Too much marshmallows on hand and not sure if they can be frozen? That begs the question: can you freeze marshmallows?
You can freeze marshmallows, and the whole process is as quick and simple as it gets. All you need is a minute or two and enough freezer bags to store all your marshmallows.
But before we get into the freezing procedure, you probably want to know how freezing affects this sweet treat. Let’s talk about that.
How Freezing Affects Marshmallows?
Not much. The differences that I found are that frozen marshmallows are cold (duh) and a tad bit firmer than room temperature ones. That’s about it.
Marshmallows don’t freeze solid. They only lose a bit of their fluffiness, and that loss is temporary too. Once you give them some time to defrost, they’re nice and fluffy again.
Here’s the difference between a “warm” marshmallow and a frozen one when you squeeze both:
As you can tell, the difference is only slight.
Marshmallows retain quality for quite some time, but if you need them to keep for a couple of extra months, freezing is a perfect choice.
How To Freeze Marshmallows
Grab a freezer bag or two, and let’s get started:
- Transfer marshmallows into freezer bags. Pour as many marshmallows as you like into every bag. That works just fine because marshmallows are dusted with corn starch (or another anticaking agent) and don’t stick together. In other words, you can grab the amount you need from the bag without any issues.
- Squeeze most air from the bags and seal them. Add labels with name and date if you find that helpful (I don’t).
- Freeze your marshmallows.
That’s it. As I said in the intro, that shouldn’t have taken you more than a minute or two. You can leave the marshmallows frozen for 4+ months.
If you want to freeze the whole bag, there’s no reason to open it and transfer the marshmallows into freezer bags. Chuck that package into the freezer and you’re good to go.
Quick aside. I read many freezing marshmallows tutorials online, and most of them mention dividing marshmallows into groups and freezing them separately so that they don’t stick when frozen. I’m not sure what’s the deal with that.
Marshmallows are coated with an anti-sticking substance like corn starch, potato starch mixed with powdered sugar, or anything else that gets the job done. This way, they don’t stick when they sit in the bag, and I don’t think there’s any reason they should stick when frozen.
But if your homemade marshmallows tend to clump in the freezer, then divide them into a few bunches, and freeze each one in its own freezer bag.
How To Defrost Frozen Marshmallows
You can thaw marshmallows on the counter. Grab as many as you need, put them on a plate, and leave them there for 10 minutes to an hour.
The larger the marshmallows, the longer they take to defrost. Small ones, like those in my photos, get to their normal fluffiness after only 10 minutes at room temperature. Large ones need up to an hour.
Since frozen marshmallows taste quite similar to room temperature ones, you might skip defrosting them altogether. Just pour them into a bowl and let everyone enjoy them.
Last but not least, let’s talk about how you can use the marshmallows that you’ve frozen.
Ways To Use Frozen Marshmallows
Freezing marshmallows doesn’t alter the taste or texture of this candy. Because of that, you can use frozen marshmallows the same way you use fresh ones. Some of the popular options are:
- eating them as-is
- roasting or toasting them over a campfire or using a kitchen torch
- making S’mores (here’s a S’mores recipe from the Dinner then Dessert blog)
- putting them in hot chocolate or cocoa
- topping desserts
- whatever else you can think of
