Name: Marshmallow Ice Cream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 8 h 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 3 cups mini marshmallows, divided; 4 large egg yolks; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 cups whole milk; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Marshmallow Ice Cream is a traditional French-style churned ice cream with a creamy custard base packed with warm vanilla flavor and toasted mini marshmallows.

This marshmallow ice cream recipe is naturally gluten-free (just make sure your marshmallows are) and nut-free.

two sugar cones of marshmallow ice cream set in glass mugs filled with mini marshmallows.

Love ice cream recipes with yummy add-ins like this marshmallow ice cream? You'll want to try this Cookies and Cream Ice Cream next.

Our Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream is also super dreamy.

If you prefer a more simple ice cream recipe, try this one for Sweet cream Ice Cream.

Table of Contents show

Why you're going to love this Marshmallow Ice Cream Recipe

Lightly toasted marshmallows are the secret ingredient that takes this marshmallow ice cream recipe to the next level.

Chewy, toasty bits of mini marshmallows are a delicious addition here.

The base of this marshmallow ice cream is a classic French-style custard made with tempered eggs, sugar, and cream.

This creates a dreamy, smooth texture, along with the traditional churning.

Marshmallow Ice Cream is delicious enough to eat on it's own, but also simple enough to add toppings to to create amazing sundaes or cones.

top down view of the ingredients needed to make marshmallow ice cream, each in separate bowls.

Marshmallow Ice Cream Ingredients

Miniature Marshmallows - Smaller marshmallows allow more marshmallow bits per bite. We'll be toasting most of them to add flavor to the ice cream base, and adding the rest in at the end.

Egg Yolks - These create the base for our ice cream custard. We'll gently heat the egg yolks to pasteurize them, but you can also purchase pasteurized eggs if you prefer.

Granulated Sugar - For sweetness and texture, plain, white, granulated sugar is the perfect choice.

Whole Milk - The first of our dairy items adds bulk and aids in getting the perfect creamy texture.

Heavy Cream - A mix of both heavy cream and whole milk is what gives us the perfect creamy texture.

Vanilla Extract - To flavor our ice cream base, a good quality pure vanilla extract is key.

If you have any questions about the ingredients in this marshmallow ice cream, please leave a comment below.

photo collage showing 8 steps needed to make marshmallow ice cream from scratch.

How to make marshmallow ice cream from scratch

Preheat the oven to broil. Place two cups of marshmallows on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Broil marshmallows for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
Add milk to a saucepan and heat gently until it simmers. Add about half of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk constantly until combined.
Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Heat the saucepan on low, stirring constantly, until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and toasted marshmallows to the bowl and stir to combine.
As you stir, the marshmallows will melt into the ice cream base.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure the wrap is touching the surface of the ice cream base. Refrigerate for at least three hours. Then churn the ice cream according to your manufacturers instructions until it's thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. In the last two minutes, add the remaining 1 cup of marshmallows and churn until they are evenly distributed.
Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least four hours, until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

If you have any questions about how to make marshmallow ice cream, please leave a comment below.

marshmallow ice cream being scooped with a metal ice cream scoop

How to store Marshmallow Ice Cream

Store this Marshmallow Ice Cream in the freezer in an airtight container (we really like these reusable ice cream containers) with a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper pressed on top for up to one month.

Tips for making this Marshmallow ice cream recipe

Use quality ingredients – When making homemade ice cream, you’ll want to make sure you are using high quality ingredients for the best outcome.

Chill out – If possible, always start with chilled ingredients. This is important for homemade no-churn ice cream recipes and ice cream maker recipes.

Don’t skimp on the fat – High fat milks and creams are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.

Don’t go crazy with the add-ins – If you’re adding in additional ingredients, pick one or two and make sure they are chopped into pieces no larger than a blueberry or pea.

Don’t skimp on the sugar – Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture. Sugar is essential for the creamy texture in ice cream.

a glass mug filled with marshmallow ice cream topped with mini marshmallows. Behind that is another glass mug with a cone filled with ice cream.

No churn marshmallow ice cream directions

To make no churn marshmallow ice cream, chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients.

Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air.

This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.

Marshmallow Ice Cream Add-ins

Marshmallow ice cream could be made extra special with some additional add ins.

Try miniature chocolate chips or shaved chocolate if chocolate is a must for your ice cream. Try adding some crushed graham crackers too for a s'mores ice cream effect. There are so many different flavors of ice cream you can make.

More Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Don't see an ice cream that you're looking for? Use the search function at the top of the page.

pinterest pin collage for marshmallow ice cream

Here are some of our favorite ice cream making tools:

Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker - Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
Loaf Pan - You can use any 9 x 13 loaf pan or a shallow pan, but we like this one.
Ice Cream Scoop - Make sure you have a good ice cream scoop. This is one of our favorites.
Ice Cream Containers - We love keeping a couple of ice cream containers on hand for when we make homemade ice cream.

Note: Each of these links will take you to the exact product on Amazon. As an Amazon associate, I earn a little from each qualifying purchase.

LET'S GET SOCIAL, you can follow us on Pinterest or leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Did you make this Marshmallow Ice Cream recipe? Leave a comment below letting us know what you thought and if you added any additional add-ins.

Yield: 6

Marshmallow Ice Cream

Learn to make the best marshmallow ice cream from scratch using only a handful of ingredients.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups mini marshmallows, divided
4 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Chill the ice cream bowl for at least 24 hours or until solid. You should not hear any water sloshing around when you shake the bowl.
Preheat the oven to broil. Place 2 cups of the mini marshmallows on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
Broil in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to watch them closely as they can quickly burn. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen torch to carefully toast the marshmallows. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth and pale yellow in color.
Add the milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Be sure not to boil.
Add about ½ cup of the hot milk to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk constantly until combined.
Then, add the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
Heat the saucepan on low. Stirring constantly, heat until the base has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take a few minutes.
Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked.
Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and toasted marshmallows and stir to combine. As you stir, the toasted marshmallows will melt into the ice cream base.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap making sure to have the plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream base. This will help keep it from forming a skin while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions (mine took about 20 minutes), until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
In the last two minutes, add the remaining 1 cup of mini marshmallows and churn until they are evenly distributed.
Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid.
Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

This is a traditional, or french-style, ice cream which is made with a custard base that contains eggs. It results in a super creamy texture that pairs so well with the pineapple.
Instead of broiling your marshmallows in the oven, you can also use a kitchen torch to carefully toast the marshmallows to your liking.
The addition of the mini marshmallows at the end is optional. If you don’t want to include them your ice cream will still have a subtle toasted marshmallow flavor.
If you do not have mini marshmallows for toasting, you can also use regular-sized marshmallows for toasting as they will dissolve into the ice cream base. It may take a little longer to stir them into the base as they typically melt a bit slower than mini marshmallows, but they will still work in this recipe. I don’t recommend using the larger marshmallows as a mix-in since the ice cream will be difficult to eat.

Marshmallow Ice Cream