Mini Marshmallows substitute

Best substitute

Large marshmallows, cut or melted

Use the same amount by weight, so 10 oz replaces one 10 oz bag of minis as the mini marshmallows you are replacing

Best for rice crispy treats

Close match

The right substitute depends entirely on whether the marshmallows are going to be melted or left whole, because they are doing two completely different jobs. If they are being melted, as in rice crispy treats, marshmallow fondant or s'mores dip, they are working as sticky sugar glue, and the swap is simple: large marshmallows cut up or used as they are, weight for weight, or marshmallow creme at about 1 cup of creme per 2 cups of minis, or a homemade syrup of corn syrup, sugar and butter. If they are staying whole, as in ambrosia salad, hot chocolate or a rocky road, they are doing texture and sweetness, and the swaps are chopped large marshmallows, mini white chocolate chips, or diced soft nougat. There is no good substitute for whole marshmallows in a fruit salad or on top of a sweet potato casserole, since nothing else has that cloudy, springy chew. Ten ounces of minis, which is one standard bag, is about 5 1/2 to 6 cups.

Other mini marshmallows substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Marshmallow creme or fluff (for melted uses)
Different texture
1 cup creme per 2 cups mini marshmallows, or a 7 oz jar per 10 oz bag
Already soft and pourable, so it saves the melting step and mixes into warm butter instantly.
What changes
The result in rice crispy treats is slightly softer, stickier and denser than melted minis give, because creme contains more corn syrup and less gelatin, so the bars set a little chewier and less airy. It is useless anywhere the marshmallows needed to stay as distinct pieces.
Best for
rice crispy treats, fudge and fantasy fudge, whoopie pie and sandwich cookie filling, frosting and dips
Add a tablespoon or two of extra butter to keep the mixture loose enough to work with. Because creme is stickier, oil or butter your hands and the spatula before pressing bars into the pan.
3Homemade marshmallow syrup for binding
Taste and texture differ
½ cup corn syrup, ¼ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, for 6 cups cereal
The right answer when there are no marshmallows in the house at all but a batch of crispy treats is needed.
What changes
Melt everything together, bring it to a bare simmer and pour it over the cereal. The bars hold together well and taste buttery and caramel-toned rather than of vanilla marshmallow. The texture difference is real: firmer, crunchier and closer to a caramel cereal bar than a soft chewy square.
Best for
rice crispy treats, cereal bars, popcorn balls, any binding job
Do not boil it hard or the bars set rock hard, which is the one way to ruin this. Take it off the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves and it is uniformly glossy.
4Mini white chocolate chips or yogurt chips (for whole uses)
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by volume
Similar size and pale color, so in a rocky road, a trail mix or a cookie they read visually the same.
What changes
The eating experience is different in an obvious way: they are firm and snappy at room temperature, then creamy rather than springy in the mouth, and considerably richer since they are fat and sugar rather than air and sugar. They also hold their shape in a hot oven far better than marshmallows, which is sometimes an advantage.
Best for
rocky road, cookies and blondies, trail mix, topping frosted cakes and cupcakes
Do not use these where the marshmallows were meant to melt into a syrup, because chocolate chips melt into fat and cocoa solids rather than sticky sugar and will not bind cereal.
5Diced soft nougat or Turkish delight
Different taste
Use the same amount by volume, diced small
The closest match anywhere for the springy chew of a whole marshmallow, since nougat is also aerated sugar and Turkish delight is also a soft set gel.
What changes
Both are sweeter and more strongly flavored, with honey and nut notes in nougat and rose or lemon in Turkish delight, so they change the character of the dish rather than sitting neutrally in it.
Best for
rocky road, ice cream mix-ins, dessert salads, chocolate bark
Dust the diced pieces with a little powdered sugar or cornstarch so they do not clump back together. Neither of these will melt into a usable glue.
6There is no substitute for it: toasted marshmallow topping
Taste and texture differ
not recommended
Nothing else browns and puffs the way a marshmallow does under a broiler, so the classic golden-crusted sweet potato casserole and s'mores effect cannot really be faked.
What changes
Meringue is the nearest thing, since whipped egg white and sugar browns beautifully and has the same cloud-like look, but it is lighter, drier and not chewy, and it weeps as it sits.
Best for
nothing, though meringue is the nearest look-alike
If you go the meringue route, whip 3 egg whites with 6 tablespoons of sugar to stiff peaks, spoon it over in peaks and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching constantly, because it goes from golden to black very fast.

What is Mini Marshmallows?

Mini Marshmallows is Mini marshmallows, sold as miniature marshmallows or marshmallow bits, are small cubes of aerated sugar syrup set with gelatin, which melt into a thick sticky syrup when heated and stay soft and springy when they are not.

Cooking tips

One standard 10 oz bag of mini marshmallows is about 5 1/2 to 6 cups, and it is roughly equivalent by weight to 40 large marshmallows. Substituting by weight rather than by cups avoids the usual mistake, since minis pack much more densely into a measuring cup.
For rice crispy treats, hold back about a cup of the minis and stir them in after the rest have melted and the pan is off the heat. Those partly melted pockets are what make homemade bars taste better than the packaged ones.
Melt marshmallows over low heat with the butter and never let the mixture come to a boil. Boiled marshmallow sets hard as it cools, which is the number one reason crispy treats come out tough enough to break a tooth.
Stale, dried-out marshmallows still melt perfectly, so a forgotten bag is fine for anything cooked. They do not work whole, since they go leathery, but nothing is wasted by melting them.
Standard marshmallows are set with pork or beef gelatin, so they are not vegetarian. Vegetarian and vegan marshmallows set with carrageenan or agar are widely available and melt acceptably, though they are less stretchy and the melted mixture is looser, so crispy treats made with them set softer.

Frequently asked questions

How many large marshmallows equal a bag of mini marshmallows?

About 40 large marshmallows equal one 10 oz bag of minis, which is roughly 5 1/2 to 6 cups of minis. The simplest approach is to weigh rather than measure, matching ounces for ounces, since minis pack far more tightly into a cup than large ones do. For melting, the sizes are completely interchangeable.

Can I just leave the marshmallows out?

It depends on the job. On top of a sweet potato casserole, in hot chocolate or in a fruit salad, yes, they are pure garnish and sweetness, so leaving them out simply gives you a less sweet dish. In rice crispy treats, marshmallow fondant or fudge, no, because the marshmallows are the binder holding everything together, and without them or a syrup substitute you have a bowl of loose cereal.

What can I use instead of mini marshmallows in rice crispy treats?

Large marshmallows work perfectly at the same weight, since they melt into exactly the same thing. Marshmallow creme also works, using about a 7 oz jar in place of a 10 oz bag plus a little extra butter, giving a slightly denser and chewier bar. With no marshmallows at all, melt 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons butter, take it off the heat as soon as it is smooth and pour it over 6 cups of cereal, which gives firmer, more caramel-flavored bars.

Are marshmallow bits the same as mini marshmallows?

No, and it is worth checking which one your recipe wants. Marshmallow bits, the kind found in hot cocoa mixes and cereal, are dehydrated and crunchy, and they do not melt into a syrup or soften into a chew. They are excellent scattered on top of frosting or hot chocolate, but they cannot replace regular minis in crispy treats or fudge.

Can I use mini marshmallows to make fondant?

Yes, and marshmallow fondant is one of the easiest home versions. Melt about 16 ounces of minis with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, then knead in roughly 2 pounds of sifted powdered sugar with greased hands until it forms a smooth dough. Large marshmallows or marshmallow creme work equally well. It tastes considerably better than commercial fondant and is softer, so it needs a firm cake underneath it.

Related substitutes

More sweeteners substitutes

Mini Marshmallows substitute

Other mini marshmallows substitutes

2Marshmallow creme or fluff (for melted uses)

3Homemade marshmallow syrup for binding

4Mini white chocolate chips or yogurt chips (for whole uses)

5Diced soft nougat or Turkish delight

6There is no substitute for it: toasted marshmallow topping