Vegan Marshmallows Recipe

Vegan marshmallows are tricky to pull off. I'd seen them out there (Sweet and Sara and Chicago Soydairy) and figured, how hard could it be? But here's the problem: it's the protein in animal-based gelatins that works so beautifully in combination with the sugar syrup to create those marshmallow-y peaks. If it's mammal protein you'd like to avoid, and you can locate some fish-derived gelatin (possibly at a Kosher market where might also find other Kosher gelatins that are beef-derived), you can substitute that.

But if you want to use a vegetable-based gelatin, like agar agar, you need to introduce another ingredient that is high in protein, like soy. Plus, you'll want other ingredients to help bind and stabilize the ingredients. Experimenting with agar agar, egg replacer, vegetarian gelatin packets, soy flour, soy protein isolate, xanthan gum, and sweet rice flour, I had many disasters and a renewed respect for store-bought vegan marshmallows. Finally, I did wind up with something that works.

When I contemplated how to make vegan marshmallows, my mind wandered toward daifuku, the Japanese rice-based confection that, not unlike marshmallows, has a springy and sticky quality. So I used the sweet sticky rice powder, mochiko, in this recipe, which results in a bit of a marshmallow/mochi hybrid. Looking for a substitute for the protein in the animal-derived gelatins, I initially used organic soy flour. But it contains some fat, which inhibits stiff peaks from forming when beaten with xanthan gum (a mucous-y substance that is an excellent stabilizer and binder), cream of tartar (which helps to create volume) and water.

After some online sleuthing, I turned to fat-free soy isolate powder, which is available at many health food stores and makes a world of difference.

These marshmallows are tasty eaten plain, added to hot cocoa, or toasted (in the toaster oven if you don't have a campfire nearby) with graham crackers and vegan chocolate.