecloth or thin towel and allow to set up over night. Cut into 1 inch pieces and store in tightly sealed container at room temp.

Enjoy!

(If your recipe calls for marshmallow cream, stop prior to spreading the mix in the pan and continue with recipe of your choice!)

Photograph from Looks Good In Polka Dots, my personal blog.

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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

JohnG November 19, 2008 at 9:45 am

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Stacy December 1, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Yeah! I have marshmallows! My problem was the Agar Agar. Gelatin did the trick :) Thank you for an awesome recipe!

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Barbara December 18, 2008 at 8:50 pm

Thanks so much for the receipe. I recently took a great candy making class where we made beautiful marshmallows. The question of a vegan substitute for gelatin came up. I think agar agar was mentioned but not really explored. Thanks again.

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Becca January 27, 2009 at 1:54 pm

Do NOT make this recipe using agar flakes! It might work well with gelatin, but the agar flakes did not work (the mixture never got stiff enough). The resulting goo can’t even be used as marshmallow fluff, because the agar does not dissolve (and those little flakes are not appetizing).
I’m tempted to try the agar powder (I’m vegetarian and would love to be able to make my own veggie marshmallows), but I have a feeling I’d end up with the same sticky mess.

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Alice March 5, 2009 at 11:04 pm

What got lost here is that when you use agar agar, you must first bring it to a boil in water and simmer it for 15 minutes…and then add it to your recipe. When it cools, then it gels.

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megan July 11, 2009 at 1:16 pm

this is great, my kids have corn allergies and I prefer not to use real gelatin, I will definatly tries this out. instead of corn starch I will use arrowroot powder

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patty October 18, 2009 at 12:35 pm

Tried making these with brown rice syrup, did not work at all. I think the rice syrup is too heavy, Any suggestions would be helpful.

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nortagemdar January 19, 2010 at 11:58 am

Um, hello… why does everyone say they used the gelatin and that they’re glad that they’ve found a veg version? Do you people just not know what gelatin is? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin

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Adam March 12, 2010 at 12:56 pm

Is it possible to make this with no cane sugar, powdered sugar, or corn starch?

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dks64 March 25, 2010 at 8:40 pm

I think you mixed up the measurements for the agar powder. 2 tsp doesn’t sound right at all, that could explain why my mixture hasn’t set. Cook’s Thesaurus: “Substitutes: gelatin (Substitute one tablespoon powdered gelatin for every tablespoon of powdered agar. ” Wouldn’t that mean the recipe calls for 3 T of Agar Powder?

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dks64 March 26, 2010 at 9:15 am

I used Agar Powder, followed the directions from Alice (let the agar and water simmer) and they weren’t bad. They didn’t get puffy and airy, but they taste decent. I bet they’ll work great on s’mores :)

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Katie December 20, 2010 at 8:40 pm

this is the third agar marshmallow recipe I have tried tonight, and none of them work.

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Marolyn A July 5, 2011 at 11:51 am

I also made them with agar agar and it was a big flop. Could someone tell we how to use the agar agar. We are vegan want to make marshmellows for a special treet.

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jamie December 5, 2011 at 3:03 pm

I try to avoid agave nectar since they are not sure its actually healthy….my question was do you think you could use brown rice syrup instead? Thanks!

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