Everyone thinks that marshmallows are hard to make and not really worth the time because they aren’t healthy anyway. Not so fast! These maple syrup marshmallows are full of wholesome ingredients and easy to make! Try them out for a wonderful treat any time of the year!
We began using the GAPS diet as a family in December 2023 to help heal our guts. When Easter 2024 rolled around, I wanted treats of some sort to put in our Easter baskets, but I didn’t want to just buy regular chocolate and marshmallow Peeps… Not healthy at all. So I went on a mission to make my own chocolate and marshmallows for ourselves and our friends. The chocolate is still a work in progress, but the marshmallows… Boy, are they good!
I originally used a honey-based recipe and the results were decent, but the directions were a little unclear and we broke part of our mixer in the process. Joshua said to me, “Let’s try them again. I bet they would be even better with maple syrup. Can we make ours with maple syrup?”
Friends, you do not understand the true goodness of marshmallows until you have had a homemade maple syrup marshmallow!
Are Marshmallows Healthy?
It is a worthy question. After all, everyone wants to eat them, right? Unfortunately, standard marshmallows from the store are far from healthy. They contain corn syrup, modified cornstarch, artificial flavors and colors. I don’t know about you, but we try to avoid these items in the foods we consume. We limit our consumption of these foods because we know that they are harmful. That is not to say that all sugar or all treats are evil. That is not the case—we need good sugars and we should enjoy our food. But there are definitely foods out there that actually break us down instead of building us up.
While commercial marshmallows have less-than-ideal ingredients, we wanted our maple marshmallows to be a healthier alternative. They contain only a few ingredients, all of which are entirely natural:
- Maple Syrup: This is my favorite sweetener and my husband’s too. We love having it on pancakes, baking with it, and even making mochas with it! (If you don’t like maple syrup, you can use honey instead.)
- Water: Yep, just regular old water. We like to filter our water to remove any unwanted impurities, but unfiltered tap water will work just fine.
- Vanilla: I go back and forth a lot over using this ingredient in recipes. To add or not add? How much does it really make a difference? Feel free to leave it out if you want, but I did choose to include it in this recipe.
- Salt: Find a good salt, people—it really does make a difference! Every midwife I have had for my pregnancies has recommended using a good salt (either Celtic salt or Real salt) to help with water absorption and nutrition. I can say from experience that it really does help!
- Gelatin: For these marshmallows, I just used gelatin I already had in my pantry and it wasn’t anything fancy. But when I run out of it, I hope to use grass-fed gelatin to make them better for the gut!
And there you have it: 5 simple ingredients make a marshmallow lover’s dream!
What Do You Need to Make Maple Syrup Marshmallows?
These are the best tools we have found for making maple marshmallows:
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- Electric mixer
- Metal bowls
- Pot
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- 8×8 Pan
- Parchment paper
- Candy thermometer
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- Sharp knife
How to Make Maple Syrup Marshmallows
- Prepare an 8×8 pan with greased parchment paper. I like to use butter or coconut oil.
- Heat up 1/2 cup of water (I just boil it in my tea kettle) and stir in the gelatin about 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring in between so that it does not clump together. Let it rest.
- Add the vanilla and salt to a large bowl.
- In a small pot, combine the other 1/2 cup of water and the maple syrup. Bring the liquid to 235° F (around soft ball candy stage) on high heat. Stir constantly so that it doesn’t boil over. Be careful not to let it burn!
- Once the syrup and water mixture has reached 235°, quickly add it to the bowl of salt and vanilla along with the gelatin and water mixture.
- Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until the mixture looks like marshmallow fluff. When it begins to climb up the beaters of your mixer, it is ready (like the picture above). DO NOT let it climb all the way up the beaters! If you over-beat it, the mixture will cool down and thicken to the point of breaking your mixer. 🙁
- Quickly pour the mixture into your 8×8 pan and spread it out with a rubber spatula.
- Let the marshmallows set for 24 hours at room temperature.
- Remove the marshmallow square from the pan. Cut into 36 individual pieces with a sharp knife. Store in an airtight container. (Don’t worry about them sticking together: they pull apart easily.) Enjoy!
Ways to Use These Amazing Marshmallows
There are so many possibilities with these delicious marshmallows! My favorite way to eat them is in homemade hot chocolate. Here is a list of some sweet ways to use these treats!
- Roast over a fire
- Make S’mores
- Place in your cocoa
- Add to Jello desserts
- Use in Rice Krispie Treats
- Top sweet potato casserole
- Eat them just how they are!
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The BEST Maple Syrup Marshmallows
Make these EASY and HEALTHY maple syrup marshmallows and enjoy a tasty treat to share with friends and family!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, divided into 1/2 cups
- 3 tablespoons gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Prepare an 8x8 pan with greased parchment paper. I like to use butter or coconut oil.
- Heat up 1/2 cup of water (I just boil it in my tea kettle) and stir in the gelatin about 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring in between so that it does not clump together. Let it rest.
- Add the vanilla and salt to a large bowl.
- In a small pot, combine the other 1/2 cup of water and the maple syrup. Bring the liquid to 235° F (around soft ball candy stage) on high heat. Stir constantly so that it doesn't boil over. Be careful not to let it burn!
- Once the syrup and water mixture has reached 235°, quickly add it to the bowl of salt and vanilla along with the gelatin and water mixture.
- Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until the mixture looks like marshmallow fluff. When it begins to climb up the beaters of your mixer, it is ready (like the picture above). DO NOT let it climb all the way up the beaters! If you over-beat it, the mixture will cool down and thicken to the point of breaking your mixer. 🙁
- Quickly pour the mixture into your 8x8 pan and spread it out with a rubber spatula.
- Let the marshmallows set for 24 hours at room temperature.
- Remove the marshmallow square from the pan. Cut into 36 individual pieces with a sharp knife. Store in an airtight container. (Don't worry about them sticking together: they pull apart easily.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 43
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