Are Marshmallows Gluten-free?

If you’re on a gluten-free diet, you may be wondering: are marshmallows gluten-free? Find out if there is gluten in marshmallows and 5 brands of marshmallows are that are gluten-free in this post.

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If you follow a gluten-free diet for any amount of time, you may have been wondering if certain foods are gluten-free.

In the middle of summer when you’re reaching for marshmallows for s’mores or in the fall and you’re hoping to top some sweet potato casserole with sticky marshmallow goodness, you’re bound to wonder if marshmallows are safe on a gluten-free diet.

In this post, we’ll talk about all the different things you need to know about marshmallows and sticking with your gluten-free diet.

First, we’ll talk about what gluten is, if marshmallows are safe on a gluten-free diet, ingredients to avoid on packaged marshmallows, and brands that make gluten-free marshmallows. 

We’ll also go over brands that make marshmallows without any gluten-containing ingredients, if marshmallow fluff is gluten-free, and answering the questions of if are marshmallows vegan, are marshmallows dairy-free. We’ll also talk about some different ways to use gluten-free marshmallows in your cooking and baking.

This post will wrap up with some great gluten-free marshmallow recipes for you to try your hand at making them at home, if you don’t want to buy them from the store. I hope this post is informative and useful for you!

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.

In processed foods, gluten is often used in the form of wheat derivatives, in flavorings, binders to keep ingredients together, or other additives. If you were to find gluten in marshmallows, it would be in the form of a flavoring, additive, or binder.

Are marshmallows safe for a gluten-free diet?

While many marshmallows are gluten-free and don’t contain any gluten at all, some marshmallows do contain gluten.

In many ingredient lists for marshmallows, you might find wheat protein, wheat starch, or glucose syrup – all of these are hidden names of gluten, and without the knowledge of which names to look for, you might not know they are gluten-containing ingredients at all!

The easiest way to know if a certain brand of marshmallow is gluten-free is to look for a gluten-free label.

Of course, if the marshmallow package you’re looking at doesn’t have a gluten-free label on the front, you can read the ingredient list to look for the hidden sources of gluten. Find out how to read ingredient lists.

You’ll find that some brands of marshmallows contain hidden sources of gluten, while others don’t have a gluten-free label on the package but still contain no gluten-containing ingredients.

You can decide for yourself if the lack of gluten-containing ingredients is okay with you or if the potential for cross contamination is enough to keep away from anything without a gluten-free label.

There’s no right or wrong here if you don’t have celiac disease (or a gluten allergy), and it depends entirely upon the level of your personal sensitivity to gluten.

Ingredients that gluten hides under and for concern in marshmallows

Make sure you look through the ingredient list of any marshmallows you’re looking to buy to see that there are no hidden names of gluten. Here is a list of names that gluten is often hidden under (note this is not an exhaustive list, but a list of some common examples):

• Wheat
• Wheat starch
• Wheat flour
• Barley
• Rye
• Spelt
• Bran
• Flour
• Malt
• Triticum vulgare
• Triticum spelta
• Hordeum vulgare
• Secale cereal
• Modified food starch
• Natural flavors
• Natural coloring
• Artificial flavor
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Hydrolyzed wheat protein
• Glucose
• Maltodextrin (it will say made from wheat, otherwise it is safe on a gluten-free diet)
• Dextrin (it will say made from wheat, otherwise it is safe on a gluten-free diet)

Read on: Is maltodextrin gluten-free?

Read on: Is modified food starch gluten-free?

Brands and companies that make gluten-free marshmallows

Now that you know what to look out for when it comes to finding gluten-free marshmallows, let’s go over some of the brands that are definitely gluten-free and are listed as such on their packaging and brand websites.

Dandies Marshmallows

Dandies brand marshmallows are gluten-free, made with no gelatin (making them vegan and dairy-free too!), and are safe from many of the top allergens. They come in vanilla, mini vanilla, pumpkin, and peppermint flavors, according to their website.

Trader Joe’s Marshmallows

Trader Joe’s lists their brand of marshmallows as gluten-free on their website. These marshmallows contain no gluten, and are also listed as vegan, which makes them vegan and dairy-free too.

Campfire Marshmallows

Campfire marshmallows are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and allergen-friendly, which makes them a great choice all around for food intolerances and food allergies. They are made with gelatin, so they are not vegan as per their website. 

Marshmallow Peeps

Many Marshmallow Peeps are gluten-free, and their website claims that they list any other potential allergens or cross contamination sources to help make informed buying decisions. Most of this brand’s marshmallows do contain gelatin, making them not vegan friendly.

Brands that make marshmallows without gluten ingredients

As we talked about earlier in this article, many brands make note with a gluten-free label that a package of marshmallows are gluten-free.

Some brands of marshmallows may not have the gluten-free label, but contain no gluten-containing ingredients. The marshmallows may be processed on equipment that other foods containing gluten are also processed.

You may or may not be okay with some amount of gluten cross-contamination, depending upon the severity of your intolerance or allergy.

If that’s the case, these brands may be okay for you on a gluten-free diet, because even if they aren’t listed as gluten-free, they do not contain gluten-containing ingredients.

Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows

While Kraft jet-puffed marshmallows don’t have a gluten-free label, their ingredient list does not contain any gluten-containing ingredients.

They may or may not be subject to cross contamination during the manufacturing process, so use your best judgement as to what your body can handle.

Read on: Are Jet Puffed Marshmallows gluten-free?

Is marshmallow fluff gluten-free?

Traditional marshmallow fluff is gluten-free and contains no gluten-containing ingredients.

Just like any other packaged food when you have food intolerances or food allergies, you’ll want to read ingredient lists and look for labels. Marshmallow fluff is dairy-free, but not vegan as it contains egg whites.

Read on: Is marshmallow fluff gluten-free?

Are marshmallows dairy-free?

Surprisingly yes, most marshmallows are dairy-free. Of course, with everything when you have food intolerances or food allergies, you’ll want to read the ingredient lists for any hidden names of the foods you’re avoiding. But as a general rule, yes, marshmallows are indeed dairy-free. Yay!

Read on: Do marshmallows have dairy?

Are marshmallows vegan?

Many marshmallows are not vegan, because they contain gelatin. Gelatin is derived from animal products, which makes them not safe on a vegan diet.

However, many of the marshmallow brands I listed above are in fact vegan. Look for Dandies, Trader Joe’s, Campfire, and Marshmallow Peeps brands for vegan marshmallows.

How to use gluten-free marshmallows

You can enjoy gluten-free marshmallows in the same ways that you’d use them in any other recipe. Here are some of my favorite ways to use them:

• In dairy-free hot chocolate
• In homemade gluten-free rice krispy treats
• Use them as dippers in dairy-free chocolate fondue
• In gluten-free s’mores
• In dairy-free fudge
• On sweet potato casserole for your gluten-free Thanksgiving

Can I make my own gluten-free marshmallows?

Of course! Here are 5 great homemade gluten-free marshmallow recipes to try:

1. Homemade Gluten-free Marshmallows
2. Gluten-free Vanillla Marshmallows
3. Homemade Marshmallows
4. Gluten-free Homemade Marshmallow Recipe
5. Homemade Healthier Marshmallows

If you’ve been wondering if marshmallows are gluten-free, I hope this post has helped you answer that question! With this information, you can confidently find marshmallow options that are great for keeping with your gluten-free diet.

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