Kitchen Fun! How to Dehydrate Marshmallows

Jar of marshmallows

Have you ever wondered how to dehydrate marshmallows?

 

Probably not, lol! 

But guess what?! Dehydrated marshmallows turns an ordinary treat into an extraordinary treat.

As a bonus, they are super easy and fun to make!

 

Note: 

This post contains affiliate links, which means, at no cost to you,  I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Please note that I only recommend products that I personally use and believe will add value to my followers.  I was an Amazon addict long before I became a blogger!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

 

My Story

 

My five-year-old grandson recently announced that he loves Lucky Charms cereal. 

Come to find out, it’s not the cereal that holds the appeal, it’s the tiny charm-shaped marshmallows. 

Of course, being an Amazon addict, I opened my app to see if it were possible to buy the marshmallows, sans, cereal. 

Of course it is!.  However, in the course of my short search, one phrase caught my eye- (dehydrated marshmallows).

Although I typically steer away from do it yourself projects, I slid right down this particular rabbit hole!

Spoiler alert!  I wasn’t able to duplicate the charm-like marshmallows found in Lucky Charms. 

As it happens, those marshmallows are a proprietary recipe and difficult to duplicate.

However, dehydrating marshmallows turned out to be a fun, and super easy, dehydrating project. 

Best of all there are tons of ways in which the resulting dehydrated marshmallows can be used. 

 

First things first, dehydrated marshmallows won’t look like what you would expect. 

 

That’s because dehydrated marshmallows puff up, not shrink. 

 

Mini marshmallows become puffed up, mini marshmallows.  They are great on their own or as an addition to many recipes, but they won’t look like the marshmallows found in Lucky Charms. 

 

The ways in which dehydrated marshmallows can be used is limited only by your imagination. 

 

Think of the craft possibilities!

 

Crafting may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but who hasn’t used marshmallows to make a snowman?

Gluing dehydrated marshmallows is so much easier than gluing a normal marshmallow. 

And who cares if your kid (or you) sneaks a bit of the product to eat!

 

Add them to your cereal.

 

Dehydrated marshmallows may not look like the cereal variety, but they still add an explosion of sweetness to any bowl of normal cereal. 

 

Use dehydrated marshmallows in trail mix.

 

There’s something about the mixed taste of sweet and salty that’s simply irresistible. 

 

Cakes, cookies, and cocoa, oh my!

 

After I saw the end product, I immediately thought of my niece Katy.

Katie owns a small business called The Confetti Company

One of her specialties is hot cocoa bombs, and keeping the marshmallows fresh is an ongoing challenge.

Enter dehydrated marshmallows and the problem is solved!  She was as excited as me at all the endless possibilities for incorporating them in her products.

Use your imagination, and the internet, to come up with all they ways you can use these fun and delicious little nuggets of sweetness.

 

Dehydrating marshmallows is one of the easiest things you will ever do. 

 

Use either an oven or a food dehydrator. 

I started with the oven simply because not everyone has a dehydrator. 

The end result in taste was the same for both, but in appearance, they were a bit different. 

The marshmallows from the dehydrator came out plumper and more uniform than the ones from the oven. 

For both options, I used mini marshmallows, but any size is possible.  The drying time for larger marshmallows would simply be a bit longer. 

 

How to dehydrate marshmallows

 

Using an oven

 

Turn on the oven to 150 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

Put one layer of marshmallows on the cookie sheet, being sure to leave a bit of space between each marshmallow.  If they are too close, they will plump up and stick together. 

Put the cookie sheet in the oven and plan on leaving it in there for about four hours.

However, after about 2 and a half hours start checking to see if they are “done”. 

 

Using a food dehydrator

 

Put a layer of marshmallows on the tray, being sure to leave a bit of space between each marshmallow.  As is the case with both the oven and dehydrator, the marshmallows will plump up and stick together if they are too close.

Turn the dehydrator to 160 degrees and set the timer for 3 hours. 

At the 2 and a half hour point, remove a few marshmallows and check to see if they are “done”

 

“Done” for both the marshmallows from the oven and dehydrator is when, once the marshmallow is completely cool, it is hard and crunchy and not still soft on the inside. 

 

Give it a try!  Dehydrating marshmallows is a super easy and fun kitchen project.

It is an amazing way to introduce kids to the magic of dehydrating food.  

Just don’t be surprised if you are bitten by the bug and start wanting to dehydrate everything in sight!

 

Do you still want to buy the tiny charm-like marshmallows? 

 

You can find them on Amazon.  Just know that they won’t be an exact replica of the ones found in the box of cereal! Also, both links are affiliate links.  

Dehydrated Marshmallow Bits

 

Are you interested in purchasing a food dehydrator?

 

Brian and I purchased ours years ago at Cabelas, and it is no longer available.

However, I searched on Amazon (surprise!) to see what I’d pick out if I were to buy a new one today.

You can check it out here – Food Dehydrator

 

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