I am forever on a quest to find the best hot chocolate and marshmallow combination. More often than not I’m using my Date Hot Chocolate recipe, and this past weekend it felt like chai marshmallows had to be the perfect pairing to go with it.
Marshmallows are easily one of the most fun things to make from scratch – the thing is they can either be really painful or painless, depending on how you are prepped for them. So I am here to prep you with all my tips and tricks to get you the best (chai!) homemade marshmallows, every time.
Table of contents
What’s happening when you make a marshmallow?
When you make marshmallows, what you are essentially doing is whipping hot sugar in with unflavored gelatin, causing a reaction that mimics a meringue. The whole process feels like a big deal, but all you need is a thermometer and a stand mixer, and then the whole process is relatively easy.
When you are whipping the marshmallow, you can either stop when it gets to soft peaks for more of a marshmallow fluff consistency, or you can go a bit longer to where the marshmallow is firm. This will make it so you can scoop it into nice, even mounds.
Where marshmallows get difficult (and how to get around that!)
The first time I made marshmallows, they were so fun, but a little sticky. Luckily I updated the recipe here to use the same tips and tricks I use in these Chai Marshmallows. Here are my best suggestions:
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the marshmallows – this can either be in little mounds on a piece of parchment paper, or in muffin tins. If the scoop gets sticky, dip it in warm water and that should make the marshmallow easy to scoop and release.
- Dust every surface the marshmallow will go on with a mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar – this will make them easy to store and easy to separate (and save you so much headache of slicing a sticky marshmallow tray!)
Storing these marshmallows
My top suggestion for storage is in an airtight bag or container. Leave them either on the counter or in your pantry and they should keep for up to 10 days (or a little big longer if you don’t mind a firmer texture, then they can flex to 14 days!)
You can also freeze these. My suggestion is to store them in the same container as I recommended above, then thaw them by pulling them out to room temperature 12 hours before you would like to use them.
And the best hot chocolate to serve this with?
I might be biased, but I think this Date Hot Chocolate is fantastic.
And that’s it for these Chai Marshmallows! If you make them, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Chai Marshmallows
Equipment
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 16-count muffin tin optional
- 1 medium pot
- 1 probe thermometer or candy thermometer
- 1 cookie scoop
Ingredients
- Spray oil for coating
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch for coating
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for coating
- 2 packets of unflavored gelatin 14 grams
- 1/3 cup cool water 80 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 220 grams
- 2/3 cup light corn syrup 212 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons Masala Chai tea and spice blend (or a similar chai tea leaf blend)
- 1/3 cup water 80 grams
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your pans. If you are using a muffin pan, lightly spray it with spray oil. Then line each cup with a muffin liner or parchment paper. Spray the cups very lightly with the spray oil. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Sift this combination over the muffin tin to dust each cup. Set aside.
- If you are using a baking sheet, Spray the pan lightly with spray oil then line the sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Dust the parchment paper with a layer of the cornstarch/sugar blend. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the 14 grams of gelatin. Pour over 80 grams of water and give it a mix to combine.
- To a medium pot, add the 220 grams of sugar, 212 grams of light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoons Masala Chai blend, and 80 grams water.
- Place this pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Using a probe or candy thermometer, bring the mixture up to 240°F.
- As soon as it hits that temperature, remove it from the heat and strain it through a small sieve into the bowl of the stand mixer with the mixer on high. Aim to have the hot sugar mixture pour down the side of the bowl before it hits the gelatin.
- After the sugar is combined, continue to let the mixer run on high for 8-10 minutes, or until the marshmallow is opaque and forming soft peaks.
- Now, use a cookie scoop to scoop the marshmallow into 16 mounds, either in muffin tins or on the sheet pan. If it gets sticky, dip the cookie scoop in warm water to help prevent sticking. Dust the tops of the marshmallows with the remaining cornstarch blend.
- Let these set at room temperature for at least an hour, then they will be firm enough to transition to an airtight bag to store. These will keep at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Hi, Do you have any suggestions to make these vegan? I am trying to find a good recipe to make homemade marshmallows without gelatin. Thank you!
Hi Maggie! I messed up and truly thought my gelatin was plant-sourced – I’m testing some alts this weekend and will hopefully have updates for you soon!
No worries! Can’t wait to see what alts you find!
Hi again, Maggie,
Spent the week working on this and I think I have the BEST EVER recipe for you! Linked here: https://justinesnacks.com/vegetarian-meringue-marshmallows/
Amazing! I really cannot wait to make these. I’ve been cooking from your blog for the last three years (since I was 15) and you have taught me so much about cooking. Kabocha grain bowls are a favorite in my family although the pozole rojo tofu tacos were a recent winner and I loved getting to try out using dried chilies. Thank you so much for going the extra mile to find this alternative! I can’t wait to add these to my holiday boxes this year!!!
I love everything you post and these look soooo yummy! But I was really surprised to see gelatin listed as an ingredient, since I was under the impression that you are pescatarian. Do you know if there are any good alternatives for gelatin for those of us who don’t want to consume cow? Have you tried with agar agar? Thank you in advance!
Hi Molly, I am coming to you beyond embarrassed because I truly didn’t know gelatin was still using animal products (most pudding mixes have switched to vegetable-based sources for lower costs so I stupidly assumed gelatin had done the same). I am pescatarian, but my ethical reasoning behind it is for environmental sustainability, so in that vein I made a mistake with my ‘mallows, and will work to find a better alt this weekend! Stay tuned.
Kosher marshmallows use fish, not sure if it would work the same way but could be a pescatarian option.
Hi again, Molly,
I spent the week testing and I think I have the best ever vegetarian marshmallow recipe: https://justinesnacks.com/vegetarian-meringue-marshmallows/
Hope you enjoy! (I’m having one in my coffee right now haha).
These were so fun to make! I used a really strong chai and the slight bitterness of it offsets the sweetness of the marshmallows well. I also only made 12 giant ones and filled an8x8 with the rest to cut into smaller squares to add to a cookie platter. Thanks for the recipe!
I got so excited when I saw this marshmallow recipe since I’ve been looking for a vegetarian recipe for years. I hope in researching alternatives you can also provide a good explanation of how the alternatives differ from gelatin.
Hi Angela,
Spent the week testing a new version and I have a great one for you! https://justinesnacks.com/vegetarian-meringue-marshmallows/
The ingredient difference should be apparent since I opted for ingredients that most people can find in their grocery store! Hope you enjoy <3
I look forward to making these soon! Thank you for doing the legwork to create a vegetarian recipe that uses common ingredients.
Hi there! These were delicious! However, they were so sticky that it was almost impossible for me to scoop them. I feel like I lost at least half of the marshmallow fluff just on the side of the mixing bowl. Do you have any suggestions for how to prevent this? Maybe I over mixed or under mix them? Any feedback is much appreciated!
Hey Cora! Sorry for my delay in replying here (I was down bad with the flu – do not recommend), but this sounds like a classic case of over-mixing, marshmallow can go from soft to stiff in a matter of 30 seconds. My best tip is to look for soft peaks, and start scooping when the marshmallow might feel a bit *too* soft (they will firm up as they sit!). But let’s say the marshmallow is already too stiff, my other tip is to dip your cookie scoop in warm water in between scoops. This will make it easier to wrangle any sticky or stiff marshmallow!
I hope this helps, and happy holidays!
Justine
These were delicious and easy to make! In the future I’ll do a better job of straining out the chai, but these got rave reviews at Christmas.
So thrilled you liked them!! Different blends can strain differently, so I hope you didn’t have too much trouble!