Dehydrating any type of food item, in general, is very fun and easy to do when you have some free time on your hands but, dehydrating marshmallows is even more fun since they look like little fluffy pillows and are a staple ingredient for your hot chocolate.
To make dehydrated marshmallows at home you’re going to need: a food dehydrator, microwave, oven, or air fryer; cornstarch & powdered sugar, some plain marshmallows, and scissors if you have larger marshmallows.
Get your marshmallows ready on the baking sheet and if they’re the bigger size marshmallow, cut them up and cover them with equal parts of cornstarch and powdered sugar so they don’t stick to the tray(this technique is completely optional but I found it helpful).
Dehydrate the marshmallows at 160 degrees C for 4-5 hours, checking on them every hour. Add your dehydrated marshmallows into your hot chocolate mix, snack mix, or simply just eat them as they are.
Stick throughout the rest of the article to find learn how to dehydrate marshmallows step-by-step.
How To Dehydrate Marshmallows Using Different Techniques
Food Dehydrator
If you happen to have a food dehydrator at home, then you’re in luck! Using a food dehydrator is the easiest way to get amazing results when dehydrating any type of food.
Dehydrating marshmallows using a food dehydrator is very easy and you will get crispy marshmallows but, you have to have patience and simply just trust the process. Now, let’s get cooking.
- Preheat your food dehydrator to 160 degrees F or 75 degrees Celsius.
- If you have bigger marshmallows you might have to cut them into smaller pieces since the bigger ones take longer to actually dehydrate.
- Larger marshmallows tend to stick to the tray when they’re cut up, so try using a 1:1 part of cornstarch and powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking.
- Mini marshmallows are best to work with, don’t need a mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch, and don’t take too much time to dehydrate. You can dehydrate them for 2-4 hours and they will be crispy and ready for your hot cocoa or hot chocolate bombs.
- Let the drying process do its work and don’t worry about over dehydrating them, they will simply just get crispier and better with time.
- Add a single layer of marshmallows on the dehydrator tray, leaving a bit of space in between them, and close the dehydrator.
- After 3.5 hours, check on them to see the progress, and continue with the process for an hour and a half. A side note; colored marshmallows will take more time to get crispy.
- After dehydrating, it’s normal for the marshmallows to be a little squishy so you need to let them breathe or cool off for a couple of minutes.
- After cooling off, store your dry marshmallows in mason jars or airtight containers. You can keep them like this for up to 6 months.
Dehydrating Marshmallows Using An Oven
If you don’t have a dehydrator at home, don’t worry, you won’t need one. Dehydrating marshmallows in an oven is just as easy as using a dehydrator and you will get that crunchy, dehydrated marshmallows taste for your hot chocolate.
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 75 degrees C or at the lowest temperature.
- Take your bags of marshmallows and pour them onto a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper on top.
- Try to spread out the marshmallows as much as you can so they don’t touch each other and don’t stick to each other.
- Using miniature marshmallows will make the drying process so much easier and shorter, so if you can find them, that would be the best choice in my opinion.
- Bake them in a preheated oven for 3-4 hours for the best, crunchiest result. The drying time shouldn’t be less than 3 hours, otherwise, your marshmallows will be sticky but still kind of crunchy on the outside.
- Enjoy your dehydrated marshmallows as a delicious snack or crush them with a rolling pin until you get a marshmallow powder so you can incorporate them into your favorite baked desserts.
Dehydrating Marshmallows Using An Air Fryer
You can make your own home-dehydrated marshmallows using an air-fryer. The process is really simple and you get the same results as dehydrating them using an oven or a dehydrator plus, you can do it in less time than with a dehydrator or oven. To dehydrate marshmallows using an air fryer, follow these simple steps.
- Place your marshmallows on the air fryer rack and spread them out so they don’t stick to each other. Again, I recommend using miniature marshmallows but if you only have full-sized marshmallows, just cut them up into smaller pieces.
- Set the temperature to 75 degrees C or 160 degrees F.
- Miniature marshmallows should be able to dehydrate for about an hour/hour and a half. Check them halfway to see if they’re crispy enough. Bigger marshmallows will take longer to dehydrate so keep that in mind.
- After the time has passed, take your marshmallows out of the air fryer and let them cool off for a bit before storing them or tasting them.
Dehydrating Marshmallows Using A Microwave
Yes, you read that right. You can totally use a microwave if you want to make a quick batch of dehydrated marshmallows as delicious treats.
Just to be clear, this technique is not reliable and it can be hit or miss. So, I suggest trying it out with a small number of marshmallows so you don’t ruin the whole bag of perfectly good marshmallows.
Put your marshmallows on a microwave-safe plate/dish and microwave them on the highest setting for a minute. After a minute, take them out to see the progress, and if they’re still soft and moist, microwave them for another minute.
Repeat the process until all the moisture from the marshmallows is evaporated and you get a crunchy and dry product. This technique works best with miniature marshmallows or cut-up ones.
[Related Article: How To Bake The Chewiest Cookies In A Microwave Oven]
Frequently Asked Questions
Dehydrating Marshmallows Temperature
When you’re dehydrating marshmallows using an oven, dehydrator, or air fryer, set the temperature on the lowest possible setting or 75 degrees C(160 degrees F). If you’re using a microwave, set the temperature on the highest setting.
Dehydrated Marshmallows For Hot Chocolate
Dehydrated marshmallows are a great addition to your hot chocolate, hot chocolate bombs, trail mixes, breakfast cereal, or as a fun snack to eat when you have nothing else at home.
How Long Do Dehydrated Marshmallows Last
Dehydrated marshmallows have a long shelf life of 6 months.
Are Lucky Charms Marshmallows Dehydrated
Yes. These breakfast cereal marshmallows are dehydrated and very crispy when you don’t rehydrate them by pouring some milk on top of them.
What Happens When You Dehydrate Marshmallows
Marshmallows tend to puff up when they’re dehydrated unlike other types of food that shrink or shrivel when you put them through a dehydration process.
So, when you take them out of the dehydrator/oven, let them sit and cool off for a bit so they can get even crispies and harder.
Can You Dehydrate Marshmallows In A Microwave
Yes. Even though this process is a hit or miss, you can try to dehydrate a small number of marshmallows and see what happens.
Set your microwave on the highest temperature and microwave them using 1-minute intervals. Repeat the process until you get the crispy texture that you desired.