July 11, 2012
updated
All the articles & recipes on this website have been created through real-life testing and experience (no ai) since 2010. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Want that yummy marshmallow fluff with real ingredients?
I had a neighbor growing up, Mrs. Donovan, who always had the best junk food in her pantry. Her house was like a food rabbit hole that, once you entered, any normal healthy food rules did not apply. My mom, however, always tried to serve my sister and I healthy meals, so that meant no room for junk in the Dunbar house.
One of my all-time favorite things Mrs. Donovan made for us as kids, when we would happen to find ourselves next door during the summer months at lunchtime, was peanut butter and fluff sandwiches. To die for!
I STILL drool over these sandwiches as an adult, but never buy the stuff because I now know how fake everything is inside the jar. Ingredients like corn syrup, artificial coloring, xanthan gum, unidentifiable things, and more artificial coloring.
I thought it would be fun to re-create the retro marshmallow fluff using real ingredients, but still leaving it a fun and yummy sweet treat. Finding recipes for fluff was the easy part, but re-creating it without fake items and corn syrup was difficult. The most challenging part was achieving that fluffy texture.
I am happy to report that the pastry chef in me didn’t let this challenge go until I found a recipe good enough to share with you.
My kids were beyond thrilled when I finally settled for this recipe. Ditch the store-bought jar, and use our homemade version instead.
Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup room-temperature water
- ¾ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
- Put the sugar, water, and honey into a saucepan, and bring it to a boil.
- Clip on a candy thermometer, and cook until 246F, about 5 minutes or so.
- Remove from the heat.
- Turn the beaters on low speed, and slowly drizzle the honey mixture into the egg whites.
- Once fully incorporated, add the vanilla, turn the speed to high, and beat the mixture until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
- Store in your cabinet for up to a week, and enjoy!
Sarah B
This was amazing! Only downside to me is I’m not a big fan of honey and it had a little too much of a honey taste to my liking. I may try this with less honey next time. Also, would Agave be a suitable substitute for the honey?
MOMables
Sarah, awesome! Yes, you can use agave for this.
kloy
I LOVE marshmallow fluff, however, I tried several times and I must have done something wrong. After I stored it in refrigerator for a day, the honey mixture came down to the bottom. What have I done wrong? Is it because I didn’t beat it well enough? Please help :S
MOMables
It is meant to be stored at room temperature, otherwise it will separate. you can try giving it a rewhip.
kloy
Thank you for your suggestion :) and LOVE your recipe so very much !
karly
hello. is this fluff stable even under extreme heat? :D thanks
MOMables
I’m not sure what “extreme heat” you are talking about but this is shelf stable and edible at room temperature or refrigerated.
karly
by extreme heat, i mean the summer weather here in the philippines. =) room temperature is like 31-33 degrees celsius. hihi :D thanks momables!
Nathan
this is the best recipe ever.
it is extremely easy and delicous
thanks ;]
MOMables
awesome!
Tissy
So excited to find this recipe! Can’t wait to try it! Just a few questions before I start… Does it freeze well, and if so, how long would it keep? Can I use it to frost a cake? Or any ideas for a frosting recipe that uses this fluff as a base? And if possible, about how much sugar would I use as a substitute for the honey? Thanks for your help!
MOMables
Tissy, fluff doesn’t freeze. You can use this the same way you would use store bought fluff. Sugar is not a substitute for honey in this recipe, it is what gives it the full consistency. You can search for fluff frosting and see…
Bethany
Do you think this would work for rice krispie treats??
MOMables
Bethany, this recipe doesn’t tend to solidify how we need rice krispies unless you stick them in the fridge. you can also check out our recipe without corn syrup.
Nathan
can i substitute brown rice syrup for the sugar.
and how much should i use
MOMables
Nathan, I haven’t tried using sugar. Only rice syrup. sorry!
Willam
??????? recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar but in your reply to Nathan you say you “haven’t tried using sugar. Only rice syrup.”
Also if the marshmallow creme you used on your sandwiches had the ingredients you listed.. it was not Marshmallow Fluff. Fluff only has 4 ingredients.. Corn Syrup, Sugar, Dried Egg White, Vanillin
Virginia Cairns
Our reply to Nathan was about using all sugar and no honey. I replied that I haven’t tried “all sugar” and I have tried using rice syrup instead of honey. There might e 4 ingredients but a lot of people are trying to avoid corn products, including corn syrup. Also, Vanillin isn’t vanilla extract it’s an imitation product that produces allergic reactions in many.
chrystal
Oh.My.Word. This was amazing. I used only 1/4 cup of honey but it was still amazing!!
Sabrina
So glad I found this! Thank you for not giving up! Now I can make my Salted nut cookie pizza! It’s a shortbread cookie crust ( or sugar cookie) with a caramel sauce and fluff “cheese” topped with crushed salted peanuts and caramel and chocolate drizzle. The fluff has kept me from making this, now I can again!
Stacy
I absolutely love your website and all the recipes for kids! I have 4 that are always asking for some kind of treat and I am always trying to eat healthy so imagine my delight of finding “healthy treats”! Thank you for your talent in the yummy department! I was also wondering if you could use this to make a healthier version of Rice Krispy Treats? God Bless!
MOMables
STacy, I haven’t tried this version for Rice Krispy treats. It doesn’t “form” solid again… so i don’t think it will work. If you are looking for a marshmallow-free rice krispy treats recipe, check this one out. you can use regular rice krispy cereal.
Rachael
Thanks for a great recipe without corn syrup! It worked perfectly. But Just an FYI, this made a lot more than 1 1/2 cups, more like 7 cups of fluff!
Heidi
I made this tonight with my sons. I try to limit sugar and processed foods, but am always looking for homemade treats to make and enjoy. I had all the ingredients for this recipe already in the pantry and the technique reminded me of homemade whipped cream & homemade toffee. It actually tasted like a mix of the two! I used organic sugar, which is brown in color, so the whipped cream was off-white in color and tasted strongly of honey. We all enjoyed the treat (in small doses, as it packs a strong sugar punch!!). I am interested to see what my husband says (as he was raised on processed foods and is suspicious of “copycats”.) THANK YOU for your website. I LOVE all that I see and cannot wait to try more recipes.
MOMables
Thank you so much Heidi! I am so glad you found us and that you are bold enough to try recipes like the homemade fluff! Here is to more treats (in moderation) and delicious recipes your family will love!
Junella
This looks really yummy. To be honest, I’ve never had marshmallow fluff. Besides the peanut butter sandwiches what else do you eat it with? Or do you eat it all by itself?
Zelma @ YoSoyMami.com
OMG!!! I remember my “Italian meringue” recipe from my pastry chef days, which was always a hit, but I never tried it with honey! Will try for sure, thanks!!
Elizabeth
Do you think sucanat or stevia would work in this? Thanks for the post!
MOMables
unfortunately not. sorry!
Mary Lynne jones
When does the vanilla go in?
MOMables
Mary Lynne, the vanilla goes in when everything is incorporated and right before you beat it on high.
MOMables
the vanilla goes in after everything is incorporated, right before you beat on high.
Michelle
Hi. Love your recipes. Is there any way this can be made without EGGS ??
Is there any egg replacer that can whip like egg whites ?
Thanks so much for all you do.
MOMables
michelle, unfortunately not that I’ve tried. I’m sorry!
kimmicake
Hi I’m from South Africa and we don’t have fluff here so I made this recipe and instant hit with the family made about 3 batches. I’m going to try it with rose syrup instead for a turkish delight frosting will let you know how it turns out. Thanx for posting this recipe
Laura
Such a great response! Welcome from South Africa!!
jaime w
Do you think coconut sugar would work in this recipe?? Thanks!
Laura
I have not tried it… but I often replace it instead of white sugar. Check out our sugar substitute 101 post. :)
Lisa
I just went to my local health food store the other day to buy vegan marshmallows to make homemade hot cocoa for my kids. Despite the healthier ingredients my ASD child had a reaction (probably to the malitol) and spent the rest of the day in an emotional fit and me feeling terrible for it. Imagine how happy I am to find this recipe on Facebook – an answer to a prayer! Real ingredients. I can make it myself and there’s nothing in your brilliant creation that she’s allergic to. I don’t know how you come up with these ingenious recipes, but I am so grateful for your talent and persistence as well as your generosity for sharing them with the rest of us.
Laura
Thank you Lisa! Gosh, so sorry that he still had an allergic reaction! I am determined to make over a lot of recipes for what we deem “kid foods”… I am so glad that you can make this and still be able to make a treat for your child! :)
Helen
Can I use castor sugar
Laura
Helen, absolutely. Castor sugar is much finer than granulated sugar and it should work just fine. :)
Meredith
I can’t wait to try this recipe :) How much Fluff do you end up with?
Laura
Meredith, give or take 1 1/2 cups of “fluff”
Tash
Could this be used in a fudge recipe that calls for Fluff?
Laura
this is a homemade version of fluff. i don’t see why it can’t be used as a replacement for the jarred stuff. :)
Jennifer
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was a big hit among myselft and my kids! Definetely a keeper. My daughter said the flavor reminded her of my homemade icecream. We will be using this for our hot chocolate.
Laura
So glad Jennifer!
gina valley
Looking forward to trying this!
Sue Robinson
I hope you do and please, let me know what you think!
Shannon
I am TOTALLY trying this! I’ve been a fluffernutter fan for decades!!!! My kids will love this! Thanks so much!
Laura
awesome! let us know if you have a great recipe you are going to use this with! we’d love to hear it. :)
Sue Robinson
I love this with peanut butter and I even added a touch of Nutella the other day to the mix and it was even better! YUM!
Susie Kline
This sounds so good! But it doesn’t have to be refrigerated? I can’t wait to make it!
Sue Robinson
So I make it and it flies off my shelf in less than a week and I never refrigerate it. Since the eggs are mixed with the hot sugar, it acts like a pseudo “french meringue” and does not need to be refrigerated, but should be eaten within the week. It is so yum and I hope you try it and let me know what you think! Thanks so much for the comment!