This vegan marzipan recipe is quick and easy and tastes sweet and nutty. It can be used just like traditional marzipan—in cookies, candy, baking, for marzipan fruits, or even as a replacement for fondant. Marzipan typically calls for egg whites, but this version uses aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
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I've been making this vegan marzipan recipe since I made my Vegan Stollen recipe several years ago, but I'd yet to share the marzipan recipe in its own post. Stollen is a German yeast bread made with liquor-soaked fruit and almonds and filled with marzipan...A LOT of marzipan. And it's much more economical to make it yourself since marzipan is expensive and usually not vegan.
So, what makes this marzipan vegan? The egg whites in traditional marzipan are replaced with aquafaba, which works as a direct substitution in this recipe.
Besides using it in stollen, marzipan is wonderful eaten as candy, made into chocolate truffles, made into marzipan fruit or decorations for cakes, and added to baked goods like cookies and cakes. It comes together in 10-15 minutes in a food processor and tastes much fresher than the store bought version.
🥘 Ingredients
Blanched Almonds
I buy sliced blanched almonds to make marzipan, but you can blanch the almonds yourself if you'd like. Here are some good instructions on how to blanch almondsby boiling.
Powdered Sugar
Any kind of powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar will do. Make sure to have extra on hand if you need to add more to adjust the texture of the marzipan.
Aquafaba
You know I love cooking and baking with aquafaba! Marzipan typically contains egg whites, which makes most store bought not vegan. Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, is the perfect egg white substitution in this recipe.
Vanilla Extract or Almond Extract
Use any extract you have on hand. The vanilla will make the marzipan sweeter, while the almond will intensify the flavor of the almonds.
Salt
A pinch of salt helps meld the flavors together. Any kind of salt works!
🔪 Instructions
Place the almonds in a food processor and blend until the oils have started to release, making it doughlike.
Add half of the powdered sugar and continue blending.
Add the aquafaba, vanilla or almond extract, and salt, and continue to blend.
Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar and blend until a smooth, thick dough forms.
Add more powdered sugar if necessary to achieve this texture.
Add food coloring to your marzipan if you'd like, or if you're making marzipan fruit or cake decorations. I like to use Wilton gel food coloring, which is vegan and doesn't affect the texture of the marzipan or any other dough or confection because it's a gel.
🥡 Storage
Place your marzipan in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and store in a cool dry place. It will harden if exposed to air, so make sure it stays covered.
It will keep for about 2 weeks at room temperature, but if you need to keep it longer, you can place it in the refrigerator. Just be aware that it may start to harden a bit.
💭 FAQ
What is marzipan used for?
Marzipan is used in candies, truffles, cookies, or to make marzipan fruit, which I have instructions for below. It can be eaten as is, or baked, so it's incredibly versatile.
My favorite use of vegan marzipan is in my Vegan Stollen recipe, which I make for Christmas most years!
Where can you buy marzipan?
Some brands of marzipan are vegan, but most contain egg whites, so I recommend making it yourself. It will also taste much fresher! The benefit of store bought marzipan is that it has a longer shelf life, but it will be more expensive for a small tube.
Can you eat marzipan raw?
Well, yeah. Unless you're making baked goods with marzipans, you'll be eating it "raw". The egg white version is safe to eat without cooking (though eating raw eggs is kind a sketchy), and so is aquafaba.
Can you make marzipan with different nuts?
I don't see why not! I'd recommend using hazelnuts or cashews. If the nut you use has a higher fat content than almonds, such as cashews, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid and increase the amount of powdered sugar in the recipe.
What is the difference between marzipan and fondant?
Marzipan is made with almonds and sugar, whereas fondant is pure syrup and sugar. Unless you're not a fan of almonds, marzipan tastes a lot better than fondant, but it's more expensive, especially if you want to use it to cover a cake. Which you can, by the way! It will just be more crumbly than fondant.
What is the difference between marzipan and almond paste?
Both marzipan and almond paste are made with blanched almonds, sugar, egg whites (or aquafaba), flavoring, and salt. However, marzipan has a much higher sugar content and is much sweeter. You can actually make marzipan by adding powdered sugar to almond paste.
Almond paste is just a less sweet, softer version of marzipan and is most typically used in baking instead of confections. A popular recipe with almond paste is Italian Rainbow Cookies. I have a recipe for both vegan almond paste and Italian Rainbow Cookies, which you can find here!
🍎 Marzipan Fruit
Making marzipan fruit is a common way of using marzipan, and it's an art! Google "marzipan fruit" and take a look at the beautiful gift boxes of intricately-shaped and painted fruits. They are eaten as candies or used as decoration on other baked goods.
Now that you've seen some gorgeous marzipan fruit, I'm going to show you how to make a rudimentary version of those.
Separate pieces of marzipan into small bowls and dye them with your preferred colors. I used red for apples.
And orange for oranges. Or maybe they look more like pumpkins?
Roll a small piece of marzipan into a ball and use your hands or a toothpick to shape it.
Add a "stem" using a piece of dried fruit. Voila!
🎥 Video
📖 Recipe
Vegan Marzipan Recipe with Aquafaba
Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This vegan marzipan recipe is quick and easy and tastes sweet and nutty. It can be used in cookies, candy, for marzipan fruits, or even as a replacement for fondant. Marzipan typically calls for egg whites, but this version uses aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 3 ½-4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup aquafaba
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Place the almonds in a food processor and blend until the oils have started to release, making it doughlike.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and continue blending.
- Add the aquafaba, vanilla or almond extract, and salt, and continue to blend.
- Gradually add the remaining powdered sugar and blend until a smooth, thick dough forms.
- Add more powdered sugar if necessary to achieve this texture.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place at room temperature.
- Add food coloring if desired, and use in a recipe or however you like.
Notes
- Store the marzipan in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
- The marzipan will keep for about 2 weeks at room temperature. You can place it in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life, but it may harden a bit when cold.
- The marzipan will dry out if exposed to air.
- Do not freeze the marzipan.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 213Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 0gSugar: 47gProtein: 1g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
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