Homemade Mini Marshmallows (piped Marshmallows)

Flavored and colored mini marshmallows on a blue background and on a serving platter. - 1

Your favorite homemade marshmallows recipe in the form of mini marshmallows ! I show you how to pipe marshmallows as well as make fruit flavored, colored mini marshmallows.

These pillowy soft, fluffy, colorful mini marshmallows are SO much fun to make and eat, and you can pair them with a variety of other applications too.

White and colored mini marshmallows spilling out of two glass jars onto a blue counter. - 2

For YEARS, a lot of my lovely readers have been asking me if my popular homemade marshmallows recipe could be piped. And now I can finally say yes, yes you can!

Not only am I sharing how to pipe marshmallows here, but the recipe also show you how to make flavored and colored mini marshmallows.

So you can make a variety of fun fruit flavored and rainbow colored marshmallows!

Why this recipe works
Ingredients you’ll need
How to make mini marshmallows (piped marshmallows) Tips for piping
My best recipe tips
Frequently asked questions
Recipe variations
What to pair with mini marshmallows

Why this recipe works

Based on my reader-favorite base marshmallow recipe that many tens of thousands of my readers have made and shared over the years. So, you get the same foolproof results with these mini marshmallows too.
These homemade mini marshmallows are softer and taste so much better than store-bought . They melt in your mouth because they don’t utilize any stabilizers.
Step-by-step instructions with visual cues that are easy to follow for beginners too.
I show how to add flavors and colors to make fruit flavored mini marshmallows that actually have so much more fruit flavor than store-bought ones.
While I do use piping bags and piping tips, you can make these with gallon ziploc bags too .
If you prefer not to pipe marshmallows, I also share how to make mini marshmallows without piping . But then the shape will be square rather than rounded or cylindrical.

Overhead view of pink, yellow and white colored mini marshmallows on a plate. - 4

Ingredients you’ll need

For vanilla marshmallows

Labeled ingredients to make mini marshmallows on a white countertop. - 5

White sugar
Corn syrup or golden syrup
Water (for the sugar syrup)
Gelatin powder
Water (to bloom the gelatin)
Salt
Vanilla
Cornstarch + confectioner’s sugar (for the dusting powder)

OPTIONAL flavoring

Marshmallow dusting powder and fruit extracts and food coloring needed to make flavored marshmallows. - 6

Here, I split one batch into 3 portions and then color and flavor each portion. I chose vanilla, lemon, and strawberry for the flavors. Here are a couple more options besides those.

Lemon – Lemon extract / flavor + yellow gel food coloring
Strawberry – Strawberry extract + red gel food coloring
Raspberry – Raspberry extract + red food coloring
Lime – Lime flavoring / extract + green gel food coloring
Orange – Orange extract + orange gel food coloring

Equipment you’ll need

Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Multiple mixer bowls (if you want to make multiple flavors)
Piping bags (a minimum of 2 x 18 inch piping bags)
Round piping tip (1/2 cm width)
Gallon Ziploc bags (instead of piping bags + piping tips)
Parchment paper
Multiple half sheet pans or full sheet pans (to pipe marshmallows onto)

How to make mini marshmallows (piped marshmallows)

Step 1 – Get all the ingredients ready and bloom the gelatin

Measure all the ingredients, and make sure there’s no grease contamination.

Sift and prepare the dusting powder. You’ll need a generous amount of it as the piped marshmallows will need to be coated well after they set.

In the mixer bowl, place the water and sprinkle the gelatin (image 1) . Stir to saturate the gelatin with the water and set it aside for at least 10 minutes to bloom.

Any traces of butter or oil or grease will prevent the marshmallow mixture from fluffing up, or will cause a fluffy marshmallow mixture to deflate.

Also, if you’d like to split one batch to make multiple colors or flavors, then remember to weigh the empty mixer bowl, so you can calculate the final weight of the mixture and split it evenly.

Heating the sugar syrup in a saucepan on the stove. - 9

Step 2 – Make the sugar syrup

In a pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water (image 2) . Stir to saturate the water with the sugar.

Heat the sugar syrup over medium heat, while swirling the pot occasionally until it starts to simmer and the sugar is mostly dissolved (image 3) . Close the pot with the lid and lower the heat to simmer the sugar syrup for about 2 minutes (image 4) .

After 2 minutes, remove the lid and make sure there are no sugar crystals stuck on the sides of the pot (condensation should have washed down any sugar crystals). The sugar should also be completely dissolved by now (image 5) .

Checking the temperature of the sugar syrup in the pot with a candy thermometer. - 10

Bring the heat back to medium (or to a gentle boil), and heat the syrup until it reaches 240 – 245 F (firm ball stage) (image 6) .

Check the temperature with a candy thermometer or digital thermometer every few minutes to monitor this. Occasionally swirl the pot to make sure the syrup is heating evenly. Do not stir , as the syrup can re-crystallize if it’s agitated too much.

Once the syrup reaches firm ball stage, remove from the heat and let the bubbles subside for a couple of minutes while you get the mixer ready.

It’s really important to cook the syrup to the correct temperature. It’s not enough to just “boil” the sugar syrup.

Here’s why.

Between 240 – 245 F, the sugar concentration in the syrup is between 85 – 87%. So, it only contains about 15% (or less) water content.
If the sugar syrup has more than 15% water content, and if you add that to the gelatin, the mixture will not fluff up. This is due to the higher water content.
A more liquid mixture will be harder to pipe as well.

Step 3 – Make the marshmallow mixture

Whipping the marshmallow mixture in the mixer bowl and adding vanilla extract into it. - 12

Add the salt and whisk the bloomed gelatin with the whisk in the stand mixer for a few seconds to break it up.

Then while whisking on medium – low speed, carefully stream in the hot sugar syrup (image 7) . Avoid the whisk to prevent the syrup from splashing back (as it could burn you!).

After you add all the sugar syrup, gradually increase the whisking speed to high and whisk for at least 5 minutes (image 8) . The mixture should become white and fluffy like meringue, and triple in volume (image 9) .

When the mixture has achieved this consistency, add the vanilla and whisk for a further 1 minute on high speed to mix it in well (image 10) . If you want to add color, add gel food coloring along with the vanilla to color the marshmallow base.

Step 4 – Flavor and color the mixture (optional)

You can skip this step if you only want to make one color and flavor of marshmallows.

In this post, I make two batches (separately). I kept one as white vanilla mini marshmallows.

Then I split the second batch into three to make vanilla, strawberry, and lemon marshmallows that can be mixed together to make my version of fruity mini marshmallows.

Transferring fruit flavored mini marshmallow mixtures into piping bags. - 13

I weighed the mixing bowl first to get the final marshmallow mixture weight (total weight of mixture and bowl – weight of empty bowl = weight of marshmallow mixture).

Divide the weight by three and split the mixture into three separate bowls (image 12) .

The vanilla portion can go straight into a large piping bag (image 11) . Twist the open end to keep it sealed in.

The other two portions are flavored with extract, with a few drops of gel food coloring. Fold the mixture to evenly mix in the extract and coloring and then transfer each flavor mixture into separate big piping bags (images 13 – 14) and twist to close the open end (image 15) .

I use LorAnn bakery emulsions to flavor the marshmallows. Both the strawberry and lemon extracts are excellent, and I especially love the lemon flavor.

It’s really important to fold in the extract and color and place the marshmallow mixture in the piping bag while it’s still warm.

That way you can get all of the mixture into the piping bag before it gets too sticky and harder to pipe.

Step 5 – How to pipe marshmallows

Piping marshmallows colored pink and white onto a half sheet pan covered in dusting powder. - 15

This technique requires more time and patience than setting and cutting marshmallow blocks. But it’s SO MUCH FUN! We’re piping marshmallow lines or tubes (or ropes) here, and then cutting them into smaller pieces once set.

To prevent the marshmallow from sticking to the baking tray, line the baking trays with parchment paper or a silpat. Then generously dust the surface with the cornstarch / confectioner’s sugar powder (image 16) . I use a total of 3 half sheet pans for 1 batch of marshmallow.

Attach a round pastry tip with an opening of about 1/2 cm to another pastry bag. Then cut a large opening in the marshmallow filled piping bag and place it inside the pastry tip bag. Alternatively you can cut the hole from the pastry bag as well, but the piping bag will give a more rounded shape.

Pipe lines of the marshmallow mixture over the dusted half sheet pan (image 17) . Either use scissors or the edge of the tray to trim the marshmallow at the end.

Tips for piping

To get evenly thick ropes of marshmallows,

Apply even, gentle pressure on the piping bag so that it pipes out an even amount of marshmallow mixture throughout.
While applying gentle pressure, make sure to move the piping bag over the tray at even speed .
By varying the pressure and speed, you can control the width of the marshmallow lines . As the marshmallow mixture gets thicker, you may need to either apply more pressure or move more slowly (or both).
Don’t drag the pastry tip along the surface. This will cause the marshmallow to become flat or deformed. Instead, pipe about 1 – 2 inches above (see image 17) , and allow the marshmallow to “lay” on top of the dusted tray.
Don’t leave too much space between piped lines, just make sure there is enough space for the marshmallow lines to not touch.
Don’t let the marshmallow ropes touch . If the piped marshmallow lines do accidentally touch or cross over however, don’t worry. You can cut them AFTER they have set. Don’t try to separate them while they’re sticky.
When the marshmallow mixture is too warm , the piped lines will lose their round shape and flatten. If this happens, let the mixture cool down slightly.
When the marshmallow mixture is too cold , the piped lines will come out thick (needs more pressure, and won’t flow as easily), and will also have a rough surface.
Marshmallows will pipe easily and with a smooth surface when it’s at the correct temperature. See below.

Difference in shape of marshmallow mixture when piped too warm, at the right temperature, and too cold. - 17

Once a few marshmallow ropes have been piped (about 1/3 – 1/2 of the mixture), dust more of the dusting powder over the piped lines (image 18) .

Continue to pipe out all of the marshmallow mix and cover with dusting powder. It doesn’t need to completely coat the ropes, since we’ll be doing that in the next step.

Step 6 – Let the marshmallow set and cure

Ropes of piped marshmallows on a pan in pink, yellow, and white color. - 18

After about 30 – 45 minutes, the marshmallows should be set enough to manually coat them with the dusting powder.

To do this, coat your fingers with the dusting powder and gently loosen the marshmallows and flip them in the dusting powder to coat (image 19) . Don’t squeeze the marshmallow since it’ll still be soft.

Cover the trays with plastic wrap and let them set for another 4 – 5 hours (or overnight) at room temperature.

Step 7 – Cut the marshmallows

Loosen the set marshmallow “ropes” from the baking trays. Be gentle, so you don’t break, stretch, or tear the marshmallows (images 20 -21) .

To cut them into mini marshmallows,

Snip them into smaller pieces with scissors (image 22) , OR
Cut using a knife or other sharp blade.

Either cut one rope at a time, or multiple together.

Any thick portions of marshmallow can be cut lengthwise before cutting into mini pieces (image 23) .

Cutting the piped marshmallow ropes with a pair of scissors to make mini marshmallows. - 19

Step 8 – Store the marshmallows

Toss the cut mini marshmallows in the dusting powder to prevent them from sticking together (image 24) .

You can keep each flavor separate (image 25) , or mix them together. Store the marshmallows in an airtight container. They will last for at least a couple of months!

Tossing the cut mini marshmallows in more marshmallow dusting powder. - 20

My best recipe tips

All the ingredients and utensils that you use should be clean and free of any grease / fat . Otherwise the mixture won’t fluff up, just like with meringue.
When heating the sugar syrup, make sure to check the temperature OR do a cold water test to make sure it reaches 240 – 245 F (i.e. firm ball stage – as explained in my article on cooked sugar stages ).
To get proper temperature readings, the thermometer tip should be submerged in the syrup WITHOUT touching the bottom of the pot.
Be careful when handling the sugar syrup , as it’s very hot and could burn you easily!
Flavor and color the marshmallow mix after it has reached peak volume, but while it’s still warm . This makes it easier to fold the mixture AND to pipe the marshmallows.
It takes some practice to pipe marshmallows, but these mini marshmallows are the perfect way to practice before trying other shapes.
Work quickly while the mixture has the right consistency and before it cools down and thickens too much.
If you don’t want to be piping marshmallows, then you can spread the marshmallow mixture on a half sheet pan (buttered and lined with parchment paper) and let it cure overnight. This can then be cut into mini marshmallows (1 x 1 cm).

Colored and flavored mini marshmallows on a plate with more in the background. - 22

Why did my marshmallow mixture not fluff up?

It takes a few minutes for the marshmallow mixture to properly fluff up. If the mixture is still runny and not fluffing up like meringue, it could be for any of these reasons. 1 – The mixture was accidentally mixed with some form of fat during the process. Make sure all the ingredients and utensils have no fat on them. 2 – Make sure you didn’t substitute the gelatin. Agar agar does not fluff up the same way as gelatin. 3 – The sugar syrup was not boiled to the correct temperature. If that’s the case, the excess water will weigh down the mixture and not let it fluff up into a thick, stiff mixture.

Why are my piped marshmallows flat?

Can I pipe with a star tip?

You can. But make sure to play around with timing to get the right consistency of the marshmallow mixture, so that it will retain the pattern of the piping tip. Make sure to work quickly, OR keep the marshmallow mixture at the ideal piping temperature.

Can I pipe marshmallow shapes instead?

Absolutely! Pipe the marshmallow mixture into any shape you like. Just make sure to dust it with the dusting powder to prevent a skin from forming on top.

Is it possible to make dehydrated mini marshmallows?

I haven’t tried to do so with this recipe… yet! Since these marshmallows don’t contain stabilizers, I’m not sure how well it would stand up to being dehydrated.

Can I make marshmallow ropes (flumps) with this recipe?

You can! It does involve more work though. After piping “marshmallow tubes”, let them set for about 30 – 40 minutes WITHOUT dusting them. Then with very gentle hands, take two tubes and twist them together. Use some extra marshmallow to stick the two tubes together on each end so that it’s more secure. Then dust the twisted rope and let it cure overnight before cutting into smaller sections.

Colored mini marshmallows falling from above into a big glass bowl. - 23

Recipe variations

In this recipe, I make,

Vanilla mini marshmallows
Fruity mini marshmallows

You can also make,

Other fruit flavored marshmallows Lime, orange, raspberry etc.
Rainbow mini marshmallows – Without adding any flavor, you can just add color to the base recipe and make these.

You can also turn any of my flavored marshmallow recipes into mini marshmallows.

Coffee marshmallows
Ube marshmallows
Peppermint marshmallows

A hot chocolate in a mug topped with a handful of white mini marshmallows. - 24

What to pair with mini marshmallows

Since these mini marshmallows are made without stabilizers, they do not behave the same way as store-bought mini marshmallows.

Without stabilizers, these mini marshmallows melt more easily when heated (or even in your mouth!). They also caramelize better and taste better. Plus, they are softer too.

These mini marshmallows are excellent for,

Hot chocolates – Mini marshmallows for hot chocolate is about the most perfect use for them. Pair these with my French hot chocolate , peanut butter hot chocolate , dairy free hot chocolate , or white hot chocolate too.
Ambrosia salad or any dessert salads
Rocky road bars
Sweet potato casserole (they’ll caramelize beautifully on top of the sweet potato casserole)
Gift-giving! A bag of mini marshmallows is such a fun edible gift during the holidays.

Close up of fluffy colored mini marshmallows in a small glass jar. - 25

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