Homemade Sugar-free Marshmallows! Fun to make and YUM! (2024)

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These Sugar-free Marshmallows are fluffy, light, low-carb, and super fun to make. Plus you can easily vary the sweeteners for whatever your dietary needs are.

I’m all for fun treats for my kiddos (and who am I kidding–for me too, right?), but I’m not for all the sugar in store bought marshmallows. And did you know that most marshmallows have added food coloring in them? No joke. Now you can enjoy sugar-free keto marshmallows without the sugar and minus the food coloring as well.

Homemade Sugar-free Marshmallows! Fun to make and YUM! (1)

I’m always trying to make healthier versions of processed foods – like Homemade Chocolate Chips, Homemade White Chocolate Chips, Taco Seasoning, Hamburger Helper, and Chocolate Frosting.

But one of our all time favorite recipes is on that I’m sharing with you today–Homemade Sugar-free Marshmallows that can also be made as low-carb marshmallows.

Once on Facebook, I mentioned to my fans that I ended up staying up ’til 12:30 making homemade marshmallows and gluten-free graham crackers for my kids.

There was a ton of really fun and thoughtful responses, including a number of readers asking for the recipes.

Well, here is the marshmallow recipe, that just happens to be sugar-free.

The graham crackers weren’t quite really what we wanted, so I’ll be going back to the drawing board on those.

I first made homemade marshmallows with my son. What fun! To see water, sweetener and gelatin turn into white fluffiness in a bowl and then turning into marshmallows that tasted much better than anything I’d ever bought in a bag.

The reason we made them in those days was to avoid that blue food coloring I mentioned.

Why else might you make your own marshmallows?

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Why Make Homemade Marshmallows

– Avoid food coloring (the blue food coloring is in there to make the white look brighter. Goodness, right? If you really really want to add some blue, use a tad of this natural blue food coloring instead.)
– Avoid corn syrup (first of all, I want to avoid corn syrup due to almost all corn being GMO these days, but also because a lot of corn syrup has mercury in it due to the method of processing. (source)
– Avoid Sugar – Sugar is just a huge problem, according to TONS of info on the web these days. And if you have candida, like I do, then sugar is a complete no-no. Many of you are eating Sucanat, coconut sugar, honey, etc. All, in my opinion, are much better than white sugar. I plan to share more info on this soon.
– Fun with kids (and even if you don’t have kids, it’s super fun for us adults too!)
– And—if you are off sugar and have ever bought sugar-free marshmallows, then you’ll save a TON of money with these. I just saw a measly 2.7 oz bag of sugar-free marshmallows for $1.99. Eek!!

FAQs

Will These Marshmallows Roast?

Homemade sugar-free marshmallows simply don’t roast well. However, if you’d like to try it, you can let them dry for a few days before roasting and use just quick bursts of heat.

I haven’t tried this yet but I read this should work so I’ll have to give it a run. It’s likely that allulose will work best for this.

Can You Make Marshmallow Shapes with These Marshmallows?

This recipe should work great in silicone molds. Just spray the molds with a (preferably healthy) cooking spray or coat the molds with a small amount of vegetable oil.

These molds would be SO much fun to use for Easter!

You can spoon the marshmallow mixture into a plastic bag, snip off the ends and pump the mixture into molds more easily.

Can You Use Other Sweeteners?

Yes, in general you can use any sweetener you’d like. If you’d like to switch the glycerin for another sweetener, a 1:1 ratio of water to sweetener so it looks like that will work too. I haven’t tried it well, however.

One reader commented that she tried this recipe using only erythritol and it didn’t work out well. I haven’t tried this, but if you are going to, please try a small batch first or at least be prepared that it might not work out.

What Kind of Gelatin Is Best to Use?

One great company is Great Lakes – it’s made from pastured cows without antibiotics in their feed. There are a number of other good ones like Vital Proteins and Trim Healthy Mama.

Homemade Sugar-free Marshmallows! Fun to make and YUM! (3)

Substitutions for Special Diets

Vegan Option: For a vegan marshmallow option, use agar powder in a 1:1 substitution for the gelatin. I personally haven’t done this but it is supposed to work out just fine. Enjoy!
If you are attempting to make a vegan option, be aware that you might have varying results. You do need to let the agar sit on the water for about 1 hour before using it. Also, the results with agar can be variable so please be aware. I am going to try to do some experimenting to see if I can figure out what makes them work vs. not work.
Xylitol:Any other healthy sweetener can be used instead of xylitol, but if using erythritol use 1/3 more. If using a liquid sweetener, you may need to use a different amount, so read How to Substitute Sweeteners first. Approx. 12 scoops (3/8 of a teaspoon) of stevia (see How to Use Stevia) will work. Use honey, maple syrup (read this post for help choosing maple syrup), coconut sugar, or sucanat for AIP.
Glycerine: You can also substitute any healthy sweetener for glycerine.Again, though, if using a granulated sweetener a different amount may need to be used. If you’re on the THM diet, use xylitol or erythritol – again, use 1/3 more if using erythritol.

Sugar-free Marshmallows

These Homemade Marshmallows are super fun to make and have no artificial flavors or colors. Make them sugar free for a low carb treat.

4.64 from 11 votes

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Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: AIP, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo, THM:S, Vegan

Keyword: keto marshmallows, Sugar-free Marshmallows

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 dozen of marshmallows approximately

Calories: 8kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups allulose or xylitol (See Recipe Notes for Alternatives)
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup vegetable glycerine (functions as a sweetener in this recipe. See Recipe Notes for Alternatives)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium to large-sized bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.
In a heavy bottom sauce pan, stir sweeteners and remaining (hot) water.
Heat sweeteners and water over high heat until the mixture reaches 240 – 245 °F, or the soft ball stage.
Gradually (and carefully :-)!), while mixing constantly, add the hot mixture to the water and gelatin mixture.
Slowly add the vanilla to the mixture while beating.
Beat on high until the mixture form stiff peaks (almost like beaten egg whites).
Pour into a lightly greased 8×8 pan. You can use whatever size pan you like to make either thick or thin marshmallows. The 8×8 pan will make pretty nice-sized thick marshmallows.
Allow marshmallow to set. Then cut into desired sized. This can take 6-24 hours (I’ve never had it take that long), but you can put them in the freezer to speed it up — just don’t forget they’re in there :).
If desired, coat with cocoa, raw or toasted coconut, ground up nuts – have fun with your toppings!
Store in an airtight container and try to keep your kiddos out of them!

Notes

Vegan Option: For a vegan marshmallow option, use agar powder in a 1:1 substitution for the gelatin.
If you are attempting to make a vegan option, be aware that you might have varying results. You do need to let the agar sit on the water for about 1 hour before using it. Also, the results with agar can be variable so please be aware. I am going to try to do some experimenting to see if I can figure out what makes them work vs. not work.
Xylitol: Any other healthy sweetener can be used instead of xylitol, but if using erythritol use 1/3 more. If using a liquid sweetener, you may need to use a different amount, so read How to Substitute Sweeteners first. Approx. 12 scoops (3/8 of a teaspoon) of stevia (see How to Use Stevia) will work. Use honey, maple syrup (read this post for help choosing maple syrup), coconut sugar, or sucanat for AIP.
Glycerine: You can also substitute any healthy sweetener for glycerine. Again, though, if using a granulated sweetener a different amount may need to be used. If you’re on the THM diet, use xylitol or erythritol – again, use 1/3 more if using erythritol.
Roasting Tips: Homemade sugar-free marshmallows simply don’t roast well. However, if you’d like to try it, you can let them dry for a few days before roasting and use just quick bursts of heat. I haven’t tried this yet but I read it should work. It’s likely that allulose will work best for this.

Nutrition

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.