These rainbow macarons are colorful, delicious, and sure to brighten anyone’s day.

Making These Rainbow 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 Rainbow 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
• 2 Piping bags
• 1 Round piping tip
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat mats (or parchment paper)
• Scribe or toothpick

How to Make These Rainbow 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 of the process to help guide you through this recipe.

Or if you’d like to see a long-form video, check out this video about how I make my French macaron recipe.

Step #1: Make the French Meringue

The first step is to make the French meringue!

Whisk the room temperature egg whites on a medium-low speed until the surface is covered in small bubbles.

Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until the whisk begins to leave tracks. This is called the soft peak stage.

Gradually add the granulated sugar and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Then increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed (KitchenAid Speed 6).

Mix until stiff peaks form like in the photo below. Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid over mixing the meringue.

Step #2: Sift and Fold the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue

Sift the superfine almond flour and powdered sugar into the meringue.

Use a rubber spatula to break up any big clumps and press them through the sieve.

If desired, add white gel food coloring at this point to help brighten up the shells. Then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula.

Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pulls through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.

Don’t forget to scrape off the inside of the spatula intermittently. Sometimes meringue can get stuck there and not get mixed in properly.

Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted.

You should be able to draw a couple of figure 8’s with the batter running off the spatula in a continuous stream once it is the right consistency.

If the stream of batter breaks before you’re able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.

Step #3: Pipe the Macaron Shells

Fill a large piping bag with macaron batter and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds onto 2 Silpat lined baking sheets. Space them about 1-inch apart.

Firmly bang or drop the pans on the counter a few times.

This brings any trapped air bubbles to the surface, which can then be popped with a toothpick or scribe.

Popping these little bubbles can help you avoid hollow or cracked shells.

Then sprinkle nonpareil sprinkles over the piped macarons while they’re still wet.

Step #4: Rest the Macaron Shells

Let the macarons rest for about 30 minutes, or until they form a skin. On rainy days this can take up to an hour where I live!

They should be mostly dry to the touch and look matte once they’re ready to be baked.

While the shells rest, preheat the oven.

Step #5: Bake the Macaron Shells

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

Rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly and cover the shells with foil halfway through to prevent them from browning.

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

If they’re properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly and have a shiny bottom.

Step 6: Make and Color the Buttercream Frosting

While the shells cool, make the buttercream frosting following the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Divide the frosting evenly between 6 bowls and color them red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple with gel food coloring.

Pipe or spread long rows of the colorful frosting on top of a piece of plastic wrap. I followed the order on the rainbow- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Roll up the frosting into a sausage like shape by twisting the ends and snip off the end from one side.

Place the frosting log with the open end closest to the frosting tip into a large piping bag fit with a large round tip and set aside.

Step 7: Assemble the Macarons

Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a dollop of rainbow buttercream on one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.

Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!

Letting the filled macarons rest overnight softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavor to develop.

Troubleshooting These Rainbow Macarons

While I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of these macarons will turn out perfectly, I’ve learned 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 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 macarons an incredible texture, but the filling is what determines its flavor.

I love sweet buttercream, so this recipe uses American buttercream.

If you like less sweet frosting, I recommend making a half batch of my hybrid buttercream or a quarter batch of my Swiss meringue buttercream.

Recipe Yield

This recipe makes about 36 large macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons.

You can double or halve this recipe as needed.

The yield and bake time will vary based on the size of the macarons you pipe. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4-inches.

Tips for Making the Best Rainbow Macarons

• Wipe your mixing bowl, whisk, and baking mats with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease before making the 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 the ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. You really need to be precise with this recipe.
• Use gel food coloring to color the buttercream. If you use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency and won’t create as vibrant of a color.
• Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
• Let the baked and filled macarons mature! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
• If your macarons don’t turn out, check out my macaron troubleshooting guide!

Making These Rainbow Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

These macarons need to mature overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and taste.

Filled macarons can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.

The rainbow buttercream frosting can be stored in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for 3 months. I recommend coloring the frosting and adding it to a piping bag, then storing the frosting in the piping bag.

When you’re ready to use the frosting, let the piping bag sit out for a few hours, or until it comes to room temperature.

Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to 2 months in an airtight container.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for rainbow macarons, I’d love to hear what you think! Please 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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