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Homemade Marshmallow Frosting recipe – great for cakes and cupcakes! Just a few ingredients including marshmallow fluff, butter, vanilla, & powdered sugar make this icing a hit!
This marshmallow fluff frosting can be used to top vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, or any flavor cupcake you like! You could even use it to make s’mores brownies with some crushed up graham crackers.
No hassle, just quick & easy!
For the most recent cupcakes I made, I decided I wanted to use Marshmallow Frosting. I did a few google searches but found only ones that involved egg whites and decided I needed a quick and Easy Marshmallow Frosting.
I had remembered I saw one on Pinterest one day. It was from Just a Pinch. I usually modify all recipes, but this one was already nearly perfect—I just added a little vanilla. 🙂
It only required a small handful of ingredients, and the finished product was so tasty. It’s a really nice texture too—not too thin and “whipped”, but not too dense like some buttercream frostings. I’ve used it on multiple flavors of cupcakes already!!
Just 4 ingredients!
This recipe is so easy because it only uses 4 ingredients (and egg whites is NOT one of them!!):
- butter (make sure it’s at room temperature)
- marshmallow fluff
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract (extract, not flavoring)
If you’re having a hard time finding the marshmallow fluff, check in the baking isle of your grocery store. The label might also say “jet puffed marshmallow creme”. This works the same! If you still don’t have any luck, Amazon is always on option. 😉
When you’re mixing the ingredients together, make sure the powdered sugar and butter are completely creamed together before adding anything else. There should be no visible clumps of powdered sugar.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape any stray clumps from the side of the bowl, and to mix in the fluff by hand (rather than using a beater/electric hand mixer).
Tips, tricks, and troubleshooting
How much this frosting will cover depends on how you use it. If you’re piping it on, or being really decorative, this recipe makes enough frosting to cover 12 cupcakes. If you are spreading it on with a knife, it will cover several more.
You can use it to frost a cake, however you might need to double the recipe for a 9×13 cake, or for a double layer 8 inch round cake.
I’ve had several readers ask if you can use a kitchen torch to brown this frosting (kind of like a toasted marshmallow). Although I have never tried, one reader said it does work if you use really high heat up close. If you’re too far away, the frosting will melt before it browns.
Make ahead and store? Because this recipe is more of a buttercream type frosting, and doesn’t have egg whites in it, you can easily make it in advance and store in the fridge for several days before using. As long as it is kept cool, it will stay in good condition.
You can even frost your cupcakes a day or two in advance, and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If your frosting is too runny, you might need to add a bit more powdered sugar to stiffen it up. I wouldn’t add more than a couple tablespoons at a time, and then mix well to see how it affects the consistency.
Areas that are warm or humid might affect the consistency of your frosting as well. Put it in the fridge for a while to see if that does the trick.
This recipe was soooo easy and was so yummy!! It’s definitely a new favorite, and I can’t wait to make it again.
For more delicious frosting recipes, check out:
- Berry Buttercream Frosting
- Chocolate Chip Frosting
- Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Frosting
- Cinnamon Roll Icing
Marshmallow Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 7 oz Marshmallow Fluff
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and well mixed.
- Mix in fluff and vanilla by hand and mix well.
- Add to piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Kristyn, please supply your fluff recipe
Hi! I typically just use the Jet Puffed marshmallow fluff that you can buy from the store. 🙂
The frosting is delicious! I make it all the time with my s’mores cupcakes but I have a problem. The frosting is so quick to melt. How do I fix this problem?
I’m so glad you enjoy the frosting! So, some things you can try are to add a bit more powdered sugar to stiffen it up. I wouldn’t add more than a couple tablespoons at a time, and then mix well to see how it affects the consistency. That might thicken it a bit and help it not melt as quickly. You can also put it in the fridge for a while to see if that does the trick.
great! just what I was looking for ! thanks sooooo much
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the frosting!
I mixed the vanilla at the wrong place. Icing was very liquid. I sprinkled flaked coconut on top. It didn’t look too good but was a big hit with family. Lots of second helpings.
I’m glad the family enjoyed the frosting!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
This recipe melted in the Texas heat and covered 14 cupcakes ( piped). I used another can of commercial buttercream frosting with 1 tbsp of unflavored gelatin and it held up better to the heat. What do you add to this recipe so it wont melt ?
The flavor was ok but not still too sweet for me.
I’d say possibly add a bit more powdered sugar. You can also try to refrigerate before piping to help it set up a bit. Heat and humidity can definitely affect the consistency of a homemade buttercream.
Really good but very sweet and very little instructions which made it hard to tell if I was doing it right.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Kristyn help! Our marshmallow frosting recipe came out very thin. How do we save it?
can you use Imperial spread in place of butter
I haven’t ever tried using it but you certainly could. You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you do swap out the butter.
Not sure why, but my frosting held no shape. Cooled cupcakes completely yet frosting was so soft it just drooped off of them.
Will try this soon. Do you need to mix the fluff by hand or can it mix in the stand mixer?
I like to mix it in by hand. It keeps everything light and fluffy and prevents it from being over mixed.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve made it several times. I made it into a Delicious butter marshmallow for a by adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter.
The addition of peanut butter to the marshmallow frosting sounds heavenly! I’ll have to try that out. Thanks for sharing what you did!
Does this hold up.in summer heat?
Because it is a buttercream based frosting, I’d say it will start getting melty if it sits out in the summer heat for very long. But you can make ahead of time and store the frosted cupcakes in the fridge (or even the freezer) and that may help it hold it’s shape for a bit longer if it is out in the heat. If the frosting is runny, you can try adding more powdered sugar a little at a time. And then again, refrigerating it might help too!
Can this frosting be used in a cookie dipper? Or does it dry too stiff/crusted to scoop up with a sugar cookie?
The frosting stays pretty soft but it thick (kind of like a buttercream consistency). So perhaps that would work? I haven’t ever tried using a cookie dipper before!