Marshmallow Fluff Recipe

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 20 mins

Servings: 24 servings

Yield: 3 cups

Homemade marshmallow fluff is a wonderful treat for kids and adults alike and much easier to make than you think. All you need are five ingredients to start enjoying homemade marshmallow fluff: egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract.

What we especially love is you don’t need a candy thermometer or knowledge of candy-making to make our homemade marshmallow fluff recipe. A regular instant read thermometer, the kind used to test steaks, roasted meat and chicken, works perfectly.

The egg whites and sugar cook over indirect heat by setting a bowl over a pot of boiling water. This method is called a double boiler. The bowl should fit snugly over the pot, acting as a lid to keep the steam inside the pot, which then creates the heat needed to gently cook the egg whites and melt the sugar—you’ll need a little endurance for the 5 minutes or so it takes to constantly whisk them for this step. Then all it takes is patience to let the glossy egg white and sugar mixture beat until it forms an airy, whipped marshmallow cream, what we deliciously refer to as marshmallow fluff.

For this recipe, it’s best to use egg whites from eggs you’ve separated yourself as opposed to liquid egg whites from a container (save those egg yolks to use in one of these recipes).

Once your homemade marshmallow fluff is ready, you can use it as you would store-bought marshmallow fluff. It’s also one of our favorite ways to frost cupcakes or cakes. A quick run under the broiler, or blitz with a pastry torch, lends a toasty marshmallow flavor and appearance.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup egg whites, from 4 large eggs

• 3/4 cup granulated natural cane sugar

• 1/4 cup corn syrup

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a boil (choose a pot that can snugly fit the bowl of a stand mixer over it, without letting any steam escape). Combine the egg whites, sugar and corn syrup in the stand mixer bowl. Whisk to mix.

   

3. Set the bowl over the pot with boiling water. Whisk constantly, keeping water at a vigorous simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved into the egg whites, and they reach 160 F, using an instant read thermometer to test (not a candy thermometer), 4 to 5 minutes.

   

4. Affix the bowl to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Add the vanilla extract and cream of tartar. Starting on low and gradually increasing the speed to high, beat the whites until they form a glossy, sticky meringue-like marshmallow cream, with stiff peaks that cling to the whisk attachment without slipping off, 5 to 6 minutes.

   

5. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use as a frosting, filling for cupcakes or as you would any recipe calling for marshmallow cream.