Want to make an easy holiday treat? These homemade peppermint marshmallows are a fun twist on a classic and taste great in hot chocolate!
I’ll be honest, I’m not normally a big fan of marshmallows. My girls, on the other hand, can’t get enough of them, and when I saw they were charging $16.95 at Williams Sonoma for a box of 15 hand crafted peppermint marshmallows, I knew I had to figure out how to make these lil’ puppies.
And friends, let me tell you, homemade marshmallows are so, so, so, soooooooo much better than the store-bought kind. They can hardly even be called marshmallows. They should instead be re-named Sweet Nuggets of Heavenly Peppermint Fluff. Or something like that.
Even better, they are SO easy to make! Yes, you need a candy thermometer, but don’t let that scare you. I promise it’s not complicated or tricky. Like, at all. Plus a single batch makes approximately 88 marshmallows, which would sell for $99.44 at Williams Sonoma. Why not make them for all your friends and be a hero this Christmas?
Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows
Here is what you need:
butter or Crisco 1/4 cup corn starch 1/4 cup powdered sugar 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin 1 cup ice water 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon peppermint extract or 1/4 tsp Peppermint Vitality™ essential oil red food coloring (optional) candy thermometer (NOT optional!)
Step 1: Grease 9 1/2 x 11″ glass casserole dish with butter or Crisco. Mix together corn starch & powdered sugar; sprinkle a few spoonfuls of cornstarch mixture over butter or Crisco and tilt dish around until well coated. Set baking dish aside and save remaining corn starch mixture for later.
Step 2: Place gelatin and 1/2 cup ice water in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside.
Step 3: Mix remaining water, sugar, salt, and corn syrup in saucepan; heat, covered, over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Step 4: Clip candy thermometer to side of saucepan; continue heating mixture until it reaches 240 degrees, approximately 6-8 minutes.
Step 5: Once mixture reaches 240 degrees, remove from heat. Turn on mixer on low (use whisk attachment) and slowly add syrup mixture to mixing bowl.
Step 6: Turn mixer to high speed and whip for 12-14 minutes, until mixture is quite thick. Add peppermint extract and whip 1 minute more.
Step 7: Grease a spatula with butter or Crisco and transfer marshmallow mixture to prepared dish. Use a buttered knife to spread it smooth.
Step 8: (Optional) Drop red food coloring onto mixture and use buttered knife to pull color through marshmallow mixture to create swirls.
Step 9: Generously sprinkle the top of marshmallow with remaining cornstarch mixture. Let set overnight.
Step 10: Invert marshmallows onto a cutting board. Use butter & excess cornstarch mixture to coat sharp knife or pizza cutter blade, then cut marshmallows into 1×1″ squares.
Step 11: Coat cut edges with cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture & wipe off excess. Serve in hot chocolate or package in cellophane bags to give as gifts.

Peppermint Marshmallows
These homemade peppermint marshmallows are a fun twist on the ordinary marshmallow. The perfect addition to a cup of hot chocolate.
Ingredients
- butter or Crisco
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp peppermint extract or 1/4 tsp Peppermint Vitality™ essential oil
- red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Grease 9 1/2 x 11" glass casserole dish with butter or Crisco. Mix together corn starch & powdered sugar; sprinkle a few spoonfuls of cornstarch mixture over butter or Crisco and tilt dish around until well coated. Set baking dish aside and save remaining corn starch mixture for later.
Place gelatin and 1/2 cup ice water in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside.
Mix remaining water, sugar, salt, and corn syrup in saucepan; heat, covered, over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Clip candy thermometer to side of saucepan; continue heating mixture until it reaches 240 degrees, approximately 6-8 minutes.
Once mixture reaches 240 degrees, remove from heat. Turn on mixer on low (use whisk attachment) and slowly add syrup mixture to mixing bowl.
Turn mixer to high speed and whip for 12-14 minutes, until mixture is quite thick. Add peppermint extract and whip 1 minute more.
Grease a spatula with butter or Crisco and transfer marshmallow mixture to prepared dish. Use a buttered knife to spread it smooth.
(Optional) Drop red food coloring onto mixture and use buttered knife to pull color through marshmallow mixture to create swirls.
Generously sprinkle the top of marshmallow with remaining cornstarch mixture. Let set overnight.
Invert marshmallows onto a cutting board. Use butter & excess cornstarch mixture to coat sharp knife or pizza cutter blade, then cut marshmallows into 1x1" squares.
Coat cut edges with cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture & wipe off excess. Serve in hot chocolate or package in cellophane bags to give as gifts.
Recipe Notes
Drying time: overnight
Other recipes you’ll love:
- 8 Sweet (& Quick) Holiday Cookie Recipes
- White Chocolate Peppermint Hot Cocoa
- Hot Cocoa Truffles (Just 4 Easy Ingredients!)
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Recipe is great. BUT!!! DO NOT MAKE THESE IN AN EXPENSIVE BOSCH BOWL MIXER, unless you have the metal bowl and all attachments are metal. The top of my wire whips where they attach to the mixer are a very hard plastic. The center of the bowl where the beaters attach is also hard plastic. The sugar mixture is too hot and it ruined my $550 mixer bowl and beaters and I have tiny grains of plastic in my marshmallows. I wish my mixer had come with a warning about mixing hot sugar.
I just finished making these WONDERFUL marshmallows and so far they were very easy to make and the beaters tasted amazing. My family can’t wait to try them tomorrow with our morning chocolate. Thanks for such an easy and fun recipe. BTW I used my vintage 1970 American-made Sunbeam Mixmaster and it held up just fine to the thickness of the mixture.. I think a handheld mixer could also be used, just having to hold it for 12 minutes could be taxing.
Is there any others stuff that i can use to replace gelatin?? Because am a vegetarian & cannot eat gelatin.
what kind of butter is it? Salty butter?
Is it white sugar? Can i use brown sugar or diet sugar? Will it give much impact to the result if i change the sugar type?
Thanks for your response
how long do the marshmallows keep? Just wondering if I make them for gifts, how early I can make them ahead of time! never made homemade marshmallows but I can’t wait!!