Keto Marzipan – Sugar-Free Niederegger Copycat

This easy 5-minute keto marzipan recipe is a healthy sugar-free spin on Germany’s classic Niederegger Marzipan. A holiday treat in many countries, marzipan is soft, pliable and above all fun to play with. You can make cookies, candy, a traditional marzipan log or marzipan stollen cake with it. Serve this almond confection plain or dipped in chocolate.

I grew up with marzipan, because my mother is German and marzipan is HUGE in Europe. I have childhood memories of my mom going to the Swedish bakery in San Francisco and ordering the fondant-covered princess cake – in other words, a cake with a splendid green marzipan exterior. But marzipan isn’t for everyone. Yes, it’s mainly almonds and sweetener, but you either like it or you don’t. That’s because it often contains rose water which gives it a distinctive flavor that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Why you MUST TRY healthy keto marzipan

If you’re a marzipan fan, you must-try this healthy failproof recipe:

Effortless 5-minute recipe

Low in carbs and saturated fat

Very nutritious since it mainly consists of low-carb almonds

Low in calories and carbs if made with a sugar-free sweetener

Most importantly, you can dunk it in your favorite chocolate

Naturally vegan and gluten free

Diabetic friendly

If you love chocolate, also try Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake.

What is the origin of marzipan?

Marzipan originally comes from the Orient and is an aromatic almond confection that’s very popular in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Arab traders brought it to Europe via Spain. For a long time, marzipan was reserved for kings and nobles because the ingredients were very expensive. In the Middle Ages, pharmacies sold the sweet treat as medicine for various ailments including healing a broken heart. Then, in the 21st century, keto marzipan emerged, so diabetics and people with a keto or low-carb lifestyle can also enjoy the “sweet medicine.”

Or try Healthy Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie.

What’s really in marzipan?

I happen to have a loaf of world-famous chocolate-covered Niederegger Marzipan right here with me now. It comes from Lübeck, Germany, and according to the label the ingredients include almonds, dark chocolate, chocolate liquor, artificial rose water flavor as well as sugar and sugar syrup which definitely aren’t in low-carb, sugar-free keto marzipan.
Tip: If you want to approximate Niederegger’s flavor, be sure to include the rose water which adds a unique underlying flavor unlike any other. On the other hand, if you don’t like rose water, simply omit it. Also note that Niederegger adds chocolate liquor to the chocolate shell – you can too!

You might also like Vegan Chocolate Cake with chocolate-avocado frosting.

Marzipan vs. almond paste

If you’re confused about the two, you aren’t alone. Firstly, you make marzipan with finely ground almond flour, so it’s really soft and pliable. By contrast, you make almond paste with whole almonds. In other words, with almond meal which includes the skin, so it has a coarser texture.

Secondly, marzipan is sweeter than almond paste since it’s usually eaten as is or dyed to coat desserts. For example, the green marzipan fondant that covers a Swedish Princess Cake. Almond paste, on the other hand, is less sweet and not intended to be eaten as is. Instead, it’s used in fillings such as frangipane, a creamy almond filling added to desserts and pastries.

Thirdly, marzipan usually (but not always) contains rose water which has a distinct flavor and is not an ingredient in almond paste.

So, marzipan and almond paste are similar yet different. The big plus: You can make them both at home and replace the refined sugar, if desired, with a zero-calorie sugar substitute such as monk fruit or erythritol. Then, you can indulge in as much keto marzipan as you want.

Also check out Keto Chocolate-Raspberry Cake.

Ingredient notes for healthy, low-carb marzipan

• Blanched almond flour – Use fine, blanched almond flour. Not coarse almond meal.
• Powdered sweetener of choice – If you’re on a keto or low-carb diet or are diabetic, use sugar-free powdered sweetener such as Swerve or monk fruit.
• Almond extract – I highly recommend adding almond extract for a more intense almond flavor.
• Rose water (optional) – store-bought rose water. Rose water is often used to flavor marzipan. If you aren’t familiar with it, it has a distinct flavor and is one of the ingredients that gives German Niederegger Marzipan its characteristic flavor. The recipe also tastes great without rose water.
• Water
• 1 dark chocolate bar (optional) – or your favorite chocolate bar to melt and dunk the keto marzipan in. If you’re on a keto or diabetic diet, try a sugar-free chocolate bar.
• Chocolate liqueur (optional) – Add a dash to the melted chocolate. Niederegger’s dark chocolate marzipan, for example, contains chocolate liqueur. Note that store-bought chocolate liqueur usually contains refined sugar, so only opt for this if you can tolerate a splash of sugar.

You might also like Sugar-Free Plum Cake (German Pflaumenkuchen).

How to make healthy sugar-free marzipan

1. Put the ingredients in a food processor or stand mixer and blitz them.

2. Next, press the marzipan together with a spatula. Then pick it up with your hands and shape into log. Then, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. After a few hours, you can easily slice it.

Or try no-bake Keto Chocolate-Chip Almond Cookies.

Best ways to use marzipan

• Make naturally gluten-free cookies: Sprinkle some powdered sweetener onto your work surface. Then, roll it out with a rolling pin and make cookies with cookie-cutters. If you don’t have a rolling pin, put some parchment paper on top of the keto marzipan and use a bottle such as a wine bottle to roll it out.
• Make chocolate-covered marzipan: Melt dark chocolate or your favorite chocolate. If you happen to have chocolate liqueur handy, you can add a dash to the melted chocolate. Niederegger, for example, adds chocolate liqueur to the chocolate shell of its dark chocolate marzipan. Then, dunk log or cookies in the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper until the chocolate sets.

Or try Healthy Pumpkin Tart.

• Make marzipan potatoes: Roll the marzipan into small balls. Then put 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder in a bowl and roll the marzipan balls in the cocoa. After that, place them on a plate or in a container.

You might also like Healthy Apple Turnovers.

• Make a German marzipan stollen cake: Roll out a thinner, longer log that is the length of your stollen cake. Then, fold the marzipan into the stollen.

Or try Keto Chocolate-Walnut Cookies.

FAQs about marzipan

How to store this healthy confection

To store: Store keto marzipan as a log wrapped in plastic wrap or store as cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. It freezes well, so I always keep some handy for marzipan stollen cake.

DID YOU MAKE THIS KETO MARZIPAN RECIPE?
I’d love to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment/star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. And, of course, be sure to tag me on Instagram as I love seeing photos of the recipes you’ve made.