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Home » Recipes » Kids party food

Marshmallow Recipe

Published: Mar 9, 2025 · Modified: Oct 11, 2025 by Libby Hakim · 5 Comments

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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.

Jump to:
  • Ingredient notes
  • Instructions
  • Storing and enjoying
  • More sweet treats
  • Marshmallow Recipe

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, glucose 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:

  • Meringue kisses piled high in glass dish.
    Meringue Kisses
  • choc berry cups.
    Chocolate Berry Cups
  • chocolate spiders on plate.
    Chocolate Spiders
  • Honeycomb.
    Honeycomb

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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Marshmallows on plate.

Marshmallow Recipe

Libby Hakim
A homemade marshmallow recipe that works! Soft, fluffy and sweet.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Resting time and setting time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Australian
Servings 40 pieces
Calories 23 kcal

Equipment

  • stand mixer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon gelatine
  • 1 teaspoon glucose
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or pink colouring/strawberry flavouring)
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour

Instructions
 

  • Grease a slice tin (approx 26 x 16 cm).
  • Place gelatine and water in a saucepan and let stand for 5 minutes.
  • Add the sugar, glucose and the gelatine to the saucepan 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 speed to high. Beat for a total of 4-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and white in colour. Stir through the vanilla extract (or pink colouring and strawberry flavouring for pink marshmallows).
  • Pour the marshmallow mixture immediately into the prepared slice tin. Smooth the mixture so it is flat across the top. Allow to set for at least half an hour.
  • Prepare a work bench by dusting with half of the cornflour. Once the marshmallow is set, 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 into small squares using a sharp knife. Store marshmallow squares in an airtight container in a cool place (but not the fridge).

Notes

Storing:
Store at room temperature (in an airtight container) for up to a few weeks.
Nutrition:
The nutrition information is an automatically generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition

Calories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.02gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 0.3mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 5gCalcium: 0.3mgIron: 0.01mg
Tried this recipe?If you love it, let me know!

More Kids Party Food

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Comments

  1. Grace says

    October 11, 2025 at 3:28 pm

    I’m making this for the first time today! I was drawn to your website by all the Australian fete treats I remember as a kid 🙂 It’s a breath of fresh air to find Australian nostalgia in the midst of all the American recipes online!
    One question about the recipe. Where is the glucose added? I’ve noticed that it’s not in the instructions or recipe card. Is it added in with the sugar where it says ‘gelatine’?

    Reply
    • Libby Hakim says

      October 11, 2025 at 4:14 pm

      Hi Grace! Yes, it's added with the sugar and gelatine. Thanks so much for picking that up - I've now updated the post. And thank you so much for your kind words. That makes me happy as I've always been very deliberate about staying Australian and bringing back some of the good old days of home cooking. There are a lot of huge US bloggers that even rank highly for things like pavlova - and some Aussie bloggers Americanise their blogs to attract a slice of the huge US audience. So that's why things can seem very US-centric. Thanks again and hope you enjoy the marshmallow recipe. I also love this Weetbix Marshmallow Slice recipe. Libby x

      Reply
  2. Libby Hakim says

    March 10, 2025 at 10:11 am

    5 stars
    Best homemade marshmallow recipe.

    Reply
    • Suzanne Massey says

      June 20, 2025 at 10:55 am

      Hi Libby, just love your recipes 🥰 Quick question, would this be a good marshmallow recipe for weet bix marshmallow slice?
      Enjoy your day, stay warm.

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim says

        June 20, 2025 at 11:11 am

        Hi Suzanne - thank you! Yes, it would work well and the two are very similar. I have a specific recipe for Weetbix Marshmallow Slice here, too: https://www.cookingwithnanaling.com/weetbix-marshmallow-slice/ Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Hi, I'm Libby, a recipe collector and writer. I love everything about home cooking and share modern classics and recipes that have been passed down for generations – I hope you find a few that bring back treasured memories.

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