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S’mores are a popular campfire treat and, for many North Americans, they are a hallmark among summer snacks. Almost any gathering around a fire carries with it the expectation of roasting something delicious to eat, and these chocolatey, gooey goodies are sure to hit the spot. Whether you’re planning a backyard bash or a cozy night in, you might be wondering how many s’mores you need per person.
Most people only eat 1 or 2 s’mores, because they are such a sweet, sticky treat. S’mores are a popular North American campfire novelty, made by placing a roasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate between two graham crackers. For serving s’mores at an event, use the following ratios:
| Guests | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 | 200 |
| S’mores | 15-20 | 37-50 | 75-100 | 150-200 | 300-400 |
Whether you are making your own s’mores or having them catered, there are all sorts of tips and twists that can take these treats to the next level. With different methods for roasting the marshmallows, endless variations of chocolate and graham crackers, and simple tricks to prepare and clean up, you’ll be the ultimate host for a marshmallow roast!
All the Right Ingredients
If you are making your own s’mores, rather than having them catered, it is important to know that the ingredients are sold in differing proportions. The average 16-ounce bag of jet-puffed marshmallows contains 60-65 marshmallows, a multi-pack of Hershey’s milk chocolate bars will usually contain 6 bars, and a box of graham crackers typically contains 26 crackers.
The number of marshmallows needed will generally correspond with the number of guests anticipated because each s’more only requires one regular-sized marshmallow. Similarly, a single, rectangular graham cracker will be split into two squares, each forming either side of the s’more, so you will need one graham cracker per s’more.
With chocolate, on the other hand, proportions vary. Most people use Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, which are segmented into 12 smaller rectangles of chocolate. You can break these into halves or fourths, depending on the desired amount of chocolate. Typically, only 3 segments or ¼ of the chocolate bar is used per s’more.
| Guests | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 | 200 |
| Marshmallows | 1 12oz package (48 marshmallows) | 1 16oz package (64 marshmallows) | 2 16oz packages (128 marshmallows) | 3-4 16oz packages (192-256 marshmallows) | 5-6 16oz packages (320-384 marshmallows) |
| Chocolate Bars | ½ pkg (3-4 bars) | 1-1 1/3 pkg (7-9 bars) | 2½-3½ pkgs (15-21 bars) | 5-8 pkgs (30-48 bars) | 10-13 pkgs (60-78 bars) |
| Graham Crackers | 1 box (26 crackers) | 2½ boxes (65 crackers) | 4 boxes (104 crackers) | 7-9 boxes (182-234 crackers) | 10-12 boxes (260-312) |
Because the three main s’more ingredients are often sold in different amounts, the quantities listed in the table do not yield an exact number of s’mores. Don’t worry: Having leftover ingredients is actually better than having an exact amount. This is because, in many cases, not everyone will want to make a s’more.
Some people prefer just eating a roasted marshmallow, others will snack on pieces of chocolate, and others enjoy munching on a plain graham cracker. With extra ingredients, guests who prefer to eat marshmallows, crackers, or chocolate separately will be able to enjoy eating alongside the others attending the event, without worrying about significantly impacting the overall amounts planned per guest.
Some More?
The recipe for s’mores first appeared in cookbooks in the early 1920s and was originally titled “Graham Cracker Sandwiches.” Immensely popular among Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, the simple recipe grew in fame and favor throughout the next several decades. It was easy, delicious, and satisfying. People just couldn’t get enough! They wanted more, and more, and more. Hence, the modern contraction of the two words (you guessed it) “some more.”
Traditionally, s’mores are made over a campfire. First, prepare the s’more sandwich by breaking a graham cracker into two square halves. Break the desired amount of chocolate from a chocolate bar, and place it on one of the halves of graham cracker. Then, with a metal or wooden skewer, roast a marshmallow over the fire until the marshmallow appears a deep, golden brown color. Place the roasted marshmallow on the graham cracker with the chocolate, using the other graham cracker to gently slide the marshmallow off of the skewer. Press it all together so that the heat of the marshmallow melts the chocolate, and enjoy!
The Golden Rule
We’ve all been there. Anyone who has tried to roast a marshmallow knows how easy it is to end up accidentally wielding a torch of rapidly expanding, incinerating goop, and frantically searching for a rescue graham cracker. Sure, once you’ve blown out the flames, a charred marshmallow isn’t the worst thing in the world. *crunch* But there’s no better way to ensure top-notch s’more quality than a perfectly roasted marshmallow. It all comes down to one golden rule: Low and slow.
A common marshmallow-roasting mistake is simply holding the skewer above the flames of the fire, as is so often depicted in movies, cartoons, and illustrations. The issue with this is that the fire is far more likely to envelop a marshmallow when it is spinning above the open flames, especially when the fire is fairly fresh. Instead, wait for the fire to die down a bit—until you can see the coals glowing red among the ashes below the wood. The smoldering coals cultivate the ideal temperature: consistently hot, without the threat of vicious flames.
Carefully point your marshmallow as close to the coals as possible, ever so slowly rotating it by the handle of your skewer. If the marshmallow isn’t consistently rotated, it will only roast on one side. This causes the marshmallow to become too warm and lopsided to rotate to its other side. After several seconds of roasting over the coals, the marshmallow will begin to appear golden brown. Continue until it darkens to a rich, caramel color, then immediately pull it away and sandwich it with the crackers. (If held above the coals too long, the marshmallow can still catch fire.)
And there you have it! The perfect marshmallow. Keep it low, keep it slow, and you’re in the know. Everyone else will be burning with envy.
(Or you’ll become the designated s’more-maker for the rest of the evening.)
S’mores Indoors
Sure, a campfire sounds fun—until it’s freezing outside, or fires or banned in your local area, or you have too many guests to accommodate around a fire. Luckily, s’mores are even easier to make indoors, especially in bulk. The two main ways to prepare s’mores indoors are in the oven or on the stovetop.
To make s’mores in the oven, preheat your oven to broil on high. This works best with a convection oven but can be done with any oven well enough. Line a large rectangular pan or cookie sheet with aluminum foil or baking parchment. (This will spare you the headache of trying to scrub melted chocolate off of the pan later!) Gently coat the foil or parchment with cooking spray.
Next, break graham crackers into two square halves and place them on the pan side by side until the pan is full. Set aside the same number of graham squares.
Next, break your chocolate bars into the square or rectangle sizes desired, and place one piece of chocolate on each graham cracker in the pan. Make sure the chocolate is in the center of the cracker so that it doesn’t drip off of the edges when it melts.
Next, place one marshmallow on top of each piece of chocolate. To keep the marshmallows from rolling around when you pick up the pan to put it in the oven, try placing them upright, sitting on their flat, circular side. This will also allow more surface area to be broiled on each marshmallow.
Before putting your pan of s’mores in the oven, make sure the baking rack is in the middle. If it is too high, the marshmallows will burn. If it is too low, they will never roast. Carefully place the pan of s’mores in the oven and watch them while they broil. Typically, it takes less than 2 minutes for the marshmallows to brown, but keep an eye on them to ensure that they don’t burn or underbake, and remove them when they look golden brown.
Finally, as soon as the s’mores are out of the oven, place the other graham cracker halves on top. Press the crackers into the marshmallows so that the chocolate melts and each s’more seals with sticky goodness. Easy!
To make s’mores on a gas stovetop, simply turn on the flame to medium or high and use skewers to roast marshmallows over it.
Switch It Up!
Even though s’mores only have three simple ingredients, there are dozens of ways to change and enhance the flavor. You are not stuck with milk chocolate and graham crackers! Here are a few popular twists on this classic treat:
- The S’mOreo: America’s favorite cookie and America’s favorite campfire treat? It can’t get any better! Split an Oreo cookie by pulling apart the two sides. Add chocolate and a freshly roasted marshmallow, smash it all back together, and enjoy! The only thing missing is a cup of milk or hot cocoa, and you’re living the good life.
- Peanut Buttery Bliss: Listen up, peanut butter lovers! This is the trick for you! Replace the milk chocolate with a peanut butter cup. The warm, gooey combo is sure to leave your mouth watering for s’more.
- The Coconut Dream: Instead of graham crackers, try using coconut cookies. Most brands of coconut cookies come with chocolate drizzle or chocolate coating on one side. Melt it all together with a marshmallow and you’ve got a heavenly delicacy.
- Fudging It: Use fudge stripe cookies to make s’mores even simpler! With a coat on chocolate on the underside of every cookie, fudge stripes cut out the steps of rationing out chocolate and breaking crumbly crackers in halves. All you need is one marshmallow and two of these deliciously meltable cookies!
For more ideas, try buying a few different kinds of chocolate and a few different kinds of cookies. Some places even sell marshmallows with different flavors, like strawberry. Arrange squares of chocolate on one tray and types of cookies on another, and let your guests come up with whatever combinations sound good! White chocolate and wafers, dark chocolate and thin mints, caramel and chocolate chip cookies, you name it. You and your guests will be creating confectionery combos all night!
Sticky Situations
For all of their winning qualities, s’mores do come with a price: Sticky fingers. After touching marshmallows and chocolate and exchanging skewers and opening packages, you’ll be surprised to find anything within thirty feet that haven’t gotten sticky!
The simplest way to remedy this inevitable issue is to have damp rags or a container of wet wipes on hand. Some guests may still prefer to wash their hands at a sink with soap, but having wipes and rags available prevents doorknobs and car handles from falling victim to the plague of stickiness, not to mention the fact that it’s a painless, economical fix.
You may also be wondering what to do with sticky skewers. After wiping off the handles, the easiest way to remove leftover marshmallow goo from the tip of a skewer is to let the tip rest directly in the fire for a minute or so. This burns the marshmallow off of the metal so that there is no hardened white residue next time the skewer is used. Let the skewers completely cool outside of the fire before packing them up or storing them.
As a final note, be aware of fire restrictions in your area, making sure to completely put out the fire and smother the embers before leaving. (The last kind of sticky business you want to be getting into is an inquiry about the origins of a wildfire in your area.)
What are you waiting for? Go make some s’mores!