A New Trend in Freeze-Drying! Freeze-Dried Marshmallows Become a "New Favorite" in the Snack Food Track, Leading Consumption Upgrade​

Amid the continuous expansion of the freeze-dried food market, an innovative category that combines fun and taste—freeze-dried marshmallows—is rapidly rising with its unique product charm, becoming a "new favorite" in the snack food track. From the snack shelves of offline supermarkets to the best-selling lists of online e-commerce platforms, freeze-dried marshmallows have quickly won over the young consumer group with their crispy texture, diverse shapes and healthy attributes. They have injected fresh vitality into the freeze-dried food industry and opened up new growth space for food enterprises.​

Different from the soft and glutinous texture of traditional marshmallows, freeze-dried marshmallows processed by freeze-drying technology have achieved a "subversive upgrade" in texture. In a low-temperature vacuum environment, the moisture in marshmallows is quickly sublimated, which not only completely retains their original three-dimensional shapes—whether it is cartoon images, flower shapes or interesting geometric shapes, all can be accurately restored to meet consumers' pursuit of "good-looking food"; it also forms a loose and porous crispy structure that melts in the mouth without stickiness, breaking the stereotype of traditional marshmallows being "sweet and sticky". At the same time, the freeze-drying process can maximize the retention of flavor substances in marshmallows. Combined with various flavor innovations such as strawberry, mango and yogurt, it not only retains the sweet base of marshmallows, but also adds a rich and layered taste experience, adapting to the current consumers' demand for "diversified and personalized" snacks.​

In terms of health attributes, freeze-dried marshmallows also conform to the dietary concepts of modern consumers. Compared with traditional snack processing methods such as frying and puffing, freeze-drying technology does not require adding excessive oil and preservatives, and can reduce the loss of nutrients (such as some vitamins) in a low-temperature environment. This allows freeze-dried marshmallows to maintain deliciousness while having the advantage of "light burden". Data from a food testing institution shows that the fat content of freeze-dried marshmallows of the same flavor is more than 30% lower than that of traditional fried sweet snacks, and they contain no artificial colors or synthetic preservatives, making them one of the top choices for parents when selecting snacks for children and for young people to satisfy their cravings in daily life.​

The popularity of the consumer market has also driven the active layout of the upstream industrial chain. On one hand, snack food enterprises have continuously increased their investment in the freeze-dried marshmallow category and launched differentiated products such as co-branded models and seasonal limited editions. For example, a well-known snack brand launched cartoon-shaped freeze-dried marshmallows in cooperation with a popular animation IP, which topped the sales list of snacks on e-commerce platforms in the first month of its launch. On the other hand, freeze-drying equipment enterprises have also optimized equipment processes according to the material characteristics of marshmallows—such as adjusting the freeze-drying temperature curve to avoid marshmallow deformation and upgrading the vacuum system to improve the efficiency of moisture sublimation—further ensuring the product quality and production efficiency of freeze-dried marshmallows. Domestic freeze-drying equipment enterprises represented by Yinuo Machinery have launched special equipment suitable for the production of freeze-dried marshmallows. With advantages such as intelligent temperature control and high energy efficiency, they have become partners of many food enterprises and helped realize the large-scale and standardized production of freeze-dried marshmallows.​

Industry insiders analyzed that the popularity of freeze-dried marshmallows is not accidental, but the result of the superposition of multiple consumption trends. Currently, "aesthetic economy", "healthy consumption" and "fun dining" have become core keywords in the snack food market. Freeze-dried marshmallows precisely meet these three trends—their high appearance satisfies visual needs, the freeze-drying process endows them with healthy attributes, and their diverse shapes and flavors bring a fun experience. Data shows that the scale of China's domestic sweet snack food market is expected to exceed 200 billion yuan in 2025, among which the growth rate of freeze-dried sweet snacks reaches 18%, far higher than the average growth rate of 8% of traditional sweet snacks. As a segmented category of freeze-dried sweet snacks, the market penetration rate of freeze-dried marshmallows is rapidly increasing at a rate of 5% per month.​

Looking forward to the future, as consumers' awareness of freeze-dried food continues to improve, and enterprises continue to make efforts in flavor innovation and scenario expansion (such as baking ingredients and afternoon tea collocations), freeze-dried marshmallows are expected to further expand their market space. At the same time, the technological upgrading of domestic freeze-drying equipment will continue to lower the production threshold of freeze-dried marshmallows, promoting more small and medium-sized food enterprises to enter this field, forming a virtuous cycle of "product innovation + equipment support" and injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of the snack food industry.