3-Ingredient Sugar Free, Paleo & Keto Marshmallows (2024)

Virtually carb-less, extrafluffy, chewy and just 3 ingredients! Yup, these sugar free, paleo and keto marshmallows are easy to whip up and a delight to devour. Think low carb s’mores in your foreseeable (i.e. immediate) future!

Paleo & Keto Marshmallows ☁️

Extra Light ‘N Fluffy⚡💨

I’m super psyched to share this recipe with you guys; because I’m not gonna lie, this is one I never thought would be feasible at all! But ahem… these keto version, while different, is actually terrific!

It turns out that, unlike their sugar counterparts loaded with additives and corn syrup, these sugar-free marshmallows are not too bad health-wise at all. Fact is, if you use a good quality gelatin (think grass-fed etc), you can even think of these guys as pure collagen bites.

And if you’re in the practice of subtracting sugar alcohols from total carbs, you’ll find these are actually 0g net carbs (gasp!).

The Deets

These guys are honestly very simple. Gelatin, a sweetener and vanilla extract are the three ingredients! Add water, a touch of salt, and a little magic (i.e. chemistry) and you’ve got some seriously fluffy keto marshmallows at your fingertips.

Just note that, because they’re sugar-free and sugar alcohols do not have the same candy-making properties, these guys won’t toast properly (I know… #tear!). But! you’ll get a yummy melted marshmallow fluff, just be sure to lightly melt your chocolate before. Or simply pour some melted on top- think a wagon wheels situation!

And while you can definitely whip up some awesome keto s’mores with our graham cracker cookies, please (please!) also try them out topped off with raspberry chia jam and covered in melted chocolate. You won’t believe me until you try it, but this is out-of-this-world good.

Do you have this combo anywhere else? In Mexico they’re a very popular candy called Bubulubu(crazy name right?!). And this keto version easily makesmy top 10 favorite desserts of the site, they’re honestly aaah-mazing.

The Gelatin

Going grass-fed and organic (like Vital Proteins) is a good idea in my book health-wise. As you’ll actually be getting quite a bit of great quality collagen, making the marshmallow treats actually nutritious.

But in all honesty, any type that gels should work (think staple Knox packets).

The recipe requires 3 tablespoons, which equals 3 standard packets.

The Sweetener

You’ve got a couple options here, and know that the recipe was thoroughly tested with xylitol, allulose and erythritol. And these are the findings!

1. Xylitolis definitely my top choice. The resulting marshmallows are a bit denser than with the other two sweeteners (but this was a plus in my book, because chewier too!). They also taste terrific and there are no problems with crystallization.

Note: I’ve been testing different brands of xylitol and have noticed Health Garden and XyloSweet are two solid ones (particularly if you tend to get occasional tummy pangs with the NOW brand).

2. Allulose is a close runner-up. The resulting marshmallows are extremely fluffy, and taste delicious too. Just note that this sweetener is 70% as sweet as sugar (i.e. you need to add 30% more). And yup, allulose does have browning properties but the marshmallows still don’t brown/toast much at all.

3. And honestly just don’t bother with erythritol. I tried a few batches, and even threw some glycerin in there and every single time it seemed to crystalize during whipping. So you end up chewing through minty crystals, which is def not worth it at all in my book.

If using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup(or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!

How much sweetener? Now this is the question. Traditional marshmallows use about 2 cups of sugar + corn syrup per batch, but in my opinion 1 cup of sweetener for keto palates is more than enough. You can even get away with 2/3 cup + some vanilla stevia drops (added at the end with the vanilla extract) for an even healthier version.

A Couple (Very Simple!) Rules

The great thing about these low carb marshmallows as opposed to the traditional ones, is that they’re actually much simpler to make.

1. Prep! Have all your ingredients handy, measured out, and make sure you won’t be disturbed for 20 minutes. Seriously! They’re easy and quick, but you need to work through the steps continuously and quickly.
2. Mix mix mix! If you’ve got a stand mixer, awesome and definitely use it! Only got a hand mixer? Awesome too, you’ll even get to workout your arms a little. You’ll need to whisk the mixture for about 15 minutes nonstop at high speed until the mixture is fully whipped and stiff. So if you’re using your hand mixer, note that you can also half the recipe so it doesn’t take as long to whip.
3. The weather. Make them when it’s sunny out and dry out (yup, summer is ideal marshmallow-making weather!) Ok, so kind of kidding (and not) with this one. Turns out that if it’s too humid out (think rainy summers here in Mexico City), your marshmallows could sweat a bit; particularly if under-whipped. No biggie, just blotch them!
4. Let them dry, at room temperature and uncovered. Don’t be tempted to cover them and pop them in the fridge- you’ll just make them wet. Just let them hang out at room temperature.