Vegan Marshmallows
Whether you’re making s’mores, hot chocolate, crispy treats, or sweet desserts, vegan marshmallows are a fun and tasty choice. They have the same soft, fluffy texture you love without any animal-based gelatin. There are more great options than ever, and many are easy to find in grocery stores or online. We’ll share the best vegan marshmallow brands, plus plenty of delicious ways to enjoy them.
If you love making your own ingredients like this, try our homemade caramel sauce, dairy-free buttercream frosting, and vegan nutella recipes!
Why Aren’t All Marshmallows Vegetarian?
Sadly, the gelling agent that keep their bouncy shape (gelatin) is made straight from animals, and that’s not all. These are what you need to look out for when shopping for vegan and vegetarian marshmallows:
- Gelatin – Found in almost all commercial marshmallows, gelatin is derived from ground animal bones, typically pigs, cows, and horses. In some cases, you may see “kosher gelatin”. That just means it’s more likely to have come from fish, in compliance with Jewish dietary laws. There is no such thing as vegetarian or vegan gelatin (although there are gelatin alternatives).
- Egg Whites and Egg Albumin – More commonly used in gourmet or French marshmallows to make a more velvety texture. Egg whites are often used to whip up conventional marshmallow fluff or marshmallow creme as well.
A Note About Sugar: Sugar itself is plant-based, made either from sugar beets or sugar cane, but the way it’s processed may involve animals. To learn more, check out our Is Sugar Vegan? guide.
Best Brands of Vegan Marshmallows
Next time you’re shopping for something sweet, look for these vegan and “accidentally” vegan brands at the store.
Dandies Vegan Marshmallows
Dandies makes full-sized marshmallows, mini mallows, and super-sized “Campers” marshmallows. They also offer special seasonal flavors like maple, pumpkins spice, and peppermint. You can find these at Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, natural foods stores, some mainstream grocery stores, and on Amazon.
Trader Joe’s Mini Marshmallows
You might miss it if you’re not looking closely because these don’t explicitly say “vegan” on the front of the package. But you’ll find that these marshmallows are vegetarian and vegan if you look on the ingredients list. (Psst…rumor has it that they’re repackaged Dandies sold at half the price!)
Yummallo Vegan Marshmallows
While the entire company isn’t vegan, they do make a specifically gelatin-free line of marshmallows, sold only at Walmart. Availability can be limited, so double-check with your local store before heading out.
Vegan Marshmallow Cream
Dandies
This brand makes the list again for their fluffy vegan marshmallow cream. Free from corn syrup and top allergens, this light-as-a-cloud treat is perfect for vegan fluffernutter sandwiches and anything else that loves marshmallow cream!
Funky Mello
Made from the magic of aquafaba, AKA chickpea brine, these sweet and gooey spreads are free of all common allergens. They come in vanilla, strawberry, and cookie flavors to make every dollop delicious. You can find them online and in select Whole Foods Markets now, with more locations coming soon.
Suzanne’s Specialties Ricemellow Creme
Before we had whole marshmallows, we had sticky, spreadable Ricemellow Creme. This wholesome alternative to conventional marshmallow fluff is made with soy protein and brown rice syrup. These blue and white tubs have slowly faded away from mainstream markets, but are still available from some online stores.
Recipes to Make with Vegan Marshmallows
Marshmallows are already delicious straight out of the package, but using them as ingredients other treats creates a next-level mallow experience.
- Dairy-Free Spicy Hot Cocoa – Drop a handful of puffy marshmallows in your hot and steamy vegan spicy hot cocoa for the perfect cozy drink.
- Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix – Prep a batch of this dairy-free hot chocolate mix for the winter season or as a DIY holiday gift for friends. Add in in some mini vegetarian marshmallows to complete the package!
- Marshmallow-Topped Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole – Coconut milk, warm spices, toasted pecans, and vegan marshmallows updates the classic sweet potato casserole for an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast.
- Campfire Banana Boats – All you need is a banana, vegan marshmallows, and your choice of topping. Super delicious for an outdoor camping treat!
- Vegan Rocky Road Ice Cream – Adding mini marshmallows to this chocolatey frozen treat adds another layer of texture and awesome flavor. Yum!
FAQs
Sadly, no. Marshmallows have a very specific structure and while agar can make a good gelatin substitute in some cases, it would create something more like foamy jello in these recipes.
Since sugar is the primary ingredient in all marshmallows, vegan or not, it’s really difficult to replace it entirely with alternative sweeteners. You may have better success creating a marshmallow creme, which can be made entirely with low-glycemic liquid sweeteners like maple syrup.
Yes! Marshmallows contain no wheat or gluten ingredients, so they’re perfectly safe for those with celiac disease. Check to make sure that they’re not produced in a factory that shares equipment with other gluten-containing products.
Most marshmallows are stable at room temperature, but will slowly dissolve when you apply heat. That means they’ll melt into a mug of hot cocoa or dissolve into a hot syrup when cooked. If you live in a particularly hot or humid climate, it’s still best to store them in an airtight container in the fridge to be safe.
Otherwise known as marbits, these tiny, dehydrated marshmallows are the best parts of many kid’s cereals. While there aren’t any commercial marshmallow cereals that are vegan, you can make your own Vegan Lucky Charms from scratch if you’re feeling ambitious.
Homemade Marshmallow Ingredients
When making vegan marshmallows at home, there are some ingredients that may be unfamiliar to you, such as:
- Cream of Tartar – A byproduct of fermenting grapes. Bakers commonly use this as a stabilizer and for other purposes.
- Xanthan Gum – A polysaccharide commonly used as a thickening agent, emulsifier, and stabilizer.
- Agar-Agar Powder – A gelative alternative that made of seaweed. Perfect for use in recipes like jello, puddings, and marshmallows.
- Tapioca Starch – This fine powdered starch comes from the roots of the cassava plant and creates a chewy consistency, which you can imagine if you’ve tried tapioca pudding or boba tea.
- Aquafaba – This is the liquid brine from chickpeas—and it’s a magical ingredient and egg substitute in vegan recipes. You can get this simple ingrdient by simply opening a can of chickpeas (aka Garbanzo beans), and pouring out the liquid into a bowl.
More Scrumptious Baking Ingredients to Try
Print me! Did you know you can easily print our recipes? Just tap the “Print Recipe” button in the recipe card. You can keep a stack of new recipes to try in your kitchen—or better yet—create a recipe binder where you keep all your favorites!
The BEST Vegan Marshmallows (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups aquafaba, chickpea brine, divided
- ½ teaspoon cream of Tartar
- 2 teaspoons xanthan Gum
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons agar powder
- ½ cup water
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup tapioca starch or potato starch
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Place 1 cup of the aquafaba and cream of tartar in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment installed and beat to stiff peaks. Slowly sift in the xanthan gum while the motor is running, until completely incorporated. Pause when the mixture is thick and fluffy. This can take about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the sugar, and agar in a medium saucepan with the remaining ½ cup of aquafaba, water, vanilla bean seeds, and extract. Stir once to moisten all the sugar and then keep your spatula out of it! Gently swirl the pan from this point forward to prevent the mixture from crystalizing. Bring to a boil and cook until it reaches 250 degrees.
- Turn the mixer up to high speed and very carefully stream the sugar syrup in. Beat for one minute longer before quickly transferring the sticky fluff to your prepared baking dish. Work quickly as it will begin to set as soon as it cools.
- Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before wrapping the whole tray in plastic and refrigerating for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight.
- When thoroughly chilled, turn out the massive mallow onto a clean counter coated generously with tapioca or potato starch. Use kitchen shears or a very sharp knife coated with more starch to slice small cubes. Toss each once in the starch to coat, to prevent them from sticking to one another.
Notes
Nutrition
This phenomenal homemade vegetarian marshmallow recipe was inspired by Super Vegan Scoops: Plant-Based Ice Cream for Everyone by Hannah Kaminsky.
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Leave a Comment
Does the agar powder contain carrageenan?
It shouldn’t! This brand is really reputable, and it’s just adar powder: https://amzn.to/3zv84B2 🙂
So excited for this because I love just snacking on marshmallows! Love this
So happy that there are many more vegan marshmallows available now! S’mores, here I come!
i can’t believe i used to buy these!!! your recipe is so tasty and easy to make!
Perfect vegan marshmallows! I am so happy I found this recipe!
It is real! everything can be veganized! Loved this recipe and I am sharing it with my friends! This is so cool!
I’m SO excited about these vegan marshmallows! They are so delicious, and I’m so proud of myself for making my own from scratch! So much fun and such a satisfying recipe 🙂
Interesting! Going to have to try this one!
Love dandies! Such a helpful guide, thank you!
Vegan marshmallows are such a joy to eat! What a great guide!
It can be tough to find marshmallows without gelatin, but this recipe makes it so easy to make them yourself! They turn out so amazing – thank you so much for sharing!
Great information! And these marshmallows are so fluffy & delicious!
these turned out amazing! and the guide is so helpful. Thank you
omg thanks for sharing how to make these. I was buying these from stores and SO $$$$
Love this guide and delicious recipe for vegan-friendly marshmallows! This information is incredibly helpful and much appreciated!
This is a genius idea! The texture is so nice! Love this recipe.