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.
One reader, Kathy, commented: “Heavenly! I’ll never go back to plain old whipped meringue. I made your recipe for creamy Lemon Pie and topped it with this and oh my goodness. It was incredible! ★★★★★“
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.
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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 or swirled onto cakes, cupcakes, and other confections. It holds simple piped shapes like a swirl, as shown on the cupcakes above. 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Could I fill cupcakes with this? Will it dissolve if I do?
This is excellent as a filling for cupcakes! Here’s our post on How to Fill Cupcakes if you want to use it as a guide. Enjoy!
how many cupcakes does one recipe frost?
Hi Ellie, that depends on how much you put on the cupcakes. These s’mores brownie cupcakes use a slightly smaller batch of this marshmallow creme and that makes enough to frost 18 cupcakes.
Hi! Would this be appropriate to use as an icing on top of some lemon sweet rolls for a lemon meringue inspired taste, or do you think it’d be too stiff or the heat would make it unstable?
Hi Kate, you could definitely try that!
Is it possible to add melted chocolate to this icing so it’s chocolate flavoured. Like a McCains chocolate deep dish icing?
Hi Jen, 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!
I made this and it was sooo easy compared to Italian meringue, which I have made countless times. Love it.
My question is about imparting flavors besides alcohol based ones such as vanilla or booze. With the Italian meringue I would just use the fruit simple syrups I tend to make (with the correct amount of sugar for this future use in mind), and just cook the syrup to the correct temp when I want a flavored Italian meringue. I know oil is bad for the whites, so does that mean I cannot use zest or essential oil flavorings like lemon or peppermint? What about coffee?
Hi Tracee, so glad you love this recipe! We’d love to help, but haven’t tested this recipe with essential oil flavorings or coffee, so are unsure of the result. If you are only adding a small amount of oil or zest, we don’t think that will be a problem. If you decide to try something, please let us know how it goes!
My grandmother and great aunts used to make this frosting for cakes, but they would drizzle bittersweet chocolate over the top and have it run down the sides. I always loved the white part (the sweet part!), but as a small child, I didn’t understand the love of the bitter chocolate! I have looked for a recipe so I can make it in their honor, and I think this is the one! Thank you for the memories!
Everyone loved this cake but I noticed that my my merengue didn’t stiffen like v yours and was a bit sugary/grainy. I used a hand mixer. What do you think caused this. It was still good but would have been better with stiffer smooth marshmallow
Hi Karen, a grainy texture can happen by day two if the sugar wasn’t completely dissolved in step 2 of the recipe directions. If you have a thermometer and you wish to try it again, heat until the temperature reads 160°F (71°C). It may take a bit longer to whip into stiff peaks if using a hand mixer, too.
Can this be used on cake and piped like a buttercream? Wanting to use it for my son’s birthday cake.
Hi Kimi, we don’t recommend using it as a filling for cake (it can easily squish out the sides), but you could certainly use it to frost the outside of a cake.
Hi! Does this hold in a piping bag in the fridge well? Meaning do I need to remove it from the fridge well before frosting? Thank you!
Hi Patricia, yes, you can pipe it when it’s cold.
Are you able to color this frosting and pipe it to write?
Hi Tammy, A couple drops of gel food coloring wouldn’t hurt. Add it when you add the vanilla. We aren’t sure how well this would pipe for writing – it’s a meringue frosting, not like a buttercream.
I’ve made this for cakes and LOVED it. I saw you don’t recommend freezing this? Does that mean you would not recommend use in a creme de menthe pie (usually frozen overnight). Im trying to figure out how to make a homemade version. If you crack this one let me know!
Hi Sally and team! Quick question for this. On this recipe page, you note that separating the eggs is easier if they’re cold. However, on the Smores Brownie Cupcakes page, it says to use room temperature egg whites for the meringue. Could you please tell me which is better? I’m planning to use this on top of the Smores brownie pie. Thank you!
Hi Gina, it’s easier to separate the whites from the yolks when the egg is cool.
Thank you for the help! I made this today (separated the whites while cold, but then allowed them to come closer to room temperature) and wow it was delicious. It worked so well with the smores brownie pie. I now want this for all frosting/icing!
Will this marshmallow creme work in a fudge recipe? It would be nice to stop using the kind from the store.
Hi Alison, we haven’t tested it in a fudge recipe, but fear it may prevent the fudge from setting up fully.
If I made brownies with a layer of this on the inside (brownie, Creme, brownie part on top) do you think it would work?
I’m wondering about reducing the sugar in this. I have a meringue recipe that uses half as much sugar to the same amount of egg whites. I love the consistency of the marshmallow cream which causes for heating the sugar and egg whites together. The meringue you simply Whip the egg whites and gradually at the sugar. How would reducing the sugar affect the consistency of this recipe?
Hi Clare, the sugar is important for giving the meringue it’s texture and structure. We don’t recommend reducing it in this recipe.
This is one of those recipes to save in your go-to folder!
The absolute BEST frosting EVER!
Hi Sally, I’ve used your recipe many many times for my baked goods and it has never failed me! However now I’ve switched from my kitchen aid to my kmix and the mixture just won’t stiffen and I can’t figure out why and the change in mixer is the only change I’ve made.
I use a Thermometer, cold egg whites, granulated sugar and the cream of tartar all weighed and measured.
Hi Coco! Meringue can be very temperamental. Has it been more humid near you lately? That can make it difficult to whip up. Can you test using your KitchenAid again to see if it works there again?
No definitely not humid, but will try it with the kitchen aid again and see if it makes a difference.. wish me luck
Do you think the marshmallow creme frosting will work in Whoopee pies?
Hi Dorian, it will “squish” more easily when you bite into the sandwich, but that will work as long as you’re okay with it being a bit more messy!
Sooo good and easy to follow recipe
I’m in a bind, I did a test run for s’mores cupcakes for a wedding with this topping and it turned out wonderful!! However, the wedding is in the middle of a forrest and I was going to make them a couple days in advance. I noticed the topping did melt/lose its fluff after 2 days. Can I make the marshmallow fluff a couple days ahead of time and just re-whip it day of with my mixer and pipe it/toast it the same day? Thanks for any advice!!
Hi Chel-C, unfortunately this is not the best frosting for making ahead. It will start to lose its fluff after two days as you mention, and it’s not the best candidate for freezing. It would be best to make day-of for a wedding. We’re glad you did enjoy it!
It was a recipe fail on a birthday day. None of the piped flowers held up. It’s not a temp issue. Environment was at 68F.
Hi Angry mom, this meringue is not suited for piping intricate designs. Were you hoping for a stiffer Swiss meringue buttercream?
Hi! I made the Pumpkin Spice cupcakes w/ marshmallow frosting (not this marshmallow creme recipe) but the commenting section wasn’t there for whatever reason. I made the frosting ahead and stored it in the fridge overnight like the recipe notes said, but what next? Should I leave it out until room temp then whip it back to frosting consistency? Hope this makes sense! Thanks!
Hi Addie, if the frosting needs to be rewhipped, you can do it right from the refrigerator. Hope you enjoyed the cupcakes!
Would you recommend using super fine sugar in this recipe? If so, how much?
Hi Luise, that should work just fine here—same amount. Enjoy!
Can you make this with chocolate?
Hi Jackie, 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!
Man, I hate to be this person, but!!! If I reduced the sugar in this, would it still work, or is that amount necessary for the whippy magic to happen? I have tried so many recipes from you over the years, and always with great success.
Hi Violet, the sugar is important for giving the meringue it’s texture and structure. We don’t recommend reducing it in this recipe.
I’ve made this recipe twice and it’s come out perfect both times. I love all your recipes. Thank you
This is probably a me issue, but I noticed there were little bits of coagulated white parts in my icing – a huge bummer. Do you know why this might be? Is this normal? thank you!
Hi Alix, was your sugar completely melted and incorporated into the mixture? In step 2, it’s helpful to 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 you do, keep whisking over the heat. Hope this helps!
I made a chocolate ganache, coated half my cookies, chilled them so the ganache hardened, and left the others as is.
Magnifique!
Hi Sally, I have many of your recipes, always the best! So if you have a recipe that is like the creme filling in Suzy Q’s , Ding Dongs and Hostess Cupcakes and Twinkies, I’d feel forever grateful! I know it’s junk food but I love their cream fillings in those products. Do you have anything very similar?
Hi Danita, you might enjoy the filling from these cream-filled chocolate cupcakes. Let us know if you give it a try!
Just want to drop a quick note to tell you that while I certainly love delicious recipes, what I value just as much is that you take the time to explain the WHYs of each ingredient. I love the science behind the ‘magic’ of baking.
Thank you so much for the kind feedback, Esperanza! We’re so glad you’re enjoying our website and recipes.
I never made marshmallow fluff before but this This recipe is absolutely perfect and so easy! Will definitely be making again !!