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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Frosting

    Marshmallow Frosting

    Updated: Apr 25, 2022 โ€ข Published: Apr 25, 2022 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 89 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    collage of marshmallow frosting, top image of single chocolate cupcake with marshmallow frosting toasted, bottom image of multiple cupcakes spread out one toasted, one not toasted

    I’m sharing my favorite recipe for Marshmallow Frosting today! It’s simple to make, not too sweet, and made completely from scratch. Recipe includes a how-to video!

    culinary torch toasting a marshmallow frosting swirl on top of a chocolate cupcake

    The Best Homemade Marshmallow Fluff

    If you’ve ever been disappointed with marshmallow frosting that wouldn’t fully set up or was just way too sweet, then you need to try my recipe. I’ve cracked the code on how to get the perfect light and fluffy texture, glossy white color, and delicate vanilla marshmallow flavor. And best of all–it’s easy to make, too!

    Not only is my marshmallow frosting recipe simple to make, but it’s not overly sweet. In fact, it uses surprisingly less sugar than many of my other frostings, such as my classic buttercream frosting.

    Why You’ll Love This Marshmallow Frosting:

    • Unlike many other recipes out there, this one does not require pre-made marshmallow fluff or pre-made marshmallows–we’re making this completely from scratch!
    • It’s versatile! This frosting can also be used almost anywhere in place of marshmallow fluff. I recommend you try it on chocolate cupcakes.
    • This is a butter-free recipe, so it’s a great option if you are out of butter or can’t use butter.
    • It has a perfectly balanced sweetness, which is often a big complaint with frostings.
    • The technique is different, but I include lots of tips, notes, and a video to make it easy! The technique is similar to my meringue cookies and Swiss meringue buttercream, and if you’ve tackled my homemade marshmallows recipe you can certainly handle this one!

    What You Need

    overhead view of ingredients including eggs, corn syrup, vanilla, sugar, and salt

    Here are the three key ingredients in today’s marshmallow frosting recipe:

    • Corn syrup. Corn syrup is NOT the same as high fructose corn syrup, which is an ingredient I (and many of you) generally try to avoid. I use corn syrup because it helps keep the sugars in the frosting from recrystallizing and helps the fluff last longer, hold its shape better longer, and last better when refrigerated. 
    • Egg whites. I don’t recommend using store-bought egg whites (often sold in a carton). People have reported mixed success with these, they will not always whip to stiff peaks (and often say so on the carton), which could make for a frosting that’s too soft/droopy. 
    • Cream of tartar. This is important for stabilizing the frosting and keeping it firm. While some people have reported successfully making meringue without it, I recommend using it (it can usually be found in the spice section of your grocery store) for best results.

    SAM’S TIP: For those of you who prefer to bake without corn syrup at all, you can just use the filling for my oatmeal cream pies as a marshmallow frosting.

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make Marshmallow Frosting

    collage of two photos showing how to prepare a double boiler
    1. Fill a medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer.
    2. Make sure your bowl is completely clean and does not touch the bottom of your pot when resting on top.
    collage of four photos showing how to cook and whip marshmallow to make a frosting
    1. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in your bowl, place it on your prepared saucepan, and begin whisking constantly.
    2. Test to make sure the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is ready by rubbing a drop between your fingers and checking the temperature.
    3. Transfer your bowl to your stand mixer and beat the mixture with a whisk attachment until thick, and fluffy stiff peaks form.
    4. Stir in your vanilla until incorporated and use as desired!

    SAM’S TIP: This frosting is great to serve as-is, but it’s even better lightly toasted! I bought an inexpensive culinary torch a few years ago (I’ll link to it in the recipe card) and it’s been so worth it for toasting things like meringue and this frosting.

    white mixer beater with white icing that's standing up to show stiff peaks

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why won’t my marshmallow frosting reach stiff peaks?

    If your frosting is not reaching stiff peaks, it’s possible that there was grease in your bowl or whisk, some egg yolk got in with the white, or water got in the bowl. Unfortunately you will have to start over if this happens. However, you may just need to whip it longer! 

    Does marshmallow frosting need to be refrigerated?

    If consuming within two days, the frosting should be fine to sit at room temperature. Any longer than that, and you’ll need to refrigerate!

    Does marshmallow frosting harden?

    Any part of the frosting that is exposed to air will become firm, much like the exterior of a store-bought marshmallow. However, the interior, everything beneath the outside layer, will remain soft and sticky!

    white frosting being piped onto a chocolate cupcake

    Stay tuned for a recipe that uses this homemade marshmallow fluff very soon…

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    chocolate cupcake frosted with marshmallow icing that's been toasted with a culinary torch

    Marshmallow Frosting

    I'm sharing my favorite recipe for marshmallow frosting today! It's so simple to make, not too sweet, and made completely from scratch. Recipe includes a how-to video!
    Makes enough to generously cover 12 cupcakes or modestly cover 24 cupcakes or cover one 9×13” cake or one two-layer 8” round cake or one two-layer 9” round cake.
    5 from 26 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Frosting
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 cups
    Calories: 163kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
    • ⅔ cup (160 ml) light corn syrup
    • 4 (130 g) large egg whites room temperature preferred, see notes for recipes that can make use of your leftover egg yolks!
    • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
    • ⅛ teaspoon table salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

    Recommended Equipment

    • Mixing bowls
    • Whisk
    • Medium-sized saucepan or double boiler
    • Instant read thermometer
    • Stand mixer (recommended)
    • Culinary torch (optional, for toasting marshmallow)

    Instructions

    • Before you begin: prepare a double boiler. I like to use my stainless steel KitchenAid mixing bowl (since I like to do all the mixing with my stand mixer) and a medium-sized saucepan that is large enough to suspend the bowl without it touching the bottom of the pan. Make sure that the bowl that you will be adding your egg whites to is completely clean, dry, and grease-free.
    • In the bowl that you are using for your double boiler (I use my stand mixer bowl), combine sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt and whisk until well-combined.
      ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ⅔ cup (160 ml) light corn syrup, 4 (130 g) large egg whites, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ⅛ teaspoon table salt
    • Bring 1-2” of water to a simmer over medium-low heat in the bottom of your double boiler (Note: I use a medium-sized saucepan. Make sure that when the bowl of your double boiler is added to the pot it does not touch the water).
    • Place the bowl with egg whites over simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and temperature of mixture reaches at least 160F (70C). Note: if you rub a small amount of the syrup between your fingers, it should feel smooth and not at all gritty. Be careful though, the syrup is hot!
    • Remove bowl from heat and fit it onto your stand mixer (fitted with a whisk attachment). Slowly increase mixer speed to high and beat on high speed for about 5-10 minutes, until you have thick, billowy, glossy stiff peaks.
    • Stir in vanilla extract until completely combined.
      1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • Use marshmallow frosting immediately or cover tightly and store at room temperature until ready to use (you may need to re-whip the frosting before using if it sits longer than several hours). If desired, toast frosting using a culinary torch after piping and before serving.

    Notes

    Recipes That Use Egg Yolks:

    • Lemon Crumb Bars
    • The Best Banana Pudding Recipe
    • Eclair Cake
    • Lemon Pie
    • Chocolate Pie
    • Crème Brûlée Recipe

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 57mg | Sugar: 41g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julie Wade

      July 06, 2025 at 1:26 pm

      5 stars
      This might be my new favorite frosting recipe ever! I was looking for a marshmallow frosting that was fluffy but would hold up in a layered cake and this one is perfect for that! I just made a sโ€™mores cake for the 4th of July with a honey cinnamon cake, dark chocolate ganache, and this marshmallow frosting recipe! It didnโ€™t even last 30mins, and this frosting was a huge part of that!!!

      Reply
      • Sam Merritt

        July 07, 2025 at 5:00 pm

        I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Julie! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    2. Sam E

      June 02, 2025 at 11:12 am

      Can this frosting be colored with food coloring?

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        June 04, 2025 at 12:12 pm

        Sure! Enjoy ๐Ÿ˜Š

        Reply
        • Brittney

          June 18, 2025 at 11:17 am

          What if my frosting didnโ€™t stiff?
          It tastes delicious but didnt stiff welllโ€ฆ. What do I do?

        • Sam Merritt

          June 24, 2025 at 12:30 pm

          Hi Brittney! If your frosting is not reaching stiff peaks, itโ€™s possible that there was grease in your bowl or whisk, some egg yolk got in with the white, or water got in the bowl. Unfortunately you will have to start over if this happens. However, you may just need to whip it longer!

    3. Lexie-Blue Lin

      May 16, 2025 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      its hard to find a frosting my mom will eat. She doest like cream or cream cheese or even butter. this is perfect! I made it today 5/16/2025 and it came out good. It didn’t spread well on the cake I wanted to frost it with. I’m not entirely sure what I did wrong. I will definently make this again! thank you.

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 21, 2025 at 9:28 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lexie! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Mary Ann

      April 19, 2025 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      This marshmallow frosting came out perfect. And it is not overly sweet. The texture was so fluffy and it spread out evenly. I cannot say enough good things about this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your talent!

      Reply
      • Sam

        April 21, 2025 at 10:06 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mary Ann! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Veronica Ball

          May 15, 2025 at 8:14 pm

          How long and where do you store the frosting

        • Sam

          May 16, 2025 at 12:50 pm

          Hi Veronica! If consuming within two days, the frosting should be fine to sit at room temperature. Any longer than that, and youโ€™ll need to refrigerate!

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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