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Square photo of some vegan marshmallows
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4.80 from 5 votes

Vegan Marshmallows

I promise you'll fall in love with these sweet vegan marshmallows! They are soft, fluffy, and satisfying, and only require 8 ingredients.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: How to, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 16
Calories: 76kcal
Author: Iosune

Ingredients

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ½ cup aquafaba the liquid from one can of chickpeas
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 teaspoon agar powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Mix the powdered sugar and the cornstarch in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
  • Line an 8×8 inch or 20×20 cm baking pan or baking dish with parchment paper and dust the bottom of the pan/dish with ¼ cup (30 g) of the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture and. Set aside.
  • Drain the liquid from one can of chickpeas into an electric mixer bowl and set the chickpeas aside to make any recipe that calls for chickpeas. You should have ½ cup of aquafaba (120 ml), but a little more or less of it is okay.
  • To make the aquafaba, add the cream of tartar and the vanilla extract to the electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and stiff peaks form (my mixture is ready in about 3-5 minutes and I usually use a Kitchenaid mixer). You could also use a regular large bowl and a hand mixer. Set aside.
  • Add the water and the agar powder to a saucepan and stir until well combined.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
  • Allow it to boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the sugar, stir until well combined, and boil for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Turn your mixer down to low, and slowly pour the sugar and agar mixture into the aquafaba to create a marshmallow fluff.
  • Quickly transfer the marshmallow fluff to your prepared baking pan or baking dish, smooth the surface, and dust the top of the vegan marshmallows with ¼ cup (30 g) of the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture.  
  • Let cool at room temperature for about 2 hours or until set.
  • Cut the vegan marshmallows into squares and roll all sides on the remaining powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture (½ cup or 60 g).
  • Preheat the oven to 150°F or 65°C. Once the oven reaches that temperature, turn it off, transfer your vegan marshmallow cubes to a lined baking sheet, and let them dry in the warm oven for an hour. If you don’t want to use the oven, you could also let the vegan marshmallows onto a lined baking sheet at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
  • Enjoy immediately or keep the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

  • What is aquafaba? If you're wondering what is aquafaba, it is actually the liquid that you can find in almost any can of legumes, especially chickpeas. Its slimy texture is similar to egg whites and it is completely cholesterol-free! In fact, it's the key ingredient of these vegan marshmallows.
  • What are vegan marshmallows made of? There are lots of different versions of this recipe, but I personally believe this vegan marshmallow recipe is the best one. As you can see, these vegan marshmallows only contain 8 common ingredients, such as aquafaba, cream of tartar, and agar powder, so they are healthier than the store-bought ones!
  • Are these gelatin-free marshmallows? Yes, these are 100% gelatin-free marshmallows! Gelatin isn't a plant-based ingredient, so I replaced it with agar powder, which is a vegetable gelatin substitute.
  • I really suggest you use chickpea aquafaba instead of the ones that come from other legumes, as this recipe will work best with it.
  • You can omit the cream of tartar if you can’t find it, but it will take much longer to get the proper texture. It can be replaced with some lemon juice, but I’ve never tried it myself and I don’t know if it could change the flavor of the vegan marshmallows.
  • I’ve only tried this vegan marshmallow recipe with agar powder, not with agar flakes, so I’m not sure they are also a good choice, sorry! But please let me know in the comments if it works for you.
  • Any type of sugar will do.
  • Preparation time doesn’t include the time you have to let the vegan marshmallows cool until set.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 76kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.8g | Sodium: 1mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 16.3g