How to Make Marshmallows - Homemade Marshmallows Without Corn Syrup

I first learned how to make homemade marshmallows many years ago. It was just a one-time try to make my own marshmallows, and they turned out great. 

And I was so happy I could make my own homemade marshmallows. But then, it stopped there. I never got into making them again as I do not use marshmallows as much until recently when I decided to revisit marshmallow making.

Easy homemade marshmallows without corn syrup

Making marshmallows is quite easy. For basic marshmallows (without corn syrup), you only need 3 main ingredients, i.e. sugar, water, and gelatin. And with this basic recipe, you can add different flavorings and colors to customize these treats.

Some homemade marshmallows recipes call for the use of corn syrup and that is simply to avoid the sugar from crystallizing. I always make mine without corn syrup and it works fine all the time.

The process starts by soaking gelatine in some water. While waiting for the gelatine to bloom and dissolve, the sugar is cooked until it reaches a soft-ball stage. It is then added to gelatine that was already soaked in water and the mixture is whipped until it turns all white, fluffy, and thick. It is then poured into a well-greased and dusted mold and let to set at least overnight until it is ready to be cut and served.

You will also notice as you read on that making homemade marshmallows can be quite a sticky affair. However, this can be easily managed with proper greasing of the molds (tins used to pour the marshmallow solution into) and the knife that is used to cut the marshmallows. Also, dusting the marshmallows well with sugar-cornstarch mix will ensure the marshmallows do not stick to one another after cutting.

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How to Make Homemade Marshmallows

Ingredients

Though one might think that homemade marshmallows are hard to make, they are in fact quite easy.  And if you were to look at the ingredients list, they are very minimal with only 3 main ingredients and even those are pretty basic ones that are easy to find:

• Castor sugar
• Gelatin (unflavored)
• Hot water

And for dusting the finished marshmallows, you would need:

• Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• Cornstarch

And my recipe does not use corn syrup so if you are looking for a marshmallows recipe without corn syrup, this is just for you. 

The other optional ingredients are:

• Flavoring
• Coloring

Though these are optional, they do make a difference to the marshmallows especially the flavoring.

Making the homemade marshmallows (without corn syrup)

1. The process of making homemade marshmallows starts by preparing the molds. It is normally poured into a large dish and then cut up into small pieces once it has set. Any dish is fine for marshmallows, and I often only use my cake tin. An important point to note in preparing the dish or mold is to make sure it is really well-greased and lined. I grease my cake tin bottom and sides, line it with parchment paper and then grease it again. And right before pouring my marshmallow into it, I dust it with icing sugar – cornflour mix. Making marshmallows can be a really sticky affair so you need to really do this step properly to avoid all the mess.
2. Next is the gelatin. Measure it into your mixing bowl.
3. Add in half of the hot water and stir to mix.
4. And while waiting for the gelatin to bloom and dissolve, measure the sugar into a small pan and add the remaining hot water to it.
5. Heat the syrup on low flame, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
6. Once it has all dissolved, remove the spoon and let it simmer until it reaches a soft ball stage or between 235 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit or between 112 to 116 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.

What is soft ball stage?

• Soft ball stage is a test used to check on the readiness of syrup. You do this by pouring a few drops of the solution into a saucer filled with cold water. And then you try pushing it with your finger. If the syrup dissolves immediately, the syrup is not ready. Boil it a little longer and test again.
• At soft ball stage, the solution can be molded into a very soft ball with your fingers. An easier way to determine the soft ball stage is by using a thermometer. Soft ball stage is when the solution reaches between 235 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit or between 112 to 116 degrees Celsius.

Mixing the syrup and gelatin

1. Once the syrup is ready, pour it into the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin it is completely dissolved in the hot syrup.
2. The next step is whipping up the solution. Let the mixture cool down for about 2 minutes, and then whisk it until it becomes thick and foamy. This would take a good 12 to 15 minutes on medium-high speed.
3. The marshmallow is done when it has increased in volume and has reached a soft peak stage. The peaks will be very soft and they don’t stand stiff. Add vanilla and mix for another minute.
4. To set the marshmallow, pour it into the prepared mold and leave it in a cool place overnight to set completely. 

Cutting the homemade marshmallows

• If you had greased your dish well, removing the marshmallow block from it and paper lining should be an easy process.
• To cut the homemade marshmallows, grease your knife well and dust it with the icing sugar-cornstarch dusting. Keep dusting the knife after each slicing to avoid the marshmallow from sticking to the knife.
• Lift the marshmallow block off the tin and peel off the sides. Dust it generously with the icing sugar-cornstarch dusting. Cut the marshmallows, dusting the knife often.
• Toss the cut marshmallows into more icing sugar – cornflour mix until they are all well coated. You can put them into a container and gently shake the container to dust the cut marshmallows. Keep them in an airtight container. 

Easy homemade marshmallows without corn syrup

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Notes

Why is lining the tin an important step

• As you can see above, I have lined my tin with parchment paper and have also thoroughly greased it. This is extremely important because the marshmallow mix is super sticky. It remains sticky even after you rest it for a minimum of 8 hours. So if you do not line your mold well, you will end up with your marshmallow sticking miserably to it.
• The parchment lining helps to ease lifting the marshmallow out of the tin. The greasing helps release it from the parchment paper.

Gelatin

• The gelatin I use in this homemade recipe is the powdered one and it's unflavored. And because of this, it sometimes has a pretty strong smell, so the flavoring is quite important. Plain old vanilla is sufficient, but if you want something fancier, you can use any fruit flavors, or coffee flavor or anything else that suits your liking.

Coloring

• Coloring is optional, but then again, if you are planning on matching your homemade marshmallows with the flavoring you’ve added to it, tinting your marshmallows in a matching color can make a whole lot of difference too.

Easy homemade marshmallows without corn syrup

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Homemade Marshmallows Recipe (Without Corn Syrup)

Here is the full printable version of my homemade marshmallows recipe without corn syrup: 

And that is pretty much my sharing on how to make homemade marshmallows without corn syrup. Hope your find this useful.

Yummy homemade marshmallows without corn syrup

Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
• Almond Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes
• Homemade Fondant Recipe
• How to Line a Cake Tin
• Homemade Fried Dough Recipe

Enjoy 🙂