A Spicy Perspective

How To Make Fondant (Marshmallow Recipe)

How To Make Fondant (Marshmallow Recipe) – I am not a pastry chef, nor do I own a bakeshop. However, I can show you how to make fabulous homemade fondant. This easy recipe tastes better than most fondants and will definitely impress your friends.

How to Make Fondant

Why Make Fondant?

  • It looks cool. Come on, you know that’s the main reason.
  • Homemade fondant tastes better than store-bought fondant.
  • It saves tons of money. My local baking supply store sells fondant for $8 a pound. This recipe make 3 pounds for less than $5.
  • It’s SO much easier than you ever thought it could be.
  • You KNOW you’ve always wanted to make a cake like the ones you see on Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss. Admit it!
Showing How to Make Marshmallow Fondant at home

Making Fondant (Scares)

For years I was terrified of fondant. I’d look at cakes online, in magazines, or on TV and always secretly wish I could create such masterpieces.

Then I heard a rumor from a chef that you could make fondant at home out of marshmallows and powdered sugar. WHAT?!? Marshmallows were the only thing standing between me and my dream? Pretty much.

Now that I’ve conquered fondant, I feel invincible. I’ll attack any “hard-to-make” dish with blind confidence. Turducken, Beef Wellington, Mile-High Souffles, let me at ’em!

Ingredients for Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe Ingredients

The ingredient list for this recipe is so simple, you probably have most of these things in your pantry or fridge already!

  • Mini Marshmallows – white, not the colored variety
  • Water
  • Flavored Extract of ChoiceThis is optional although I used almond extract
  • Powdered Sugar – and lots of it
  • Shortening – or lard
  • Cornstarch – for rolling
Melted Marshmallows

How to Make Fondant with Marshmallows

The most important thing to remember is grease, grease, grease. Marshmallow fondant is very sticky until it’s finished. Grease everything it is going to touch… Including YOU.

Melt the marshmallows with a little water in a GREASED microwave-safe bowl. Mix the powdered sugar and marshmallow in a GREASED electric mixer, until the mixer sounds exhausted.

Then GREASE the counter and yourself, and knead until smooth.

Believe it or not, that’s it.

Get the Complete (Printable) How To Make Fondant (Marshmallow Recipe) + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!

What Is Fondant For?

You can use your amazing fondant to cover cakes, mold into critters, and cut fun shapes for cupcake toppers. It rolls out like a dream and molds just like play-dough.

Fondant is best used to create a smooth layer over cakes, for FLAT decorations, and for small squatty shapes that aren’t top-heavy. If you want to make standing bows or larger flowers you’ll need to use gumpaste, because it dries harder.

making animals with fondant

Supplies Needed for Making Fondant Creations

To make fondant at home, you simply need a large microwave-safe bowl and an electric mixer.

No fancy tools are needed for molding the fondant either. I bought a $1 pack of plastic pallet knives to help form shapes like mushrooms and gnomes. Simple cookie cutters can be handy. You can also paint fondant with food coloring for a water-color look.

Check out these fun ideas as well…

Frequently Asked Questions 

How Long Can I Store This Fondant?

You can store it in the pantry, wrapped really well, or in the back of the fridge for longer periods. I’ve had some in my fridge for several months at a time with no problem at all.

Can I Use A Hand Mixer Instead?

You can, but it probably won’t get you very far. You’ll have to do most of the mixing by hand. It’s a good upper body workout!

Does The Temperature In The Air Make A Difference?

When making fondant the air temp shouldn’t matter that much. It will be a little softer in warm temperatures and a little more firm in cooler climates, but not by much.

Other Great Treat Ideas

How to Make Fondant
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How to Make Fondant (Marshmallow Recipe)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
This Marshmallow Fondant recipe tastes better than most fondants and will definitely impress your friends.
Servings: 3 pounds

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the shortening in a small bowl, you’ll need to dip into throughout the entire process.
  • Grease a microwave-safe bowl, the electric mixer bowl, the paddle attachment and a spatula with shortening.
  • Pour the marshmallows, 3 tablespoons of water and the extract in the microwave-safe bowl.
  • Melt the marshmallows in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir with the greased spatula in between.
  • Continue until the marshmallows are completely smooth—2-3 minutes.
  • Pour the marshmallows into the greased mixer bowl. Start the mixer on low and slowly add the entire bag of powdered sugar. Mix until the mixer starts to struggle. There will still be plenty of dried clumps in the bowl.
  • Grease a clean work surface and your hands. Dump the mixture out on the surface, clumps and all. Start kneading and re-grease hands as needed.
  • Knead for several minutes until the mixture is clump free. At this point, if it seems to be dry and rips when you pull it, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the fondant is soft, pliable and can stretch a little ways when you pull on it. *When you add the water, it is going to seem like a mistake for a moment, but re-grease your hands and keep kneading. The water will absorb into the fondant.
  • Now, grease the whole ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped ball in a large zip bag and squeeze out all the air before sealing. Let it sit overnight to improve the texture and elasticity. *You can use it immediately in a “cake emergency” but it’s better to wait. *It’s best to color fondant right before using so the color doesn’t fade. Drop a few drops of food coloring on the fondant and knead in.
  • Once it has sat overnight, sprinkle a clean work surface, and your hands, with cornstarch. *Some people use more powdered sugar for this, but they risk adding clumps to their perfectly smooth fondant. Cornstarch doesn’t clump.
  • If rolling out for a cake, rub cornstarch on the rolling pin and roll until just over 1/8-inch thick. Make sure to measure the cake and sides accordingly. Drape over a frosted cake and gently smooth any bumps or creases. Carefully cut the excess fondant around the bottom.
  • If using for molding, HAVE FUN! It molds just like play dough. If wrapped well, it will keep at room temperature for a long, long time.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 344kcal, Carbohydrates: 71g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 22mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 64g, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier

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125 comments on “How To Make Fondant (Marshmallow Recipe)”

  1. I just want to say I know I am commenting on a super old post but I made this recipe and for the first step when melting the marshmallows I used raspberry syrup (like you put in coffee or sodas) instead of water and then only a added water to help get it to the right consistency when kneading it. It tastes amazing and I can’t wait to use it for the little shark models I’m making. I also am inspired to try other syrups and flavors. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  2. Will using lard instead of shortening affect anything. I am making some safari animals for decorations not to cover the cake. 
    Thanks 

  3. Great thanks!!!

  4. Great

  5. Hi Sommer, 

    I am in the process of making the fondant mushrooms right now, I am trying to figure out how long the skewers need to be. I am assuming the skewer needs to puncture the cake part of the cake, but do you go all the way down to the bottom of the cake? I don’t know if you will be able to reply in time, but your photos aren’t showing the ends, and I am working on this now. Thanks so much for this post, and the mousse cake recipe. It’s going to be so awesome, I am making it for a good friend’s mushroom themed wedding tomorrow! 

  6. How do you store the Marshmellow Foundant and how long can it be stored?

    • Hi Cindy! I store it in the pantry, wrapped really well, or in the back of the fridge for longer periods. I’ve had some in my fridge for several months at a time with no problem at all. :)

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  8. Thank you! Now that I know how to make marshmallow fondant, my cookies, cupcakes and cake wouldn’t be the same. What a great find.!but some time when i cover my cake with fondant it gets cracked…..plzz tell me why?and how can i correct it ……………….thankss

    • If fondant is cracking you should add a little water (maybe a tsp or two) and knead it in… it might have dried out from the cornstarch a little too much.

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  14. Hi can i used butter instead of shortening coz i can’t find shortening here in italy? Thanks

  15. I just made this today. Making the fondant was super easy. Coloring it was another story. After sitting in the fridge all night I had a white rock to work with. I had to cut it up and attempt to kneed in a color. It wasn’t until the fondant got so dry from the shortening and the air and I added water that the color became more uniform, and the fondant a sticky mess. Eventually it worked out, however it took hours of kneading and fighting. I would recommend cutting it into smaller pieces and microwaving it. It becomes super malleable and the color is uniform very quickly. On the upside, it tastes yummy!

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  17. I greased everything with coconut oil instead of shortening. Worked great. Now I’m off to make fondant toilet paper for my son’s poop cake…

  18. Wow, this is an amazing find, thank you for been so generous in sharing this recipe. As I am from South Africa any suggestions on what I could replace the shortening
    with as we dont have it in SA. Has any one tried it with butter. This has come at such a good time as I am planning to make bakes for parties and weddings, again thank you

  19. I just tried out this recipe! amazing :) and you are right…. grease grease grease!

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  22. I have made this fondant before & mine was SO sticky…but the more powdered sugar I added, it made the fondant crack (I was covering a cake). I literally couldn’t touch it, without it sticking to me, which was incredibly annoying. Any remedies for this…or something I possibly did wrong?

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  24. I tried this recipe today to make a smiling sun for a bday cake. I halved it, but stuck to the exact measurement ratios, and it turned out like runny, gummy glue. Fortunately I had the wherewithal to realize it just needed something dry, and since I didn’t have any more powdered sugar, I added flour. Turned out great! Not too sweet, still tastes like marshmallow. Thanks for posting this.

    • Hey Kelly, As with most baking/sugar issues it might have had to do with climate and conditions. I’m so glad you were able to fix it!

  25. This is a very good recipe but blending the powdered sugar and marshmallows did not work out very well .. so instead I just used my hands to mix it up . hanks worked out very well !

  26. Hi–
    I am planning on making this fondant however I do not have a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Will it still turn out if I use a hand mixer?? thanks =)

    • Hi Shannon, You can, but it probably won’t get you very far. You’ll have to do most of the mixing by hand. Let me know how it goes!

      • I do not use a hand mixer when i make mine. I microwave the marshmallow, add most of my powder sugar, then grease my counter top before i pour out and just knead it. As I knead ! add a little bit of sugar at a time until I get the right consistency.

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  28. You have made my dreams come true. I got out of walmart bakery, and am in a private bakery that someone else has. And soon, armed with this and imagination, will go on my own with a bakery of my own someday.

    And it tastes better then all that stuff that gets shipped anyway, but then again, all homemade things do.

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  30. I’m getting ready to try this recipe, but am curious to know how long it will keep at room temperature? You said if in #13: “If wrapped well, it will keep at room temperature for a long, long time,” but what exactly does that mean. Once it’s wrapped in saran wrap, can I put the ball in a ziplock food saver bag & remove the excess air with my handheld foodsaver vac? And how long is “a long, long time” really…1 week, 1 month, longer? Please elaborate…it would be greatly appreciated.

    And thanks for sharing this recipe…

    • Hi Dawn,

      I’ve had some in the pantry (wrapped well) for 3 months and it’s still soft. The longest I’ve ever let it sit and still used it was about 4 months. I had that in the frig though…

  31. Lovely recipe….!!!! and how nicely u’ve used the food colors…!! can’t wait to try…

  32. Can’t wait to make fondant for the first time and Ive never used it! What kind of extract do you use? Is it good without any extract?

  33. i have been looking for this recipe for a while now & i finally found it. thank you :-)

  34. Thank you so much for sharing this! Its exactly what I was looking for, an alternative to store bought fondant that I can use to mold a penguin couple out of for a wedding shower cake, and the bow for on top. Super excited to try this! :)

  35. I just wanted to tell you that I just tried this and… It as amazing! I’ve just been kneading it all by hand after microwaving and this so much easier!!! I will be doing this from now on!!! Thank you so much for posting this!!! I’m forever grateful!! Lol

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  37. Trying this tonight for my daughters B-Day tie dye peace sign cake. Can’t wait.

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  39. Late on this discussion, but adding a teaspoon or so of light cornsyrup to the melted marshmallow will help with the pliability of the fondant. Less tears and a little stretching room to cover all sides of the cake. Also, add your food coloring gel before mixing in the powder sugar. Lots easier!

  40. Does the temp in the air make a difference?

    • Hi Rebecca!

      The air temp shouldn’t matter that much. It will be a little softer in warm temps and a little more firm in cooler temps, but not by much. :)

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  42. I am planning on doing this for the first time for a birthday this coming weekend. I was wondering if it will cover a two tiered cake? Also im doing a zebra stripe on the cake. Do I need to do this twice?

  43. You ROCK! No… Seriously!! I wish i’d have found this recipe before making my sons birthday cake!! I will most definitely be using this next year! Thanks so much for posting!

  44. Thank you! Now that I know how to make marshmallow fondant, my cookies, cupcakes and cake wouldn’t be the same. What a great find.!

  45. You have addressed the secret desire of all the home bakers..to master the art of well decorated cake…This is where the crappy tasting store fondants create havoc..thanks for this simple way to solve it!! Planning to try with butter…will let u know how it came.

  46. You are so talented, Sommer! Those gnomes are ADORABLE!!!!

  47. how cute is this.. I love gnomes.

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  49. Love this, thanks for sharing, happy Baking!

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  51. Hi Sommer!
    Those mushrooms and gnomes are adorable!
    Great tutorial! I follow your instructions and I got a good fondant. Thanks!

  52. amazing post! I would jump for joy if I could make those mushrooms look like that!

  53. So nice! I love those cute little mushroom look alikes. You have magic in your hands. Brilliant work

  54. Thanks for sharing your recipe and secrets. I am frightened of fondant. Maybe I will give it a try now.

  55. I saw a picture of these little gnomes on another site and thought they were soooo cute! I am super excited to see that it was you who created them!!!

  56. Those little gnomes are so cute! This is a a very useful post–definitely saving it. I can’t believe how expensive store-bought fondant is, plus it tastes gross! This is the way to go.

  57. too CUTE! and with marshmallows involved, bet you’re right about it being better tasting!

  58. You’re right, this is cool! Talk about playing with your food;-)

  59. How fun! Those mushrooms look strikingly real!

  60. You are so clever!! I have never made fondant before and you motivated me to give it a try! I adore the gnomes!

  61. Look at those little sculpted creations! This is why Royal Icing and fondant and me don’t get along very well. Big picture in the brain that I cannot make happen with my hands I must not have played with playdough enough as a kid.

    • This is an old thread. Any chance you are still baking?  I would like to add that fondant is easier than royal icing, because you can just use cookie cutters. I know the sculptures some people make with fondant are amazing, but even just covering a cake in fondant with a coordinating color of polka dots or stripes looks professional.

  62. You make it the tasks sound so easy,good recipe.Delicious!

  63. Now this is something I can do!! Thanks for that easy recipe!

  64. your right..the premade fondant is sooooo expensive. $15.00 for 2 pounds at the cake store I go to! Crazy. MMF tastes much better too!

  65. I’ve made this before, but with water, marshmallows and powdered sugar! And it was by hand, not in a mixer! Marshmallow fondant is so good compared to the other {gross} store bought kind! Great tutorial!

  66. This is a must keep and use often recipe. Thanks for showing us how easy it can be. Come visit us. We have a terrific aplenty chutney recipe.

  67. This is SO helpful, you make it look so easy! Thanks!

  68. What a great post! These are amazing!!!

  69. Those are some really cute mushrooms! Great fun too!

  70. Just found your site- bookmarked! I’ll be checking back for more fab recipes!

  71. Just found your site- bookmarked! I’ll be checking back for more fab recipes!

  72. It never crossed my mind to make my own fondant! This is bookmarked for sure because not only does it look easy, it costs less and tastes better!

  73. What a marvelous creation..you made it look all so easy, Sommer! Love those cute little dolls.

  74. I found your blog because of Marla’s post on FaceBook. Thank you for being so generous as to share this great recipe and with an easy to follow how-to. Beautiful!

  75. Absolutely brilliant! Buzzed AND bookmarked!

  76. Homemade fondant is genius! And those little gnomes are precious :)

  77. I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook and have to do very little hand kneading. It works great!

  78. Yup. I have a feeling these marshmallow fondant mushrooms are going to be making an appearance the next time I have to bake something for the mushroom club….

  79. Your gnomes are so cute! I didn’t realize this was makeable, I always buy fondant at the store. I’m excited to have a recipe to try, thanks for the great share!

  80. I have never made fondant, and now thanks to you I know how! this is going on my list of things to teach my girls this year!
    Thank you so much for the lesson!

  81. Those gnomes are so aweseome-So cute and well carved!

  82. Oh my goodness, your gnomes are SO cute! I can’t wait to try this, I love the idea of fondant that actually tastes good. :-)

  83. I love making this fondant! I use the dough hook instead of paddle so that it’s not as hard on my KA. I still knead it myself. I can tell if it is ready better by feeling the fondant. BTW if it gets hard just microwave in increments of seconds.

    • I am glad I saw this! I made it last night and I need it for the weekend so I wanted to check on it today incase I had to make a new batch. It feels a little stiff, or like when you would stretch chewed gum (I know I used to as a kid when I was bored haha). Hoping it is ok!

  84. So impressed! Those are incredible well done.

  85. Would it be terrible to use a dough hook and knead it in the mixer? I’m lazy….

    • Hey Maria,

      I’ve tried that… the fondant is so thick it will give your mixer a whoopin! But the mixer really does the majority of the work before you dump it out.

  86. What a great tutorial! You made it seem so easy to do. Thanks, Sommer.

  87. Super cool! I don’t believe this! looks so easy :)

  88. Thank you for this recipe. If only I had known how to do this when I made my daughter a fairy cake with mushrooms.

  89. These would be PERFECT for my daughter’s Gnomeo & Juliet themed b-day party :)

  90. Wonderful tutorial Sommer! My mind is going nuts right now with the things I could make with Marshmallow Fondant. Thank you for sharing!!

  91. Oh my gosh, that is so cute! I’m still not brave enough and am too lazy to make my own fondant. You do make it look way too easy…

  92. Oh my gosh, that is so cute! I’m still not brave enough and am too lazy to make my own fondant. You do make it look way too easy…

  93. Great tutorial! This is the way I make my fondant, too and it tastes SO much better than many commercial brands out there.

  94. I’m saving this post. I usually hate the taste of fondant. I do like marshmallow fondant much better and you’ve made it look so easy to make!

  95. I had absolutely no idea that it would be that easy. I can’t wait to give it a try and make my own. Thank you, thank you for showing us how to make it.

    I adore those gnomes too. I don’t know that I’m up for that, but I bet I could conquer the mushrooms!

  96. You are simply awesome, Sommer! That is just too cool. I’m so far removed from cake decorating, that I’ve never heard of marshmallow fondant. Adorable!

  97. Oh Sommer – you are my hero! I have always wanted to try working with fondant and now you tell me I can make my own! Thank you a million times! Your gnomes are so adorable. Why or why don’t I work in a bakery instead at a desk?

  98. WHOA. So impressive. Those shrooms look so real

  99. I love Marshmallow fondant! I discovered it recently and it is loads of fun!
    Love the mushrooms and gnomes!

  100. You’re right. It does look cool. I probably won’t try this myself, but I know my wife will like it. She’s experimented with fondant a few times.

  101. I love how easy marshmallow fondant is. And those mushrooms and gnomes are just adorable, Sommer!

  102. All right, those are DARN cute.

  103. Wow, I would never think to make my own fondant. How cute are your gnomes!

  104. That is awesome!!!! I am so excited to try this….. great post!