Are marshmallows vegan? Are they even vegetarian? How do you know? And what makes a marshmallow vegan or not? Find out everything you need to know in this post.
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Are Marshmallows Vegan?
The answer is: Some marshmallows are vegan, but not all. So you must read the label, or ask what the ingredients are. The GOOD news is that vegan marshmallows are becoming much easier to find.
Typically what makes marshmallows NOT vegan (or even vegetarian) is the addition of gelatin.
What is gelatin made of? Gelatin is a substance made by boiling the bones, ligaments, tendons, and/or skin of cows or pigs in water.
And while MOST marshmallows do contain gelatin, there are vegan marshmallows to be found! And I find these vegan marshmallows to be even more delicious than I remember non-vegan marshmallows to be! This might be because the ingredients in vegan marshmallows tend to be of higher quality.
Typical marshmallow Ingredients: CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, WATER, GELATIN, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (WHIPPING AID), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BLUE 1.
Vegan Marshmallow Brands
One of my favorite vegan brands of marshmallows in the U.S. is Dandies Marshmallows. These can be found at Whole Foods markets, many health-food stores, and on Amazon.com (photo link below). Dandies are not only vegan, but they also contain NO artificial flavors or colors, and no corn syrup.
Dandies marshmallow ingredients: TAPIOCA SYRUP, CANE SUGAR, FILTERED WATER, TAPIOCA STARCH, CARRAGEENAN, SOY PROTEIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR.
Another favorite brand is Trader Joe’s store brand. These marshmallows are similar to Dandies in that they do not contain gelatin, artificial flavors, or artificial colors….and they are also free of GMOs,
These are “accidentally” vegan, which means they are not necessarily intended to be vegan, and they are not marketed as “vegan”…they just happen to be vegan (Oreo cookies also fall into this category!). These marshmallows tend to be seasonal at Trader Joe’s, however, so you likely won’t find them in stores year-round. Typically you can find these marshmallows at Trader Joe’s in the summertime and around the holidays. They can also be found on Amazon (photo link below). 
Another option is to make homemade marshmallows. There are quite a few recipes online to pick from, and they all use typically use a vegan substitute for gelatine called agar-agar. Agar-agar is vegan gelatine made from seaweed. It comes in powder form, and you can often buy it in bulk at health food stores, or online on sites like Amazon.com.
