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 easily be made vegan.
Use this homemade marzipan to make our Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake, Pineapple Cake, Marzipan Truffles, and traditional German Stollen!
Growing up in 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 :) Marzipan is incredibly delicious. But it’s also expensive to buy. The way around this? Make your own! The good news is that marzipan and almond past are also super easy and quick to make and 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. Just a few hours north of where I grew up in Stuttgart is the historic town of Lübeck, world famous for its marzipan. It’s also a beautiful, scenic port town. We visited it frequently as a family and later as a young adult I once took on the challenge and biked 72 miles from Rendsburg to Lübeck in the middle of summer, a memory I’ll never forget! The Holstentor is Lübeck’s most famous feature, a Brick Gothic construction from Medieval times. It has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1987. Lübeck is also the home of the world’s most famous Niederegger Marzipan. Niederegger has been around since 1806 producing the highest quality marzipan, including a class that is made from 100% almonds (no sugar), and it uses only the finest almonds from around the Mediterranean.
What is Marzipan?
Marzipan is a sweet confectionery paste made from ground almonds and sugar. Its texture is smooth and pliable, 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. Marzipan 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).
And for a delicious variation be sure to also check out our Pistachio Marzipan!
How to Use Marzipan and Almond Paste
Marzipan and almond paste are versatile ingredients that can be used in a variety delicious ways. Here are few ideas:
- Candy Making: Marzipan can be shaped into bite-sized pieces and coated with chocolate to create chocolates or truffles (try our Marzipan Truffles and Marzipankartoffeln). Or you can make the famous confection from Salzburg, Austria, Mozartkugeln. It 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!
- 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 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.
Homemade 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. (**Diabetics or those looking for a sugar-free option, you can use Swerve Confectioner Sweetener.)
Add the rose water, almond extract, and egg whites (or alternatives, see recipe below) 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).
Warm it to room temperature before using.
Enjoy!
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 (alternatives: liquid pasteurized egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites, 4+ tablespoons corn syrup, golden syrup, honey agave syrup or brown rice syrup)
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 and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add some more almond flour. Keep in mind that it will become firmer after it's been refrigerated.
- Turn the almond 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
Julie says
I am making these for my daughters wedding dipped in chocolate ganache. Ive got to make quite a few. Can I get similar results using my kitchenaid mixer? Or, should I just make several batches using my food processor. I would love to be able to cut some time off making these. But, not at the expense of the end result.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Julie, I haven’t tried it in my Kitchenaid so I’m not really sure. I’d recommend trying one batch in your Kitchenaid first and see how it goes.
Janice Jones says
I am making my daughter’s wedding cake which is a fruit cake so will be trying this recipe. I will be using fondant icing so will be wanting the firmer consistency. How long will the marzipan last as i intend decorating the cake a few weeks before the wedding?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Janice, the length of time will depend on whether you’re using egg white or corn syrup. With egg white it will keep for however long the egg white itself stays good whereas the marzipan made with corn syrup will keep longer.
Ted Widlanski says
It’s important to quantify the risk of salmonella infection from eating unpasteurized, raw eggs. The American Egg Board estimates this risk as one in 20,000 eggs. That’s a relatively low risk per egg, but consider that if each American ate one raw, unpasteurized egg per year, this would result in 15,000 cases of salmonella. If people are one raw egg per week, this would result in about 800,000 infections per year.
Worth noting that many people who normally don’t eat raw eggs wouldn’t think twice about eating uncooked cookie dough, or cake batter.
Just food for thought.
solveig says
Hi Ted,
You make a good point. At least here in Denmark you can buy pasteurized egg whites that are safe to eat raw.
Kristin Houston says
Excellent recipe! My family loves Marzipan and this was a big hit. I will never buy manufactured almond paste again. Instead of using almond meal I blanched the almonds which was time consuming, but worth it. No Rosewater on hand, but I will pick it up for next time I make this recipe. Thank you for posting.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kristin, thank you!
Gerard says
Outstanding! Infinitely better, fresher, more convenient, and (far) cheaper than buying almond paste from the grocery store. Thanks for the recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So true, Gerard, thanks for the feedback!
Anna Skoglund says
Hi,
Have you added food coloring to this recipe?
Looking to make pink and white for a birthday cake.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Anna, yes, you can definitely add food coloring.
Marina Michaels says
Silly me. As I was making this recipe, I kept thinking it sounded awfully familiar! (Not the instructions, which are wonderful, but the ingredients.) So I checked my own cookbook (recipes I’ve been collecting for decades and plan to self-publish soon) and sure enough, my almond paste recipe has the exact ingredients (minus the rose water). I had forgotten I had a good recipe. Thanks again for your great website–it’s one of the best cooking sites I’ve found, and I’ve looked at hundreds.
Marina Michaels says
Tried this today. So easy! I didn’t feel like making my own rosewater (I have pure rose essential oil), so I skipped that part. The recipe is fast, easy, and perfect! Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Marina, thank you!
Tom says
Danke! Endlich muss ich keine 150 Euros pro Lieferung fuer Marzipan mehr ausgeben – obwohl das Niederegger irgendwie doch noch besser ist :-)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I can’t argue that, Tom, but yes, saving 150 Euros is definitely a fair tradeoff! :)
Jim says
Hi,
I was making a Frasier cake (Mary Berry recipe) and wanted to make everything from scratch, including homemade marzipan. I followed the directions to the letter. I put it in the fridge, took it out and let in come to room temp. The problem was/is that it was crumbly and difficult to roll out (cracked and separated).
Any suggestions on what might have gone wrong? The marzipan was not pliable at all. Could it have been processed too long in the food processor? It did not ball up, it looked like sand. Even when I kneaded it, it was crumbly but did form a crumbly ball.
Thanks in advance.
PS- I used Bob’s brand of almond four, food processor,kneaded it, etc.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jim, if it’s crumbly then it just needs more moisture – throw it back in the food processor and whiz is around with a little more egg white or corn syrup (start with just a tiny bit, you can always add more).
jim says
Thnx. I will do that next time.
By the way, the marzipan did turn out delicious. I love the rose water addition.
Solveig says
Hi Jim,
I make this marzipan every year and I love it, but it gets a bit crumbly. If you want marzipan that’s less crumbly and easier to work with I recommend the “boiled” marzipan method – where you heat water and sugar to the soft ball stage, then add almonds. It gives a very different texture.
Pattie says
Just made it, and it’s wonderful. I mixed by hand and used almond flour. Total winner. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Pattie, thank you!
Marisabel Romero says
Hi Kimberly! im about to start making your recipe for the fourth time , i love to make it for Christmas, is just delicious, only thing i changed is the eggs for water…. not a big deal of difference and only because i have some picky “eaters” . Thank salir for sharing this
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Marisabel, and Merry Christmas!
Hanner says
Wow, this is delicious! We used almond extract from Penzey’s and Trader Joe’s organic powdered sugar and fine, blanched, almond flour (both are stores in the U.S. of A.).
I made two batches, one with fresh egg white and one with dried, powdered egg white plus enough water to hydrate. They both worked well.
If anyone else wants to try the dry, powdered egg white to avoid anxiety about salmonella, add the powder with the sugar and almond flour, then add the water with the almond extract.
We were surprised at how tasty this was! I’ll feel lucky if we don’t eat it all before we make a recipe with it!
Thanks!
Oh, do you have a recommendation for bitter almond extract? We can get Oteker’s by international mail, but is there another brand you like?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Hanner, thank you! Thanks for the feedback and for the tip about the powdered egg white. I’ve used Dr. Oetker’s almond extract and several other brands. Lately I’ve been using Simply Organic’s pure almond extract and have been happy with it.
Dieter Pollmann says
My mother came from Lübeck to East Frisia (Ostfriesland). Niederegger Marzipan has long been my favorite ~ until I tried MEST!
Nisha says
HI just wondering if I had to replace the almond meal with ground cashew nuts, would the quantity stay the same??
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Nisha, as long as the texture/consistency is the same I would think yes, but I’ve never tried it with cashews so I can’t say for certain.