These red velvet macarons are equal parts beautiful and delicious!!

Making These Red Velvet Macarons with the French Method

There are a few different ways macarons are made. French macarons are considered easier to make while the Italian and Swiss methods use a few more steps but are more structurally sound.

French macarons also require less equipment. While I love Italian macarons, I like to keep things simple and used the French method for this recipe.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Red Velvet Macarons

I’ve made quite a few batches of macarons, and they definitely turn out best when the ingredients are weighed, and the macarons are baked on a silpat mat.

These are the tools I like to use when I make these macarons:

• Kitchen scale
• Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
• Large piping bag
• Round piping tip
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)

Making Red Velvet Macarons – Step by Step Process

While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful!

Below are some photos and a video tutorial of the process to help guide you through this recipe for French red velvet macarons.

Step #1: Prep the Ingredients and Equipment

After prepping and weighing your ingredients, wipe down your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to remove any residual grease.

This helps the meringue whip up better!

Step #2: Sift the Dry Ingredients

Sift the superfine almond flour, cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside. This makes sure your macaron shells turn out nice and smooth.

Step #3: Make French Meringue

Next, it’s time to make the French meringue!

Whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until soft peaks form, then add in the granulated sugar.

Then mix at a medium high speed until stiff peaks form like the photo below. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over-mixing your meringue.

Add in a generous squirt of red gel food coloring at this point. it will get mixed in during the next step.

Step #4: Mix the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue

Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. The batter might look a bit stiff but it’s better to be too thick than to over-mix it!

The batter should form a thick ribbon that flows off your spatula when it’s lifted.

Step #5: Pipe the Macaron Shells

Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a round piping tip. Pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.

Firmly bang or drop your pans on the counter a few times to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface and pop them with a toothpick. This can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

Step #6: Rest the Piped Macarons

Then let the macarons rest until they form a skin. This usually takes about 30 minutes in my kitchen but can vary based on humidity.

They should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte once they’re ready to be baked. While the shells rest preheat your oven.

Step #7: Bake the Macaron Shells

Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray on the middle rack of your oven. Bake time can vary based on the size of macarons you pipe and your oven, so adjust the bake time as needed.

Let the macarons cool fully on the pan then gently remove them from the silpat mat. You should be able to cleanly pull them off the mat once they’re cooled.

If they’re sticking or leaving behind residue, you might want to bake your next batch slightly longer.

Step #8: Assembling These Red Velvet Macarons

The final step is to pair up the shells and pipe a dollop of cream cheese frosting one macaron shell.

Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich. If desired, drizzle with a bit of white chocolate and crush up two macaron shells to use as a garnish.

Place the finished macarons in the fridge to mature overnight and bring them to room temperature the next day then enjoy!

Troubleshooting These Red Velvet Macarons

While I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of these red velvet macarons will turn out perfectly, my own experience has taught me that’s not how things usually go.

Macarons are incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right. If you run into any issues, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!

Choosing the Right Filling for These Red Velvet Macarons

Almost all the flavor in a macaron comes from its filling. The shell gives the macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.

For these macarons, I like to whip up a cream cheese frosting. It gives these macarons an amazing flavor and pairs so well with the slightly chocolatey red velvet macaron shells.

If you don’t want your macarons to be too sweet, you can also use a 1/4 batch of my hybrid buttercream or Swiss meringue frosting as your frosting base.

Recipe Yield

This recipe makes about 36 macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed.

The yield and bake time will also vary based on the size of macarons you pipe. I pipe my shells with a diameter of about 1 1/4-inches.

Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Macarons

• Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making your meringue. It will help your egg whites whip up better!
• Separate your own eggs and age them if possible. Do not use egg whites from a carton.
• Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe and your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
• Carefully read through the directions before making these macarons. There are quite a few steps and it’s good to know your game plan before you start!
• Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
• Let your macarons mature! Letting them rest overnight while they are filled softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
• If your first batch of macarons doesn’t turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide.

Making These Red Velvet Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

• You need to let French macarons mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before eating them. This gives them their best texture and taste.
• Store filled macarons at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
• Refrigerate filled macarons for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
• Freeze filled macarons for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
• Make your filling ahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for red velvet macarons, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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