Basic Marzipan prepared easily, no cooking involved, all-natural with real flavors, and only 4 ingredients!
This is based on our German raw marzipan mass recipe which is further used in cakes, cookies candies.
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This recipe is vegan and without eggs.
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📕 What is Marzipan?
Marzipan is a raw mass of flavored almond paste.
Whole almonds are peeled and reduced to a fine flour.
This is then enhanced with sugar and flavorings such as rosewater, orange water, and bitter almond extract and turned into a tight mass that can be easily shaped.
The raw marzipan mass is further used to prepare candy, cookies, and cakes.
The original, true Marzipan is prepared with egg whites. This is an enhanced egg-free vegan “fake” Marzipan version.
🔪 How to make it?
While it's time-consuming to prepare homemade marzipan, it is tastier and not that difficult to prepare.
Peeling the almonds is what takes time (just outsource this mindless activity to your kids or your husband while they watch TV).
Because my marzipan recipe is a homemade uncooked vegan version without eggs, you save time preparing the almond paste.
Step 1
Keep almonds to soak in water.
Peel almonds when the skin has detached from almonds.
Step 2
Keep almonds to dry. Either air dry, sundry, dehydrator dry, or low temperature (122F/50C) oven dry.
Blend almonds to a fine flour.
Step 3
Combine almond flour with sugar, almond extract, and rose water to prepare a smooth marzipan paste.
Wrap in cling film to store.
🥮 Ingredients
This marzipan recipe includes the following basic ingredients.
Almonds
I use whole almonds, these are peeled and turned into homemade almond flour.
Don't use commercially available almond flour because the taste won't be the same and will turn the raw marzipan recipe dry and dull.
To make the best marzipan almond paste, you should use whole quality almonds, there is no way around it.
Pick super quality almonds. It makes the whole difference at the end!
If I could grow my own almonds, I would do that to create the ultimate most amazing marzipan raw mass.
If you want to save time, get blanched almond flour (it's cream-white in color).
Sugar
I use powdered sugar because it mixes easily into the homemade almond flour.
Sugar is there to sweeten but also helps in the conservation of the almond paste, so to say to keep it good for a longer period of time.
In older times honey was used as a sweetener, which is a great idea too if you want your marzipan recipe to turn out all natural.
The disadvantage of honey marzipan is that it tends to get harder faster in the fridge and it can't be stored for that long.
Whereas sugar marzipan tends to remain juicy soft for a longer period of time.
Rose water/ Orange water
Marzipan is usually prepared with rose water or orange water.
It depends on the origin.
For example, rose water is most commonly used in Germany, orange water would be a must in a french marzipan recipe.
The near east, and in Asia in general, uses rose water to prepare marzipan almond paste.
Because rose water seems to be the norm I tend to prefer this over orange water.
Yet, both taste distinctively amazing in their own way.
This is something for you to experiment with.
Almond Extract
Almond extract is one of those extra ingredients which you can live without but I can't.
In German-speaking countries, almond extract is usually added to prepare a raw marzipan mass.
What they use exactly is bitter almond extract.
Bitter almonds cannot be consumed the way we consume the normal sweet almonds, but they are turned into a bitter almond extract.
When adding bitter almond extract to the Marzipan recipe ingredients, it enhances and brings out all the other ingredient flavors.
It turns your homemade marzipan into something you can't stop enjoying.
You can skip this ingredient.
However, if you want to prepare the best ever marzipan recipe, then don't and just buy some bitter almond extract.
You won't regret it.
Other ingredients and variations
Some marzipan recipes are cooked and egg whites are added.
This is supposedly needed when you want to use your marzipan as a cake coating.
The egg whites turn the marzipan more flexible and hold the mass together.
I have avoided the egg whites in my marzipan recipe.
Besides almonds, also pistachios can be used to prepare marzipan.
The word and meaning for marzipan is not limited to almonds alone.
🆚 Homemade vs Commercial Marzipan
Homemade Marzipan doesn't include odd preservatives and is not as sweet.
Commercially available marzipan tends to be finer in texture and can be kept for a longer period of time.
Each has its advantages, but the homemade marzipan tastes authentic and so much better.
📜 Origins
Marzipan has been around since medieval times in Europe.
Most probably, the sweet almond paste is even older than that.
Some cities in Europe claim to have invented marzipan, such as Toledo in Spain and Lübeck in Germany, but you see you can't copyright something which is as old and popular as the simple preparation of an almond paste.
Marzipan must have come from the near east where it was later introduced to Europe via the Arabs (trade, invasions), returning crusaders, and trading Jews in central Europe.
It's hard to pinpoint where it all started out.
Simply because all good things are always claimed by everyone and Marzipan is definitely one of those good things in this world.
🥣 Uses
Cookies:
- Bethmännchen Cookies - Bavarian Marzipan based Cookies (German)
- Petit Fours Marzipan Cookies - Marzipan cookies (French)
- Poppy Seed Marzipan Sandwich cookies with plum jam by cinnamonandcoriander.com
- Nürnberger Elisenlebkuchen cookies – authentic Lebkuchen Gingerbread from Nuremberg city in Bavaria (German)
- Pignoli Cookies (Italian)
Cakes:
- Yule Log – Buche de Noel Christmas Roll (French)
- Marzipan Stollen by lavenderandmacarons.com
- Marzipan used as a layer of fondant
- Almond Coffee Cake by foodfolksandfun.net
- Tarte Amandine with Pears by pandemoniumnoshery.blogspot.com
- Dutch Christmas Log by lavenderandmacarons.com
Candy:
- Marzipan Figurines and Confects such as New Year's pigglets or Valentine's marzipan hearts, and marzipan fruits to decorate cakes or to enjoy as a candy. I made creepy super realistic Halloween marzipan creatures!
- Calisson Marzipan Candy - Orange flower water almond paste specialty from Aix en Provence (South French)
- Natural Honey Marzipan (old way recipe with whole almonds)
- Marzipan Truffles by cookingjourneyblog.com
- Mozart balls – Pistachio Marzipan candy with nougat and other ingredients turned into a candy specialty from Salzburg (Austrian)
- Marzipan Chocolate – dipped into dark or white chocolate
💭 FAQs
Marzipan takes like almond and the flavor that was added such as bitter almond flavor and/or rose water.
You can use orange water, rum flavoring, cherry water, lemon juice just for a few ideas. Marzipan across the world are made with local flavoring favorites.
Yes, this recipe is eggless and therefore vegan.
Yes, you can make this recipe with Pistachio too or cashews.
Frangipane is a sweet almond filling used in cakes and tarts, as in this rhubarb tart. Marzipan is an almond paste.
Dear Reader, what are you planning to prepare out of this marzipan mass? How are you using marzipan?
📖 Recipe
Basic Marzipan Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Almonds
- ⅔ cup Powdered Sugar aka confectioners sugar
- 1-2 Teaspoon Rose Water *see Notes
- few drops Bitter Almond extract optional
Instructions
- Soak your almonds in water. You can either A. soak overnight or B. speed up the soaking time by soaking the almonds in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Almonds need to be soaked so that you can peel the almonds, otherwise, you can't peel them.2 cups Whole Almonds
- Peel your almonds (this is the time-consuming part, outsource this activity to your beloved family members).
- Dry your almonds. Tap them dry, then let them dry in the air, sun or dry in the oven for 20 minutes at max 100 Celsius/ 210 Fahrenheit. This is important because otherwise, you can't grind your almonds into a flour.
- Grind your dry peeled almonds into a fine flour. Use a powerful blender for the best result.
- Place the homemade almonds flour into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, rose water, and bitter almond extract.2 cups Whole Almonds, ⅔ cup Powdered Sugar, 1-2 Teaspoon Rose Water, few drops Bitter Almond extract
- Mix the content and shape to a marzipan mass. I keep it in a brick shape.
- Wrap into cling film and keep refrigerated until further use.
Notes
- Use quality almonds for the best result, do not use commercially available almond flour, it's too dry and dull in flavor.
- Use Rosewater or Orange blossom water. Some people add rum or cognac instead to prepare different marzipan variations.
- You must adjust the amount of rose water added. Start by adding a teaspoon. Add only more if you feel the paste is too dry. It depends on your almonds and how oily your almonds are. Sometimes my almonds paste is fine with 1 teaspoon of water, sometimes I need to add a little more. The marzipan shouldn't turn out too soft and wet!
- You have the option of adding bitter almond extract to the marzipan raw mass. I always add it, it's a secret ingredient and will turn your marzipan into the best almond paste! This is the bitter almond extract that I use, it's the most used extract and the one most people use in Germany/Austria.
Hello, Can I know how much a cup of whole almonds yields in ground almonds because I already have a grounded batch.
Thank you for the easy recipe
There are metric measurements for weight. It's 250 grams for 2 cups of whole almonds. 250 grams is also 8.8 ounces. I didn't measure ground almonds in cups because this needs to be weight to be accurate. Or else the quantity of liquids added will be very different. Generally speaking in baking, you need to measure. Using cups isn't recommended.
Hi, I'm been making this recipe "uncooked " version for a few years now. I make Marzipan Easter eggs for my children. This is quite popular in India. Yes, we prefer using rose water. It's enjoyed by both children as well as adults.
Thanks for sharing Charmaine, I appreciate it. 🙂
Hi, can it be eaten raw? Is there a difference in taste when cooked?
Yes, you can eat marzipan raw. We make raw marzipan figurines which we gift on new years day. I think marzipan does taste differently when baked.
Hi Helen
It’s my fist time making homemade marzipan , I did everything your recipe called for and added the rose water a little at a time . My marzipan is some what staying together but will not stay together so that I can form a roll or a brick . Do I need to add more liquid ?
Hi Amelie, please excuse the late reply. Did you grind the almonds to a super fine consistency? That can make the difference most of the time. If it can take little more rose water, add some more of it. Sometimes the choice of almonds can make the difference too. Quality almonds tend to be a bit oilier. If my marzipan would not hold together I would try to add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of oil and adjust accordingly the almond flour/rose water/sugar quantity in a kitchen machine/food processor, until it's forming and getting sticky (but not too wet). You have to consider that the sugar helps in keeping it all together too and sugar helps in preserving the mass as well.
I've been looking for a dairy free recipe for marzipan and yours looks the ticket.
Will try it and let you know outcome.
Thankyou and a Blessed and Holy Peaceful Happy Christmas to you.
Hi Vilka, thanks for your lovely wishes. Enjoy your homemade marzipan and we hope to read from you soon! 🙂
This marzipan is fabulous! Perfect for holiday baking!
This looks amazing! I don't care who invented Marzipan, I'm just glad I can make it from home with recipe - thank you!!
Marzipan recipe is looking yum. You explained each and every ingredient very clearly, loving it. I am going to try this recipe.
I've never made marzipan at home, but I can see that it's not difficult at all and I need to make it one day, especially since I love using it in my recipes. Thank you for including my recipes in your roundup!
I totally got inspired by your collection of recipes with marzipan. It's such an underrated healthier sweet outside of the German-speaking area.