There isn’t anything like this homemade marshmallow fluff recipe. It’s fluffy, smooth, and delicious! Yes, you’ve seen it in a jar at the store, but when it’s homemade, it’s light and airy, and the flavor doesn’t even compare to store-bought marshmallow fluff.
Making marshmallow fluff uses fewer ingredients, is less sweet, and has an extra fluffy texture, like marshmallow cream. It is the sweet topping for many of my desserts. I’m covering everything you need to know about making marshmallow fluff.
Also, check out my marshmallow fondant too!
I’ve been making this marshmallow fluff recipe for over 20 years, and it works every time. Making marshmallow fluff is easy, and it’s great for so many desserts, like topping our sweet potato casserole, using it to make Krispie treats, or making a delicious marshmallow fluff sandwich.
Try these marshmallow recipes: The best fluffy marshmallows and my delightful rose-flavored homemade marshmallows!
Homemade vs. Store-Bought
Fluffy Texture—There is no comparison between homemade marshmallow fluff and store-bought texture. Homemade is light, fluffy, and smooth. It’s whipped to perfection and perfect for desserts.
Simple Ingredients – The marshmallow fluff ingredients in this recipe are straightforward. You will most likely have them on hand.
Unique Flavors – You can add spices and extracts to create unique flavors. Some examples of flavors we made are lavender, gingerbread, and lemon.
How to Make Marshmallow Fluff
This homemade marshmallow fluff recipe is easy to follow and fun to make. I’ll cover everything you need to know to make your own fluff at home.
Helpful Supplies
- Medium Sauce Pan
- Electric Stand Mixer
- Whisk Attachment
- Instant read thermometer
Shopping List and Ingredient Notes
This recipe uses simple ingredients to make homemade marshmallow creme.
Egg Whites—For this recipe, Use large, pasteurized organic egg whites. Whipping the egg whites to soft peaks gives the marshmallow fluff its fluffy texture.
Granulated Sugar – White sugar sweetens the fluff and adds to the delicious, creamy texture.
Cream of Tartar Stabilizes the egg whites and helps the fluff thicken. It isn’t strictly necessary, but it is recommended for a thicker fluff that holds its shape. If you don’t have any, you can leave this out.
Corn Syrup – Gives the fluff texture, glossiness, and stiffness. We use light corn syrup for this recipe.
Water – Helps melt the sugar and the corn syrup together.
Vanilla Extract – Adds a nice vanilla flavor to the marshmallow cream.
Tips For Making This Marshmallow Fluff
- Use a candy thermometer to give you accurate results. You’ll boil the sugar on a softball stage on a thermometer.
- Be very careful when working with hot sugar. Pour it slowly into the whipped egg whites and take your time.
- Don’t overwhip the fluff; it will get too stiff to spread on desserts.
- If you have leftover marshmallow fluff, you can freeze it to use later.
- Room temperature ingredients are always recommended but not required.
- If you’re using it to top fruit pies, add lemon juice or zest to the recipe.
Whip Egg Whites to Perfection
Properly whipping egg whites is crucial to achieve homemade marshmallow fluff’s light and fluffy texture. This step can make or break your fluff, so it’s essential to do it right.
Start by separating 3 egg whites from the yolks and placing them in a mixing bowl. Make sure there are no traces of yolks in the whites, as this can prevent them from whipping correctly.
Next, add a pinch of tartar cream to the egg whites. This acts as a stabilizer and helps to lock in the air while whipping.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. When you lift the beaters out of the mixture, the peaks will create and hold their shape without collapsing.
Soft Ball Test
How do you know when the syrup mixture is If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can use the “softball test” method to test the sugar mixture. Before you start cooking, fill a small dish with ice water and set it aside. After boiling the mixture for about 3½ minutes, dribble a few drops from a spatula or wooden spoon into the ice water.
Leave it for 10 seconds to cool, and you should be able to roll it into a small ball with your fingertips. If you put it in your mouth, it will be slightly chewy. If it passes these tests, the sugar mixture is done, and you can remove it from the heat and add it to the whipped egg white.
The mixture may need more time; cook for another 30 seconds and try the test again.
It will take about 5-7 minutes to get a softball texture.
Adding Flavors to This Marshmallow Fluff Recipe
Spices and extracts can be added to the fluff at the end when it’s almost finished. Usually, a few teaspoons are all you need!
Gingerbread Marshmallow Fluff – Add in gingerbread spices and a tablespoon of molasses. See the recipe for that here!
Pumpkin Pie Fluff – Add a few teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
Lemon Fluff – Add a teaspoon of lemon extract and a teaspoon of lemon zest.
Coconut Fluff – Add in a teaspoon of coconut extract.
Sugar Substitutions
If you want to substitute corn syrup, you can replace 1 cup of corn syrup with one of these simple substitutes:
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup light molasses
Please note that the flavor and consistency will change when using a sugar substitute.
Tips for Cleaning The Sauce Pan
As we often say, it’s all fun and games until someone has to clean up! The pan can be difficult to clean when the sugar, water, and corn syrup are boiled together. Instead of spending 30 minutes scrubbing the baked-on sugar, add some more water to the pan and bring it to a boil.
The remaining mixture will melt, and then you can pour it down the sink and clean the pan with soap. It’s much easier than scrubbing hard candy out of the saucepan.
How to Use Marshmallow Fluff
The best part about this recipe is that a jar of marshmallow fluff can be used for many desserts. Here’s a list of ideas you can use with marshmallow fluff:
- Frosting for cupcakes and cakes
- Topping for pies
- Fillings for cakes
- Ice cream topping for an ice cream bar
- Add it to a peanut butter sandwich to make fluffernutter sandwiches
- Filling for whoopie pies
- The best frosting for chocolate cupcakes
- Between graham crackers for an easy s’mores dessert
- Fill in the middle of two cookies to make cookie sandwiches
- Topping for pudding
- Fruit dip when serving a fruit platter
I used it to create cute ghost cupcakes for our Halloween party. It’s great because it holds a tall shape and doesn’t melt.
How to Toast Marshmallow Fluff
Who doesn’t love a good toasty marshmallow?! Toasting marshmallow fluff is easy; all you need is a kitchen torch. The fluff toasts up nicely, creating golden brown peaks. It looks stunning on cupcakes, cakes, and our sweet potato casserole!
How to Store
Store the homemade marshmallow fluff in an airtight container or glass jar with a lid at room temperature for one week. If you don’t use it immediately, it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To Freeze
Did you know that you can freeze marshmallow fluff? That’s right, you can freeze marshmallow fluff or crème! Freezing will allow it to stay fresh longer. Marshmallow fluff will stay fresh for three months in the freezer. To defrost it, you can leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is marshmallow cream and marshmallow fluff the same thing?
Marshmallow cream is also known as marshmallow fluff. They are both a confectionery spread and have the flavor. However, marshmallow cream is a little less thick and doesn’t hold a stiff peak. You can use this exact recipe to make either.
The only thing that changes is that you will only beat the egg whites to a soft peak and then slowly add in the sugar mixture, without beating. This will give it a creamier, less fluffy texture.
Marshmallow fluff is made from beaten egg whites, granulated sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar, water, and vanilla extract. It’s the perfect topping for desserts or a fun dip for fruit.
Marshmallow Fluff was created by Archibald Query, who began selling it door-to-door in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1917.
This recipe does not include gelatin, but it does include egg whites, so it’s not vegan-friendly. The egg whites act as the binder.
Marshmallow fluff is gluten-free.
Not at all. Marshmallow fluff is made to stay creamy and fluffy. Marshmallows have gelatin, so when you melt them, they tend to get big and puffed up but slowly fall to a sticky texture that hardens quickly. It’s nothing like marshmallow fluff.
One of the great things about making your marshmallow fluff is that you can control the ingredients and know exactly how long it will last. With proper storage, homemade marshmallow fluff can last up to 6 weeks at room temperature.
More of My Favorite Recipes
- S’more Popsicles Dipped in Marshmallow Fluff
- Holiday Marshmallows
- Chocolate Parfait with Toasted Gingerbread Marshmallow Fluff
- The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Lucky Charms Cupcakes
- Neapolitan Sheet Cake – this fluff would be so good on this cake!
- Icecream Sundae Sheet Cake – Or this one too!
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Marshmallow Fluff
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup water
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a standalone mixer, whisk the eggs and cream of tartar together until soft peaks form. You can let this whisk while you boil the other ingredients.
- In a medium heavy saucepan combine the water, corn syrup and sugar.
- Bring to a boil for about 5-7 minutes. You’ll want to keep stirring so it doesn’t burn or boil over. Letting the mixture boil for at least 5-7 minutes is crucial for making a good fluff. The mixture has to get hot enough to thicken when added to the egg whites. If you’re not sure, give it another minute or two. More time is better than less.
- Once the egg whites create thick peaks, carefully pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream into the whites with the mixer is on medium-low speed. Let it mix fully in between pours.
- Add in the vanilla extract or any other spices and extracts you want to flavor the marshmallow fluff with.
- When it’s all in, beat on high with the whisk attachment until thick. It will thicken up nicely!
Notes
Nutrition
Can this fluff be made into chocolate covered marshmallow cream?
I have never done that but you can try!
I see 2 references about storage. The first says that the fluff can let 1 week at room temp and in another section of the text, it says can last 6 weeks. Can you clarify for me?
Thanks
Hi, this worked well for the full portion, but I tried again with 1/4 of the ingredients, and the sugar syrup heated up and reached soft ball temperature a lot faster but still waited around 7mins to be sure. But the sugar syrup hardened very fast as I was pouring it, and hard chunks of syrup couldn’t be incorporated, so I’m wondering if I overboiled and heated the syrup for too long, since it was thicker than the normal portion syrup when it was taken off the heat? Do I keep heating the syrup whilst we’re incorporating it into the egg whites? Should I heat it for less time if I’m using a 1/4 of the ingredients? Thanks for any advice!
Can you make fudge with this? Some fluff recipes don’t work for fudge.
Thank you for the great and clear instructions! It was perfect. I used it to top a lemon pie.
Wow! Who knew how easy this is to make? I made it for a chocolate pie and almost ate most of it 🙂
This fluff is incredible! I could not stop eating it with a spoon! I used it on a pie and it was perfect!
Can this be made ahead of time and refrigerated? Or will the quality suffer?
Also, can you bake it, like as a topping for sweet potato casserole, or is it too delicate for that?
Thanks!
Marshmallow fluff can be added after the potatoes are baked. You can place it in the oven for a few minutes so it will toast or use a kitchen torch to toast it. The fluff will last in the refrigerator for a few days.
Hi. Can I substitute something else for the corn syrup?
Unfortunately not for this recipe.
Made this- loved it! Forgiving recipe too, I accidentally whipped the eggs to stiff peaks and it sill worked fine. I heated the sugar to about 225 degrees and it was perfect. Made a S’mores pie with this- after the pie baked for about 10 minutes, I put it on a low broil to brown the marshmallow – only took about 1 minute – it was DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe! This is defintiety going in the recipe book.
Love hearing this and so happy it worked for you!! I’ve made this recipe SO many times. The one time it messed up for me was when I boiled the sugar too long and got really hard marshmallows, hahah!! Other than that, it has always been my favorite!
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I don’t own a stand mixer. Do you have any tips for mixing by hand?
Hi Sam, unfortunately, you can’t make this by hand as it has to be whipped at high speed. You can try an electric hand mixer if you have one at high speed.
Turned out beautifully! I made mine with cookies and cream flavoring, it is divine. Thank you for your recipe