Are Marshmallows Vegan?

Before you buy that bag of marshmallows at the grocery store, you might be wondering, “Are marshmallows vegan?” Here’s what you need to know!

Whether it’s s’mores by the campfire or a mug of hot chocolate , marshmallows are an essential part of the equation. But can vegans enjoy these fluffy, sweet treats?

Why Marshmallows Aren’t Vegan or Vegetarian

The short answer is: no. (Sorry, friends.)

Trigger warning—I discuss what gelatin is in the paragraph below. Skip to the next section for store-bought vegan marshmallow brands.

While it’s true that most marshmallows are dairy-free, traditional marshmallows contain gelatin, a substance derived from animal collagen. Gelatin is made by boiling the skin, cartilage, and bones of animals—usually cows or pigs. (Many surprising foods aren’t vegan because of the addition of gelatin.)

In short, unless you buy specifically vegan marshmallows, it’s unlikely that they’re vegan or even vegetarian.

What about homemade marshmallows? Most DIY recipes also contain gelatin, and another non-vegan ingredient: egg whites.

Store-Bought Vegan Marshmallow Options

All is not lost, though! These days, there are plenty of vegan marshmallows on the market and they’re so similar to the traditional version, you probably won’t even be able to tell the difference! Here are some of the most popular brands:

• Dandies . These popular, widely-available vegan marshmallows are made with all-natural ingredients, and they’re free of corn syrup, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. The vanilla variety comes in large (perfect for s’mores!) and mini (hello, hot chocolate!), and they’ve also introduced maple, pumpkin, and peppermint flavored marshmallows.
• Trader Joe’s . Believe it or not, Trader Joe’s carries a line of plant-based marshmallows! You can find them in the baking aisle.
• Smucker’s Marshmallow Topping . This grocery store brand is sneakily vegan! You might not be able to use it for s’mores, but it’s delicious in desserts and hot chocolate.
• Yummallo . This brand is available at Walmart, making vegan marshmallows accessible to everyone! They’re gluten-free, fat-free, and of course, free of gelatin too.

The Best Vegan Marshmallows

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to try making your own marshmallows, check out my vegan marshmallow recipe ! It uses a few simple swaps to transform the traditional marshmallow into a plant-based treat:

• Agar agar . This is a type of seaweed that comes in powder, flakes, or bars. When boiled in water, it becomes a jelly-like substance that can be used as a gelatin substitute.
• Aquafaba . As mentioned above, homemade marshmallow recipes often contain egg whites. Aquafaba, or the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas, is a heavy-hitter in vegan cooking and baking because it acts just like egg whites, and it can be beaten into a fluffy, foamy mixture.
• Cream of tartar . Cream of tartar stabilizes the beaten aquafaba so it holds its light texture.

Grab my vegan marshmallow recipe !

More Vegan Resources

• How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
• Is Honey Vegan?
• Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
• Is Yeast Vegan?
• How to Make Vegetable Broth with Veggie Scraps

With rich, luscious chocolate and creamy pumpkin cheesecake swirls, these vegan pumpkin brownies are a perfect fall dessert. The cheesecake mixes with the brownie batter to create a plant-based sweet treat that’s creamy, decadent, and so moist.

Every time fall rolls around, I find myself making endless amounts of pumpkin desserts, like vegan pumpkin cupcakes and soft-baked pumpkin cookies . There’s something about the hearty, earthy, and rich flavors of pumpkin that’s so cozy when the weather starts to turn. These vegan pumpkin brownies with a cheesecake swirl have quickly become one of my favorite pumpkin desserts.

The vegan brownies are soft, moist, and intensely chocolatey, with just the right amount of sweetness. And the pumpkin cheesecake swirls are creamy, smooth, and packed with autumn flavors from pumpkin puree, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice.

Why I Know You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

• Easy. These pumpkin swirl cheesecake brownies are a bakery-style vegan dessert that calls for simple ingredients.
• Perfect for fall. These pumpkin brownies are packed with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. This is a must-make dessert for your Thanksgiving celebration!
• Amazing texture. These vegan brownies with pumpkin cheesecake swirls are smooth and creamy, and hold their texture really well.
• Nice to look at. They say we eat with our eyes first. If that’s true, then you’re really going to love these decadent pumpkin brownies! The golden brown cheesecake swirls make this a showstopping dessert.

Notes on Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make these soft and moist pumpkin chocolate brownies. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the article for the exact amounts of each ingredient.

Vegan Brownie Batter

• Vegan chocolate chips – Unlike cakey brownies, these fudgy chocolate brownies use melted chocolate for a denser texture.
• Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, sea salt, and baking soda. Make sure to check the expiration date on your baking soda so you know it’s fresh.
• Flax eggs – See my tutorial on how to make a flax egg from flaxseed meal and water. You can use any other type of egg replacement if you prefer.
• Sugar – White, light brown, or any type of granulated sugar will do.
• Oil – Use whatever your preferred oil for baking is.
• Vanilla extract – Or an equal amount of vanilla paste.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl

• Vegan cream cheese – You can use store-bought or homemade vegan cream cheese .
• Pumpkin puree – Make sure your puree is unsweetened and unflavored.
• Sugar – You can use brown, coconut, cane, or any granulated sugar.
• Pumpkin pie spice – I always have a jar of homemade pumpkin pie spice in the pantry this time of year. I make it in a big batch with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. You can use a store-bought spice blend or any combination of these individual spices.
• Vanilla extract – Always use pure vanilla.
• Egg yolk substitute – Refer to the package directions for the recommended amount to use per egg.

How to Make Pumpkin Brownies

Like my peanut butter swirl brownies , the steps to make this easy vegan pumpkin brownie recipe are super simple. Once you see how easy it is, you’ll want to make it all the time, not just during the fall!

1. Prepare the cheesecake swirl. First, combine the cheesecake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix until that’s well combined.
2. Melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, microwave the chocolate for 1 minute, then stir. If it’s not completely melted, repeat in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth.
3. Make the brownie batter. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Separately, cream the flax eggs or egg replacement with the oil and sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes, then add water and vanilla. Now, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the melted chocolate.
4. Assemble. Pour the brownie batter into a greased and lined 8×8-inch baking pan. Then, spoon dollops of cheesecake across the batter. Use a knife or a toothpick to gently swirl the cheesecake into the brownie batter.
5. Bake. Bake these pumpkin brownies at 325ºF for 45 minutes. The brownies might be a little wobbly when they come out of the oven, but that’s OK. Let them cool until they’re at room temperature.
6. Chill. Finally, move the brownies to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before you cut them. When it’s time to serve, slice the brownies into squares and serve. I like them best cold because the cheesecake texture is so creamy and smooth. But you can reheat them if you prefer.

Tips for the Best Vegan Pumpkin Brownies

• Make your own puree. You can use store-bought pumpkin puree for this recipe, but you’ll get a much stronger and more complex pumpkin flavor if you make your own. My instructions for how to make pumpkin puree are so easy to follow and will add a lot of flavor to this dessert.
• Use room-temperature ingredients. For best results, use vegan cream cheese and pumpkin puree that are already at room temperature. If cream cheese and pumpkin puree are cold, they won’t mix very well with the other cheesecake ingredients.
• Let it rest. It’s really tempting to eat these brownies straight out of the oven, but it’s important to resist temptation. The texture of the batter and cheesecake swirls won’t be quite right unless you let the vegan dessert rest at room temperature for a while, and in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• Use gluten-free flour. If you want to make these vegan pumpkin brownies with cheesecake swirls gluten-free, you can easily do that. All you have to do is replace the all-purpose flour with oat flour or your favorite one-for-one gluten-free flour blend.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to eat these chocolatey pumpkin cheesecake brownies is with a cozy drink, like a pumpkin spice matcha latte or vegan hot chocolate when it’s cold out. These brownies also make a wonderful vegan dessert at Thanksgiving or Christmas served with vegan eggnog , hot buttered rum , or mulled wine . Top them with a scoop of ice cream or cashew whipped cream and caramel sauce for a fall-flavored sundae!

How to Store Leftovers

• Fridge. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 4 days. I like to eat them straight from the fridge but feel free to warm them up in the microwave if you prefer.
• Freezer. This is a great recipe to freeze. Just place the vegan pumpkin cheesecake brownies in an airtight container and they’ll last in the freezer for 6 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before eating.

More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Dump Cake
• Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl:

• 4 ounces vegan cream cheese , at room temperature
• 4 ounces pumpkin puree , (½ cup), at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons sugar , brown, cane, coconut, or any granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk substitute , I use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer

For the Brownies:

• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips , (188g)
• 1 cup regular flour , (133.75g), if gluten free, use oat flour or GF flour mix
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 flax eggs , or vegan egg substitute, I use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer
• ¾ cup sugar , (131.25g), brown, cane or coconut or any granulated sugar
• ½ cup oil , (100g), any kind of oil
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C degrees. Line and grease an 8×8-inch brownie pan.
• In a mixing bowl, mix all of the pumpkin cheesecake swirl ingredients together until well combined. Set aside.
• Melt the chocolate chips in microwave for a minute, stirring afterwards to see if the chips have melted. If not, microwave in increments of 30 seconds until completely melted. You can also melt them over a small pot of boiling water, by putting the chips in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan with an inch of water over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined. Set aside.
• In a separate mixing bowl, add the flax eggs or egg replacement, sugar, and oil, and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the water and the vanilla extract and stir them in.
• Add the wet mixture and melted chocolate to the dry mixture and stir until combined, about 3 minutes.
• Pour the batter into the brownie pan.
• Dollop the pumpkin cheesecake swirl mixture on top of the brownies. I like to do it in huge circles that don’t touch all over the batter, then slowly using a knife, swirl left to right from top to bottom through the batter, up and down from right to left to get the swirl through the whole batter. Don’t overdo it or you’ll just get a muddle and it won’t look very good.
• Bake for 45 minutes. The center might still be a bit wobbly but that’s fine.
• Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool completely until they’re at room temperature. Then move to the fridge and let chill for at least 2 hours.
• Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

• Store leftovers in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for 4 days, or in the freezer for 6 months.
• You can use whatever type of vegan chocolate chip you prefer, but I like semi-sweet.
• Make sure to use an 8×8-inch pan or the timing will not be correct.
• It’s crucial that you allow your brownies to cool completely. This can take about 2 hours.
• Ensure your oven is properly calibrated, and remember your brownies will not be properly set until they are cooled down.