Marzipan Recipe | Almond Paste
Marzipan or almond paste is an absolute treat. This simple and easy recipe for homemade marzipan takes 5 mins and needs no special skills or equipment. Use it in baked pastry or decorating a cake. Also, try making traditional sweet treats and candies like marzipan fruits or chocolate truffles, and Easter eggs.
You are going to laugh, and yet I didn’t know you could buy marzipan or almond paste. Because I grew up with marzipan always being homemade. My mom made these in buckets. She made small cute fruits and sold them as marzipan sweets during Christmas. I also remember she’d have to pay for extra help during Christmas time so that she could complete her orders in time.
What is marzipan?
Marzipan is an edible clay-like paste made with ground almonds, powdered sugar, and flavorings, easy to mold into shapes or roll flat like a sheet, often used to make Easter eggs, truffles, candy bars, molded fruits, animals, or to wrap fruitcakes along with royal icing or fondant. You can even add marzipan to your cake for a festive treat.
There are two ways to make marzipan. Both use the same ingredients. And yet, you can either cook it or not cook it at all. The cooked marzipan uses pasteurized egg whites as a binding agent. While for the uncooked version, I use light corn syrup or rose water.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Almonds/Nuts – Marzipan is traditionally made with blanched almonds. And yet, you can make it with any nuts. You can buy ground almonds or make almond meal yourself. The important thing is to grind them finely if you want a smooth paste.
- Powdered sugar – Also called icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar. This has an anti-caking agent, such as cornstarch or potato starch. This helps combine the ingredients and make a smooth ball.
- Flavor – I love rose and almond flavors. I like using rose extract and almond extract in my marzipan. The vanilla extract works great, too.
- Liquid – Traditionally, beaten raw egg whites were used, but these days raw eggs are not recommended. The purpose of the fluid is mainly to bind the dry ingredients. So, sugar syrup or water works just as well.
Step-by-step: Homemade marzipan recipe
- In a food processor, add the almond meal and powdered sugar. Pulse until smooth, about a minute or two.
Pro tip – Blending powdered sugar with the almond meal prevents the almonds from releasing oil. - Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Then, add the light corn syrup, almond, and vanilla extract. Combine well. If necessary, add one or two tablespoons of water or sugar syrup.
Pro tip – If you plan to keep the marzipan for more than a week, use sugar syrup instead of water. - Lightly knead on a work surface until you have a smooth ball.
Pro tip – Over-kneading causes the almonds to release oil, which can make the marzipan oily. - Wrap in plastic wrap and store until ready to use.
Pro tip – Marzipan must be wrapped well in plastic, or it can dry out easily. When ready to use, lightly knead to make it pliable again.
Homemade Chocolate Marzipan
Chocolate and marzipan are always a perfect combination. This simple and easy recipe makes delicious homemade chocolate marzipan in less than 5 minutes.
Tips for Success
- Use finely ground almond meal.
The finer the almonds, the smoother your marzipan. Coarse almond flour will give you a gritty texture. - Add liquid slowly.
Whether it’s rosewater, milk, or corn syrup — add just a little at a time. Marzipan goes from perfect to sticky fast. - If it’s sticky, chill it.
A quick 10–15 minutes in the fridge firms it up and makes it easier to knead. - Don’t overmix in the food processor.
Too much heat from overprocessing can make the almonds release oil and turn greasy. - Wrap tightly.
Always double-wrap marzipan in plastic and store airtight — it dries out easily.
⭐ Troubleshooting Marzipan (Quick Fix Table)
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Marzipan is too sticky | Too much liquid OR warm hands softened it | Add 1–2 tbsp powdered sugar or almond flour; chill 10–15 mins |
| Marzipan is too dry / crumbly | Not enough moisture | Add milk/rosewater/corn syrup ½ tsp at a time until smooth |
| Greasy or oily texture | Overmixed or handled too much | Chill until firm; knead gently with a bit of powdered sugar |
| Gritty texture | Almond flour too coarse | Almond flour is too coarse |
| Won’t come together into a dough | Ratio off OR sugar not fully incorporated | Knead longer; add a few drops of liquid until it binds |
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Frequently asked questions
Marzipan-covered cake may be left at room temperature for a few days. And for up to two weeks in the fridge. And yet, like sugar paste, marzipan can dry if left open. Hence, it’s best to wrap it in plastic so it’s easy to mold and use again.
Marzipan and almond paste use the same ingredients. However, marzipan is smoother and can be colored and molded into different things like Easter eggs, marzipan fruits, and other shapes. Almond paste is coarse and a little less sweet because it has less powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar). And it’s often used as a filling in baked products like croissants.
While they have similar ingredients, frangipani is used differently from marzipan. Frangipani is used in baked treats, often at the bottom of a pie crust or galettes topped with fruits. Also, frangipani has whole eggs, so it needs to be cooked, whereas marzipan can be used raw, eaten on its own, or added to other products as an ingredient.
Like sugar paste, it’s best to use food coloring gels to dye marzipan. Use a small amount with a toothpick, as the color will intensify later. Also, avoid kneading the paste aggressively to prevent the marzipan from getting oily. Over-kneading can cause oil from the nuts to separate, making it hard to work with.
No, cooked marzipan is a different recipe. I shared the recipe with you on my other blog – Cooked Marzipan Recipe
Homemade Marzipan Recipe
Marzipan, or almond paste, is an absolute treat. This 5-minute recipe for homemade marzipan requires no special skills or equipment. Use it in baked pastry or to decorate a cake. You can also try making traditional treats like marzipan fruits, chocolate truffles, and Easter eggs.
Video
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) Almond meal ground almonds
- 7 oz (200 g) Powdered sugar confectioners sugar / Icing sugar
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) Light corn syrup (or simple syrup or water)
- ¼ tsp Almond extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp Rose extract optional
- 2 tbsp Water as needed for kneading
Method
- In a food processor, add the almond meal and powdered sugar. Pulse until smooth, about a minute or two.7 oz Almond meal, 7 oz Powdered sugar
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the light corn syrup, almond, and vanilla extract. Combine well. And if necessary, add one or two tablespoons of water or sugar syrup.4 tbsp Light corn syrup, 1/4 tsp Almond extract, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp Rose extract, 2 tbsp Water
- Lightly knead on a work surface until you have a smooth ball. But overkneading can cause the almonds to release oil, making the marzipan oily.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and store until ready to use.Pro tip – Marzipan must be wrapped well in plastic, or it can dry out easily. When ready to use, lightly knead to make it pliable again.
Notes
-
Use finely ground almond meal.
The finer the almonds, the smoother your marzipan. Coarse almond flour will give you a gritty texture. -
Add liquid slowly.
Whether it’s rosewater, milk, or corn syrup — add just a little at a time. Marzipan goes from perfect to sticky fast. -
If it’s sticky, chill it.
A quick 10–15 minutes in the fridge firms it up and makes it easier to knead. -
Don’t overmix in the food processor.
Too much heat from overprocessing can make the almonds release oil and turn greasy. -
Wrap tightly.
Always double-wrap marzipan in plastic and store airtight — it dries out easily.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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We can use cashew powder with the same method and ingredients. You have mentioned ”And make sure you add some anti-caking agent to the mix as well” Could you tell me what is the anti caking agent we need to mix in the homemade powdered sugar.Thanks
You can use any dry ingredient that is part of the recipe, Sally. For example, in this marzipan, you can use powdered sugar,
for other recipes such as making a cake with ground nuts, you can use the flour or granulated sugar from the recipe.
I hope this makes sense.
Hi Veena,
I don’t see the footnote for the simple syrup instructions within the recipe.
Thanks, Katie
Katie. Simple syrup is just sugar and water boiled together for a few minutes. I have written in the notes below. Thanks
Thank you so much for this no-fail simple recipe. The marzipan turned out perfectly. I am still amazed at how quickly it all came together. Thank you!
You are very welcome. Karen. Happy this worked for you.
How long will it keep in the fridge (wrapped in cling wrap) for if I don’t use sugar syrup? The sugar syrup made it too sweet for me. Also, could I use amaretto (almonnd liquor) for a little flavoring?
Yes, Sugar syrup is more sugar but then again – you can reduce the powder sugar by a bit as well. You can use ameretto for flavor. You can use boiled cooled water as well. It will stay in the fridge well wrapped for a few days. I’ve left it for over a week and it was fine.
Hi Veena
Thank you for the Marzipan recipe. Can you tell me what is the shelf life of the Marzipan and should it be stored in the fridge or on the kitcben counter top.
Thanks
Maria, Marzipan made with sugar syrup has a longer shelf life – one made with water will, of course, have a shorter shelf life. I don’t keep my marzipan in the fridge usually as it gets over in about a week. If I want to keep it longer I store it in the fridge. The fridge does dry it out so wrap carefully.
I really want to give this recipe a try, but don’t want to end up with 2 cups of sugar syrup (I want to be able to store the marzipan in the fridge for a little while). The syrup recipe calls for 2 cups of water, but you only need 1/4 cup in the actual marzipan recipe. How do I make only the amount needed for a 1/4 cup please?
yes, you can make a little batch Shelly. Just one cup water and a 2 tbsp sugars – give a boil on low heat – cool and use – Hope this helps
The marzipan recipe I have used for years is from the ancient ‘Reader’s Digest Cookery Year’ which used a raw egg and lemon juice in addition to almond essence. Not being very well off at that time, I always used cashew nuts instead of almonds. Now I can afford almonds but I really prefer the texture of cashew nuts. I just made your marzipan (with cashew nuts) and found it brilliant. Thank you so very much! Done and dusted in a jiffy where I would be kneading my wrist off, scraping gloop off my palms, and thinking uncharitable thoughts. Never again!
Thank you, Noami. I am happy you liked this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to come back to leave this feedback.
Hi veena, just tried this recipe with cashew but it was so sticky. I added corn starch, more cashew powder still quite sticky. Why did this happen, can I save it.
Sounds like you added too much liquid, Elda. You need to add just enough to bring it all into a ball. Watch the video. Thanks
Thank you for the recipe Veena, I had no idea it was so easy to make marzipan however I’m a bit confused as you say keep it away from corn starch because it can cause mould yet you also say to use icing sugar with cornstarch in it, So my first question is will this cause the mould if stored for a long period. Also if I use boiled and cooled water will this be ok in place of sugar syrup to avoid mould. I live in Australia and we can buy here pure Icing Sugar used for royal icing or any hard set Icing. We also have Icing Mixture which has tapioca or maize added to it so it’s call Soft Icing Sugar, is this suitable or should I use Pure Icing Sugar and add corn starch which we call Corn Flour here and how much should I add? Also what does the 2 drops of lemon do for the sugar syrup? Thank you I enjoy your videos and blog very much you are very kind giving your recipes freely for everyone to use and enjoy.
Hey Robyn,
You are right. Though we can use icing sugar which has corn starch inside it – somehow when you roll marzipan in cornstarch it causes the cake to mold. It’s been like this for years. I remember my mom would be most cautious about this because she made lots of marzipan.
– I have stored marzipan for a week and up to 10 days and it did not mold. It does get dry over time though.
– I do use boiled cooled water but I think it will reduce the shelf life – there is something about using just water.
– I have used icing sugar with cornstarch or potato starch but not tried tapioca or maize so can’t tell you about it. Sorry!
– To make icing sugar we use 1 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cornstarch – use that as your guide.
– The lemon just prevents the sugar syrup from crystalizing you can omit it too!
Thank you Robyn – glad are enjoying my blog and recipes. I think I have answered all your questions – feel free to ask again
Have a lovely day.
Made this marzipan recipe at home for the first time – was so easy and so delicious. We really enjoyed it.
Thank you Jaimila. yeey! So happy you had enjoyed this recipe. Thank you ! And thanks for coming back to write this feedback. Have a wonderful day.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried it recently and was so much easier than the old recipe I had. The eggless version is better because it does not smell of eggs. Thanks for this lovely blog.
Thank you Mavis. Yes, I agree that if the eggs are not fresh they do tend to leave an eggy smell. Glad you found this recipe worked for you and that you like my blog thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much.
Thank you for this recipe. I didn’t know we could make marzipan at home – My son loves marzipan so we always buy it. This time I tried to make it at home. My son say it was the best he ever ate. Homemade is always the best. Thank you for sharing your recipes – love this blog.
Thank you Rosalina. Years back I did not know you could buy marzipan because my mom always make it as home. I too think homemade is the best which is why I don’t really buy marzipan lol. So happy to hear your son enjoyed this recipe. Now you can save money (it’s expensive right?) and eat the best with homemade.
Please can you tell me what sugar syrup is? I know what liquid glucose is (thick clear liquid that needs a hot spoon to shift it easily out of the jarmade by Hai and other manufacturers, I think it is made from sweet corn) – is it the same thing?
Juliet… sugar syrup is just 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water boiled for about 5 to 7 minutes. Cool and use the amount requested in the recipe – Thanks