Preview: These tabletop s’mores ideas will help you make your own tabletop marshmallow roaster using Sterno to set up a beautiful, delicious, and interesting tray with homemade graham crackers. Updated 1/2021.
Invite your friends, kids, or grandkids, to celebrate a special occasion with a tableside s’more party. Let them help you make graham crackers from scratch in your kitchen if you’re brave. (I’ll share my “Ziplock-bag-trick” to make it easier.)
Follow the directions to make a simple DIY marshmallow toaster. Finally, you’ll find ideas for different fillings you can add to your toasty marshmallows to make the whole event memorable.


Making S’mores is a fun dessert and activity for a relaxed, sit-down meal or a party where people linger around the food.

Kids love it too. Adult supervision required, of course.
How to make a DIY table-top grill:
You can buy a miniature table-top grill at the store–if you can find one, for 30$ and up. But it’s easy to make them yourself. It’s nice to have more than one if you are serving more than four people.

I first tried using a soup mug and an old apple corer.
If you don’t have the same, you can make a table-top grill with a clay pot, hardware cloth (available at a hardware store by the inch or foot) and a can of Sterno.

How to make a table-side s’mores grill or marshmallow roaster:
- Invert pot and trace shape of 4-inch clay pot onto a sturdy piece of hardware cloth.
- Cut hardware cloth with wire snippers and trim if necessary to barely fit inside. You need to be able to remove and replace the wire easily to change the Sterno.
- Use a can of Sterno to provide the heat. (In case you’re wondering, Sterno is a formulation of denatured alcohol, water, and gel. Commercially sold table-side marshmallow roasters use the same.
- Sterno comes in more than one size. Buy one that will sit on the bottom of the pot with at least 1-2 inches of clearance from the top.
S’more bar ideas to get you started:
Graham crackers: I like to make my own honey wheat graham crackers (see recipe below), but the store-bought crackers are good, too. I recommend including a variety. The homemade chocolate crackers are most popular and fabulous with the various spreads.
Chocolate: Use your favorite chocolate bar, but milk chocolate is traditional. Gently melt in a microwave oven, Spread it thin (see the picture of the s’more above) on wax paper and chill. Cut the chocolate in squares about the same size as the crackers. A variety of different chocolate makes the tray interesting.
Marshmallows: If you are a candy maker, trying making your own in different flavors just as maple, coffee, or orange. I’m not a candy maker, so I can’t recommend a recipe. Store-bought marshmallows work fine, too.
Roasting Sticks: Wooden or metal k-bob sticks.
Spreads: Sweetened cream cheese and peanut butter are easy. My favorite is cookies and cream frosting. If your party includes kids, they might enjoy a plain buttercream frosting with colored sprinkles or chocolate chips.

You don’t have to make your own graham crackers but doing so will make your graham cracker bar a more memorable event. Making them yourself means you can experiment with the spices. It also means you can roll them out thinner–more like a wafer.
My Ziplock-bag-trick for rolling out graham crackers for s’mores:
Using zippered plastic bags is much easier than the traditional method of rolling out the dough on a floured cutting board and transferring each cracker to a cookie sheet.







The chocolate wafers are my favorite. Cinnamon is delicious, too.
Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, you can help others and myself by leaving a 5-star 🤩 rating in the recipe below. No comments required.
Hope to see you again soon!
Paula
p.s. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can email me privately: paula at saladinajar.com.
Homemade Graham Cracker Recipe for Tabletop S'mores

Store-bought graham crackers will never be the same after you try these homemade Honey Grahams.
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled
- 1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift flours, cinnamon if using, soda and salt together.
- Mix butter and sugars together. Add honey, egg and vanilla and continue to mix.
- Add dry ingredients in three batches, mixing just until ingredients are combined and come together in a ball.
- Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Place each dough ball inside of lightly floured gallon-sized zippered plastic bag. If dough is very soft, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator and use a rolling pin to roll dough out inside plastic bag until evenly distributed and the same thickness everywhere. If wrinkles develop, use your hand to smooth out bag.
- Place plastic bag in the freezer and leave until hard. Dough will keep in the freezer for several weeks.
- When ready to bake, use scissors to barely trim edges from 3 sides of the bag. Carefully pull plastic from one side (the ugliest side). Place ugly side down on parchment paper or a silicone mat. Peel other side of plastic from dough.
- Use large knife or pizza cutter to make 16 equally sized squares. Make 4 holes in each wafer with a wooden k-bob skewer. Sprinkle with sparkling or sanding sugar. If making cinnamon grahams, add a bit of cinnamon to granulated sugar and sprinkle crackers.
- Bake at 350˚F for 13 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and re-cut the squares in the same place as previously cut.
Notes
To make chocolate grahams, substitute 1/2 cup of Dutch-processed cocoa for 1/2 cup of flour.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But don't worry. This doesn't change the price you pay.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 75mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
Creative S'mores Ideas: Endless Ways to Upgrade the Classic Summer Dessert | | TimesDirect.TV
Saturday 25th of July 2020
[…] your marshmallows, though, no worries—you can set up a DIY flowerpot roaster, use a simple can of Sterno, or invest in a store-bought tabletop s’mores […]
Best S'mores Recipe Ideas for More Creative S'mores
Saturday 25th of July 2020
[…] your marshmallows, though, no worries—you can set up a DIY flowerpot roaster, use a simple can of Sterno, or invest in a store-bought tabletop s’mores […]
Mix and Match S'mores Bar: The Possibilities Are Endless (and Delicious) | | TimesDirect.TV
Sunday 1st of September 2019
[…] no worries—you can set up little s’mores stations with DIY flowerpot roasters, simple cans of Sterno, or a store-bought tabletop s’mores […]
Our Best Outdoor Entertaining Tips | ViralTopPop
Tuesday 26th of June 2018
[…] and set this on a surface away from flammable objects. See how to pull it off here. You can also hack it with a can of Sterno instead of charcoal if you […]
26 DIY Ideas for the Grill - Dukes and Duchesses
Friday 7th of October 2016
[…] DIY tabletop s’mores grill | tin can grill | terracotta pot grill | clay pot smoker […]