This homemade meringue tastes like marshmallow creme! It comes together quickly and easily with 4 basic ingredients. Made without all the preservatives and high fructose corn syrup of the store-bought version, this extra creamy and sweet topping/frosting will quickly become your new favorite.
Have you ever had a fluffernutter sandwich? Eaten marshmallows straight out of the bag? Roast campfire s’mores just to eat the gooey toasted marshmallow? Enjoyed marshmallow fluff right out of the jar? If any of these describe you, continue on.
PS: A fluffernutter sandwich is peanut butter and marshmallow creme on bread. Don’t knock it ’til you try it, trust me.
This is Meringue, But Tastes Like Homemade Fluff
Today we’re making homemade fluff aka marshmallow creme. I’ve actually taught you how to make it several times before:
- No Bake S’mores Cake
- Brownie Baked Alaska
- S’mores Chocolate Mousse
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- S’mores Brownie Cupcakes
- Ultimate Birthday Cupcakes
- Chai Pumpkin Meringue Pie
It’s basically Swiss Meringue Buttercream, just without the butter. But don’t let the word “meringue” frighten you. This is an astonishingly simple mixture that you can use as a frosting, filling, or topping on MANY different confections. You only need 4 ingredients, a stovetop, and a mixer. It’s similar to traditional “7 minute frosting”, but doesn’t contain corn syrup or water.
What Does Marshmallow Creme Taste Like?
Marshmallow creme is everything we love about marshmallows, but in semi-liquified form. It’s extra creamy, soft, and sweet and pairs wonderfully with a variety of flavors like chocolate, peanut butter, banana, pumpkin, spice, lemon, etc. When toasted, it tastes like a marshmallow roasted over a campfire!
Unlike store-bought marshmallow fluff, this makes an excellent frosting because it can be piped. (Store-bought isn’t stable enough.) It doesn’t hold any intricate shapes, but pipes beautifully with a large round tip like Ateco 808, pictured above on chocolate cupcakes and below on S’mores Brownie Cupcakes.
Just 4 Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make homemade marshmallow creme. Though the written recipe is below, I want to walk through these ingredients so you understand the importance of each.
- Egg Whites: Egg whites and sugar form the structure. For best success, I recommend using fresh eggs instead of carton egg whites. (Using an egg separator is really handy!) Here are all my recipes using leftover egg yolks. Success tip: Eggs separate much easier when they’re cold.
- Granulated Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar, not confectioners’ sugar.
- Cream of Tartar: If you’ve made our French macarons, you’ll remember that cream of tartar stabilizes the egg whites and helps the mixture hold its stiff peaks. It does the same job here—certainly an imperative ingredient. Sometimes lemon juice can be used as a substitute, but I don’t recommend it here. For best results, you need cream of tartar.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds wonderful flavor.
How to Make Homemade Marshmallow Creme & Video Tutorial
While it certainly looks fancy, homemade marshmallow creme couldn’t be easier to make. This is a simple 4 ingredient mixture cooked on the stovetop, then beaten into stiff peaks.
Begin by whisking the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together in a double boiler or heat-proof bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thinned out. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract, then use your mixer and whip on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. Whipping is where the magic happens. It’s fun to watch the mixture transform from a thin liquid to voluminous fluff—literally a big puffy cloud.
You can toast homemade fluff using a kitchen torch (affiliate link—this is the torch I own and love) like I do in my no-bake s’mores cake, bourbon sweet potato pie, brownie baked Alaska, s’mores brownie cupcakes, and s’mores chocolate mousse.
Uses for Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
- topping for banana cream pie or pumpkin pie
- as a filling for crepes
- frosted on chocolate cupcakes or peanut butter cupcakes
- piped & toasted on coconut cake or red velvet cake
- swirled on pumpkin cupcakes or lemon cupcakes
- between two graham crackers
- spread & toasted on homemade brownies
- as the filling for oatmeal creme pies
- in s’mores cookie bars
- as the filling for cream-filled chocolate cupcakes
- as a completely homemade option for topping pumpkin cupcakes with marshmallow frosting
- wherever you would use marshmallow fluff!
It’s excellent as a filling for cupcakes, but I find it squishes easily between layers of cake. I don’t recommend using it as a filling for cake, but you could certainly use it to frost the outside of a cake.
Print
Homemade Marshmallow Creme (Frosting)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made without all the preservatives and high fructose corn syrup of the store-bought version, this extra creamy and sweet homemade marshmallow creme will quickly become your new favorite. So many uses!
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water. Do not let it touch the water. (You can use a double boiler if you have one.)
- Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out, about 4 minutes. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and appear frothy on top. To test that it’s ready, you can use your finger or an instant read thermometer. Lightly and quickly dip your finger (it’s very hot, be careful) and rub the mixture between your thumb and finger. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. If using a thermometer, the temperature should read 160°F (71°C).
- Remove from heat. (No need to let it cool down before continuing.) Add the vanilla extract, then using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Meringue can be spread, piped, or swirled onto cakes, cupcakes, and other confections. Serve immediately OR torch it with a kitchen torch for a delicious toasted marshmallow topping. (Do not place in the oven under the broiler—it will melt.)
- Cover and store leftovers for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Baked goods topped with this marshmallow meringue can be left at room temperature for up to 6-8 hours. After that, it’s best to refrigerate or else the topping will begin to wilt. For best taste, texture, and appearance, I do not recommend freezing this.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Double Boiler | Whisk | Instant Read Thermometer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Kitchen Torch
- Smaller or larger batch: Recipe may easily be halved, 1.5x, or doubled. Less volume will cook quicker on the stove and beat into stiff peaks quicker. More volume will take a little longer in both steps.
- Eggs: For best success, I recommend using fresh eggs instead of carton egg whites. Here are all my recipes using leftover egg yolks. Success tip: Eggs separate much easier when they’re cold.
Keywords: homemade marshmallow cream, homemade fluff
I have a carton of egg whites that I need to use up. Will the recipe turn out bad if I use them, or it won’t be as good? I want to put the filling in the S’mores bars if that makes a difference.
Hi Beth, for best success (and taste!) I strongly recommend fresh eggs in this recipe, but you can try carton egg whites as long as they are 100% egg whites. (Most cartons give equivalents to fresh egg whites.)
I have made this recipe several times and I love it! I was looking into making some s’mores pop tarts and I was wondering if I could bake this marshmallow cream inside the poptart? Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Ayla, we haven’t tested it but can’t see why not. Please do let us know if you give it a try!
I love making this and putting it on a chocolate cake and torching it for a smore’s like cake. Do you know if this works well with meringue powder?
★★★★★
Hi Miche, we haven’t tested it but recommend sticking with eggs whites for this recipe, or using a recipe that’s specifically written for using meringue powder.
I made this to top a lemon curd stuffed vanilla cupcake. Everyone loved them. They were all eaten halfway through the event. I would call it a success.
I made my topping the night before and then piped the topping on an hour before our lunch. I torched them and they browned up nicely. I almost lit the wrapper on fire. So watch your wrappers when browning with a torch! I think that the marshmallow cream lost a little of its stiffness overnight in the refrigerator.
★★★★★
I have made this 3 times (currently making a 4th batch) and just love it!!!
★★★★★
Do you think I could use it as a filling I. A whoopie pie?
Hi Justyna, yes, you could use this as the filling for whoopie pies. Enjoy!
Thank you! Could I make it chocolate meringue? If so- would I add cocoa powder or chocolate bar?
We haven’t tested it but you can try gently folding in some melted and completely cooled pure baking chocolate (the kind sold as bars, not chocolate chips). Let us know if you give it a try!
If I’m going to pipe this on cupcakes, when should I do it? I plan to make the cupcakes on a Monday night for Tuesday. I plan on torching the frosting as well. Should I make the frosting Monday and pipe Tuesday, or will it hold overnight in the fridge if I complete the cupcakes on Monday.
Hi Lauren! You can cover and store it for up to 2 days in the refrigerator before piping onto cupcakes.
Should you remove it from the refrigerator an hour before piping, or can it be piped directly from the refrigerator?
Hi Kim, you can pipe it when it’s cold.
Can I use this Marshmallow Crème in place of store-bought crème for baking?
Hi Chole, yes, it is usually a great substitute!
How long beforehand can I pipe this on a cupcake without it loosing its shape? Will it weep like meringue?
Hi CG, it’s best to pipe this frosting as close to serving time as possible. Baked goods topped with this marshmallow meringue can be left at room temperature for up to 6-8 hours. After that, it’s best to refrigerate or else the topping will begin to wilt.
I’ve never done homemade marshmallow cream before. I have granulated sugar, but will it be necessary to pulse it into superfine sugar before I make this?
Hi Allison, no need to pulse the granulated sugar into superfine sugar.
Thanks. What heat level was used to have the water simmer? Would this marshmallow crème be useful for the filling of from-Scratch homemade moon pies?
This turned out great! I have to say, I did in fact substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice for the cream of tartar and it still turned out amazing! I used half for your s’mores cookie bars and the rest is tempting me in the fridge. Thank you!
★★★★★
My whole family loves this marshmallow cream better than the ones made with gelatin or corn syrup!
★★★★★
Hi, I would love to make this but in my country I can’t eat eggs without frying them and do not have the kitchen torch blower thing. Any suggestions?
Hi Eliana, I would try another frosting recipe. I have plenty, and let me know if you have any questions finding a particular one.
I would love to try but in my country I can’t eat the egg without heating and I do not have a kitchen blowtorch. Any suggestions?
Hi Eliana, You will be cooking the egg whites with the sugar and cream of tartar in steps 1 and 2 until it reaches 160 degrees F.
It is quicker to use caster sugar because it is finer. This is delicious
★★★★★
Worse website. To many intrusive commercials. Got recipe on another site that wasn’t as bad
Would I be able to flavor this with a raspberry puree or would it not hold?
Hi Faith, You certainly could, but it will thin out the frosting. Instead, you could try freeze-dried raspberries ground into fine crumbs like we do with strawberries in this strawberry buttercream.
Would this hold food coloring well?
Hi Kris, A couple drops of gel food coloring wouldn’t hurt. Add it when you add the vanilla.
Dear Sally:
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! My son loves it instead of regular frosting on cupcakes and I have piped it onto sweet potato pie instead of whipped cream, and then browned it with a kitchen torch.
Just so you know one I attempted to make this with a sugar substitute, but it was not a success. Some things just needs real sugar to work.
Thank you for such a great blog!
★★★★★
What sugar substitute did you try with this?