Question: Do marshmallows have dairy?
Answer: We often enjoy marshmallows in a s’more, on hot chocolate, in desserts, and numerous other ways. However, how many of us really know the ingredients of marshmallows? Let’s see what’s inside marshmallows and specifically find out if they have dairy.
Marshmallows are made from sweeteners like corn syrup, sugar, and dextrose. They also contain stabilizers/emulsifiers like modified corn starch and tetrasodium pyrophosphate. Gelatin is added to help the marshmallows form their classic structure. Finally, natural flavoring and coloring are included as ingredients.
Outside of regular marshmallows, there is a marshmallow product called marshmallow creme. The texture of this is thinner than a traditional marshmallow because it is meant for scooping or spreading. Instead of gelatin as an ingredient like regular marshmallows, this product usually contains dried egg whites and cream of tartar.
While marshmallows and marshmallow creme have the color of milk and possibly a texture of a heavily whipped cream, they do not contain dairy. While marshmallows are dairy-free, it is wise to check the ingredients before you buy if you are looking to avoid dairy.
As you can see above, marshmallows do not exactly contain healthy ingredients. You can make them slightly healthier by making your own marshmallows. Check out the video below for instructions. While these are a bit of a pain to make, they do taste better than store-bought products.
