Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

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Zephyr is a type of Russian homemade marshmallows recipe. These tasty confections are fluffy and literally just melt in your mouth. Learn how to make these homemade marshmallows with the easy video tutorial.

I have been working on perfecting this recipe for some time and these have the right fluffy consistency using real ingredients (no jell-o needed), and they have intense blackberry-lemon flavor. P.S. that beautiful pinky-purple hue is all natural from fresh blackberries and makes these completely irresistible!

The closest thing I could compare zephyr to are gourmet marshmallows. These are lightyears better than store-bought marshmallows and are stunning on party dessert tables. Think: showers, birthdays, tea parties, etc. Zephyr is the first thing people eye on a dessert table because it’s just so pretty!

This blackberry-leon zephir recipe was modified from Air Cake on youtube.

Watch How to Make Homemade Marshmallows:

This recipe is simple, but it is important to follow the process and have precise measurements. I have included all of my best tips to make sure you are successful the first time and every time! 

*Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

Ingredients for Blackberry Puree:

2 cups (or 8 oz or 250 grams) blackberries
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 egg white, room temperature

For the Agar Agar Syrup:

1/3 cup (75 ml) water
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
2 tsp (5 grams) agar agar*
Powdered Sugar to dust

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

*Agar agar us a plant based thickener that works similarly to traditional unflavored pork-derived gelatin. It is kosher-friendly and doesn’t add any aroma or flavor especially when heated which is awesome!! It is available in natural and health-food stores like Rosauers, Whole foods and is reasonably priced on Amazon. 

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (Zephyr):

1. In a medium saucepan, bring blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a simmer. Mash berries and simmer uncovered 10 min then strain through fine sieve, pressing on solids with a spatula. Scrape the back of the sieve to get 1/2 cup or 125 grams of puree. Chill the puree over an ice bath until cooled.

2. Once puree is chilled and slightly thickened, combine it with 1 egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk.** Beat 8-10 min on high speed or until thick and stiff peaks form. While the blackberry/egg white mixture is whipping, proceed with step 3.

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

3. In a medium sauce pan, combine 1/3 cup water, 2 tsp agar agar and 1 cup sugar. Place over medium heat, bring to boil then reduce heat to a low boil and cook 5 min, whisking constantly until syrup has thickened and pours from a spoon without dribbling. Remove from heat.

4. With mixer on the LOWEST speed, and as soon as agar syrup is off the stove, immediately pour it in a thin stream into the whipped blackberry mixture. Avoid getting syrup on whisk and bowl. Scrape down the bowl and beat another 2-3 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

5. Right away, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M large open star tip and pipe roses onto parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping them even in width/size.

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

6. Let stand in a draft free, low humidity, room temperature (70˚F) area, uncovered 6-12 hours, or overnight. Marshmallows will form a glossy film on top and will come off the parchment fairly easily, then match 2 halves together and roll sandwiched marshmallows in powdered sugar.

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

⬇ Print-Friendly Marshmallows Recipe (Zephyr) Recipe:

Homemade Marshmallows (Zephyr) VIDEO

4.90 from 67 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 7 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 -14 sandwiched marshmallows

For the Blackberry Puree:

  • 2 cups or 8 oz or 250 grams blackberries
  • 1/2 cup 100 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 egg white, room temperature

For the Agar Agar Syrup:

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, bring blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice to a simmer. Mash berries and simmer uncovered 10 min then strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids with a spatula. Scrape off the back of the sieve to ensure you have 1/2 cup or 125 grams of puree. Chill the puree over an ice bath until cooled.
  • Once puree is fully chilled and slightly thickened, combine it with 1 egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment.** Beat on 8-10 min on high speed or until mixture is thick and stiff peaks form. While the blackberry/egg white mixture is going, proceed with step 3.
  • In a medium sauce pan, stir together 1/3 cup water, 2 tsp agar agar and 1 cup sugar. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low boil and cook 5 minutes, whisking constantly until syrup has thickened and pours from a spoon without dribbling. Remove from heat.
  • With the mixer on the LOWEST speed, and as soon as agar syrup is off the stove, immediately pour it in a thin stream into whipped blackberry mixture. Avoid getting syrup on whisk and bowl. Once syrup is in, scrape down the bowl and beat another 2-3 min on high speed until stiff peaks form.
  • Right away, transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M large open star tip and pipe roses onto parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping the roses even in width/size.
  • Let homemade marshmallows stand in a draft free, low humidity, room temperature area (70˚F), uncovered for 6-12 hours, or overnight. Marshmallows will form a glossy film on top and will come off the parchment fairly easily. Once set, match 2 halves together then roll sandwiched marshmallows powdered sugar.

Notes

**If using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg white and fruit puree mixture first until stiff peaks form then start on the agar syrup since you need your hands free to whisk the agar agar syrup constantly.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Marshmallows, Zephyr
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Regarding the use of raw egg whites: Always use eggs that have a whole, un-cracked shell from a trustworthy source. This method is similar to an Italian Buttercream where adding the hot syrup partially tempers the egg white, but if you want to take extra caution especially if pregnant or elderly, you can try using pasteurized egg whites, although from my research, it may take longer to beat the mixture if egg white is pasteurized. 

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com

I hope you all love these and find the video tutorial helpful! If you make these (or any recipes from my site), I now have an awesome new spot where my readers can share their yummy photos! You’re invited to join my closed VIP cooking group on Facebook!

Zephyr is a Russian homemade marshmallows recipe - so fluffy with amazing blackberry flavor, and they melt in your mouth. How to make homemade marshmallows! | natashaskitchen.com
4.90 from 67 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Inna
    December 27, 2018

    Hello Natasha I wanted to ask, how far advance can these be done?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 27, 2018

      Hi Inna, you can store these at room temperature in an airtight container (like Tupperware) for 2-3 says in a low humidity area.

      Reply

  • Oksana
    December 24, 2018

    Natasha , I’ve never thought I’d score them from first time ! But today I did it ! Hahа 😃👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
    Made double portion and I’ve mixed black currants and blackberries together . It’s jsut heavenly! Can’t wait when they ready to go 🙈👏🏼❤️Thank you for delicious recipe !!!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 24, 2018

      You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you loved that!

      Reply

  • Svetlana L Kuzmenko
    December 10, 2018

    Hi Natasha, I was wondering can I substitute lemon juice in bottle from the natural one?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 10, 2018

      Hey there Svetlana, I love it fresh lemon juice but that should work okay.

      Reply

  • Ogis
    October 30, 2018

    Very silly question do you use the fruit that’s left in the sieve or what passes throughout the drive? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 30, 2018

      Hi Ogis, You can repurpose it and serve it with pancakes or over ice cream. It is very tasty 🙂

      Reply

  • Yana
    October 17, 2018

    Hi Natasha, I made these with my sister last night and this morning they taste delicious! Much, much better than store bought. I was wondering if lemon would be a good substitute? Do I need to cook it a little longer maybe? Thanks

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 17, 2018

      Hey there Yana! Are you looking to omit the blackberries and substitute that for lemon? This recipe already calls for 1 tbsp of lemon.

      Reply

  • diana
    September 5, 2018

    Hi Natasha,
    Do you really need 7 hours for prep?

    Thanks,
    Diana

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 5, 2018

      Hi Diana. That time is just letting the marshmallows rest. It’s not really preparation time at all.

      Reply

  • Michael
    August 13, 2018

    Hi Natasha,
    Is there anyway to make these plain white color?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 13, 2018

      Hi Michael! You would have to omit the Blackberries and alter the recipe a bit to make these white. 🙂

      Reply

    • Marishka
      August 14, 2018

      Bake tart apple quarters at 380 for about 25 minutes. (Skin on). Chill overnight in fine mesh sieve over a bowl in the fridge. Puree with a hand blender, and push through the fine mesh sieve. use same amount instead of the blackberry puree.

      Reply

  • Flory
    June 4, 2018

    Hello!I live in UK and here is a lot of humidity.What can I do to help the recipe if I can’t have low humidity in the room?Thank you!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 4, 2018

      Hi Flory, I’m honestly not sure in that situation since there is risk that the meringue will not beat up properly and the finished marshmallows need time to dry on the outside. If it is humid, it would be difficult to achieve those results.

      Maybe someone else has experience making these in high humidity? Please let us know!

      Reply

      • Loreen D
        December 28, 2018

        Refrigerator covered on bottom shelf. Cheesecloth or cotton towel doubled works. Well it does with regular marshmellow and l live in high humidity qld aust. Maybe this might be slightly different, as l havent made it yet?

        Reply

    • Naomi
      December 8, 2018

      Hi

      A bit late, but where I live there is also high humidity.. There was no problem beating up the meringue. I let it rest overnight but it was still sticky.. So I put it in the oven around 30°C and after that it was great!

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        December 8, 2018

        Thank you for sharing that!

        Reply

      • Natasha
        February 27, 2019

        Question – can these be dusted with powdered sugar right after piping or they won’t set properly?

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          February 27, 2019

          Hi Natasha! They are much easier to handle once they set and the skin forms, help keep the shape also. Once it is set, they come off fairly easily from the parchment. If you experiment with a few please let me know how you like the outcome.

          Reply

  • Kay
    May 28, 2018

    Hi, just for everyone’s information, if you are using agar agar flakes, use three times the amount as stated in the recipe for powder 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      May 28, 2018

      Thank you for sharing that with us Kay 😀

      Reply

      • SarahV
        February 6, 2021

        After I poured the agar syrup the consistency of the meringue thinned out (before I had very stiff peaks). So it was hard to pipe and the rosettes went flat.

        I made this using agar flakes, could that have been the problem? Unfortunately I didn’t read this post until after I was done.

        Reply

  • Irene
    May 4, 2018

    Hello,

    I would like to know if I can make this using strawberries? Would all the measurements stay the same?
    They look really delicious and I would like to make them for my son’s birthday party, he loves strawberries!

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 4, 2018

      Hello Irene, I haven’t tried it myself but I have had readers report great results substituting with strawberries.

      Reply

  • viktorija
    March 31, 2018

    Hi. i’m trying to measure agar and for me 1 tsp is 5 mg so i’m not sure if I need to put 2 tsp or just that 1 tsp which makes 5 mg?! thank you!

    Reply

    • viktorija
      March 31, 2018

      I meant 5 grams!

      Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 1, 2018

      Hi Viktorija, I used a digital kitchen scale to weigh and 2 exact teaspoons weighed 5 grams. I noticed you wrote 5 mg – maybe you mean 5 ml although ml is usually used for measuring liquids but there are 5 ml in a teaspoon. It may help to check out our tutorial on measuring ingredients for baking.

      Reply

  • Irina
    March 28, 2018

    HI Natasha, thanks for a great recipe as always!!! I made these yesterday using strawberries, the taste is delicious. I can never follow a recipe to the t… need to learn not to ulter anything 😂 I used 2 egg whites but the rest was the same and they came out not as dense as I remember zifir to be. The inside is sooooo fluffy! The outside still formed nicely but did yours come out denser? Could of 1 extra egg white make such a difference? 1 had 2 recipes and the other called for 5 egg whites… just wanted your opinion? I want the zifir to be denser.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 28, 2018

      Hi Irina, these are fairly fluffy like a marshmallow inside and not super dense. It may have been more fluffy with an extra egg white.

      Reply

  • Furia
    March 22, 2018

    Hi, I have tried this recipe using raspberries. I have followed the recipe and the method you have stated on your video. I have left them over night, but they have not become firm enough. They are still soft . What am I doing wrong?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 22, 2018

      Hi Furia, It is difficult to say without being there – I wonder if maybe the gelatin needed to be cooked a little longer (depending on the heat from your burner – that could vary slightly). Also, make sure to add the correct amount of syrup – adding too much can make the mixture more loose. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Jacquelyn
    March 19, 2018

    Hello Natasha. Just went to Whole Foods to buy agar agar. They only had agar agar flakes. Will that work? That’s what i bought. Hoping to test the recipe out this week.

    Thank you,
    Jacquelyn

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 19, 2018

      Hi Jacquelyn, I haven’t tested the flakes so I’m not 100% sugar. I’m assuming it will work but you might google to see if it substitutes in equal amounts for the powder.

      Reply

  • Lidiya
    March 10, 2018

    Before you had a different recipe of zefir and oreshki can not find them can you please post them again I was looking like 3-4 years ago also the old set it recipe was on YouTube also can not find them.Please if is possible to post them again.Thank You!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 10, 2018

      Hi Lidiya, you must be thinking of a different website. This is the only zephyr I have posted and I don’t have a recipe for oreshki yet.

      Reply

  • Anastasiia
    February 22, 2018

    Thank you so much for the recipe! I tried it today and I got wonderful zephyr! The taste is amazing! I would like to share the photos of my zephyr! How can I do it?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 22, 2018

      Hi Anastasiia, we don’t have a feature to share photos on our site yet but we do have a private Facebook group where you could share it and I’d love to have you join! You could also email it to me directly: natasha @ natashaskitchen.com (no spaces) if you are not on facebook 🙂

      Reply

  • Anastasiia
    February 21, 2018

    Hi! Can I use frosen blackberries for this recipe ?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 21, 2018

      Hi Anastasia, frozen blackberries should work just as well. I hope you love the recipe! 🙂

      Reply

  • Veronika
    February 15, 2018

    Can I substitute gelatin for afar agar? And would it be in the same proportion?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 15, 2018

      Hi Veronika, for this particular recipe, gelatin doesn’t work the same way and I have had readers report that it doesn’t work. If you are not able to purchase it in stores, the best source would be online (I have an Amazon link above).

      Reply

  • Sonya Silvaggio
    February 11, 2018

    Hi, i was wondering long these keep? i wanted to make them a few days in advance of an event.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      February 11, 2018

      Hi Sonya, store these at room temperature in an airtight container (like Tupperware) for 2-3 says in a low humidity area.

      Reply

  • Nina
    February 9, 2018

    Thank you for the recipe, it’s great! I love it 🙂 I love the fact that it’s made with real fruit!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 9, 2018

      You’re welcome Nina! I’m glad you love the recipe. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

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