With just four ingredients, this EASY Marshmallow Fondant recipe is inexpensive, easy to make, and can be used for any creative cake decorating project! Plus, it tastes great!
Want a cake recipe to decorate with fondant? Keep it simple with a homemade Yellow or Chocolate cake or make it fancy and fill your cake with Chocolate Mousse!
What I love about this recipe:
- Inexpensive: Store-bought fondant can be pretty expensive but this fondant recipe only costs about $2 for per batch (about 3lbs of fondant)!
- Fast: Only takes about 10 minutes to make homemade fondant!
- Texture: This fondant is perfectly smooth, pliable, and can be made any color you'd like! It is perfect for cake decorating!
How to make Marshmallow Fondant:
Microwave: Place marshmallows and water in a microwave safe bowl and microwave.
Mix in Powdered Sugar: Grease your hands with shortening and use your hands to mix in powdered sugar with the melted marshmallow mixture.
Knead: Grease your hands and your counter-top generously with shortening. Turn marshmallow mixture onto counter and start kneading it like you would dough. Add more powdered sugar as needed and re-grease your hands and the counter-top as needed until the dough is smooth and soft.
4. Add color (if desired) and Roll Out: Roll it out thinly (about ⅛ inch thick) for covering cakes or creating decorations.
How much Fondant do I need to cover my cake?
This recipe makes about 3 pounds (48 oz) of fondant. Here is a conversion chart to help you determine how much fondant you need to cover your cake.
Coloring and Storing Instructions:
To Color: Add a little icing color to your desired amount of fondant. Knead the fondant with your hands until it absorbs all of the color (I recommend wearing plastic gloves). Add more color as needed to reach the desired hue.
To Store: Coat homemade marshmallow fondant with a thin layer of shortening then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Place in a resealable bag with all the air squeezed out. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Recipe Variations:
- Stovetop instead of microwave: Add water and marshmallows to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir well until melted. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar.
- Substitute large marshmallow: To substitute large marshmallows, use a 16 oz. bag of large marshmallows. Follow directions exactly, using a little more water and/or powdered sugar in step 6 to find the right consistency for a smooth dough.
- To use a stand mixer: If you don't want to knead the dough with your hands, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook. First grease the bowl and the hook with shortening. Then dust the bowl gently with powdered sugar. Add marshmallows and slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar (about ½ cup at a time), mixing between each addition.
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Recipe
Marshmallow Fondant
Ingredients
- 16 ounce package mini marshmallows (8 ½ cups)
- 2-5 Tablespoons water
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Place marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a large microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave for 30 seconds on high; stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
- Place about 5 cups of the powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mixture and gently fold it into the marshmallows.
- Grease your hands and your counter generously with shortening. Turn marshmallow mixture onto counter and start kneading it like you would dough.
- Add more confectioners' sugar as needed and re-grease your hands and the counter as needed.
- If the marshmallow fondant is tearing easily, it is too dry; add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time) kneading it until fondant forms a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing.
Notes
- Stovetop instead of microwave: Add water and marshmallows to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir well until melted. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar.
- Substitute large marshmallow: To substitute large marshmallows, use a 16 oz. bag of large marshmallows. Follow directions exactly, using a little more water and/or powdered sugar in step 6 to find the right consistency for a smooth dough.
- To use a stand mixer: If you don't want to knead the dough with your hands, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook. Be sure to FIRST grease the bowl and the hook with shortening. Then dust the bowl gently with powdered sugar. Add marshmallows and slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar (about ½ cup at a time), mixing between each addition.
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe December 2013. Updated April 2020 and July 2022.
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Would coconut oil work instead of vegetable shortening?
Yes! Refined coconut oil works great in place of shortening. Just note it melts easier, so the fondant may be a bit softer.
-Stacy
What type of shortening do u use
Any vegetable shortening should work!
Great website and fondant recipe. Your adverts however made reading it excruciatingly painful. Please reconsider the experience for your visitors.
Very easy to make . I used vanilla to flavor this . It freezes well if you want to make it beforehand . I froze if after coloring and it was fine . I also froze cookies decorated with it and they froze fine and thawed perfectly . Definitely tastes better than store bought
Can the powdered sugar be substituted with powdered erythritol instead? Since it’s primarily marshmallows and sugar, I was hoping we could cut some of the sugar down but I wasn’t sure of consistency.
We’ve got Type 1s that will be having this cake, but between the cake (even though we’re doing a lower sugar/higher protein one), the frosting underneath and the super-sugary fondant, I don’t want their sugars to completely spike off the charts!
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Jenny, I’ve never used powdered erythritol so I honestly couldn’t say. I’m sorry!
So easy and it turned out great! We had more than we needed because I didn’t need to cover the whole cake. Have you ever tried freezing it?
Why does the fondant crack after I applied it to the make cake?
I must have been too dry–you can smooth out cracks with a little bit of shortening.