DIY S’mores Station
A S’mores Station is an easy way to enjoy s’mores both indoor and outdoors! Perfect for entertaining–weddings, parties, graduations, and more.
S’mores are a summer favorite for lots of reasons. There’s just something about roasting your own marshmallow, however you like it, then layering it with chocolate and graham crackers. They really feel like the epitome of summer.
Sometimes you want to capture that for an event or party, but aren’t able to use a fire. But there’s good news! There is another way to make them, and it’s perfect for roasting s’mores both indoors or outdoors, with no need for fire. It’s safe for indoor entertaining, which I’ve utilized on several occasions. Outdoor entertaining or parties are also a great place to offer a s’mores station to your guests, and a really fun dessert idea. Utilizing sterno cans that are made specifically for roasting s’mores, you can create a s’mores roasting station that
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S’mores + Entertaining
A s’mores station consists of all the s’mores fixings–different kinds of chocolate, graham crackers, marshmallows, and anything else you want to add. If you’re hosting a party where you want people to be able to choose all their toppings, then laying them out in cute bins, pails, and trays for display works really well. A wedding reception or shower, summer party or BBQ, baby shower or gender reveal, grad party–there are so many fun events that roasting s’mores would be a perfect fit for.
I created a s’mores station for a PTO teacher/staff appreciation luncheon, which is what the pictures in the post are from. (It was in the tech room of the middle school, which is why you can see safety glasses, tables, and equipment in the background!)
For this event, instead of laying out all the options, I created S’mores kits for the attendees. Since this was a grab and go luncheon, they could either take the kits with them for later, or open and use at that moment. I included a Hershey bar, four graham cracker halves, and two marshmallows…enough for two s’mores. A cute tag and ribbon were the perfect touch.
How to put it together
To make the s’mores station box for roasting marshmallows, you’ll need…
- Rectangular wooden box
- Small stones/river rocks
- Sterno s’mores heat fuel cans (you can get them here too)
The rocks hold the sterno cans in place, and small stones or river rocks work really well. I bought mine on Amazon, but you can also find them at craft stores.
I use Sterno heat fuel cans that are specifically made for roasting s’mores, instead of the regular Sterno cans. Unlike heating food in a warming container or pot, the marshmallows are going directly over the flame. According to Sterno, each can:
- Burns 45 minutes
- Ethanol gel is non-toxic and odorless, biodegradable and safe for cooking
- Integrated Smart Canâ„¢ Indicator alerts the user when the can is too hot to handle
- UL Validated for safe and clean burning, indoors and outdoors
We built the box pictures above, but you could also use a wooden tray with higher sides, like this one.
FAQ
Can I use regular Sterno cans, instead of the ones specifically for S’mores? I would recommend not using the regular Sterno cans for safety and health. The ones for S’mores are specifically designed for food use, since the marshmallows go directly over the flame.
How long does each can last? Each can should last about 45 minutes of burn time. Depending on the type of party, you may be able to make them last longer. You’ll see in my photos that I have a chalkboard sign asking people to blow out the flame when finished. I knew not everyone would roast a S’more, and I didn’t want to waste the flame by leaving them burning the entire time. In this case, I was able to save a lot of money by only burning as needed. That might not always be possible, but it’s worth a try!
What kind of roasting sticks do you use? You can use metal ones if you have enough for your guests, but if you need a lot of them, I found a great resource. Initially all the packs of wooden s’mores sticks I found were quite expensive, but I came across an amazing deal at Walmart. They have a set of 12 skewers, which work really well as roasting sticks, for only $1.48! You can buy them online, but only pickup is available, not shipping. I was able to buy for a crowd, and not break the bank!
S’mores ingredient ideas
For a s’mores bar station with a full layout, consider the following ideas:
- Marshmallows
- Graham crackers
- Oreos
- Peanut butter cookies
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Peanut butter
- Nutella
- Chocolate bars
- Reese’s PB cups
- Snickers bars (fun-size)
- Twix (fun-size)
FUN TIP: Add more of your favorite items too! And just for fun…try setting out a bag or two of Starburst. My kids LOVE to roast them over the fire when we make s’mores!
