Homemade Marshmallow Cream
Learn how to easily make your own light and airy marshmallow cream! This simple recipe for marshmallow fluff whips up with just a few ingredients for an ultra-fluffy confection perfect for fudge, frosting, fluffernutters, and more!
Marshmallow creme is one of those things that I admittedly take for granted since it is on a shelf in the baking aisle of nearly every grocery store in the United States. However, it’s not readily available in most other parts of the world, and it’s the source of some of the most-asked questions I receive on recipes that include it as an ingredient.
The great news is that you can make your own! Homemade marshmallow creme only requires one saucepan, a mixer, a candy thermometer, and about 20 minutes of time.
What is Marshmallow Cream?
Marshmallow creme is a sugary confection made from corn syrup, sugar, egg whites, and vanilla. This gooey spread is similar in flavor to marshmallows but has a spreadable, semi-solid texture. Unlike marshmallows which have a firm and spongey consistency, marshmallow cream doesn’t firm up because it’s made without gelatin.
The most popular brand of marshmallow creme, Marshmallow Fluff, originated in the early 20th century. Not more than a year after it hit the shelves in 1917 the iconic Fluffernutter Sandwich debuted. It’s a classic New England sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.
Homemade vs. Store-bought
Since this confection is readily available at most supermarkets in the United States, why would you want to make your own instead of just buying it at the store? Here are just a few simple reasons to try making your own.
- Simple ingredients. When you make marshmallow creme at home you know what ingredinets go into the fluff. No added stabilizers for prolonged shelf storage, just a handful of simple ingredients.
- More flavor. Just like homemade marshmallows, the marshmallow cream you make at home has more flavor than the store-bought options.
- Not avaliable everywhere. Marshmallow creme doesn’t seem to be readily avaliable all over the globe and being able to make it at home opens up a whole new set of recipes that call for marshmallow fluff.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cream an also contributes to the gooey texture.
- Corn Syrup: Melted with the sugar, the corn syrup prevents the sugar from crystalizing, keepng it fluffy and light.
- Water: Helps melt the sugar and the corn syrup together.
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness of the sugar.
- Egg whites: Whipped to stiff peaks, the egg whites gives the creme a light and fluffy texture.
- Cream of Tartar: Stabilizes the egg whites and traps air in them while they fluff up.
- Vanilla: Flavor, flavor, flavor.
How to Make It
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, you are ready to begin!
- Heat sugars and water (#1): Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-hight heat.
- Boil, stirring occasionally until the mixture reached 240°F on a candy thermometer.
- Whip egg whites (#2) : While the sugar mixture is boiling, add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Beat to soft peaks (#3): Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Note– The egg whites should be ready and waiting when the sugar mixture reached 240°F. If the egg whites reach soft peaks before the sugar mixture reaches its temperature, turn off the mixer.
- Add sugar to egg whites (#4): Once the sugar mixture reached 240°F, turn the mixer speed to low and very slowly drizzle the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl.
- Beat until fluffy: Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the speed to medium-hight and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture has cooled substantially, about 7 to 9 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract during the last minute or two of beating.
- Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Uses for Marshmallow Cream
Once you have a batch of homemade marshmallow cream the opportunities are endless! You can begin by simply eating spoonfuls from the bowl or used it in a variety of recipes such as:
- Fruit Dip
- Homemade Hostess Cupcakes
- Six-Layer Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Malted Chocolate Frosting
- Homemade Snickers Bars
- Fluffernutter Milkshake
- Pineapple-Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
Storing and Freezing Instructions
If you are not planning to use the marshmallow cream immediately, here are some tips for storing and freezing.
- Refrigerate: Keep homemade marshmallow fluff in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe ziplock bag and remove as much air as possible from the bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Allow to thaw on the counter at room temperature and then re-whip the fluff before using.
Marshmallow Cream FAQs
While they have similar consistencies and flavor there is one notable difference between creme and fluff. Creme contains cream of tartar while fluff does not, making it ideal for use in fudge.
You can make marshmallow cream by melting down marshmallows with corn syrup. I would suggest 2 cups of mini marshmallows with ¼ cup of corn syrup.
The resulting product will be sweeter than traditional marshmallow creme so you might need to adjust any additional sweeteners you plan to use depending upon what you are planning to do with the marshmallow cream.
They are not the same. Marshmallow cream is made without gelatin and will not firm up over time. Marshmallows that have been melted down, on the other hand, will firm back up unless you add something to them to help keep them more fluid (like adding butter to make rice krispie treats).
If You Loved This Marshmallow Creme, Try These Recipes Next:
Whether you’re baking with it or using it to create the ultimate Fluffernutter sandwich, a batch of homemade marshmallow creme will definitely serve you well.
If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Homemade Marshmallow Cream
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (149 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (156 g) light corn syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- Pinch of salt
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) cream of tartar
- 1½ teaspoons (7 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
- While the sugar mixture is boiling, add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. The egg whites should be ready and waiting when the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F. If the egg whites reach soft peaks before the sugar mixture reaches its temperature, turn off the mixer.
- Once the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F, turn the mixer speed to low and very slowly drizzle the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl. Once all of the syrup has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture has cooled substantially, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the vanilla extract during the last minute or two of beating.
- Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Equipment: Stand Mixer / Candy Thermometer
- Storing: Keep homemade marshmallow fluff in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe ziplock bag and remove as much air as possible from the bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Allow to thaw on the counter at room temperature and then re-whip the fluff before using.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Delish! And…so easy!
This is so tasty!! I started making it years ago and have never purchased it again. It turnsEd out perfect the first time and every time since. I highly recommend it. Oh, try her white bread recipe too!!! Best there is.
Hi cream of tartar is not available where I live, what can I use as a substitute in this recipe?
It’s also not widely available where I live (Israel) so today I am trying with a little baking powder which is supposed to have cream of tartar in it.
Hi everyone. I live in Ireland and I can buy the yummy fluff in a jar however I wanted to try this recipe to top ice cream (also your recipe) . I replaced the corn syrup for Lyles Golden syrup as corn syrup isn’t available. The result is delicious. Thank you Michelle.
I never tried this marshmallow cream recipe but l tried my husband’s Aunts recipe which he always raved about. Bad news, it was not at all edible to frost his birthday cake, good news, I now know how to make drywall. Lol
Hi, corn syrup is not easily available in my part of the world. Would golden syrup work? I’ve seen another recipe for marshmallow creme with sugar instead of corn syrup – would sugar work as a substitute in this recipe. I want to make the snickers cake with it.
Thank you
Yup. Came here the say the same. No marshmallow creme, no corn syrup, no golden syrup where I am in Europe (well ok, sometimes in the import section, but it’s crazy expensive and not reliably available).
Yes Vandana. I used Lyles Golden syrup with great results. I’m comparing it to the jar of fluff as we can’t get corn syrup here.
Hi, made it perfectly the first time – so much of it and so yummy! Second and third times came out ok but just a wee bit of the sugar/water/corn syrup mixture converted to hard crystals after pouring into whipped egg whites. Any way to avoid that?
Fantastic, be careful not to pour the mixture into your mixer to fast.
Do you happen to know the yield conversion for this? In other words, is this the approximate amount of one 7-oz jar (for when I’m using it I’m recipes that call for a jar of fluff)?
Hi Sarah, It would only be about 2 tablespoons shy of a 7-ounce jar, so I think you could use it interchangeably.
I would use it on ice cream with hot fudge sauce and chopped peanuts.
I found this recipe as well as the homemade hostess cupcake recipe through a search engine. I substituted agave syrup for the corn syrup and the marshmallow cream turned out great! I then made the hostess cupcakes and my family devoured them. Luckily I have enough marshmallow cream to make more cupcakes. Until I make them, I am slathering the cream on graham crackers and topping it with chocolate. I also popped popcorn and stirred marshmallow cream and chocolate chips with that. The possibilities are endless!!! Thanks for the great recipes, I have your website bookmarked now!
For those outside the US/don’t have corn syrup on hand: you can substitute the corn syrup for honey. I’ve actually done this substitution with a marshmallow recipe (not cream — ones that need to set up), and the marshmallows set up fine. They wept a little after a few days in the fridge, but I just rolled them in more powdered sugar and they were delicious either way. So with something like marshmallow fluff, where it doesn’t have to set up, you won’t loose much by substituting honey for corn syrup. For those interested, I use local honey that’s minimally processed.
Hi Michelle! I was wondering if you know whether this can be toasted with a kitchen torch if I use it as a topping? Or will it just melt? Thanks!
Hi Allix, I have actually used this as a topping for sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving, and I torched it – turned out beautifully and did not melt!
This is a lot of work for something that I can get at the grocery store for $1.19. Plus, the homemade version is made with the exact same ingredients!
Why make homemade anything when you can buy it cheaper at the store?
Freshly homemade marshmallow cream is just tastier than store-bought!
I have never found a brand of marshmallow cream that uses real vanilla, and real vanilla tastes way better than “vanillin” (which is the fake vanilla used in the store-bought stuff.) Some brands of marshmallow cream also use dried egg whites instead of fresh, various gums and stabilizers which affect the taste and texture, and artificial dyes to make it look “whiter,” which I prefer to avoid. So, I find it worth the work. YMMV.
jhgfdwedfghjkuytr. Sorry! Love your cooking michelle!
can we make this without a candy thermometer?
Hi Nini, You need some type of thermometer because the temperature is important, so either a candy thermometer or some type of instant-read thermometer.
This recipe is simply WOW! Michelle. .. u r a genius :) so simple and so yumm …. loved it !
hi, i am from india and over there we cant actually find marshmallows too easily!
White Chocolate Cookies ‘n’ Cream Fudge is a recipe that i was desperate to make but all the substitutes i can see include marshmallows! any thing else i can put, which would taste the same?
You can make your own marshmallows :) Just omit the peppermint extract for “regular” flavored marshmallows: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/12/05/homemade-peppermint-marshmallows/
Does the creme really need to be kept in the refrigerator? I’m worried about it getting hard, thus being unusable.
Hi Amanda, It does. It won’t get too hard.
Hi Michelle, first off, GREAT site, I will get lost for days checking out all the yumminess you have created! I made this marshmallow creme to use in another recipe that calls for the marshmallow as part of the center filling for the now-defunct Hostess chocolate cupcakes. The creme came out fantastic but wanted to ask if the creme should have thickened up after 3 minutes of mixing? I poured the 240 degree syrup against the side of the bowl in to the egg whites on low speed until all was mixed in and then went to medium high. I ended up mixing for 7 minutes just to be sure but it kept wrapping around the beaters a bit and wonder if it was done sooner? Thank you!
Hi Ryan, The tell is really when the mixture reaches stiff, glossy peaks and has cooled down to room temperature to the touch. That could take less time or more time than the 7 to 9 minutes, depending on the speed of the mixture, size of the bowl, etc.
I just made something similar to this to frost a chocolate cake, though it was called ‘white mountain frosting’. Am I the only one who refers to it under that name?
Great!
Oh no you didn’t!
Great idea! I love eating marshmallow creme by the spoonful!
My BFF is coming over next week. Think I’ll surprise her and break out the big mixer and make up a batch of this for us to delicately dip into (yeah, right) while we have our coffee! Bwahahahahahahahaha
And that sandwich? Not *nearly* enough fluff on it! LOL
Thanks for sharing – I’m *really* looking forward to this!
Thanks for the post, I’ve long wondered what marshmallow cream entails. With just a few tweaks, by beating the egg whites stiffly and bringing the syrup to a firm ball stage (between 245-250 degrees F), you have made old-fashioned divinity!
That picture of the creme on the beater. Wowzers I could lick that baby clean! Need to try this!!
Shame on you Kate for bashing a very fun column and great sounding recipe. This is a new blog to me and if I were Kate I would simply stop reading it rather than taking my time and energy to write something so trite.
I love homemade marshmallow creme! It is probably my favorite thing to make and eat. It’s so much better than the store bought stuff. I love it with pb or in a fluffernutter sandwich. It looks great, Michelle.
AWESOME, STUNNING opening photo! You have had some fantastic photos in the last few months. I enjoy those as much as the recipes. By the way, I totally disagree with the comment about the quality of your recipes this week. They are all fantastic and I love that you are sharing homemade versions of basics and such. Keep up the fabulous work.
I love, love, love that first pic! This recipe has been on my to-do list for ages, so glad for the reminder. I see homemade Hostess cupcakes in my future :)
I love marshmallow fluff…and homemade..wahooo!!!! Thank you!!!! Keep up with all the recipes you post weather super simple or more involved…we LOVE them ALL!!!
My daughter was just asking me to make “fluff”. She said do you know what “fluff” is because I would like a fluffernutter! I guess now there is no reason to not try!
I’ve never tried marshmallow cream, but I have a feeling it would go well with something Nutella-ish. :)
Proud I can buy it. Seldom use it.
Such a good idea to make this at home!! I’ve heard so many people from other countries say they can’t get it where they live…
Hi Michelle! Is marshmallow creme a necessary part of making fudge?
Hi Kaye, Some fudge recipes call for it, but not all of them.
As a kid I would sometimes eat peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwiches. It was a rare treat as my Mom rarely bought the marshmallow cream. Too bad she never had this *from scratch* recipe as we would have probably had our PB & MC sandwiches more often.
Thank you so much for posting this, I’ve been wanting a foolproof marshmallow creme recipe for awhile. I’m so excited to make this! I’m wondering, like a poster above, if this will work on crispy treats. Thanks Michelle!
I’m quite disappointed by BEB’s recipes this week. Come on, post something that’s not on a “baking for dummies” level.
Hey Kate, here is an idea for you since you are so ADVANCED. Why don’t you start your own food blog, post your own ADVANCED recipes and let us know how that works out for you. When you are done, you can then deal with the STUPID comments like the one you just posted. Good luck!
Good Answer Josephine! Couldnt have said it better myself!
Well said Josephine !
well said Josephine!
There are some amazing recipes on this blog. They’re for all levels of cooks and that is what I like about it. I will be trying this recipe very soon
I actually am a professional chef, Josephine. And I used to peruse recipes on here looking for ideas and fun combinations. Lately, however, the recipes have been getting more and more simple. No need to sound so nasty, it’s an honest opinion.
As others said, we like Michelle’s recipe. Sayonara.
So where is the link to your advanced blog??? We would love to see it….
Working with hot sugar syrup is really quite an unfamiliar and advanced technique for most home cooks. It’s candy-making, really, and that’s a world of advanced and tricky techniques!
Yum! Love that you made a homemade version. Can’t wait to try it out!
You asked, “how do I like to eat marshmellow creme?” and my answer is, RIGHT OUT OF THE JAR! oops, now everyone knows my deep, dark secret!
Agreed, right out of the jar! :)
Can this be used to make rice krispie treats? I’ve tried other marshmallow cremes and they didn’t keep the treats together like marshmallows do.
Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried this in Rice Krispies Treats, but you could always use homemade marshmallows (https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2008/04/15/twd-marshmallows/) and then go ahead with the Rice Krispies Treats recipe as normal, just substituting homemade marshmallows for store-bought.
Marshmallow cream will never make proper rice krispie treats, because it never sets up (it’s not supposed to – it’s supposed to stay creamy and fluffy.)
Marshmallows have gelatin, that is why they set up nice and firm. So, like Michelle said, if you want to go homemade, instead of store-bought marshmallows, use her homemade marshmallow recipe. But, you don’t need to bother letting the marshmallow set up and dry out and *then* melt them down for the treats. Just stop the recipe at the point where you’ve whipped the hot sugar syrup into the hydrated gelatin, and consider that to be the same as melted store-bought marshmallows; continue with adding your butter and then cereal.
Very cool! Some rainy day I will have to try this!!
Actually humidity can make this fail. This is what we used to call 7-minute frosting.
Good point that humidity can make it fail! Any time you are heating sugar and using a candy thermometer, excess humidity can mess with your results.
But I want to point out that this recipe is not the same as seven-minute frosting. Even though the ingredients are much the same, this recipe heats the sugar MUCH higher, so the end result is a very different texture and a more stable product. They are two different things, just like Perfect Divinity (also with the same ingredients, but with the sugar heated to 260 or hard-ball stage) is very different from marshmallow cream.
So yummy!! I am loving the idea of making my own marshmallow creme!
I’ve never made my own marshmallow creme before. Great recipe…excited to try it out!
oh WOW!!! That first picture is just not fair!
How can marshmallow creme be adapted as 7 minute frosting for coconut cake and other like-type recipes?
Marshmallow cream is similar to seven-minute frosting, however the sugar is heated to a much higher temperature so the texture is different; it’s a different product. For a delicious frosting, take the marshmallow cream you just made, and then whip butter into it, that will give you Italian Buttercream (because marshmallow cream itself is the same thing as Italian meringue, so adding butter gives you Italian meringue buttercream.)
I always make Italian meringue for pies and cakes because it doesn’t weep like the french meringue. As I looked at your recipe I thought, oh I never knew marshmallow fluff is Italian meringue. I always assumed it was more complicated. Another fun fact to tuck away.
I wonder if it would work without the corn syrup? We don’t have that here either. In the past, I have made something similar, which is just a meringue beaten over boiling water, but I imagine the texture is not the same. And also, pardon the stupid question, but is the syrup enough to cook the egg whites? I have kind of a fear of uncooked eggs.
Hi Teresa, Try using Lyle’s Golden Syrup in place of the corn syrup; I’ve done that before without any issues. Yes, the syrup does heat the egg whites to a safe temperature; however, if you’re concerned you can just start with pasteurized eggs.
I have heard that you can substitute liquid glucose for corn syrup, not sure if if would work or not. I just wish we could get marshmallow creme here in South Africa, I’ve seen so many recipes I want to try out which includes this ingredient, and the same for corn syrup :o(
I have used honey, or golden syrup, or molasses in place of corn syrup when
making homemade marshmallows with no problems. For this recipe I’m not sure. If you try these other syrups be sure to use a tall enough pan as it seems to bubble upwards much more than corn syrup. Also the final flavor is
that of the syrup used. That isn’t a bad thing though.
Ditto Penny – I’ve used Lyle’s Golden Syrup in place of corn syrup many times and have not had any issues.
I know it’s more difficult to get but STEEN’S is an American golden syrup should you want to buy American products. Also I use ALAGA which I find
at Kroger but it does have corn syrup mixed in with the cane syrup. Good flavors.
I’ve always wanted to make my own marshmallow creme (well, I make my own marshmallows and could just stop the process early but never have) and yours turned out perfectly! I want to lick that beater :)
The difference between marshmallow and marshmallow cream isn’t a matter of “stopping the process early” or not. The difference is, marshmallows are hot sugar syrup whipped up with air and stabilized with gelatin and marshmallow cream is hot sugar syrup whipped up with air and stabilized with egg white.
Unfortunately for those of us living outside the US, light corn syrup is not readily available in most places in the world either. So when you make that, then make this, then make the dessert—you’ve spent a ton of time and effort and there are a whole lot of substitutes and it probably won’t turn out that great anyway!
I have used Lyle’s Golden Syrup in place of corn syrup in a number of recipes and have never had an issue; you might want to try that!
That is good to know, as I have Lyle’s golden syrup, but have never been able to find corn syrup!
I know about the Golden Syrup, thats great, so tasty on toast as a child. I have read somewhere that you can use Glucose syrup, is that right??
Hi Michaela, I am not familiar with glucose syrup, so I’m afraid I can’t give you a definitive answer. Hopefully another reader can shed some light!
Corn syrup and glucose syrup are usually the same thing, but perhaps with different sources: in the US, it’s usually made from cornstarch. Elsewhere, other starches like tapioca and potatoes are more common. They use amylase enzymes to break the starch down into sugars. Then, if you want, you can use isomerase to convert it into high fructose corn syrup.
I’m going to try Lyle’s golden syrup the next time I make marshmallow creme, too. It’s so delicious and corn syrup doesn’t taste good at all. I love a dollop of marshmallow creme in hot chocolate. I use a tiny frothing whisk when I mix up my hot chocolate and a little marshmallow creme makes it extra fluffy textured. I love Ghiradelli ground chocolate and Abuelita Mexican hot chocolate powder or discs (half a disc in 2 cups of milk (16 floz/.5l)
If you are in the UK you can buy corn syrup in either Amazon or Ebay. My local branch of Tesco now sell it in their small American food section :)
Here’s a recipe that just uses plain old sugar instead of corn syrup or golden syrup. 7-minute Frosting: http://alwayswithbutter.blogspot.com/2011/04/pumpkin-cupcakes-with-cloud-frosting.html#more
Yes, but seven-minute frosting (which invariably takes 13 minutes for me…) is not actually the same as marshmallow fluff, even though the ingredients are almost the same. For marshmallow fluff (aka Italian meringue), the sugar is heated much higher, which makes the texture different. (fun fact: if you heated the sugar even higher, but otherwise followed the recipe the same, you would get “Perfect Divinity,” a fudge-textured confection.) Because of heating the sugar so high, an invert sugar like corn syrup is needed in this recipe to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. But, you can easily make your own glucose syrup to use, if you can’t easily buy corn syrup or golden syrup.
Love this. Next time a recipe calls for some, I’m going to try this recipe instead of buying in store. I bet it’s better that way! :)