For life-like, luxurious decorating elements, fillings or toppings with bold flavors, marzipan is a premium dessert darling.
Forever adaptable and unmistakably sumptuous, marzipan has long been synonymous with holidays, which earned it a stable, cherished place in European homes, where more than half of all the marzipan in the world is consumed. In Sicily, frutta martorana is a classic example of how marzipan can shapeshift into lifelike fruit-shaped desserts, realistically colored with vivid, vegetable dyes. They make beautiful gifts for All Souls’ Day. Marzipan from Toledo bears EU’s Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certification, bestowed on products that are renowned for a region. Made with at least 50% sweet almonds, they are kneaded, shaped into figurines, or braided. Although a Christmas staple in Spain, marzipan is an all-year-round dessert in Toledo, where ‘animalitos’, with the famous ‘Anguila de mazapán’ – eel-shaped marzipan sweets, are especially loved.
Germany alone represents around 30% of the world market and is home to the famous Lübeck marzipan, also a PGI delicacy protected by the EU, which must contain no more than 30% sugar.
It comes with its own traditions in other European countries, too: in the UK, marzipan is synonymous with festive decorations for Christmas and wedding cakes. In the Netherlands, it is the favourite sweet of the beloved Sinterklaas holiday, with marzipan figures shaped as fruit, animals, or novelty characters, offered as traditional treats. Although it has a more seasonal focus for the Dutch people, it is also found year-round, in the form of cake decorations and as small sweets, while almond paste is typically preferred for baked goods.
Although most often associated with Christmas season celebrations, with specialties such as Marzipanbrot, Marzipankartoffeln, or Christmas Stollen, marzipan can also be found among Easter treats, shaped into eggs and various figurines, while in Germany and Scandinavia, ‘lucky pigs’ are traditional New Year gifts.
Marzipan market
The global marzipan market was estimated at USD 1.48 billion in 2025 and is anticipated to reach USD 1.71 billion by 2032, with consistent growth from its traditional ‘home’ in Europe, which accounts for nearly 80% of the entire consumption worldwide.
Its artisanal and premium nature continues to position marzipan as a luxurious indulgence in the global confectionery market, as consumers increasingly prioritize quality, craftsmanship, and natural ingredients. The integration of marzipan in high-end bakery chains, cafés, and specialty dessert boutiques has expanded its reach beyond retail.
Headwinds on this promising market come from fluctuating almond prices, which directly impact production costs, and competition from substitute products such as modeling chocolate and fondant. However, the market’s resilience lies in its adaptability, as manufacturers are exploring health-
conscious formulations and sustainable sourcing practices to meet evolving consumer expectations.
Marzipan and alternatives
A hallmark of premium patisserie, marzipan signals handcrafted desserts that celebrate flavor and craftmanship. It appears across high-end product segments from festive centerpieces to year-round creations.
Dawn Foods helps bakeries plan and scale their marzipan offerings and explore contemporary twists on traditional applications.
The company recently developed new additions to its solutions in this category, made with freshly blanched almonds and suitable for a wide range of bakery applications.
The Royal Steensma Marzipan and the new Confectionery Kernel Paste are two complementary solutions, developed for flexibility in applications, to help bakeries offer premium quality. The Royal Steensma Marzipan is made with a specially developed blend of Californian and Spanish almonds to deliver a rich almond flavor and the premium texture that is synonymous with marzipan.
The new range includes:
+ Premium Marzipan (with 58% almond content), intended for intense flavor and the authentic marzipan taste
+ Marzipan (with 29% almond content), ready-to-use option for molding and decoration
“Rooted in a long-standing heritage of Dutch craftsmanship, Royal Steensma Marzipan is trusted by bakers for its consistent quality, authentic taste, and outstanding workability,” Dawn Foods highlights.
Dawn Foods also researched an alternative option that would support bakeries with increasing cost pressures in this category – the Confectionery Kernel Paste. This solution is a cost-efficient alternative to traditional marzipan, made from white beans and apricot kernels. It has a similar flavor and functional properties to marzipan, and it can be flexibly used to create affordable product ranges with no restriction to product creativity.
The products are packaged in a 10 kg bag‑in‑box. The company chose this option to obtain a good balance between protecting the marzipan from drying out and limiting the amount of plastic used. When not used, Dawn Foods recommends “Storing marzipan in a cool, dry environment. It is important to always wrap the marzipan tightly in plastic after opening to prevent drying out.” If the marzipan has dried out, it is not lost, however. It can be refreshed with a small amount of water or glucose syrup.
Recipe inspiration: Passion fruit amaretti cookies
Ingredients:
+ 1,000 g Royal Steensma Marzipan 58%
+ 90 g Dawn Compound Passion Fruit
+ 100 g eggs
Instructions:
1. Mix the egg with the marzipan, using a flat beater; then add the compound.
2. Roll the mix into a 3-cm-diameter strand.
3. Roll the strand in granulated sugar and cut into slightly slanted cookies.
4. Leave the cookies to dry on the tray lined with baking paper for two hours.
5. Bake – deck oven temperature 220°C top/180°C bottom heat for 12 minutes.
Applications
Royal Steensma Marzipan 58% is a ‘raw marzipan’, meaning it can be used as an ingredient in several recipes. The sugar content can be adjusted to fit unique recipe requirements, as well as additional flavor components, such as rose water or rum.
Royal Steensma Marzipan 29% was developed as a ‘ready‑to‑use’ product, for convenience in production. It can be applied directly, for example, to shape marzipan
figures or various decoration elements.
The new marzipan ranges and the kernel paste can be used in many bakery applications – traditional recipes and new product creations. With the new solutions, Dawn also shared recommendations from its own research. Application ideas could include colourful marzipan decorations and flavored marzipan, which can be achieved using Dawn Compounds, or bite‑sized marzipan cookies, ideal for cafés.
The marzipan has a consistent texture, so it can flexibly produce reliable results in artisanal, semi‑automated, and fully automated bakeries, Dawn Foods details. New ideas can also be scaled up, preserving the perfected quality of the finish in all intended details. Dawn’s application specialists can provide assistance with set‑ups, process parameters, and pairing the marzipan with Dawn mixes, fillings, and compounds to create winning concepts.
Creativity all around
Marzipan is not just any ingredient – “It’s a creative tool that brings flavor, craftsmanship, and artistry to the bakery,” Dawn emphasizes. The specialist suggests several ways it can be utilized to express the unique creativity of the baker and their work.
It can be used to enrich doughs and fillings with its signature almond flavor. “When mixed with egg or egg white, it becomes a smooth macaroon-style mass ideal for pastries, cookies, and cakes,” Dawn Foods notes.
For more elaborate creations, as often seen in premium confectionery, marzipan can also be further refined by adding spices and other flavors, to develop special profiles. It is often paired with chocolate, which can be seen in high-end pralines, bars and sweets.
Its smooth, pliable texture also makes marzipan perfect for decorative work, which can take any shape from simple cut-outs to hand modelled figures. It can be cut and molded into crisp patterns that maintain their shape, for decoration that can be added as a special finishing touch to cakes and pastries.
Marzipan creates those small, one of a kind moments of sensory luxury that consumers now crave, as personalized indulgence and seasonal inspired flavors gain popularity, even in smaller, refined formats.
Creativity is the limit.