Product Review: Vegan Marshmallows

More standoff than review, I needed to know which of the two US-nationally available vegan marshmallows is better for hot cocoa and crispy rice treats:

• Dandies Vegan Marshmallows
• Trader Joe’s Marshmallows

“Wait! Marshmallows aren’t vegan?”

Neither is Jell-O. Both obtain their structure from gelatin. (Click only if you’re not squeamish!)

“And why US-Nationally Available Mini Marshmallows?”

US-Nationally Available

Both brands of mini vegan marshmallows herein are found at such widespread chains including Walmart, Target, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods Market. Regional and local companies may carry them as well. (Leave a comment if you see one that’s not on this list. I’d love to test it against my winner and update my content!)

Please know I support and shop local when I can. Everywhere I’ve lived – and the number of places is many and growing – I have discovered numerous small companies making fantastic vegan alternatives.

Yet as much as I commend them, they are not the focus of this blog. My goal instead is to curate and present information that travels with me to wherever I go, and then travels again from wherever I am to wherever you are ❤️

Mini Marshmallows

I aim to make these product reviews as level as possible. Since Trader Joe’s only offers mini marshmallows, I compared them to the same variety of Dandies.

Dandies offers other products including jumbo marshmallows and marshmallow cream, but at the time of this writing, no other US-nationally available brand does. They win those hypothetical product reviews by default!

Prediction

I anticipated this standoff to end in a standstill. Given nearly identical ingredients lists, I suspected Trader’s Joe’s mini marshmallows were simply Dandies rebranded.

The only difference is “filtered water” in Dandies mini vegan marshmallows versus “water” in Trader Joe’s! And that’s probably filtered water anyway –

or is it?

Taste Test

I recognize taste is subjective. Consequently, I am in the habit of holding plant-based alternatives against a conventional gold standard. (See my “cream cheese“, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and “mayonnaise” reviews. Those taste tests are objectively objective!)

For this post, that gold standard would be Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows. Yet something weird happened after years of eating vegan marshmallows with natural vanilla…

I learned to distinguish artificial flavor.

Those once-beloved marshmallows now taste gross to me. Hence, I could not accept them as my gold standard. This taste test thus seeks to answer, “Which vegan alternative do I like best?”

Please accept my recognition of subjectivity as an apology for being unscientific.

Winner: Dandies Mini Vegan Marshmallows

To be sure, this was a close call! I doubt I would be able to differentiate between Dandies and Trader Joe’s mini marshmallows had I not been tasting them side-by-side.

Yet Dandies Mini Vegan Marshmallows definitely have greater structural integrity. Trader Joe’s comparatively melted in my mouth while Dandies required a little more chewing. Considering this difference, Dandies unsurprisingly took longer to dissolve in hot chocolate than their contender.

That same difference also means I’d be hesitant to toast Trader Joe’s marshmallows for s’mores; their extra meltiness could mean a greater chance of them falling into the fire!

Besides, the slightly stronger vanilla flavor of Dandies would better balance a rich vegan dark chocolate bar.

Crispy Rice Treat Test

I honestly don’t buy marshmallows for much else! With only a stick of “butter”, 2 bags of mini marshmallows, and a box of crispy rice cereal, these treats simply had to be my test recipe.

I halved it so I could compare each product side-by-side in the same pan.

Several elements were controlled including:

• Brand of Every Non-Marshmallow Ingredient – I’m not brand-loyal by default, but when I create content, I source US-nationally available products. The following were used for this comparison project:
  • Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil
  • Millville Crispy Rice (Aldi brand)
• Pan and Method of Preparing It – An unbranded, greased and parchment-lined foil pan held both batches of treats.
• Mixing Bowls, Utensils, and Method of Mixing – I used the same stainless steel stock pot and wooden spoon (which were, of course, washed between batches).
• Method of Measuring – Every ingredient was weighed to the gram.
• Appliances – As a business of one, I have only one stove!
• Cook and Rest Times – Both batches of treats rested for 2 hours in the prepared foil pan.
• Temperature Upon Tasting – I waited until all treats were at room temperature before taking bites and notes.

Winner: Dandies Mini Vegan Marshmallows

another close call!

The difference was more apparent in process than product. While Dandies mini vegan marshmallows melted into a kind of taffy replete with that iconic pull, Trader Joe’s melted into a mound that stuck to the bottom of my pot.

That said, the challenge Trader Joe’s mini marshmallows presented was easy to overcome; I truly wouldn’t have complained if I hadn’t been comparing them!

Yet Dandies also resulted in a slightly more interesting dessert. The stronger vanilla flavor I noted in the taste test set them apart from Trader Joe’s in a crispy rice treat.

Parting Notes

There are many reasons to love both brands of mini marshmallows. Both would elevate your hot chocolate experience and deliciously top a sweet potato casserole!

Yet I choose Dandies mini vegan marshmallows over Trader Joe’s for several reasons. They are:

• found in a variety of stores
• available in mini and jumbo sizes
• more structurally sound for heating in hot chocolate and over a flame (for s’mores)
• stronger in (natural) vanilla flavor
• behaviorally closer to gelatin-thickened marshmallows

not that Trader Joe’s mini marshmallows are bad! In fact, if you have such a store near you, you’ll likely find them more economical than Dandies.

But since there’s a greater chance you’ll find Dandies, you may enjoy knowing that it is indeed the greater plant-based product.

Finally…

I make no commission from the products and links herein.

Please consider the effort behind this content, and espresso your support on Ko-fi if you can ❤️