Strawberry Macarons
This week we’re making strawberry macarons! They’re decorated to look just like a freshly picked strawberry and are filled with my favorite buttercream and homemade strawberry jam.
Making Macarons with the French Method
There are quite a few different ways to make macarons, including the Italian, Swiss, and French methods!
I’m a fan of the French method, mostly because of its simplicity! The French method whisks egg whites together with a bit of sugar to create a French meringue with stiff peaks.
This meringue is then folded into a mixture of finely ground almonds and powdered sugar. This process of folding the meringue into the dry ingredients is called macaronage.
No matter what method you use, macarons require expertise to mix the batter the perfect amount to achieve that elusive, lava-like consistency.
Equipment You’ll Need to Make These Strawberry Macarons
Like I mentioned above, these strawberry macarons don’t require a ton of equipment!
However, I find they turn out best when the ingredients are weighed, and the macarons are baked on a Silpat mat. As macarons bake, they usually spread less on Silpat mats than on parchment paper.
Making Strawberry Macarons: Step-by-Step Process
While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful!
Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe for strawberry macarons. I’ve also shared a video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step #1: Prep the Ingredients and Equipment
After weighing the ingredients, wipe down your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice.
This removes any traces of grease and helps the meringue whip up properly.
Step #2: Sift the Dry Ingredients
Sift the superfine almond flour, powdered sugar, and freeze-dried strawberry powder (optional). This ensures 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 and cream of tartar on a medium speed until the surface is covered with small bubbles and looks opaque.
Next, add in the granulated sugar and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds to help the sugar incorporate into the egg whites.
Once the sugar is incorporated, mix on a medium-high speed (speed 6 on a KitchenAid mixer) until stiff peaks form. This can be done with a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
Keep a close eye on your mixer to avoid overmixing your meringue. Stop the mixer once you notice texture as the meringue mixes, and the meringue begins to gather in the whisk.
Step #4: Mix the Dry Ingredients into the Meringue
Once the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated into the meringue, place about 2/3 of a cup of batter in a separate bowl and add a drop of neon green gel food coloring.
If you want to make both pink and red strawberries like I did, divide the remaining batter evenly between two bowls and add a small squirt of pink gel food coloring to one, and a very generous squirt of red gel food coloring (1/2 tsp) to the other.
If not, just add a very generous squirt (1/2 tsp) of red gel food coloring to the remaining batter. Mix both bowls until the ingredients are combined and a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it’s lifted.
Be careful not to over-mix the batter! I like to mix both batters slightly less than normal, so that they have a little more dimension and keep their shape better!
Pour the red and pink batter into large piping bags fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 10).
If you don’t have that size of piping tip, you can cut a 1/4 inch or about 1/2 cm opening at the base of the piping bags. Seal the top with a rubber band or clip and set aside (and angle the tip of the bag upward so that macaron batter doesn’t flow out as it sits).
Pour the green batter into a small piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip like a Wilton 5.
If you don’t have that size of piping tip, you can cut a 1/8 inch or about 2mm opening at the base of your piping bag. Seal the top with a rubber band or clip and set aside.
Step #5: Pipe the Macaron Shells
Fill a large piping bag with the macaron batter and use this strawberry template to pipe the strawberry-shaped macaron batter onto the prepared baking sheets.
You can also pipe regular circular macaron shells, or you can do a combination of both!
Place the template (if you chose to use it) beneath one of the Silpat mats before piping, and remember to remove it from the pan once you’re done piping.
Pipe these one tray at a time. Start by piping the berries (wait to add the green top).
Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a scribe or toothpick. Then sprinkle white or yellow nonpareil sprinkles over the red part of each shell to look like strawberry seeds.
I only added sprinkles to half of the shells since the other half won’t be visible because they’ll be the bottom of each macaron. But you can add them to all if you prefer!
Pipe the green tops above each strawberry using the green macaron batter. I recommend not banging the pans again after adding this part, so that the strawberry tops can have a bit more definition.
Note: I overmixed my green batter a bit, so my tops were not super defined as I’d hoped!
Step #6: Rest the Piped Macaron Shells
Next, let the macarons rest for about 30 minutes, or 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 Strawberry Macaron Shells
Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 18-20 minutes, and rotate your pan halfway through.
I also place a large piece of foil over the tray halfway through baking them to prevent them from browning. This helps them keep their color a lot better.
Just be careful to kind of tent the foil upward, so that it isn’t resting directly against any of the macarons.
Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the mat.
The additional decorations are optional, but you can use green and white royal icing (I made a half batch of the royal icing in this recipe) to add details to the leaves and create little blossoms once the shells have fully cooled.
Step #8: Assembling These Strawberry Macarons
Pipe a ring of strawberry buttercream onto one macaron shell and fill the center with your favorite strawberry jam. Top it with a second shell. Repeat with the remaining shells.
You can also dunk these in a bit of melted chocolate to make chocolate-dipped strawberry macarons.
Place the finished macarons in the fridge in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to mature overnight, then enjoy!
Strawberry Macaron Troubleshooting
I’d love to think everyone’s first batch of strawberry macarons will turn out perfectly, but my own experience has taught me that’s not always the case.
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 Your Strawberry 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 filling these macarons with my American buttercream and a strawberry jam center. You could also fill these with my strawberry buttercream!
If you don’t want your macarons to be super sweet, I recommend using Russian buttercream or Swiss meringue frosting instead!
Strawberry Macaron Recipe Yield
This recipe makes about 50 large macaron shells using my strawberry macaron template, which can be used to make 25 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed.
You can also pipe smaller round shells and not use the template! If you go that route, this recipe makes about 25 round macarons.
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry 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.
- Use superfine almond flour rather than trying to make your own! It more consistently yields great macarons.
- 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!
- FIRMLY bang/drop your pans on your counter after piping the macarons. This helps release any air bubbles that may be trapped and prevent cracked or hollow shells.
- Rest the macarons for 30 minutes (or until they develop a skin) before baking them. This will help the feet develop properly!
- If you’re not super familiar with your oven, pipe a small number of macarons on a few sheets to test your oven for hot spots and to see if it bakes accurately. This way, you won’t waste a whole tray of macs if your oven runs hot or cold.
- 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 run into any issues making these macarons, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide.
Making These Strawberry Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips
French macarons need to mature for a few hours, if not overnight, in the fridge before eating them. This gives them their best texture and taste.
They can also be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container, or you can freeze them for up to a month in an airtight container.
Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
You can also make the frosting ahead of time 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 strawberry macaron recipe, I’d love to see your creations! Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing baking.
Strawberry Macarons
Equipment
- 2 Medium Round Piping Tips – Like a Wilton 10
- 1 Small Round Piping Tip – Like a Wilton 5
- Scribe or Toothpick
Ingredients
Strawberry Macarons
- 110 g aged egg whites – about 4 large egg whites
- pinch cream of tartar – optional
- 110 g granulated sugar 1/2 cup + 2 tsp
- 140 g superfine almond flour – blanched 1 1/4 cups
- 120 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 5 g freeze-dried strawberry powder – optional
- Red and neon green gel food coloring (I love Americolor and Chef Master)
- 1 Tbsp yellow or white nonpareil sprinkles
Buttercream Frosting
- 56 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup
- 4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
- 1 g fine salt 1/8 tsp
- 125 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 5 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 1 tsp
Additional Decorations / Fillings – Optional
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam or jelly
Instructions
Strawberry Macarons
- Place two Silpat mats in two large baking pans and print out this strawberry macaron template. Set aside.
- Pour 110g of aged egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface is covered with small bubbles and looks opaque.
- Add 110g of granulated sugar to the eggs and mix on a medium-low speed (speed 4 on a KitchenAid Mixer) for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed (speed 6 on a KitchenAid Mixer). Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form. This usually takes me about 4-6 minutes.
- Sift 140g superfine almond flour, 125g powdered sugar, and 5g of freeze-dried strawberry powder into a large bowl and set aside.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue using a circular motion. Once the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated into the meringue, place about 2/3 of a cup of batter in a separate bowl and add a drop of neon green gel food coloring.
- If you want to make both pink and red strawberries like I did, divide the remaining batter evenly between two bowls and add a small squirt of pink gel food coloring to one, and a very generous squirt of red gel food coloring (1/2 tsp) to the other. If not, just add a very generous squirt (1/2 tsp) of red gel food coloring to the remaining batter. Mix both bowls until the ingredients are combined and a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it's lifted. Be careful not to over-mix the batter! I like to mix both batters slightly less than normal, so that they have a little more dimension and keep their shape better!
- Pour the red and pink batter into large piping bags fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 10). If you don't have that size of piping tip, you can cut a 1/4 inch or about 1/2 cm opening at the base of the piping bags. Seal the top with a rubber band or clip and set aside (and angle the tip of the bag upward so that macaron batter doesn't flow out as it sits). Pour the green batter into a small piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip like a Wilton 5. If you don't have that size of piping tip, you can cut a 1/8 inch or about 2mm opening at the base of your piping bag. Seal the top with a rubber band or clip and set aside.
- Place the template (if you chose to use it) beneath one of the Silpat mats before piping, and remember to remove it from the pan once you’re done piping. Pipe these one tray at a time. Start by piping the berries (wait to add the green top). Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a scribe or toothpick. Then sprinkle white or yellow nonpareil sprinkles over the red part of each shell to look like strawberry seeds. I only added sprinkles to half of the shells since the other half won't be visible because they'll be the bottom of each macaron. But you can add them to all if you prefer!
- Pipe the green tops above each strawberry using the green macaron batter. I recommend not banging the pans again after adding this part, so that the strawberry tops can have a bit more definition.
- Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 315 F.
- Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 18-20 minutes, and rotate your pan halfway through. I also place a large piece of foil over the tray halfway through baking them to prevent them from browning. This helps them keep their color a lot better. Just be careful to kind of tent the foil upward, so that it isn't resting directly against any of the macarons.
- Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the mat.
- The additional decorations are optional, but you can use green and white royal icing (I made a half batch of the royal icing in this recipe) to add details to the leaves and create little blossoms once the shells are fully cooled.
Buttercream Frosting
- While the macaron shells rest and bake, beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.
- Mix in 4g vanilla extract and a pinch of salt on a low speed.
- Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 5g of heavy cream on a low speed.
- Continue to mix on low for a couple of minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
- If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
- Place in a piping bag with the same round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) you used to pipe the macaron shells and set aside, or cut a 1/4 inch hole at the base of your piping bag.
Assembling These Strawberry Macarons
- Pipe a ring of frosting around one macaron shell and fill the center with strawberry jam. Top it with another shell to create a little macaron sandwich.
- Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recipe Yield:
This recipe makes about 50 macaron shells, which can be used to make 25 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to make more macarons if needed. You can also pipe smaller round shells and not use the template! If you go that route, this recipe makes about 25 classically shaped macarons (my shells are usually about 1 1/4 inches in diameter).Tips for Making the Best French Strawberry Macarons
- Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe. Your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.
- Separate your own eggs and age them if possible! Do not use egg whites from a carton.
- Use gel food coloring if you want to color your macarons. If you try to use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency of the batter.
- 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!
- Print out this template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
- FIRMLY bang your pans on your counter after piping your macarons. This helps release any air bubbles that may be trapped and prevent cracked or hollow shells.
- Rest your macarons for 30 minutes before they’re baked to allow them to develop a skin.
- Pipe a small number of macarons on a mat to test your oven for hot spots and see if it bakes accurately. That way, you won’t waste a whole tray of macs if your oven runs hot or cold.
- Let your macarons mature in the fridge overnight once they’re filled! 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 Strawberry French Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips
French macarons need to mature overnight (or ideally 24 hours) in the fridge before being eaten! They taste best 24 hours after being made. Macarons can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Macarons can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Filled macarons can be frozen for up to a month, but the length can vary based on the filling. Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container. The frosting can be made 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.Nutrition
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Hi Chelsey,
Please let me know which nonpareil sprinkles to buy that do not bleed into the macaron batter or the filling. Thank you so much for the very detailed and tips-filled recipe! I’m eager to make it!
Much Appreciation,
Michele Elliott
Hi Michele,
For this macaron design I like to use these yellow nonpareil sprinkles: https://amzn.to/3NXOD80
I order them on amazon 🙂 Hope that helps, happy baking!
This recipe was absolutely amazing! It was so good, everyone in my family had to have seconds. You are so talented thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Ginger,
You’re so sweet, thank you!! I’m thrilled your family loved it enough to go back for seconds (that’s always the best compliment!). I’m so happy you gave the recipe a try 🙂