This fondant recipe is a favorite amongst hobby bakers and professional bakers alike. Soft, smooth, easy to. work with and so delicious! This fondant recipe is so good you won't ever have to buy expensive fondant again.
My fondant recipe (LMF fondant) was one of the first ever published back in 2010 back when I was still Artisan Cake Company and is still my most shared recipe.
Fondant is basically the edible playdough your eight-year-old self always wanted. If regular fondant is edible playdough then marshmallow fondant is edible clay. It's much more versatile, easier to use and much tastier (I don't recommend you eat clay though).
Marshmallow Fondant vs Regular Fondant
When I first started cake decorating as a hobby in 2008, the only fondant I knew about was Wilton. I didn't even know other brands of fondant existed. I didn't know it was hard to use because it was all I was used to. I just assumed it took 2-3 tries to cover a cake. This was also before social media and facebook groups so most of my caking came from pure struggle.
The first time ever attempted to make fondant was out of pure necessity. I had took on a last minute order and suddenly found myself without enough fondant to get me through my project! Cue panic mode! I looked up a recipe on how to make fondant and it required a ton of cooking and ingredients I didn't have. Ok strike one. I checked another "easy homemade fondant" recipe that only required two ingredients. Marshmallows and powdered sugar. EPIC FAIL. It cracked, tore and was really oily? Not sure how that is even possible. In desperation, I combined the failed fondant with about ½ pound of leftover wilton fondant. I mixed it up, rolled it out and was AMAZED at how easily it covered the cake! No tearing, no pock marks, no bubbles! And that's how my famous fondant recipe was born.
For even better results, try putting this fondant over the top of our white cake recipe and see how delicious the two work together.
Why Are You Adding Fondant To Fondant?
I get that question a lot. I get it. It seems a little backward to add fondant to a fondant recipe but hear me out.
It is possible to make marshmallow fondant without adding the pre-made fondant BUT it won't be as stretchy. It just won't. I know lot's of people who make marshmallow fondant without pre-made but it just doesn't perform as well and you're here to learn about the BEST homemade fondant out there right?
The reason for adding in the pre-made fondant is to improve the workability of the homemade fondant and you're basically making a cheap batch of fondant that may not perform or taste very good into a larger batch of high-quality, super yummy fondant.
What Is Fondant Made Of?
Store bought fondant can be made of many things but in general, it's made from sugar, flavorings and some sort of gum (to make it stretchy). Depending on the exact combination, your fondant texture can range from soft and sticky to chewy or even tough! I often tell anyone who says they don't like the taste of fondant that just likes cheap grocery store chocolate compared to couverture, quality matters. Not all fondant is made the same!
Anyone can tell you that good fondant DOES exist.
Marshmallow fondant doesn't have that many ingredients. Marshmallows provide the main structure. Marshmallows contain mostly sugar and gelatin. A little bit of vegetable shortening helps the fondant from drying out. The best part is that LMF works best when you use really cheap marshmallows which brings the price per batch down even further.
Does Fondant Really Taste Bad?
Fondant is one of those things that my clients used to tell me they HATED right before a wedding cake tasting. I would smile and nod and say "ok" but I knew that once they tasted my homemade marshmallow fondant recipe (dubbed LMF by fans) I would have them hooked. Nothing was more satisfying than handing them that little cutout of fondant and seeing the look on their face go from "I'm definitely not going to like this" to pure shock, then a little more chewing, a big smile, then finally "OMG this is really good!"
BOOM.
My marshmallow fondant has been my secret weapon for years and now it can be yours too.
Easy Fondant Recipe For Beginners
So you want to work with fondant but you're scared! I get it! A lot of beginners are nervous to work with fondant because they have heard how difficult it can be to work with! But you know what? The secret to success really is in making it yourself. If you are getting cracking, tearing, elephant skin, pockmarks, bubbles or even dryness, you're probably using store-bought fondant that is just plain bad.
If you really want to learn all about the basics of decorating cakes you can watch our series on Sugar Geek Show and if that doesn't hook you, our wedding cake basics series will!
This recipe is easy to make, doesn't take any fancy ingredients and works best right after you make it (still warm).
Can You Make Fondant Without Marshmallows?
One of the coolest things that ever came from my LMF recipe has probably been DKF (Danettes Kosher Fondant). My friend Danette can't eat gelatin so she devised a fondant recipe that is just as easy to make as LMF but uses marshmallow fluff instead of cheap marshmallows. It works just as well and is kosher!
Tips
Here are some other tips for working with homemade fondant. You can learn more about the basics of cake decorating in our basic cake decorating series.
- Roll your fondant thin. ⅛" is a good place to be so that your fondant doesn't tear, you can get those sharp edges and you get the most out of one batch.
- Chill your cakes before you cover them. Make sure your buttercream or ganache is nice and cold (but not frozen) before you cover the cake for best results.
- Roll your fondant out bigger than you need. A common beginner mistake is rolling out the fondant too small and then you get tons of ruffles and tears around the base of the cake. If you roll out a bigger piece, it practically covers itself.
- Condition your fondant before you use it. Unless you just made it, then always warm your fondant and knead it well until it's nice and stretchy. Cold fondant likes to tear.
- If you have multiple tiers to cover, cover the largest one first and make your way down to the smallest to get the most out of your fondant. One batch of LMF will cover a 10"-8"-6" round with a little bit leftover if you roll it out to ⅛" thick.
How Do You Color Fondant?
Once you master making your delicious homemade fondant recipe, you might want to color your fondant recipe. The key here is making sure you don't use too much food coloring. If you use too much it could cause ruin the consistency of your fondant and it will look like it it has little holes in it.
If you want a light color of fondant you can simply add a little color to your white fondant but if you want a super bright color or dark colors like black fondant or red fondant then you need to add the color during the process of making it for best results.
Tools
Kitchenaid mixer When I first started decorating, I had a simple second-hand KitchenAid. That's all you really need! This recipe works best when made in the classic size.
How To Make Fondant
- Microwave 1 lb of marshmallows in 30-second bursts until fully melted
- Add your water and pour melted marshmallows into the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached
- Add in your vegetable shortening
- Start adding in all your powdered sugar one cup at a time, leave one cup out
- Let your fondant mix on low until smooth, this can take 5 minutes or so
- Scrape the fondant out of the bowl with a spatula into your bowl of remaining powdered sugar
- Knead the mixture until all the powdered sugar is incorporated
- Heat up your store bought fondant for 30 seconds and add it to the marshmallow fondant
- Knead until fondant can be stretched like taffy without breaking
To make this recipe, you'll need a little store bought fondant. It doesn't have to be Wilton but that's what I have available here and is super cheap BUT you can get it for even cheaper if you use a coupon. I get my fondant from either Jo-Anns or Michaels and there is always a coupon either online or in the app. You're going to want to buy the big box (5 lbs) and then use a coupon to get 40% off. You can sign up to get coupons right in the app or on the website. Each 5 lb box will make FOUR batches of fondant and is much cheaper to buy the big box than to buy one small box.
You can also buy fondant on Amazon and sometimes it's cheaper than buying it in person even with a coupon and you get free shipping with Amazon Prime.
Next thing is the marshmallows. I buy mine from Winco but if you don't have a Winco, just look for the cheap store brand marshmallows. Jet-puff tends to be too tough for me and dry. You'll need a 1 lb bag. At my Winco one bag costs .87!
Those are the main ingredients of making marshmallow fondant that tastes amazing and doesn't tear or get dried out. If you have a question go ahead and leave it in the comments for me and don't forget to watch the video in the recipe to see how I make my marshmallow fondant recipe.
Other recipes you'll love
The best vanilla cake recipe
How to cover a cake in fondant
Easy buttercream frosting recipe
Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 32 oz powdered sugar sifted (also called icing sugar, confectionary sugar)
- 16 oz marshmallows WinCo, Hy-Top, Aldi, and Campfire brands work best
- 20 oz Wilton fondant Satin Ice fondant will also work
- 2 tablespoon warm water For dark colors, use 1 tablespoon warm water and 1 tablespoon food color gel
- 4 oz vegetable shortening Also called white vegetable fat, trex, copha
Instructions
How to make fondant
- Sift the powdered sugar and set aside in a large bowl.
- Place vegetable shortening in a stand mixer bowl.
- Heat marshmallows for 40 seconds in the microwave on high (or on stove top). Stir with spoon.
- Place marshmallows back into microwave and heat for another 30 seconds (or on stove top). Stir with spoon.
- Heat marshmallows (last time!) for 30 seconds in the microwave (or on stove top).Marshmallows should be ooey-gooey at this point and ready to be added to the mixer bowl. Pour your water on top of the marshmallows to get them to release from the sides of the bowl. Pour into bowl with vegetable shortening
- Turn stand mixer on lowest setting (setting 1 on Kitchenaid stand mixers) with dough hook attachmentAdd in half of your sifted powdered sugar, a measuring cup at a time, and let mix for 2 minutes. It will be really rough looking at first
- Don't stop mixing until it's sticking to the sides of the bowl and looks smooth. Add in another cup of powdered sugar.
- Pull fondant off the dough hook attachment by putting vegetable shortening on your fingers and pulling it off the hook.
- Take the soft mixture out of the bowl and put it into the large bowl with the rest of the powdered sugar.
- Warm the Wilton fondant in the microwave for 40 seconds and add to the large bowl with the powdered sugar and marshmallow mix.
- Knead until powdered sugar, marshmallows and Wilton fondant is mostly incorporated. You may not use all of the powdered sugar depending on your climate and that is completely fine.
- Pull fondant like taffy until it is stretchy and smooth. If there are still rough spots or it's tearing, put everything back in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to make it really hot and pull like taffy with shortening on your hands until it pulls without breaking
- Store in a zip-lock bag at room temperature. Fondant will keep for months in a zip-lock bag. To use again, reheat and knead well until stretchy before each use. You can add color as desired but for dark colors, you should add them during the mixing process or you could get a sticky mess.
Video
Nutrition
Rosa says
I made this fondant this week & I LOVE it!!! It seriously came out just beautiful. I made white, red, & then colored some of the white into black, 2 different yellows, brown, mint green, green, & pink. I was intimidated making this recipe & I was stressing a little. I was worried that if it didn’t come out right I would have to last minute go buy Fondx to my local cake supple store which is expensive & end up spending more. I will definitely be using this recipe going forward! It was easy to work with & my toddler tasted it & liked it (I’m a vegetarian so didn’t try it), but I’m gonna try your recipe with the marshmellow fluff. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Carly says
Hi Liz,
I'm in dire need of some help with the LMF... I made it successfully 6 years ago (so I'm not a total screwup, promise!) but every time I've tried since it's been a horrible mess... including for my own wedding cake, which was only saved by the fact that I painted it gold and that hid all the horrible elephant skinning. I'm making my son's 2nd birthday cake now and I'm just losing my mind trying to get this to work. I've followed your recipe to a T - fresh store-brand marshmallows, I mixed the fully melted marshmallows several minutes in the stand mixer as prescribed, and when I knead everything all together it's simultaneously too sticky and too dry/brittle. Because of the stickiness, I ended up incorporating all of the powdered sugar, but it was still too sticky. I set it aside last night and just tried warming it up in the microwave for a minute and pulling/kneading again, and it's still not coming together. It's too sticky AND it tears like crazy, even after several minutes of taffy pulling.
What can I do to fix this, and what am I doing wrong in the first place? To fix the tearing I'm tempted to add more water/shortening, but to fix the stickiness I'm tempted to add more sugar - obviously these cancel out, so I'm just totally at a loss. Please please help!! I've been scouring the internet for tips and have come up short. I'm just so desperate for this to work because I know how great it can be!!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Are you sure you're using 16oz of marshmallows. I don't know why it would be sticky and dry at the same time unless you just aren't mixing it enough? If it's tearing it's too dry. Add an extra tablespoon of water (original recipe) and make sure you let that melted marshmallow and sugar mix on low with the dough hook until smooth. Then scrape out and add in a little more sugar if you need it. Shortening on your hands to work it until smooth.
Carly says
Thanks. Yes, 100% sure I used enough marshmallows, I use my scale for everything. Does this mean I need to toss the batch I already made or can I save it? And to be clear, when you say “not mixing it enough” do you mean with the dough hook after adding 1/2 of the powdered sugar? I mixed it for 4 minutes last time ?
Carly says
Ok. If I was going to have to throw out my batch I did an experiment. Cut it in half, put one ball in the microwave for 45 sec (almost too hot to handle) the loaded it up with ~1/4c shortening as I pulled it for 5+ minutes. It got smooth-ish, but it was also almost unworkably soft and incredibly sticky as soon as the shortening was incorporated. Any ideas? I wanted to add sugar but I thought it would just make it brittle again!!
Chloe says
Can glycerine be used to add stretch and pliability to the fondant if necessary or in place of shortening please? Thanks ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You don't need any glycerine, it would be pointless to add it to the already stretchy fondant. The shortening is to keep the fondant moist and from drying out.
Christine says
I’m sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times, but I just remembered that I have some LMF left over from a cake I made about, hmmm, seven months ago.... is it still good?!
The Sugar Geek Show says
As long as it's not dried out and still tastes good, it would still be good to use.
Kathy says
I don’t have a dough hook can I just my paddle
The Sugar Geek Show says
Not for this recipe, the fondant will just get stuck on the paddle
Lydia says
Hi Liz,
I made this fondant in an emergency when my store bought one ripped like crazy (at midnight the day before I needed the cake)
It was yummy and I made it work by strategically placing decorations, but it was overly fragile. I did use really cheap marshmallows because that’s all I had on hand would you think this was the issue?
TIA Lydia
The Sugar Geek Show says
If your LMF is ripping it could be that the fondant was too dry or not kneaded enough at the end stage. Try adding another 1/2 teaspoon of water if it happens in the future
Angie says
Hi liz im hoping you can help me i tried this recipe today and when it came to the kneading part it was just sticky no matter how much sugar i added , i even added cornstarch to see if it would help , it kept breaking and tearing off , im wondering what could have gone wrong? I added an extra tbsp of water while it was mixing because it looked a little dry,
The Sugar Geek Show says
a little sticky is normal. next time put shortening on your hands to combat that.
Angie says
Hi Liz just stopping by to let you know i decided to give this fondant another try, and it came out perfect , i used 2 tbsp of water instead of 3 (like i did last time) and i turned off the air in my home while making it, it came together fairly quick, just perfect consistency , it was stretchy , just great! Im so glad i decided not to give up on it, cant wait to use it !! first time i used campfire brand marshmallow and this time i used Aldi store bought marshmallow dont know if that made a difference as well.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Thank you so much! Marshmallows are usually the problem but I'm so glad that it turned out for you!
Milena says
Hi,
I wonder if I can substitute butter or oil for the vegetable shortening... I know shortening gives the best texture, but theoretically, would it work? Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
No because oil is liquid, it's not the same thing 🙂
Ashley S says
I have struggled for 15 years trying to find a workable fondant that tastes good. This recipe is an absolute game changer!! I cannot thank you enough!!
Kathy Weber says
Can't wait to try this recipe. I've not dealt with fondant ever. But I'm retired now and time to dive into these things that scared me. Thank you Liz for this recipe and your awesome answers to all the questions people have been asking.
Terri Garretson says
The easiest homemade fondant—are you kidding me? Yaas, it is! My fondant came out perfectly. Is there an academy award for fondant? You’ve got my vote! Thank you for generously sharing your recipe.
Bakari says
I just cranked out a small batch of this and the results are fantastic! It takes a decent amount of labor to come together, but the flavor and texture has totally changed my mind about fondant.
Liz, this is a great recipe and you've done us all a service by sharing it so generously! Thanks!
Keryn says
Hi. I recently made this recipe and it cracked on the cake. Any idea why that would happen?
Thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
Could be under-mixed or not the right marshmallows
Stephanie says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Will this fondant work for placing on cookies and if so how many do you think this batch would cover?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can put fondant on cookies. There's no way for me to know how many cookies this would cover but it would be a lot.
Gina says
Can flavoring be added or it is just intended to be lightly marshmallow flavored?
The Sugar Geek Show says
No need to add flavor but you can if you want
Cathy Scott says
I am confused and don't want to go ahead with the recipe until I'm sure. Do I use Wilton fondant (or similar) in this recipe?? In the list of ingredients, it says "20 oz Wilton......will also work". In addition to? In replacement of? Not clear at all. Thanks.
The Sugar Geek Show says
It should say "or satin ice will also work"
Rosa says
How much fondant does this make? I'm needing to make about 5lbs.
The Sugar Geek Show says
It makes a little less than 5 lbs
Julie says
Im looking to make this for my sons birthday and all the stores are closed so its pretty hard for me to get it. If i use it without the premade fondant just for small decorations will it make a huge difference? Also is there any way to make less then 4lbs being that its only for his name a few stars and a small moon and a few building?
Elizabeth Marek says
I haven't tried this, so I can't say for sure if it would work.
Kennedy Hyde says
I was terrified of using fondant, but I tried this and i'm absolutely in LOVE. Today was my first time ever even touching fondant, and it came out so good that people were asking if I was a professional!! THANK YOU!!
Helen Desjardins says
OMG this is awesome! Thanks so very much for sharing this.
Shylah says
AMAZING!! I don’t even like fondant but this was sooooo good!! I’m a baker and have been searching for a good fondant recipe for a while!! Found it!!
Anne says
I've had great success with all of the recipes I've tried here at your site, including this one. Thanks loads! Is it possible to make chocolate LMF? Any suggestions on how to do that?
Elizabeth Marek says
I have heard you can just add a little cocoa powder to make it chocolate 😀 Try two tablespoons
Sugar High Baked Goods CO says
Love this recipe. I use it for so much and it helps expand my fondant for really cheap. Thank you Liz!!!
Amanda says
I made this, but it was to soft, it was stretchy but it seemed like it stretched to much any tips
Elizabeth Marek says
Stretching too much is not a problem 🙂 That is how it is supposed to be