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!
Hello.
I have an important question.
First of all, I love this recipe and it tastes great. I made it several times.
Now, about the question.
I used pasturized egg white. I want to paint and make marzipan fruits for a party. How long can they stay out of the refrigerator on display before being eaten since they have the egg white ? Thank you so much!!
Hi Alexandra, thank you! I’d keep the fruits/cake refrigerated until you’re ready to display it but in my opinion it’s safe to display them at room temp for several hours. Apparently egg whites have natural antibacterial properties and in the olden days people used to store eggs at room temp for days. While I wouldn’t want to risk recommending that, I do think you’re fine for a few hours.
Hi Kimberly. I’ve been asked to make a marzipan-covered wedding cake by my lovely future daughter-in-law and I’m using your recipe (for which I’m enormously grateful!). Unfortunately, I only have a standard blender and a Kitchenaid stand mixer. Which would you recommend? I need to make about 10 lbs of the stuff!!
Hi! It depends on the strength of you blender – a VitaMix for example could handle it well. I think the Kitchenaid with the paddle attachment would also work. I’d try one batch on the Kitchenaid first and see how it goes.
Thanks, Kimberly. I did try it on the Kitchenaid, and it works marvellously with the paddle. When it starts to stick together, I turn it out and just give it a quick knead through. Have lots more to make! Thanks so much for sharing this. Oh, and did I mention I grew up in Germany? :)
Perfect! I’m so glad it turned out and appreciate the feedback. You did not mention you grew up in Germany, that’s awesome! :)
Thank you. I just bought rose water from your widget. I can’t wait to try it.
Awesome, Gwendolyn, I’m excited for you to make it! Let us know what you think!
thank you so much for your recipe. I am a chef, and now making more cakes, and funny I have had rose water in my pantry, never using it, and now I will have good use for it!. I appreciate your generosity, and need to ask: can I cover a wedding cake with this instead of fondant? I know its more expensive but if they ask for it, I would like to use this recipe. And also, what type of sugar flowers can I decorate with? I was thinking royal frosting flowers, and royal icing (very hard, and very sweet) would work, or else forming flowers out of the marzipan itself and using the royal frosting for glue? I was not sure if I could apply Buttercream flowers over a marzipan covered cake. Thank you! Danke!
Hi Gina! Sadly, this is where my knowledge runs thin as I’m a far cry from a cake decorating expert. To answer your first question though, yes, marzipan can absolutely be used instead of regular fondant for wedding cakes and it’s fairly commonly done, particularly in Europe. There are several YouTube videos about it, including videos on making marzipan flowers and fruits for the decorations. But yes, I would think royal frosting flowers would work great as well and it’s easier to work with for fine detail than marzipan. Good luck and I’ll bet your cake is going to be marvelous!
I love your blog. The information section is amazing! Loved hearing about Germany and the origins of marzipan. Can’t wait to make the almond paste. I blanched my almonds tonight and I am letting them dry overnight.
Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much, Marisnne! :) I’m excited you’re trying this – let us know what you think!
Hi Kimberly,
I made your recipe for marzipan and your Christmas cookie recipe this weekend during the blizzard.This was my first attempt and I must say so delicious!The marzipan was as good as the marzipan in Stollen that we get every Xmas from an authentic German restaurant that makes them.I will be making this again very soon.Thank you very much for sharing your fabulous recipes.
Thank you, Mary Lee, I’m so happy to hear that! Now that you’ve mastered the marzipan, next Christmas you may decide to make those Stollen yourself! :)
Delighted with all the above! However, I have not noticed any mention of unrefined/raw sugar. Most of us are consuming far too much ‘vitamin & mineral- empty’ (‘poison’ to some) white sugar.
Has anybody experimented with marzipan using less-refined variants? Dark sorts would probably overpower the almond taste and delicate(?) rose flavour. Demerara could be milder. I recently discovered it is classed as ‘raw’. Some use of it in marzipan will be healthier and possibly even more satisfying than 100 per cent [over-refined] everyday “sugar”.
Ricardi, when it comes to recommending things like raw sugar, organic this or non-gmo that, I purposefully leave those decisions to my readers. Those who lean organic are going to buy those ingredients organic, those who prefer to use organic cane sugar are going to use that instead regular beet sugar, etc. I simply provide the ingredients and leave it up to my readers to use whatever variation of them they prefer. For me personally, we do use organic cane sugar but that’s more for the flavor than anything else. I don’t turn to any kinds of sweets as a source for our family’s nutrition, I focus on other whole foods. No form of sugar, whether it’s raw sugar or raw honey (which our family also chooses to use), is “good” for you and any nutrients in the “better” choices can be found in other, far healthier food sources. And the fact is, the minerals and nutrients found in the “healthier” forms of sugar are so minuscule in quantity that you’d have to eat such a ridiculous amount of them to derive any benefit at all, which obviously defeats the very purpose of eating healthy.
I use to make marzipan myself and I use a ratio of 2:1 of almonds and sugar. The more almonds are in marzipan the better the taste is. there is no need to use egg white to make marzipan.
I put all ingredients in a bowel and heat everything up to 180 and let it cool down after 20 minutes. Be carefull there because overheating the ingredients will create a bitter taste.
Constant stirring is needed there. The heating process will cause the oil of the almonds to be set free and together with the rest of the almonds and the sguar it will create the typical structure for marzipan. This kind of marzipan is based on the original recipe of Niedegger of Luebeck, Germany. It is less sweet and the almond taste is overwhelming.
Your recipe is good if you want to create a nice decoration of cakes but it really is more almond paste than real marzipan where no egg white is used
Hi Thomas, thank you for your insights. Yes, in order to roll out the marzipan for filling pastries or shape it into anything other than a big clump of mass, the egg white is necessary. The egg white has a neutral flavor, doesn’t interfere with the marzipan flavor, and makes the marzipan more versatile. The inclusion of egg white doesn’t make this marzipan less real at all nor is the inclusion or absence of egg white the distinguishing factor between marzipan and almond paste, rather that distinction is primarily one of consistency. Absolutely, if you prefer your marzipan less sweet you can add more almonds instead of sugar as mentioned in my post.