Sugar Free Marshmallows

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here, I explain the best ingredients for my sugar free marshmallow recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Gelatin Powder – The main ingredient (no substitutes, sorry!). Any unflavored gelatin should work, but their gelling power can vary, so it can affect the texture of your healthy marshmallows a bit. I always use and tested this recipe with this brand.
• Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – When I first made these as keto marshmallows, I used a combination of powdered erythritol and vanilla stevia. Powdered erythritol is a finer consistency, so it worked okay, but they still crystallized and got gritty over time. After I re-tested these keto marshmallows with Besti, they turned out so much better — more fluffy and no gritty texture even days later! This is why I only recommend Powdered Besti for this recipe now. You can try different sweeteners, but this is the only sugar substitute I’ve found to get the same texture as regular marshmallows.
• Whey Protein Isolate & Baking Soda – My 2 new secret ingredients to slow down melting and support browning! I don’t recommend most other types of protein powder here, because they don’t make browning work the same way. If you need a dairy-free option, you can leave out the protein altogether, but the marshmallows just won’t brown well and will be better eaten at room temperature. (The baking soda alone is not enough, and adding more changes the taste.) Or you can use pea protein, but you might need to heat for longer to get it to dissolve.
• Warm Water – To bloom the gelatin.
• Vanilla Extract & Sea Salt – For flavor.

How To Make Sugar Free Marshmallows

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Bloom the gelatin. Pour warm water into a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it, and whisk immediately. Set aside to bloom.
2. Dissolve Besti and add-ins in water. In a medium saucepan, whisk together Powdered Besti, whey protein powder, baking soda, and salt. Add water and mix again. Heat gently, stirring frequently, until the mixture is hot but not boiling and the sweetener has dissolved. (The color will change from opaque to slightly translucent. I remove it immediately once bubbles starting to form at the edges!) Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. Combine. Pour the mixture from the saucepan into the bloomed gelatin while whisking constantly. The gelatin will thin out with the hot liquid.
4. Whip to stiff peaks. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until it doubles in volume, and becomes thick and airy. The sugar free marshmallow fluff should hold stiff peaks when ready.
5. Pipe or spread. I usually just spread the fluff into a parchment-lined square baking pan, as shown below. You can also transfer to a piping bag and pipe shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Refrigerate until firm. If you used a baking dish like I did here, cut into cubes. For the best texture, let the sugar free marshmallows dry out uncovered on a rack over a baking sheet.

Common Q&A

• Can you roast these healthy marshmallows? Finally, yes! But only if you follow the recipe exactly as written, including the whey protein isolate, baking soda, and drying step. If you don’t do these things, you can still get a gooey texture by heating very briefly before they melt, but you won’t get that charred outside.
• Can you use them in recipes? Usually yes. You can absolutely use the sugar free marshmallow fluff in any recipes that call for fluff, use the finished marshmallows in recipes that don’t require heating, or even incorporate them into recipes that heat or char them for a short time. I don’t recommend them for recipes that require melting them completely (like my keto s’mores bars, which use a store-bought version I like), because they’ll melt to more of a liquid rather than a gooey texture.