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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
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
*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.
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.
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.
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.
⬇ Print-Friendly Marshmallows Recipe (Zephyr) Recipe:
Homemade Marshmallows (Zephyr) VIDEO
Ingredients
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:
- 1/3 cup 75 ml water
- 1 cup 200 grams sugar
- 2 tsp 5 grams agar agar*
- Powdered Sugar to dust
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 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.
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!
Hi Natasha,
Can I use ready made mango puree (already has sugar in it ) for making zephyr. What amount of puree would be the best to use. Thanks
Hi, S, I haven’t tried but I think it’s worth experimenting. The only thing that could possibly go wrong is if there are other additives that cause the mixture to break.
Hi Natasha . How long can you store them in the room temperature? If I will make them on Monday can they stay ok till Saturday? Thank you
Hi Iryna, you can store these at room temperature in an airtight container (like Tupperware) for 2-3 days in a low humidity area
Hi Natasha,
I really love your recipes and videos. I tried several of your recipes and they are very delicious. I tried to make this recipe but it didn’t work, I didn’t get a thick mixture when I whisked the puree and egg white !
Hi, did you make any substitutions in ingredients and make sure to measure correctly? If so, I would highly recommend making it exactly per the recipe before doing any testing. Could there have been too much puree or did you add it before it was chilled?
I used less sugar! I got 100ml of puree.. Could that be it ?
Hi Heba, it could be that the berries weren’t as juicy, or not using enough berries, or it could be due to using less sugar that the overall volume was lower. Also, be sure to add the lemon juice. I hope that helps to troubleshoot.
I don’t have a piping bag. Is it possible to put in a pan like marshmallows and cut into squares?
Hi Val, I honestly haven’t tried baking it that way but I think it would be a great test. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes.
This stuff is addicting! I never liked the store bought version. But these just melt in your mouth. The recipe is supper easy to follow, thanks Natasha for easy explanation.
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Irina! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
You can make them with apple puree, that’s the traditional style, and they come out white.
Thank you for sharing that with us! That’s so awesome.
Awesome! What’s your suggestion for how much apple puree to use for your recipe? Do you use it in combination with blackberry or what do you suggest? Also can I use agar flakes instead of agar powder? Will it turn out the same? If so, should I use the same ratio of flakes as powder?
What other flavors can we make of these?
Hi PJ, there are many great ideas in the comments I think you will find helpful, anything from raspberry, strawberry, and vanilla are a few I’ve seen listed.
Hi Natasha
I made these yesterday and they tasted delicious. However they haven’t set at all over the last 12 hours. Do you think there’s anything I might have done wrongly?
Thanks
Hi Fern, humidity may be the culprit but some other things to consider: it may be due to undercooking the agar mixture – I cook at a low boil for the full 5 minutes for it to thicken. Also, be sure not to add more than 1/2 cup of your fruit syrup and make sure it is fully cooled and no longer warm to the touch. I hope that helps!
Thanks Natasha. By the way, are they meant to form a crisp dry shell outside? It’s still really soft and hard to peel off, its a little chewy on the outside. Just wondering if that’s how it’s meant to be?
Hi Fern, they are supposed to be dry on the outside, but not really crisp. They do stick to the parchment a little as they are moist on the inside. They are a little more moist than a typical marshmallow but they dissolve in your mouth readily and aren’t really chewy.
Thanks for the quick reply Natasha! I made them for a school fete tomorrow so hoping they hold up when I pack them! 🙂
Hi Natasha I wana know if you can use unflavored gelatin instead of agar?
Hi Natasha, I haven’t tested it that way but several readers have reported that it does not work well. There would need to be other modifications made but without running that test, I can’t advise replacing it.
Hi in my country we do not have fresh blueberry, how can I make the puree with dehydrate bluberry? I really want made this recipe and my problem is the puree
I honestly haven’t tested it that way so I’m not sure I can make a recommendation. If anyone else has insights into this type of substitution, please let us know. Also, you could try another berry.
Can you bake these ?
Hi Lora, I haven’t tried but I don’t think so.
Do you think canned cherries will work?
Hi Irishka, I haven’t tested that so I cannot advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I just made these using frozen strawberries and the batter is amazing! It’s light, easy to pipe and delicious. You absolutely cannot use gelatin in this recipe because gelatin can’t be heated like the agar agar. When you use gelatin, you bloom it in cold water before adding any heat. That is how conventional marshmallows are made.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Ist it possible to use other berries or frozen berries?
Hi Petra, I haven’t tried it myself but I have had readers report great results substituting with strawberries. One of our readers used frozen blackberries and loved it also!
Very tasty ! Good recipe! We made it twice and each time it was delicious
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can you toast these like regular marshmallows?
Hi, I haven’t tried that but I suspect it wouldn’t be the same experience.
Thank you for wonderful zephyr, delicious, kids absolutely love it, they said even better, then in Russia. God bless you and your family!
That’s so great Olga! I’m so happy your family enjoying this recipe!
Hi Natasha, can I use strawberries instead?
Hi Ruslana, I haven’t tried that but I think it could work. You may need to cook the strawberry puree a little longer so it thickens since strawberry juice tends to be a little more watery and be sure not to add more than 1/2 cup of puree. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Has anyone tried putting Zephyr into an ice cream cone like filling ice cream into it and let it set. I remember as a little boy an ice cream cone treat that had something like a marshmallow in it and of course you eat the whole thing. I wonder if the Zephyr would set up in the cone??
How interesting Jim! I have not tried that but would love to know if it works out. If you experiment with a cone next time, please let me know how you liked that
Hi Natasha, Iwas wondering if I can make them with Knox gelatin instead of Agar Agar
Hi Isabella, 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 here)
I hope to get some help from those who used agar agar flakes. It is the only form I find agar agar in my part of the world. I used it in the same amount as the powder in the recipe, kept it on a boil for the entire 5 minutes, only to feel rubbery flakes in the marshmallow, after mixing. I read only after seeing my failed zephyr that I should have used 3 times as much as the required powder. Is there a way to get rid of those rubbery bits?
How about trying to put those agar agar flakes in a blender and try to make powder out of them?