How to Make the Best S’mores at Home (No Fire Required)

If you love gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate sandwiched between crunchy graham crackers, then you’re going to love this easy S’mores recipe, one of my favorite easy desserts. Yep! You can make s’mores, the classic treat, at home — no fire required. All you need are three ingredients, a cookie sheet, and an oven — but be sure to scroll down for all the different ways you can make your s’mores something more.

Once you’ve tried these Oven S’mores, be sure to try our Marshmallow Pie or our Magic Bars which both echo those flavors of marshmallows and chocolate.

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It was a cool, rainy day – a perfect day for something hot and chocolatey. My little FishChick, aged 3 was sitting at the table at lunch, looking at the box of graham crackers.

Through a mouthful of crumbs, she mumbled, “Look Mama, they make this thing with chocolate and marshmallows.”

At three years of age her words were still hard to understand sometimes, especially through crumbs, but I knew exactly what she meant. And it just so happened that we had all the things we needed.

Clearly, I’d never taken her camping.

If I had ever been an Adventure Mama, I might have swaggered outside and started a fire in a pit or at least in the BBQ. Or I might have lit a fire in the fireplace that we never use and let the kids stab each other with skewers of flaming hot sugar torches.

Instead, I used the broiler of my toaster oven, saved my home and children from injury, and enjoyed a sweet treat all at the same time.

You can do this, too!

Why Make This

It’s easy. Making s’mores at home is super simple, requiring just five ingredients and a heat source like an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.

It’s cheap. S’mores ingredients go on sale often all year long, making them a very good cheap eat. But, you can also shop your kitchen and use other ingredients or add embellishments to your homemade s’mores.

It’s delicious! There’s not much better than a S’more. It has all the textures and flavors of a perfect dessert — and it’s so easy to make at home without a campfire to roast marshmallows.

Basic S’mores Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make delicious oven S’mores at home:

graham crackers – Storebought graham crackers are a vehicle for all the melty goodness inside. Try to buy the ones that are already in squares rather than the graham cracker sheet you have to break in half that rarely breaks evenly.

large marshmallows – I typically use store-bought marshmallows but you can use homemade marshmallows if you want to be extra. In a pinch, you can spread marshmallow creme on the cracker and then toast until golden brown or pile on mini marshmallows if that’s what you’ve got.

chocolate – I just break a Hershey’s chocolate bar in half for each S’mores. I give you some fun S’mores variations below!

Variations

You don’t have to stick to the tried and true, classic combination of chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallows. Instead, you can make some variations. I love toasted marshmallows and nut butter on a Saltine!

• Switch out the milk chocolate bars for another chocolate. Dark chocolate will certainly mix things up as will Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or Heath Bars for a unique twist. White chocolate or one of those fancy spiced or salted chocolate bars give it an interesting twist. Be creative and try several different options to find your favorite chocolate candy bars for S’mores. Leftover Halloween or Christmas candy is perfect for experimenting! In a pinch, line up some chocolate chips on a cracker.
• Add a spread. Nutella, caramel sauce, jam, jelly, lemon curd, or a nut or seed butter are fun to slather on the second cracker before topping it all off. Try it without the chocolate, for another kind of flavor!
• Change the cracker. Digestive biscuits (the British alternative to the graham cracker) are a great swap as are chocolate digestives, whole wheat Ritz crackers, chocolate graham crackers, saltines, and even vanilla wafers. You can even use thin cookies, Girl Scout Cookies, or Flipsides pretzel crackers to make amazingly good S’mores or be extra fancy by making homemade graham crackers.

You’ll have so much fun mixing and match different ingredients until you find the perfect way for you to enjoy Smores goodness.

Step-by-Step Instructions

How do you make S’mores without a campfire, fire pit, or open flame? Making S’Mores in the oven is incredibly easy. So easy, you can make them a daily habit if you’ve got the mind to.

• On a sheet pan or broiling pan, lay out as many graham cracker halves as S’mores you’d like to make. You can line the pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup but avoid using parchment paper as it can burn in the broiler. 
• Place a portion of chocolate bar sections on each graham cracker square.
• Place marshmallows on top of the chocolate pieces. 
• Place the pan in the top rack of the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until the marshmallow layer has turned a golden brown. The time will depend on your oven and how toasty you like them. Keep a very close eye on them as they can go from golden brown marshmallow to burnt in no time flat.
• Top with remaining graham cracker half. Squish the elements together into a melty, gooey sandwich. Store leftover S’mores in an airtight container at room temperature and eat the next day.

Alternatively, you can assemble this basic recipe for S’mores in the air fryer basket. Bake at 370, checking frequently, keeping in mind that the marshmallows may roll around based on the force of the air in the air fryer.

FAQs

Tips for Saving Money on S’mores

S’mores are a must-make dessert any time of year, perfect for all occasions, like movie night, football games, camping trips, beach bonfires, cold fall nights, and holiday evenings. So, how can you enjoy them as often as you like while still stretching your dollar?

Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe more economical:

• Shop at the right stores. Not all stores are created equal. Some charge more than others, so you need to choose wisely. Whole Foods is going to charge more than ALDI for virtually the same product. ‘Nuf said.
• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When you see a great price on S’Mores ingredients, stock up and buy a few extra boxes to keep on hand. 
• Check the after-holiday clearance. Specially marked holiday chocolates and marshmallows will be heavily marked down after a holiday. My son found ghost-shaped marshmallows after Halloween one year for 19 cents a package! You will never know what shape that marshmallow was or how that chocolate was wrapped once it’s made into a S’More.

Give the gift of S’mores indoors!

Packaging up the ingredients to a S’mores kit makes for a super fun present. You can include a variety of different chocolate bars, crackers, and of course, marshmallows.

The present comes together in minutes and is perfect for gift-giving all year round. When are s’mores not in style, after all? Head here to get tutorial and the free printable recipe cards to go with your S’Mores kits.

More Kid-Friendly Treats

Try these fun food activities perfect for family nights!

This post was originally published on February 22, 2010. It has been updated for content and clarity.