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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?
Hi, if I was to do a double portion would I double everything including the strokes?
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried it that way. I always make the batches separately. I think doubling the strokes would be overmixing but without testing it, I can’t give you proper instructions. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hi Natasha! I absolutely love your recipes and blog – thank you for everything you do 🤗!
I got all excited when saw your macarons recipe, but I’m hoping you can suggest a good substitute for almond flour – I want to make my own nut free macarons so my husband and, especially, oldest son with a serious sweet tooth could try them. They are severely allergic to tree nuts and peanuts so have no idea how macarons even taste 😔.
Hi Svitlana, I haven’t tried anything besides almond flour. I have seen other recipes for other nut flours but nothing besides the nut flours. You might do some google research. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
That’s alright, thank you anyway! I came across the suggestion to make sunflower flour but was not too sure about the color of it, so was wondering if you might know a better alternative.
Hi Natasha!
I tried this recipe several times but I can’t get it rigth. My macarons rise in the center so they looks like volcanos and don’t know why! 🙁
Do you know whar am I doing wrong? I’m doing everything like this recipe so I have no idea.
Pleas help me! 😔
Hi Marcela, is there anything you missed in the process such as sifting the almond flour after putting it through the food processor? Also, probably the number one culprit for cracking or “volcano” macarons is not adequately tapping out the air before letting them rest. The air bubbles can cause them to crack that way. You should be giving them firm taps against the counter.
Hi Natasha! I tried to make this macaroons one time but some of them cracked in the oven . I did everything you said on the recipe 🙁 not sure why it happened
Hi Tamara, I would suggest reading through all of the tips for success listed above which answers most frequently asked questions for macarons. Also, check out our other macarons recipe which has a video as well and see if maybe something was missed in the process.
Almost have these down. The only problem I seem to be facing now is the freeze dried raspberries turn brown when they are cooking on top of the cookie. So should I put them on last? (I feel like doing that, they wont stay on) How can I prevent the browning of the raspberries? thanks!
Hi Nate! Not all ovens are created equal and it sounds like maybe your oven runs a little hotter than mine if the powdered freeze dried raspberries are browning – you might try turning the heat down slightly and see if that helps. I’ve tried different methods for getting the powder to stick on after they are baked and nothing works well that I have discovered anyway.
Hi!
In love with this recipe. But I have a question: in Raspberry Buttercream can I replace raspberries with strawberries?
Thank you!
Hi Virginia, Strawberries don’t provide quite as much flavor for the same amount of syrup as raspberries. I would start with cooking 1 cup of strawberries and add the same amount of syrup (1/3 cup) to the buttercream and then add more to taste, keeping an eye on the consistency of the buttercream that it doesn’t get too watered down. You could also try cooking down the strawberry juice to a more syrupy consistency before adding it to concentrate it a little.
Hi Natasha,
In your trial and error to get these cookies right did you ever try adding cream of tarter to the egg whites? I’ve seen some macaron recipes call for it and wonder it makes any difference. Thanks
Hi Rachel, I haven’t with macarons. I have with other meringue recipes, but not this one.
Hi Natasha,
I absolute adore this recipe, that you for posting it. I’ve done these macaroon about 10 times now for all occasions: parties, birthdays, showers, etc… However, I ran into a new problem the last time I baked, I did everything as before, but this time the macaroon didn’t rise, and didn’t have the pillow fluffy part. Do you know what I might have done wrong?
Hi Oksana, did you use any new products, let things come to room temperature and have the cookies rest before baking as before? It’s so hard to say without being there!
I made these once before and they were really good minus one problem. I couldn’t get the frozen raspberries to powder like you did. I didn’t have a roller so I tried to mash them as well as blend them and in both cases the began to unfreeze very quickly. Any tips?
Also, would there be much of a difference if I used cream cheese instead of butter for the spread?
Hi Nate, you will need freeze dried raspberries that are fully dried without any moisture in them so when you roll them they crush into a powder.. Frozen raspberries won’t work the same way. You might look up some raspberry cream cheese fillings for macarons since you will probably need other modifications if replacing butter with cream cheese.
Hi Natasha, i am about to make your macarons today. Unfortunately, we’re having a rainy nor’easter today. I know that if i make macarons with italian meringue it holds up bit better.
So do you have a recommendation using sugar syrup?
Hi Katherine, I really haven’t experimented that way so I can’t give a recommendation on that substitution. Macarons need precise proportions and ingredients and I’ve done countless testing to arrive at this recipe so I stick to this base for making macarons. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hi Natasha, I was wondering if I can store them in the freezer or refrigerator for about 1-2 days. Will they still taste good? Thanks!
Liya, you can do either one, just bring them to room temperature before serving 😬.
Hi Natasha! Tried making macarons for the first time ever today using your recipe and technique and they turned out perfect! I do have a question about flavoring the shells. I’ve see extracts added for flavor on Pinterest and was wondering in what step of the recipe would you recommend adding the extract and do I need to add any more dry ingredients to offset the liquid addition?
Hi Julia, it depends on how much of the extract you are using – you may or may not have to alter the rest of the recipe. In my heart macaron cookies, I added the gel food coloring after whipping the egg whites and sugar in step 2 and that is generally a good time to add the extract if using. My color was a gel though and not a large amount so I did not have to alter anything else in the recipe. If your flavor/coloring is a powder, you can add it with the liquid ingredients.
Hey Natasha, just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipes. They are well descriptive and east to follow.
I’ve tried several different recipes for macarons and never succeed until I came across yours. Made me feel like I can do any creation(kitchen related) as long as I have your expertise guiding me)
Glad to see people like you, doing what they love. Continue your passion, it’s beautiful and inspirational!
XOXO Mila
You’re welcome Mila! Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments!! 😀
Hi Natasha, If I use strawberries instead of raspberries in the cream, will it be very different, will it still work? Any suggestions?
Thanks, the recipe is wonderful by the way 🙂
Hi Alina, I haven’t tried with freeze dried strawberries but a couple of my readers reported that the strawberries browned in the oven. I’m not sure if that has to do with their ovens running hot or with the freeze dried strawberries themselves.
Natasha, these look wonderful. I wonder if you’ve tried adding the ground freeze-dried raspberries directly to the meringue mixture. Or would that mess up the meringue consistency? I look forward to trying these and your heart-shaped macarons soon.
Hi Marlene, without testing that myself, I hesitate to guess if it would affect the way they form. I think it could work to make the macarons pink and flavor them but I’m not sure if you would have to make any other modifications.
Thanks for the prompt reply, Natasha. I took a macaron class a few weeks ago and the instructor mentioned using the freeze dried berries as flavoring. Because I haven’t made regular macarons yet, I should try that first!
This is my all time favorite macaron recipe. So delicious! I’m just having a little problem. I’ve baked this recipe so many times and every time they come out slightly browned. I tried lowering the temperature to 290 but still same problem. They start browning at about 12-13 minutes, and the inside isn’t full done at that time. The flavor is amazing and they look nice but i really want then to have that white color to them. Please help!
Hi Oksana, it sounds like your oven runs a little hot. Are you by chance using a convection oven? If so, you would want to bake these on the regular bake mode since convection bakes foods faster. Also, are you baking in the center of the oven and not too close to the heating elements?
Hi Natasha!
I was wondering – I have been making French Macarons for over a year now and have been experimenting with various recipes (yours is fantastic, by the way!), and I was wondering if you’ve ever had luck doubling this recipe?
Hi Nyusya, thank you for the awesome compliment! 🙂 I haven’t tried doubling it so I can’t really speak to that. Sorry I can’t be more helpful…
Hi,
I love those macaroons, so does everyone else I made them for. I usually skip the raspberry powder and just add a color instead. I did have success doubling the recipe, twice now. Just following the instructions exactly for the rest of the recipe.
Awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂
Hi Natasha! I made 2 batches of these macaroons and I have some concerns. First batch, the shells came out ok, but they were not smooth on top, bc I did not have a food processor, so I skipped that step. A lot of other recipes said to just sift the almond flour and that’s what I did and it was not a smooth batter ( in fact it was a little thick )
Anyways, next batch I added food coloring to the meringue (which was oil based) and the meringue changed and was not light and fluffy, I restarted and added just tiny bit of color and same thing happened. I went along and used it anyway and the batter was thick again no matter how much I folded it. Soo, my question is, what kind of color do you use that won’t disturb the meringue, I read somewhere that you have to use powder colors for things like macaroons. And also I’m guessing the food processor is a very important step bc they are bumpy on top. Taste great though 🙂
Hi Julie, I’ve always found it necessary to use the food processor to ensure smooth macarons. There’s also a big difference in how fine the holes on a sieve can be so I find it’s safest just to mill the mixture first. I’m not sure about the oil based color – I believe my gel colors are water based and I haven’t had any issues with using it. I’ve used a couple different brands of gel based food coloring with good results. I wonder if it’s the oil based aspect? Did you fold using the same stroke? It is strange that it stayed too thick no matter the amount of folding as this is supposed to get looser and looser as you go. Was there anything else that you changed – like proportions of wet to dry ingredients? Were you using large egg whites? If the proportions are off, the batter won’t form properly. I sure hope that helps for next time! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked how they taste 🙂
Fat changes meringue, just like adding fat (usually butter to a sponge) as soon as you add fat, the air deflates. Same as when the slightest amount of egg yolk High in fat) in your whites will prevent them from whipping up. Definitely water based or gel colours
Natasha, you are the best! After 2 failed attempts from watching youtube videos with most views I found yours and surely you explained macronage perfectly and the rest of the details as well.So it took me 3 attempts to conquer macarons.They are indeed the most complicated cookies and for some it takes 8 attempts, some even went to professional macaron class))))
I’m glad to hear you conquered the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I need help!!! I really to make these and watched your video like 10 times and read your instructions several times… but this is my 4th attempt and they still did not turn out right… 😩They are either hollow inside or the cookie is raw and chewy inside… i just don’t understand what am I doing wrong…
I sifted my almond meal, measured my ingredients, etc
What else? Can it be my oven? I tried leaving cookies in my oven for a little longer, but that didn’t help. And when you say that we need to keep an eye because the second sheet of cookies bakes faster.. how do you know when they are done?? Sorry for bugging you, but I want to get these done right
Are you possibly Isi g a gas oven? The heat output in gas ovens is not as consistent as electric ovens. I have read that it is suggested to let your oven preheat for a good 30 minutes for the temperature to normalize before baking the cookies in a gas oven. Based on the way you were describing the cookies, it sounds like the issue might be with your oven.
Hey Tanya! I did these last night and they did turn out somewhat right although not nearly as pretty and taste looking as Natasha’s! I have been trying to figure what may have went wrong and how exactly they should or should not look inside and I found this video on YouTube called “French Macaron Troubleshooting (What went wrong?) | Rosey Diola” It shows pictures of “failed”macarons and what possibly went wrong in each particular situation! It helped me to really narrow done what went wrong in my case! Maybe Natasha can make similar troubleshooting video! I think it will really help readers to pinpoint the problem!
Thank you so much for sharing that!
These look amazing! I love your blog! I have tried few of your recipes and always got tons of compliments! Thanks for sharing! I was wondering if I can make these with strawberries vs rasberries? Will it still taste as good?!
Hi Lana, you could use freeze dried strawberries and crush that into a fine powder the same way. I hope you love it! 🙂