The viral trend of torched Korean marshmallow ice cream has been sweeping the internet🍦.
It features a perfect combination of hot, crispy, and golden brown roasted marshmallow on the outside, chewy and stretchy melted marshmallow in the middle, and a cold and creamy ice cream center.
This recipe enables you to recreate this popular dessert effortlessly at home using a paper milk carton.
What’s Korean Marshmallow Ice Cream?
Torched marshmallow ice cream is South Korea’s latest trending street food.
in Seoul, Korea, at Mangwon Market, a store combined hot grilled marshmallow and cold refreshing ice cream. They take a whole rectangular marshmallow, stuff it with sweet ice cream, and then grill the whole thing until the outside is crispy and golden brown.
The marshmallow is grilled until golden brown, and when you bite into it while it’s still slightly warm, the outside is crispy and the inside is soft, with a slightly chewy sensation.
How to recreate Korean Marshmallow Ice Cream at home?
In case you’re interested in trying the delicious Korean marshmallow ice cream but don’t want to spend money on a ticket to South Korea, I’ve got you covered! Just follow my simple instructions to make a torched marshmallow ice cream at home and satisfy your cravings.
The equipment is really simple. All you need is an empty paper milk carton to use as a rectangular mold. I used a 250ml carton, but you can opt for a slightly larger size. Just avoid using a smaller one.
Remember to brush the inner surface of the carton with vegetable oil. Otherwise the frozen marshmallow will stick tightly to the carton.
Heat the marshmallows in the microwave for around 50 seconds to 1 minute until they become soft. Be sure to use a large mixing bowl, as the marshmallows will expand when heated. Then, quickly deflate the marshmallows by stirring them with a pair of chopsticks or a small spatula.
The trickiest part of the process is pouring the marshmallows into the prepared milk carton. This step needs to be completed quickly before the marshmallows cool and become hard. If the marshmallows do harden, they will stick to the mixing bowl, making it impossible to pour them smoothly like a liquid.
Quickly insert an ice cream bar of your choice into the melted marshmallow. You may want to choose a small ice cream bar to ensure that the entire ice cream is fully coated with the marshmallow. Freeze it for at least 4 hours until the marshmallow layer is completely hardened. Then use a kitchen torch to grill all the surfaces of the marshmallow ice cream until it turns caramelized brown.
Tips for making Korean Marshmallow Ice Cream at home
1. Keep your hands wet
From my several failed attempts, I gained a valuable insight: melted marshmallows won’t stick to wet hands.
If you accidentally spill some marshmallows while pouring them into the milk carton and attempt to pick them up with dry hands, they will definitely stick. I’m not certain why, but I discovered that rinsing my hands before handling the melted marshmallows enabled me to pick and press them without any sticking to my hands.
When pouring the marshmallows, you can have a bowl of cold water at hand. Simply ensure that you dip your fingers in the water before touching the melted marshmallows. It will make the whole process much less messy.
2. Be quick
This recipe requires quick action in almost every step: Delaying the transfer of the melted marshmallows can cause them to harden, making them difficult to pour. Leaving the ice cream bar in the melted marshmallows for too long before freezing can result in melting. Similarly, keeping the frozen marshmallow ice cream out for too long before grilling can cause it to melt. Moreover, be cautious not to grill the marshmallow layer for too long, as it can quickly turn from golden brown to burnt black.
After my initial attempt at making torched marshmallow ice cream resulted in a disaster, with the ice cream melted inside and burnt outside, I practiced two more times to perfect the process. With each attempt, I became more familiar with each step and was able to complete them smoothly.
EQUIPMENT
- Paper milk carton (Mine was 8.45fl/250ml)
- Scissors
- Microwave
- kitchen torch
- nonstick baking sheet
INGREDIENTS
- ½ tsp vegetable oil
- 15 regular marshmallows (My milk carton was 8.45fl/250ml, you may need more marshmallows if your milk carton is larger than mine.)
- 1 ice cream bar
Step-by-step INSTRUCTIONS
1. Rinse out a paper milk carton thoroughly with water and dry it completely, cut the top off.
2. Add ½ tsp of vegetable oil to the milk carton, brush it evenly on the inner surface of the carton. (With this step the frozen marshmallow won’t stick to the carton.)
3. Add 15 regular size marshmallows to a large microwave safe bowl, microwave them for 1 minute until they turn soft.
4. Wet your hands with cold water to prevent the marshmallows from sticking to them. Use chopsticks to stir the marshmallows for 10 seconds to deflate them. Transfer the melted marshmallows quickly to the prepared milk carton. It is important to complete this step quickly before the marshmallows start to cool down.
5. Insert the ice cream bar of your choice into the milk carton and use damp hands to smooth the surface of the marshmallow.
6. Keep the milk carton in the freezer for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until the marshmallow layer turns completely hard.
7. 4 hours later, use a pair of scissors to cut along the edge of the milk carton, peel it off from the marshmallow ice cream.
8. Place the marshmallow ice cream on a nonstick baking sheet, use a kitchen torch to grill all the surfaces of the marshmallow ice cream until it is caramelized to your desired level.
9. Serve immediately and enjoy!
My other street food recipes you will also like:
Korean Marshmallow Ice Cream
Equipment
- paper milk carton (Mine was 8.45fl/250ml)
- scissors
- Microwave
- kitchen torch
- nonstick baking sheet
Ingredients
- ½ tsp vegetable oil
- 15 regular marshmallows (My milk carton was 8.45fl/250ml, you may need more marshmallows if your milk carton is larger than mine.)
- 1 ice cream bar
Instructions
- Rinse out a paper milk carton thoroughly with water and dry it completely, cut the top off.
- Add ½ tsp of vegetable oil to the milk carton, brush it evenly on the inner surface of the carton. (With this step the frozen marshmallow won't stick to the carton.)
- Add 15 regular size marshmallows to a large microwave safe bowl, microwave them for 1 minute until they turn soft.
- Wet your hands with cold water to prevent the marshmallows from sticking to them. Use chopsticks to stir the marshmallows for 10 seconds to deflate them. Transfer the melted marshmallows quickly to the prepared milk carton. It is important to complete this step quickly before the marshmallows start to cool down.
- Insert the ice cream bar of your choice into the milk carton and use damp hands to smooth the surface of the marshmallow.
- Keep the milk carton in the freezer for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until the marshmallow layer turns completely hard.
- 4 hours later, use a pair of scissors to cut along the edge of the milk carton, peel it off from the marshmallow ice cream.
- Place the marshmallow ice cream on a nonstick baking sheet, use a kitchen torch to grill all the surfaces of the marshmallow ice cream until it is caramelized to your desired level.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Hello Ms Shi and Mr He,I am a 10-year old girl living in Singapore. I really like and admire you because you are so creative and super good at cooking!=) When I grow up I can be like you so if in the future I have kids I know how to cook delicous food. I would also like to thank you. Because you made my mother’s cooking skills better and now we enjoy our food instead of hating it and throwing it away☹️
Omg I also live in Singapore
I don’t have a torch so I guess I’ll serve super cold-