Lemon Macarons

When life gives you lemons, I say make lemon macarons!

These macarons are filled with lemon curd and lemon buttercream and are just as delicious as they sound.

Making These Lemon 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 use the French method for this recipe.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Lemon 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 Lemon 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 lemon macarons.

Step #1: Prep the Ingredients and Equipment

After 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

Sifting your superfine almond flour and powdered sugar will help your macaron shells turn out nice and smooth.

This step makes sure that no chunks of almond or powdered sugar get mixed into your macaron batter.

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.

Once the sugar is incorporated, add in gel food coloring if desired. Then mix on a medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over-mixing the meringue.

Step #4: Fold 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

Fill a large piping bag with the macaron batter and 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 Macaron Shells

Then let the macarons rest for 30 minutes until they form a skin.

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 Lemon Macaron Shells

Bake one tray of macarons at a time and place the tray on the middle rack of your oven.

Let the macarons cool fully on the pan, then gently remove them from the Silpat mat.

Step #8: Assembling These Lemon Macarons

Pipe a ring of lemon buttercream around one macaron shell and fill the center with lemon curd. Top it with a second shell and gently press down to create a sandwich.

Place the finished macarons in the fridge in an airtight container to mature overnight, then bring the macarons back to room temperature and enjoy!

Lemon Macaron Troubleshooting

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

Macarons can be incredibly temperamental, and it might take a few tries to get them just right.

If you run into any issues, please check out my detailed French macaron troubleshooting guide.

Choosing The Right Filling for These Lemon Macarons

While we put tons of energy into the shell of a macaron, 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 their flavor. You can use just about any type of frosting or ganache to fill macarons.

I have a big sweet tooth, so I love using a lemon American buttercream to fill these lemon macarons. I also fill the centers with lemon curd to really pack them with lemon flavor.

If you don’t want your macarons to be super sweet, I recommend using a quarter batch of hybrid buttercream or Swiss meringue frosting as a base instead!

Recipe Yield

This recipe makes about 48 macaron shells, which can be used to make 24 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 the macarons you pipe. I pipe my shells with a diameter of about 1 1/4-inches.

Decorating These Lemon Macarons

If you want to take your lemon macarons to the next level, you can decorate them a few different ways.

I chose to pull out two little corners from each macaron with a toothpick to create lemon-shaped macaron shells!

You can also use a template, but since this is such a simple shape, I decided to freehand it.

The second way you can have fun is by drawing on your macarons! Yup, you heard me right.

With the help of an edible marker, you can make your lemon macarons look adorable with kawaii smiley faces or even make them look like the cross section of a lemon.

The possibilities are endless. Let your creativity flow and have some fun!

Tips for Making the Best Lemon 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 you want to have some extra fun, decorate your macarons with an edible marker. I drew on mine to give some of them a kawaii smile, and made the other half look like a lemon slice.
• If your first batch of macarons doesn’t turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide.

Making These Lemon 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 lemon macarons, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Leave a rating and comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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