Build Your Own Gourmet S'more: Homemade Marshmallows & Premium Ingredients
Great Lakes Wellness Gelatin • Clean ingredient recipes • Amaranth Whole Foods Market
Camping season and campfire treats go hand in hand, but this year I decided to take s'mores to the next level by making homemade marshmallows from scratch.
What started as a fun kitchen experiment quickly became one of the highlights of our camping trip.
Not only did making my own marshmallows allow me to customize the flavours, but it also gave me complete control over the ingredients. Instead of reaching for conventional marshmallows, I used Great Lakes Wellness Beef Gelatin along with a handful of pantry staples available at Amaranth.
The result? Soft, fluffy homemade marshmallows that turned an ordinary campfire into a gourmet s'more experience.
Why Use Great Lakes Wellness Beef Gelatin?
Great Lakes Wellness Beef Gelatin is a versatile, single-ingredient product made from grass-fed bovine gelatin. Each tablespoon provides 12g of grass-fed beef gelatin and can be used in everything from homemade gummies and marshmallows to soups, sauces, mousses, jams, and more.
What makes it especially appealing is its simplicity. It's unflavoured, colourless, and odourless, allowing it to blend seamlessly into both sweet and savoury recipes.
Some of the features we love include:
12g of grass-fed beef gelatin per serving
Same great benefits associated with collagen
Gluten Free
No Preservatives
Glyphosate Free
Versatile for both cooking and baking
For anyone who enjoys making homemade treats, it's a pantry staple worth keeping on hand.
My Homemade Marshmallow Adventure
A few days before our camping trip, I decided to try making homemade marshmallows for the first time.
My first batch was Salted Caramel Marshmallows made with Great Lakes Wellness Beef Gelatin, Camino Organic Brown Sugar, Everland Blue Agave Syrup, and Orchid Vanilla Extract.
The flavour was incredible. Rich caramel notes paired with a touch of salt made them feel like an elevated version of a classic campfire treat.
There was just one problem: I mixed them by hand.
While the recipe worked and tasted great, the marshmallows didn't quite achieve that light, fluffy texture I was hoping for. They were a little denser than traditional marshmallows, but still delicious.
The night before we left for camping, I decided to give it another try.
This time, I made a batch of classic Vanilla Marshmallows using my KitchenAid stand mixer.
What a difference.
The mixture transformed into a thick, glossy cloud and whipped up beautifully. Once set, the marshmallows were incredibly soft, fluffy, and exactly what I imagined homemade marshmallows should be.
Lesson learned: if you're making marshmallows, a stand mixer is your best friend!
Salted Caramel Marshmallows
Makes approximately 20 marshmallows
Ingredients
⅔ cup filtered hot water
1 tsp Orchid Vanilla Extract
½ tsp salt (Fine French Celtic Sea Salt)
Everland Organic Icing Sugar, for dusting
Directions
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and generously dust with icing sugar.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the gelatin with ⅓ cup of water and let it bloom.
In a saucepan, combine the remaining water, brown sugar, agave syrup, and vanilla extract.
Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Increase the heat to high and boil for 2–3 minutes until the mixture begins to caramelize.
Carefully pour the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture.
Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes, then medium speed for 2–3 minutes, and finally high speed for 2–5 minutes until thick, glossy, and fluffy.
Add the salt during the final minute of mixing.
Immediately pour into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.
Let sit at room temperature for 6–8 hours, then chill in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours.
Dust the top with icing sugar, remove from the pan, and cut into cubes.
Toss marshmallows in additional icing sugar if needed and enjoy.
Vanilla Marshmallows
Makes approximately 25–30 marshmallows
Ingredients
½ cup water
½ cup cold water
1½ tsp Orchid Vanilla Extract
Pinch of salt (Fine French Celtic Sea Salt)
Everland Organic Icing sugar, for dusting
Directions
Lightly dust a 9x9-inch pan with a mixture of icing sugar and cornstarch.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cold water and gelatin. Let bloom for 5 minutes.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and agave syrup.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue cooking until the syrup reaches 242–245°F (116–118°C).
Turn the stand mixer on low and slowly pour the hot syrup into the bloomed gelatin.
Add the vanilla extract and salt.
Gradually increase the mixer speed to high and whip for 8–10 minutes until thick, glossy, and fluffy.
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Let set at room temperature for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Cut with a lightly oiled knife and dust with additional icing sugar before serving.
Tip!
For the fluffiest marshmallows, don't skip the stand mixer. My hand-mixed salted caramel batch tasted amazing, but the stand mixer transformed the vanilla marshmallows into light, airy clouds that roasted beautifully over the campfire.
The Ultimate Campfire Test
Of course, the real reason for making homemade marshmallows was to see how they performed around the campfire.
And honestly?
I preferred them to store-bought marshmallows.
They melted beautifully and became perfectly gooey without burning as quickly or catching fire as easily as many conventional marshmallows. Instead of ending up with a charred exterior and a barely melted centre, they roasted evenly and created that perfect stretchy marshmallow texture that every great s'more needs.
The flavour was also noticeably better. Whether you chose vanilla or salted caramel, every bite felt a little more special than a standard campfire marshmallow.
Build Your Own Gourmet S'more
The most fun part of the evening was letting everyone create their own gourmet s'more combinations.
Instead of sticking to the traditional graham cracker and milk chocolate combo, we set out a variety of premium ingredients and encouraged everyone to mix and match.
Marshmallows
Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows
Homemade Salted Caramel Marshmallows
Chocolate
Graham Crackers
Some people paired the Salted Caramel Marshmallows with the Sweet Bella Salted Caramel Chocolate for an extra indulgent treat, while others loved the contrast of fluffy vanilla marshmallow with rich Hu Salty Dark Chocolate.
There wasn't a wrong combination.
Every s'more felt unique, and the experience became just as memorable as the treat itself.
More Than Just a Dessert
One of the things I love most about food is how it brings people together, and these homemade marshmallows did exactly that.
Making them became part of the adventure. Sharing them around the campfire became a conversation starter. Watching everyone experiment with different flavour combinations made a simple camping dessert feel a little more special.
Sometimes the best recipes aren't just about the ingredients; they're about the memories made while enjoying them.
If you're looking for a fun summer kitchen project, homemade marshmallows are easier than you might think. Pair them with premium chocolate, your favourite graham crackers, and a campfire, and you'll have everything you need to create your own gourmet s'more experience.
Trust me, once you've tried homemade marshmallows around the campfire, it's hard to go back.
Recipe Sources: Homemade Vanilla Gelatin Marshmallows