Name: Fluffy Halloween Ghost Marshmallows
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10 grams of gelatin sheets (2 sheets of Mariarosa Gelatine in Foglia); 2 cups cold water (500g); 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cold water (40g); 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g); 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Lyle’s Golden Syrup (50g) *sub light corn syrup; 2 large egg whites, at room temperature (65g); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5g); pinch of salt; 2 tablespoons cornstarch (15g); 6 tablespoons powdered sugar (50g)

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These easy Halloween ghost marshmallows are super cute and just as delicious! Fluffy, soft, and full of pure vanilla flavor these homemade mini ghost marshmallows taste nothing like the store-bought kind -- and they take just about 25 minutes to make plus a few more minutes to pipe into their ghoulish little shapes. This is a no-corn syrup homemade marshmallow recipe, but you can substitute light corn syrup if you like. Plus, I've provided instructions for using sheet gelatine or powdered gelatin!

a ghost marshmallow slowly melting in a homemade hot cocoa surrounded by ghost marshmallows at the base of the barista glass mug

Make a hot mug of Spooky Homemade Hot Cocoa and get your graham crackers (spooky s'mores anybody?) ready because these ghoulish ghosts are as delicious as they are cute! And they also make a great Halloween cheesecake topper!

A toasted ghost marshmallow s'mores on top of melted chocolate and halved oreo with the cream removed.

A half eaten a toasted ghost marshmallow s'mores on top of melted chocolate and halved oreo with the cream removed.

A whole cheesecake topped with cute fat ghost meringues that could be substituted with these homemade ghost marshmallows.

ghost-shaped piped marshmallows on a dusted baking tray without the eyes and mouths painted on yet

Why We Love These Halloween Ghost Marshmallows

They're so easy and quick to make
They taste way better than any store-bought marshmallows
This is a no-corn syrup marshmallow recipe (although you can sub light corn syrup)
Kiddos and adults love them (I mean, look at them!)
You can make them using powdered gelatin OR sheet gelatin
Soft and pillowy and full of pure vanilla flavor
Fun and easy to decorate
Makes a great Halloween hot cocoa topper
Makes the best homemade Indoor Spooky S'mores
Excellent ice cream sundae topper instead of whipped cream

closeup of single spooky ghost marshmallow

Halloween Ghost Marshmallow Ingredients

You really only need 5 ingredients to make homemade marshmallows (plus a little cornstarch and powdered sugar to dust them with). Using a pinch of salt is optional of course, but it adds the perfect balance to the sweetness and helps bring out the pure vanilla flavor. I prefer to use Lyle's Golden Syrup to make the marshmallows but you can definitely use light corn syrup in this recipe instead.

powdered gelatin or sheet gelatin
granulated sugar
Lyle’s Golden Syrup *sub light corn syrup
egg whites
vanilla extract
pinch of salt
corn starch
powdered sugar

a pot with lyle's golden syrup and sugar with a candy thermometer in it

marshmallow mixture after just being whipped on a whisk holding stiff peaks

marshmallow mixture after just being whipped

How to Make Easy Ghost Marshmallows

If you're more of a visual learner, scroll down to see the detailed step-by-step marshmallow-making recipe photos. Or if you're looking for a good homemade Peeps recipe, click over here to see that post.

Prepare the work surface for piping the marshmallows.
Bloom the gelatin:
- For Powdered Gelatin. In a small bowl, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the water to soften and absorb the liquid.
- For Sheet Gelatin. Add the gelatin sheets to a bowl and cover completely with water. Allow to soften for 4 to 5 minutes, remove the water, squeeze them gently to remove excess water, and add them back to the bowl and set aside.
Whisk the egg whites.
Make the hot syrup.
Combine the hot syrup and egg white mixture.
Melt the gelatin and add it to the marshmallow mixture.
Pipe the ghosts.
Make the chocolate faces and dust the marshmallows so they don't stick.

ghost-shaped piped marshmallow on a dusted baking tray without the eyes and mouths painted on yet

How To Make Easy Homemade Ghost Marshmallows Step-By-Step Recipe Photos

homemade marshmallow ingredients on a cutting board

whisking together the powdered sugar and corn starch

placing sugar and cornstarch mixture into a small strainer to dust the work surface

a sheet tray with silicon baking mat dusted completely with powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture

adding egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer

placing 2 gelatin sheets into a bowl of cold water

just bloomed sheet gelatin being removed from the water

bloomed gelatin in a bowl with the water squeezed out

Adding golden syrup to the pot with sugar

golden syrup and sugar added to a pot with candy thermometer

adding water to the sugar and golden syrup

adding the hot syrup mixture to the mixer

adding the melted one tablespoon of water and bloomed gelatin to the stand mixer

the mixture getting noticeably thicker and even more fluffy and white

a pastry bag standing up in a pyrex glass measuring cup

a pastry bag standing up in a pyrex glass measuring cup with the sides folded down over the edge of the glass

a whisk with super fluffy marshmallow mixture on then end in stiff peaks

filling a piping bag with marshmallow mixture

a piping bag just filled with marshmallow

a single ghost shaped marshmallow piped onto a prepared dusted baking tray

one square of Lindt dark chocolate on a cutting board

a small tin mug filled with a little waterwith a small glass prep bowl sitting on top the mug with broken pieces of chocolate in it that are melting

using a bamboo skewer to dot on the eyes and mouths for the ghost marshmallows

painted ghost marshmallows on a dusted baking tray

tops of the ghosts dusted with the corn starch and powdered sugar mixture

How to Flavor Homemade Marshmallows

Playing with the flavor of homemade marshmallows is fun. Use any of the options below to complement or replace the pure vanilla extract in the recipe.

¼ to ½ teaspoon natural strawberry extract
½ to 1 teaspoon almond extract
⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ to ½ teaspoon coconut flavoring
¼ to ½ teaspoon orange extract
¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Add espresso powder, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice to the mixer toward to end

How to Store Homemade Marshmallows

Once the marshmallows have been cured and dusted to prevent sticking, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week and even longer in a cool dry area of the cupboard.

How to Troubleshoot Making Homemade Marshmallows

Making homemade marshmallows is easy, but if you're not familiar with candy-making it might be intimidating at first. Don't let it be. Use these helpful tips to make the best-tasting and textured marshmallows you've ever had.

If the marshmallows are sticky on the bottoms after the curing (drying) period, it's most likely because you didn't whisk the mixture long enough until the outside of the bowl was completely cool to the touch. To fix sticky bottoms, dust with more cornstarch or the cornstarch-powdered sugar mixture until they're no longer sticky.
If the marshmallows are too soft it may mean that the temperature of the hot syrup mixture didn't reach the required 245°/118°C which may indicate your thermometer isn't accurate. Test the thermometer in a pot of boiling water and make sure it reads 212ºF (100ºC) if you're at sea level.
Make sure you do not have the heat on the burner when you are melting the gelatin, or it may lose its gelling potential. Instead, use the residual heat from the still-hot pot you cooked the syrup mixture in to gently melt it. It melts in a quick couple of seconds.
You may use cornstarch only in place of the powdered sugar-cornstarch mixture to prep the workstation and dust the final marshmallows. I've used both and the cornstarch-only mixture is definitely drier, but I do like the addition of the powdered sugar for flavor. It's up to you.