Marshmallow Recipe – Cooking with Nana Ling

By Editor On Mar 17, 2025

This Homemade Marshmallow Recipe delivers that signature airy texture and delicate texture – and makes each bite a little moment of sweet bliss.

There’s nothing like the sweet satisfaction of sinking your teeth into a soft marshmallow.

Sure, you can buy them at the store. But the homemade version is incredibly soft, pillowy, and melt-in-your-mouth compared to the store bought sweets. They’re also quite fun to make, especially with this recipe which I’ve adapted and tweaked to make it a reliable and simple recipe. Finally, by making them yourself you can experiment with flavours and colours.

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Ingredient notes

The essential ingredients for marshmallows are sugar, water and gelatine. Various recipes add additional ingredients, however the only other ingredient that I felt improved the results here was glucose. I’ve added a small amount of that to this recipe.

See recipe card at the end of this post for ingredient quantities.

You’ll see that the ingredients above also include vanilla extract (for white marshmallows) and pink colouring and strawberry flavouring (for pink marshmallows). You can, of course, experiment with other colours and flavours and even add some cocoa powder for chocolate marshmallows. You could also create a swirl pattern by only partially mixing in the colouring.

Instructions

Start by greasing a slice tin (approx 26 x 16 cm) with a little butter.

Place the gelatine and water in a saucepan and let stand for 5 minutes. This is known as “blooming” the gelatine and you’ll see it absorb the water so the granules become gel-like.

Next, add the sugar and the gelatine to the saucepan and then place on the stovetop and heat over low-medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Bring the mixture to the boil and then allow to simmer gently for 5 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool for 30 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed and gradually increase the speed to high. Beat for a total of 4-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and white in colour.

Now’s the time to decide how you want to colour and flavour your marshmallows – if at all. For white marshmallows, stir through the vanilla extract. For pink marshmallows, stir through the pink colouring and strawberry flavouring.

If you want both pink and white, split the mixture into two and add only half of the vanilla or colour/flavour.

Pour the marshmallow mixture immediately into the prepared slice tin. Smooth the mixture so it is flat across the top. Allow to set at room temperature for at least half an hour.

Once the marshmallow is set, prepare a work bench by dusting with cornflour. Invert the slice tin and ease out the slab of marshmallow. Use a butter knife to gently separate the sides from the tin if necessary. Sprinkle the remaining cornflour over the marshmallow.

Cut the slab of marshmallow into small squares using a sharp knife.

Storing and enjoying

Store marshmallow squares in an airtight container in a cool place. Avoid the fridge though as this can cause them to become sticky. They should last up to a few weeks.

There are endless possibilities for enjoying your marshmallows. Eat the as they are, toast them over a campfire (after you’ve cooked an Aussie damper over the fire), drop them into hot chocolate, use them in rocky road or indulge on the nostalgia of marshmallow cones.

More sweet treats

Looking for more recipes to satisfy a sweet tooth? Try these:

Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling’s recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! – Libby x)

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