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These raspberry macarons are tangy, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth amazing! Since my trip to Portland when I tried raspberry Macarons at one of their famous bakeries, I became obsessed with recreating the ones I tried. They were in-sanely good. So I’ve made hundreds of macarons over the past month.
I also knew that we needed to make a video to share the recipe with you because it’s crazy important for you to see what “flowing like lava” really means. I adopted the macaron base and stirring method from Martha Stewart’s March 2014 Living Magazine because it seems to be the most fail proof.
I admit there were several moments of near pulling my hair out over the past few weeks as I tested and retested batch after batch after batch, but I was stubborn as tree sap on my favorite blouse, and let me tell you, it was worth it! Mastering these cookies made me feel like a baking ninja. I’m sharing ALL my secrets to success so hopefully you’ll get it right off the bat! Before you get excited and start, READ THIS:
Watch How to Make Macarons:
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How to Make Great Macarons (Tips for Success):
- Read through the recipe first, watch the video, and measure out all of your ingredients before starting.
- Weigh your almond meal and confectioners sugar. When I use store-bought large AA eggs, I don’t weigh the whites or the granulated sugar since it’s an exact 1/4 cup granulated sugar.
- Do not use wax paper. Use parchment or silpat (but let the cookies cool before removing them or they will stick).
- If you store almond meal in the fridge, bring it to room temp. Egg whites must be room temp also.
- Do not overbeat egg whites – they should not be dry and breaking.
- Sift your dry ingredients; very important or your macarons might be hollow.
- When mixing your flour and meringue batter, Do not overmix or undermix: When you pipe the cookies, the peaks should settle down into themselves within 10 seconds.
- Let your cookies rest before baking – this is important to form the feet. Rest anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour
- When I bake in 2 batches, my first set always bakes in 15 min and the second one takes 13 min (maybe my oven gets hotter the second go-around?). Keep an eye on it. Cookies should not turn golden in the oven, except ever so slightly underneath.
- Cookies taste best the next day – refrigerate overnight and bring to room temp to serve.
- If you can’t find freeze dried raspberries, they are pretty inexpensive online.
- Deep Breath. YOU CAN DO IT! 🙂
- Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly
What You’ll Need to Make Raspberry Macarons:
- A digital kitchen scale
- A good food processor
- A spatula
- Parchment paper or silpat to line baking sheets
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer (I prefer the hand mixer for more control)
- A sieve to sift flour and strain raspberries
- A pastry piping bag with a large round tip (a disposable bag will do and if you’re brave, you can make due with cutting the tip off to make a round 3/8″ tip – I’ve seen it done)
- This little dusting wand from OXO is really fun to use
Here is the Print friendly recipe for how to make macarons:
Raspberry Macarons Recipe (Video Tutorial)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Macarons:
- 70 grams about 2/3 cup almond meal/flour
- 120 grams about 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
- 2 large egg whites, about 65 grams, room temp
- 50 grams exactly 1/4 cup leveled granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberries
Ingredients for Raspberry Buttercream:
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
Instructions
How to Make Raspberry Macarons: Prep: Line 1 XL or 2 regular baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
- In the bowl of a good food processor, combine almond meal and powdered sugar and pulse twice to combine then process for 1 1/2 min. Sift through a sieve into a large bowl, pressing down on clumps with the back of a spoon. You should have about 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of solids left over in the sieve - discard those (If you have alot more, pulse them a few more times in the food processor).
- Place 2 egg whites in a large bowl and beat until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar then increase to high speed and beat 2 1/2 min or until stiff glossy peaks form.
- Add sifted almond mixture and fold with spatula from the bottom of the bowl upward then press the flat side of your spatula firmly through the middle. Repeat until batter flows like lava and thick ribbons form as it flows off the spatula. (35-40 complete strokes).
- Fit a pastry bag with a large (3/8" wide) round tip and transfer batter inside. Pipe 3/4" round cookies onto the lined baking sheet, keeping them 1" apart. Drop the sheets 6" over the counter to release air bubbles about 15-20 times.
- Place freeze dried raspberries in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin until they are a powder. Use a small sifter or tea ball to dust the tops of the cookies with raspberry powder. Let cookies sit at room temp at least 30 min or until they form a thin film over the top and don't stick to your finger when poked. Meanwhile, complete steps 1 & 2 of the frosting (see below).
- While cookies are resting, Preheat Oven to 300˚F with rack in the center. Bake 15 min. If they didn't all fit on one sheet, bake in two separate batches. Slide parchment paper and cookies onto the counter right away and cool to room temp (15 min). Now you can finish off step 3 of the frosting and pipe frosting generously onto half of your macaroons and sandwich gently with the second cookie shell.
How to Make the Raspberry Buttercream Frosting:
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine 3/4 cup raspberries, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Heat until bubbling.
- Mash up the raspberries with a spoon then push the mixture through a sieve, pressing on the raspberry seeds to get the most juice out. I got 1/3 cup syrup. Keep the syrup/juice and discard seeds. Let cool to room temp.
- In a medium bowl, beat 6 Tbsp butter until whipped and white (2 min on high), Add in room temp raspberry syrup and beat until whipped and fluffy (2 1/2 to 3 min on high). You can add powdered sugar to taste if a sweeter cream is preferred.
Notes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I love that these raspberry macarons are sweet and sour – I find them irresistible. Do you have a favorite macaron flavor?
Can I add powdered sugar to the filling? Just butter and syrup sounds too weird for my kidos.
Hi Valintine, yes that would work. If you do, follow the process that I used for my lemon buttercream in my newest heart macaron recipe and add the raspberry puree last 🙂
Hi, I don’t have a food processor can i skip this step
Hi Lina, it really is important to mill the flour with sugar for the cookies to form properly. Do you have a strong blender? That might do the job.
I would like to follow your recipe. Yet I want to be more exact, may I ask how many grams are the egg white and how many grames are the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar?
Thanks
Hi Teresa, I do have those both listed in grams. Please see the print friendly recipe where I have those listed. Thanks!
Hi where u buy frozen dried raspberries
I ready check some grosery store but they don’t have….
I have seen them at Trader Joes, Fred Meyer and Rosauers. You can also find them on Amazon if you have trouble getting them at a grocery store.
We don’t have Target any more in Canada ….but I still will be looking in other grocery store …Thanks…
I have seen them at every Target!
Hi Natasha
Will the macaron still turn out pretty much the same if using regular flour instead of almond?
Thanks
Hi Zoryana, macarons require almond flour. It will not work with all-purpose flour. Almond flour is basically just really finely ground almonds. Here are all of the other recipes I have for almond flour if you end up buying a bag and wonder what else you can make it with 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Natasha,
In the ingredients list, you have 6 TBSP of butter for the buttercream, but the directions state one stick. So is it 6 or 8 tbsp?
Hi Oksana, 6 Tbsp is correct. I clarified that in the recipe. I double checked with the video and the video does state 6 Tbsp as well. Thanks for catching that! 🙂
Tried it twice. For some reason they rise from the top and crack 🙁
The taste is great! But they don’t look like macarons.
Hi Katya, I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. Have you read through the entire recipe and tips section to make sure you didn’t change anything in ingredients/ steps/ or method? For the longest time I had a similar issue and I realized it was because I wasn’t sifting the almond flour. I’ve tested these over and over and I believe I’ve encountered all of the issues people usually do when making macarons. If you still aren’t able to figure it out after reading through, please let me know and we can investigate further! 🙂
Thank you, Natasha!
I’m definitely going to give a try again 🙂
Will let you know when they are a success!
Hi Natasha,
I just wanted to let you know that following your recipe not only gave me the largest macaron feet I’ve ever made/seen in my life, but also allowed me to enjoy making macarons for the first time (in general, macarons are my go-to whenever I have leftover egg whites, because I can never seem to find another recipe that only uses 2 or 3 egg whites). I do, however, bake the macarons for 20 minutes at 300 degrees instead of 15, because otherwise they end up sticking quite a bit to my parchment paper even after cooling completely. Thank you so much!!
P.S. I also found your filling recipe very useful for when I, coincidentally, had almost exactly 1/3 cup of leftover lemon curd. Yum!
Oh I am so so happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and the big feet is awesome!! 😉 I’m so glad you enjoyed making them 🙂
Hi Natasha 🙂 I was wondering if it would be fine to double the recipe?
Hi Anna, yes but I would still make it in two separate batches to get the stirring part right, unless you are really comfortable with how the mixture should look/feel when it’s done. The stir count is probably going to be different if you double it.
Ok 🙂 thank you! I tried making them one batch at a time and they turned out perfectly!!! Except my crushed freeze dried strawberries(couldn’t find raspberries) turned brown :-/
Your oven might run a little hot so turning it down 10-15 degrees might help, or you could try put them 1 rack lower.
Hello Natasha ,l have sent you a message but it came out wrong,what l wanted to say was,l have try making macaroons some came out and some didn’t,so your recipe look easy and real good lm going to try it ,your macaroons looks real good thank you for your recipe ,wish me luck!!!
Thank you Luisa! I wish you great success 🙂
Hi Natasha, the macaroons are lovely, love try so many,some comes out and some don’t so l like your recipe and going to try it ,your ingredients is the best love seen and easy ,thank you for the recipe ,
I hope you enjoy the macarons! 🙂
My macaroons got burned after 5 min in the oven. And I was baking them at 275 not 300. They also turned out very flat, maybe because they didn’t have time to rise. I’ll try it again on 200 next time.
Hi Mariya, does your oven normally run hot? Are you using a convection setting or is it a gas oven? The most consistent heat is in an electric conventional oven. If your oven is otherwise, you might try an oven thermometer to see how hot it gets inside. I would try reducing the temperature if it burned after the first five minutes. The macarons will be flat if they burn before they have time to rise.
What kind of almond meal flour did you use. I bought some but it had like larger brown pieces in it and when I put it threw good processor it was more brown than yours
Hi Natasha, I’ve purchased 2 different kinds (1) the Costco brand and (2) Bob’s Red Mill and both did have a light cream color but no larger brown pieces. Look for a bag that says almond flour on it. Maybe the one you purchased was un-blanched almonds? Almond meal can be ground with the skins still on and therefore may have the brown flecks in it.
Hi Natasha, I tried your recipe and they got feet. I was really happy about that. The only thing didn’t come out good was I switched to freezed dry strawberry coz I couldn’t find any freezed dry raspberry in the nearby supermarkets. I baked for 15 mins, it came out brown, it looks like the powered got burned to yellow/brownish. I adjusted the second batch to 13 mins, still very brown. The macaron tastes good but crisp. Did I over bake or because I used freezed dry strawberry? Thank you.
Hi Felicia, if the powder turned color, it’s most likely that your oven runs a little hot. You might try turning down the temperature slightly to see if you get different results. I hope that helps! 🙂
how come mine is very liquid how do i make it not
Hi Veronica, I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Did you watch the video prior to making it? Did you measure and weigh everything to ensure your proportions are correct? It should never be liquid which is why I think your proportions may have been off. It is very important to weigh and follow every step of this process for them macarons to work properly.
Hi, those macarons look delicious, but i wonder. do you have a recipe for some macarons without almond flour? since i’m slightly allergic to all kinds of nuts (including almonds) i’m very careful not to use that in my cooking and baking.
can i make dryfreezed raspberries at home? or is it only factory made? not sure if i can find it in stores in norway.
Hi Olaug, I really haven’t seen macarons made with anything but a nut flour. You can freeze dry raspberries at home with a food dehydrator. Just make sure they are dry enough that when you crush them, they turn to powder.
They are also commonly made with coconut, without almond flour. I just looked at “macaroon recipies” online – there are many variations. Happy baking!
I read all the tips and watched the video multiple times before attempting. My macaroons came out cracked, hollow, and no feet. Mixed for 40 strokes. Weighed everything including the egg whites and granulated sugar. Used a hand mixer and a flexible spatula. Can you please tell me where I may have gone wrong? The flavor is really good but I would like to have them look like an actual macaroon.
I also made sure to sift everything. And used a food processor for the almond flour and powdered sugar.
Hi Katerina, it’s difficult to say without being there but I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. Were your egg whites at room temp (using egg whites from eggs and not from a carton)? Did you let them sit and rest after piping them on the sheet and tap out the extra air?
Did all of that. Made sure to follow directions to a “t.” Will give it another go today or tomorrow. The flavor was delicious but the look wasn’t like a proper macaroon. Sure didn’t stop me from eating them. 😉
Could I make this without the freeze dried raspberries? How different will it taste?
Alexandra, the recipe would work just fine without them.
I’m sure these macarons taste amazing but i don’t think i’m a macaron baker. I have tried twice already and the first time with a different recipe they cracked we still ate them and were good but i was upset because they didn’t look like a macaron. I found your recipe and tried it and they were flat, didn’t get skin nor feet. I feel like giving up but then part of me says no. 🙁
Hi Rosa, it took me a while before I got them right but I kept trying to find shortcuts like not sifting the almond flour. Have you watched the video and read through all of the tips and suggestions in this post? Is there anything you are doing differently at all?
I didn’t weigh the ingredients nor use a food processor because i didn’t have it i just sifted the powdered sugar and almond flour together and i got a skin flour with that. My meringue looked fine just like yours actually.
Hi Rosa, with these cookies, they are really finicky and the food processor and weighing are extremely important with macarons. For the longest time I wasn’t sifting and they continued to turn out hollow – they looked beautiful but because I was missing that crucial step, they weren’t working out. I wish they weren’t so finicky, but these cookies (in my experience) work best when you use the food processor and precisely weigh the ingredients.
my macarons right now have took about almost an hour to get there skin i’m still waiting , any suggestions?
When you touch the tops, do they stick to your finger tips? If not, they are ready.
yes they do and i had them for about 2 or hours waiting i think they looked too flat because the ones i have now don’t look like that.
Hi Amy, did you follow the instructions, measurements (method of weighing), processing the almond meal, sifting, etc.? It sounds like the consistency of your macarons may be too loose if they didn’t form the film on top. They definitely should not be sticking to your fingertips after 2 hours. Can you think of anything you changed in the recipe?
My meringue looked perfect maybe it was when i folded it together. I just didn’t want to over mix nor under mix. I would see my batter break apart not be like lava so i kept folding.
I only have wood spatulas at home will that work?
Hi Sarah, I’ve only seen it done and done it myself with a flexible spatula. A wood spatula can deflate the batter rather than gently folding it together.
Do you think ones like these will work? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pioneer-Woman-Cowboy-Rustic-3-Piece-Silicone-Head-Utensil-Set-Acacia-Wood-Handle-Plum/46040020
Hi Sara, yes that will work. I would use the regular spatula in the set (not the spoon shaped one).