Homemade Marzipan (Almond Paste)
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If you’re looking for an authentic marzipan recipe that’s easy to make, is much cheaper than store-bought, and tastes absolutely phenomenal, you’ve come to the right place! This homemade marzipan is naturally gluten-free and can very easily be made into a keto marzipan and/or vegan marzipan!
Why You Should Make Your Own
Being from Germany, home to the world’s most famous marzipan, I was practically raised on this stuff. Well, not really, but I wouldn’t have protested had my parents tried :) It’s just incredibly delicious. But it’s also expensive to buy. The way around this? Make your own! Making your own almond paste is not only vastly cheaper, it’s fresher, tastes far better than most store-bought brands, and is SO easy and quick to make! Now you can make your own anytime, anywhere. Yes, your life is forever changed. Look no further, this is simply the BEST homemade marzipan recipe!
Marzipan can be found everywhere in Germany but the town most famously associated with marzipan is Lübeck. A few hours north of where I’m from in Stuttgart, Lübeck is a scenic port town with its famous UNESCO designated Holstentor, a Brick Gothic construction from Medieval times. We visited the town periodically as a family on our trips up north and then later as a young adult I once took on the challenge to bike 72 miles from Rendsburg to Lübeck in the middle of summer, a memory I’ll never forget! Lübeck is also home to the world famous Niederegger Marzipan which has been around since 1806. And if I had a tally of how many of those marzipan chocolates I’ve eaten in my life I’m sure that figure would be quite staggering!
What is Marzipan?
Marzipan is a sweet confectionery paste made from ground almonds and sugar. Its flavor is commonly enhanced with almond and rose extracts. It has a smooth and pliable texture, making it easy to mold into various figures and shapes.
Though marzipan has long been associated with Germany and Italy in particular, its roots are actually in the Orient. As far back as 850, a Persian doctor by the name of Rhazes praised the curative properties of almond and sugar paste. (See, now why can’t our doctors today be equally so inspired?) When the Crusaders returned to Europe from the Orient they brought this delicacy back with them. Initially only enjoyed by kings and the very wealthy, by the 19th century when sugar was being extracted from sugar beets, making it cheaper, marzipan became widely accessible. It has been a prized and popular treat ever since.
Marzipan vs. Almond Paste
In part it comes down to where you live. In Europe it’s widely referred to as marzipan whereas here in North American the term almond paste is more common. However there is also a difference in consistency resulting from a different ratio of almonds to sugar.
Almond paste is softer, made with a higher ratio of almonds to sugar, and is used in baked goods either as a filling, such as for pastries and tarts, or is incorporated into the pastry or cake batter. Almond paste usually includes almond extract.
Marzipan is firmer, made with a higher ratio of sugar to almonds, so it can be shaped and molded and used for making candies/chocolates or as fondant for cakes. It also traditionally includes rose water.
To adjust this recipe according to what you’re using it for, follow this recipe as instructed to make almond paste (I still include the rose water because it tastes amazing and it’s what I’m used to being from Germany where it’s commonly included), or if you’re making marzipan add an extra 1/4 cup or more of sugar until you reach a firmer consistency (one that you can roll out with a rolling pin without it sticking).
How to Make Sugar Free Keto Marzipan
This DIY marzipan recipe lends itself perfectly to turning into a keto marzipan. The process is identical as are all of the ingredients except for the sugar. All you have to is swap out the confectioners/powdered sugar for your favorite alternative substitute. I’ve used Swerve Confectioner Sweetener on multiple occasions and am really happy with the results.
How to Make Vegan Marzipan
Turning this into a vegan marzipan recipe is every bit as easy as the keto marzipan recipe. To make this vegan you simply omit the egg white and use either water or a liquid sweetener of your choice such as agave syrup, brown rice syrup, Karo syrup, etc. Honey works too but in my opinion it makes it far too sweet.
Variations
You can substitute the extracts for other extract flavors if you wish. Feel free to experiment and create a variety of delicious candies and confections. Another classic variation on traditional almond marzipan is pistachio marzipan, which I’ll show you how to make as part of making these world renowned Austrian Mozartkugeln!
Marzipan Recipe
Let’s get started!
Add the almond flour to a food processor. Add the powdered sugar to the almond meal and pulse to combine and break up any lumps.
Add the rose water, almond extract, and egg white or water or liquid sweetener and pulse to combine.
Use good quality almond extract and rose water (and be sure it’s food grade). Nothing will spoil the flavor of the almond paste more than poor quality extracts.
Process the ingredients until it comes together in a firm mass. If it’s too wet, add some more almond flour. Keep in mind though that it will become firmer after it’s been refrigerated.
Turn it out onto a work surface and knead it a few times just to make sure all the ingredients are fully combined.
Form the dough into a log, ball or disc and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks (provided you used very fresh egg white). It will keep even longer if you use a sugar syrup alternative (see recipe below).
Let it come to room temperature before using.
Storage
Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, this marzipan and almond paste will keep in the fridge for at least weeks if made with egg white. If made without egg white it will keep even longer. Can marzipan be frozen? Yes but make it without the egg white. Wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months, then let thaw before using.
How to Use Marzipan and Almond Paste
Marzipan and almond paste are versatile ingredients that can be used in a variety delicious ways. Really there is no shortage of delicious confections you can create with them. Here are a few ideas:
- Candy Making: Marzipan can be shaped into bite-sized pieces and coated with chocolate to create chocolates or truffles like my Marzipan Truffles and Marzipankartoffeln. Or you can make the world famous confection from Salzburg, Austria, called Mozartkugeln. Marzipan is also commonly shaped into various figures like real-life looking fruits and vegetables. If you’re crafty, marzipan is a really fun (and tasty!) medium to work with! Simply adjust the amount of almond flour or water to get the consistency you need to shape the it.
- Filling Pastries and Adding to Baked Goods: Use it to fill pastries such as croissants, buns, tarts, pies, Danish pastries, and of course the famous German Stollen. It can also be used to make cookies like Almond Horns and Bethmännchen or cakes like our Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake and Pineapple Cake with Marzipan. It can also be crumbled and added to crisps, crumbles, cobblers, streusel toppings, cookie dough, muffin batter, or a variety of sweet breads.
- Making Decorations: Marzipan is very pliable and ideal for using to create decorative elements for cakes and cupcakes. You can shape it into various figures such as flowers, fruits, and animals. You can easily add food coloring to it to make a variety of colors to work with. Once the shapes are made, let them sit out at room temperature where they will form a dry outer coating and firm up. Then you can place them on the cake.
- Cake Covering: Roll the marzipan into a thin sheet and use it to cover cakes like Battenberg cake and Christmas cake for a smooth and sweet almond-flavored layer. You can then apply decorative icing on top of it if you wish.
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Homemade Marzipan (Almond Paste)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups very finely ground blanched almond flour
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- OR 1 1/2 cups Swerve Confectioner Sweetener (sugar-free alternative)
- 2 teaspoons quality pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon quality food grade rose water
- 1 egg white OR 3 tablespoons water OR 3 tablespoons liquid sweetener (e.g. agave syrup, corn syrup, etc) *(alternatively you can use liquid pasteurized egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites)
Instructions
- Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the almond extract and rose water and pulse to combine. Add the egg white or water/liquid sweetener and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add some more almond flour. If it's too firm and you need it to be more malleable just add a tiny bit of water. Keep in mind that the marzipan will become firmer after it's been refrigerated.
- Turn the marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Form it into a log, wrap it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.Will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before using in any recipe.Makes 13-14 ounces.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 23, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Do you bake this after you make it or is it an unbaked recipe?
No, there is no baking involved.
Can I used food coloring in the marzipan?
Yes, absolutely!
I wish all the cookbook writers, bloggers etc. would start to include weights of the ingredients. Culinary people should introduce readers to the use of scales for accurate ingredient measurements. Every chef knows how to weigh ingredients but when writing recipes always seem to us volume measurements.
Weighing ingredients definitely yields the most consistent results. Most cooking and even baking recipes though allow for some tolerance and “give” and so using cups and teaspoons, etc work just fine for the purpose. Some recipes though, like gluten-free baking, are pretty merciless and require exact measurements or the end result will be impacted. For those kinds of recipes many people, including myself, will take the extra time to weigh the ingredients for accuracy.
Hear, hear, to weighing ingredients. I would like to meet that person who is not able to use a weighing scale.
I won’t argue that, Christel! The metric system is a much more accurate way of cooking and it’s what I grew up with in Germany.
Hear hear who does not have enough time on their hands to weigh out on a daily basis each ingredient rather then just scooping with a measuring spoon or cup….hmmmmm how about most people in this century! In an ideal world maybe we would weigh…but I think it is better people cook and bake for their families fresh stuff if they can…and having to weigh ingredients might make many turn to garbag-y overprocessed fast food because of time constraints. I do both, but not everyone can and it is better to cater to those who can’t, just saying ; ) I love this recipe by the by, and the history lesson…Persia eh!! Who knew!!!
Hallelujah! At last, someone who makes sense re weighing
Can you dip this in chocolate?Any ideas what kind of chocolate or how to do that?
Thanks!!
Absolutely, Kaity! A really easy chocolate to work with is chocolate bark coating and you’ll find it in any grocery store. Melt it in the microwave, dip the marzipan, set it on wax paper, and it dries/hardens very quickly. Have fun and enjoy!
Hi Kaity, the fastest, easiest and maybe cheapest way to accomplish that is to go to the Aldi store (yep, another Teutonic outfit in the USA, lol) and buy the 85% dark Chocolate. Put as many of the little individually wrapped tablets into a bowl, microwave gently until it is melted then coat or dip anything you want in or with it. I use it on German “Rodonkuchen” for a delicious coating all around the outside, or also for morsels in chocolate chip cookies and other cakes.
Good luck!
Mona
I think I’d roast the almonds until they are barely pale brown before grinding. Will that work? I’m thinking that would bring the almond flavor forward even more. Thanks
That’s not how marzipan is traditionally made, but it’s certainly worth a try. Roasting the nuts will bring out the flavor, yes. My fear though is that through roasting much of the natural oils will evaporate and affect the consistency of the end result, though I haven’t tried it. If you give it a try let us know how it went!
I heard you could do this with a vitamix too. does that really work?
Hi Joseph, I haven’t tried it with my Vitamix but it should work. Pulse it until it comes together in a mass.
I tried it with my Vitamin using Bob’s ultra-fine almond meal and following the recipe above. Didn’t work very well. I never could get the almond meal off the bottom. If you do it in Vitamin, I would mix the sugar and almond meal before putting all ingredients in the blender.
I didn’t have too much trouble making it in my Blendtec. But I think it was at the limit of what that blender motor can do. You should probably make it in batches.
I made this yesterday and it is marvelous! Honestly, I can’t say thank you enough for this. It is so easy to make and tastes as good as any bought marzipan I’ve had. Thank you!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Tanya, thanks so much for your feedback!
I am not a big fan of rose water, so I think I will try coconut water instead and see how that turns out. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and the recipe..
I would just leave the rose and coconut water out. Coconut water isn’t concentrated and won’t add much in the way of flavor. You’ll love this marzipan with just the almond extract alone!
I actually saw a recipe from England that recommended orange/lemon juice and not rosewater. These days… pretty much anything works – one doesn’t need to conform as long as the end result is satisfactory. Thanks for all the imput, though.
PS I always measure on metric digital scales for all my baking needs.
That’s true, Barby, all that matters is that it’s to your taste. But for my readers looking for traditional marzipan like the kind they’re accustomed to in Germany and parts of Italy, rosewater and almonds are the standard flavors.
Hi, My Mom and I lived in Lubeck then moved to Florida. I only enjoy the Niederegger brand. My mom tried every Christmas to make some but it never tasted like the real thing. Other brands are too sweet, to dry, etc. I love the distinct aftertaste of Niederegger. If your receipt includes that distinctive after-taste, I will be in heaven. I wonder if Stivia could be used. Please tell me it is…
Hi Johann, I agree, Niederegger is the best. Yes, you can use powdered stevia but it has a strong after-taste and not one that I personally like. If it doesn’t bother you though, then you can definitely use it. I prefer Swerve Confectioner’s Sugar. It’s also a natural sugar-free alternative, can be used cup for cup as a direct substitute and doesn’t have that odd lingering taste that stevia has.
Honestly….I am so confused. I am of 100% Danish decent and have been brought up for the last 65 years with the sheer pleasure of having available what is called almondmakroner kringle. A most delectable of multilayered kringle made of buttered dough and almond paste but involving a filling which I believe to be a mixture of almond paste and creamy almost liquidy marzipan. The exterior is similar to a somewhat crunchy kransekage somehow layered, with that creamy, smooth, sweet marzipan interior. If almond paste and marzipan are considered the same thing how do they transformed both of the same products into such a different commodity?
Hi James, they are not the same thing. As I discuss in the blog post they differ in their ratio of almonds to sugar as well as in their consistency. One is softer and more commonly used as a filling in baked goods and the other is firmer and more commonly used for things like candies, chocolates and cake fondants.