Easy Homemade Marzipan Recipe (Almond Paste)

Making your own homemade marzipan recipe (almond paste) is so easy to do. This post shares how to make this recipe using a food processor with just 5 ingredients.

Once you see how easy it is to make your own almond paste, you’ll never want to use store-bought almond paste again.

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This post shares how to make homemade marzipan with finely ground almonds as well as how to make marzipan with almond flour.

This naturally gluten-free almond paste is perfect for all of your holiday baking.

What is Marzipan (Almond Paste) Made of?

To make this homemade marzipan (almond paste) recipe you will need almonds or almond flour. This post will show you how to make a homemade marzipan recipe with almonds instead of almond flour as well as my preferred method which uses almond flour.

You will also need eggs, powdered sugar, almond extract, and salt.

Homemade Marzipan from Almonds

If you are choosing to use almonds to make this paste you can use whole-blanched almonds. Be sure to stop periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Do not overprocess the almonds, you don’t want almond butter although the sugar should help to prevent this from happening. Be mindful of scraping the sides of the bowl and only processing as needed.

Using whole almonds to make marzipan is pretty simple but be sure that the almond skin has been removed. This will not impact the nutty flavor, the amount of almonds used here will still deliver the delicious almond flavor. Plus, the almond extract added to the mixture of almonds and other ingredients really makes this marzipan dough flavorful.

I recommend the storebought almond meal when making your own marzipan because this way you can be sure that it is finely ground and sufficiently dry.

Homemade Marzipan from Almond Flour

If you are choosing to use almond flour instead of almonds to make this homemade almond paste make sure it is actually almond flour and not an almond meal. Almond meal is made from unpeeled almonds, almond flour is made from peeled almonds so this could impact your recipe.

You can easily purchase almond flour online or at the grocery store made from ground-blanched almonds.

Once you add the almond flour, you can add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until the raw marzipan reaches the desired consistency.

Is this Homemade Marzipan (Almond Paste) Recipe Gluten Free?

Since marzipan is made from almonds, powdered sugar, egg, almond extract, and a pinch of salt it is naturally gluten-free.

What’s the Difference Between Marzipan and Almond Paste

You may be wondering why I keep saying Marzipan (almond paste). The reason is that the two are very similar and in many kitchens, the two can be used in place of one another. Although some may say that the difference is that marzipan contains more sugar.

When using the term Almond paste, this recipe tends to have more almond content than sugar. Marzipan typically has a smoother consistency due to the sugar to the almond ratio which is why it’s so great to use for other desserts.

So they are basically the same thing but the measurements change. Many bakers make marzipan sweeter than typical almond paste because it is usually used for decorating cakes and other baked goods that call for a sweeter, slightly different texture.

If you want your homemade version to resemble a traditional marzipan recipe with higher sugar content, add a little more sugar and less almond flour for sweet marzipan. Watch for consistency and add a little bit of rose water for a more fragrant, smooth dough.

How to Make Marzipan

Using a food processor, begin by mixing the almonds, if you are making this homemade marzipan (almond paste) recipe from almond flour go ahead and add that in here.

Then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until well combined.

Once all of the ingredients are well combined, remove the dough from the food processor. Form a log on a lightly floured work surface if needed to prevent sticking to your countertop.

You could also form the log on top of parchment paper to prevent sticking and use a rolling pin if needed to work with this recipe.

Wrap with plastic wrap or cling film and refrigerate for one hour.

No need to bake this recipe!

Be sure to check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full measurements and instructions on how to make this recipe.

How to Store Marzipan

To store this marzipan (almond paste) you will need to wrap the log with plastic wrap. Take the plastic-wrapped log and store it in a zip-top bag or airtight container.

When stored properly, this almond paste (marzipan) can be kept for up to three months in the refrigerator.

You could also freeze this recipe for up to six months. Just be sure to bring the almond paste to room temperature before using it in recipes.

How to Use Marzipan

Many people use marzipan for many different purposes, here are some of my favorite ways to use this homemade marzipan recipe.

My absolute favorite way to use this marzipan (almond paste) recipe is to make this Italian Rainbow Cookie Recipe. Not only are these cakelike cookies hard to come by in the midwest but they taste so much better when made with homemade almond paste.

Marzipan fruits for decorating cakes is another fun way to use this recipe. Add to fruit cakes and other Christmas cakes to bring your recipes to the next level.

Marzipan Candy can be eaten alone or made into fun shapes and various figures to cover a cake or cookies.

Popular Easy Holiday Recipes

Christmas time is the perfect time to experiment with baking and gift their favorite recipes to friends and family. Here you will find tried and true recipes that are perfect for gifting!

Everyone will love this iced old-fashioned gingerbread recipe. It’s soft, chewy, moist, and delicious! Plus, it’s so easy to make this holiday favorite and it will make the whole house smell great.

The holiday season is the perfect time to make this soft and chewy blackstrap molasses cookie recipe. This soft cookie has the right amount of warm spices and a deliciously soft chewy center.

This Easy Empire Biscuits Recipe will show you how to make this delicious sandwich cookie topped with homemade frosting. They are so much fun to make that the whole family will enjoy creating these sweet treats.

These no-egg chocolate chip cookies were created because I ran out of eggs and didn’t realize it until I was knee-deep in cookie batter. So I decided to improvise and with a few changes to my original chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe, I created an even better no-egg chewy chocolate chip cookie.

This Homemade Eggnog recipe is the perfect holiday treat. So delicious and simple to make, you will never want to buy eggnog from the store again!

This pretzel toffee recipe is so easy to make and it’s always a hit at holiday parties. It’s so delicious and easy that you may want to make a couple of batches of this easy toffee recipe and give them away as a gift this holiday season.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make fresh marzipan with basic ingredients. Don’t forget to pin this easy recipe for later and follow along on social media so that you never miss a post again.