Strawberry Macarons are the perfect classic macaron flavor. They have a french macaron shell filled with a sweet strawberry american buttercream.
If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't then you should!) then you know I am pregnant with twins and I told y'all last week that I decided to do a macaron gender reveal. It feels fitting for my brand and who doesn't love a new macaron recipe?
Anyways, you can probably tell from the fact that these macs are pink that we are having two girls! I can't wait to meet these sweet baby girls and I can't wait to introduce them to y'all!
Macarons are one of my favorite things to make, but they are definitely tricky. They have a mind of their own and one wrong step in the recipe can totally change the end result. BUT they are also so fun to make, a major win when you get them right, and delicious no matter how they end up looking.
That being said, it is so possible to master macarons. I compiled a Step-by-Step Macaron post with all of my best tips and tricks for making the best macarons possible. It has all of the steps and tools that I use every time I make macarons and I can promise you it will get you closer to being a macaron master!
Ingredients for Strawberry Macarons:
Ingredients for french macaron shell:
- Almond Flour. Be sure that you are using almond flour and not almond meal.
- Powdered Sugar. This will aid in the flavor and structure of the finished macarons.
- Egg Whites. Having your egg whites at room temperature will make it easier to whip them.
- Granulated Sugar. Sugar will give structure to the beaten egg whites.
- Red or Pink Food Dye. This is totally optional. I usually leave my macarons white, but I dyed them for the sake of the gender reveal!
Ingredients for strawberry American buttercream:
- Unsalted Butter. I always make sure to use unsalted butter when baking because there is no “standard” for the amount of salt they can add to butter. So if you add salt to a recipe and then use salted butter you could end up with a very salty end product.
- Powdered Sugar. See above note.
- Heavy Cream or Milk. This will help bring the buttercream together and make it creamy. You can substitute for non-dairy milk.
- Freeze-dried Strawberries. This will flavor the buttercream without adding any extra moisture as fresh strawberries would.
Macaron tips
- If possible, make your macarons on a less humid day. You will need to rest the macarons for longer and they might not turn out as well on a humid day.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. You only need to macaronage until you can make a figure 8 with the batter. If you over-mix the macarons will spread too much.
- Wipe the bowl down with vinegar before adding the egg whites to whip. Even a speck of leftover dish soap or fat (egg yolk, butter, etc.) will inhibit the egg whites from whipping up properly.
- Let the macarons rest before eating. Macarons are best when they have matured for 12 or so hours. So after you fill the macarons, let them rest overnight for the best flavor.
How to make Strawberry Macarons:
French Macarons
STEP 1: Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
STEP 2: In a food processor add the powdered sugar and almond flour and pulse until fully combined and rid of lumps. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can just sift the ingredients together.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Add one drop of food coloring at this point, if desired. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
STEP 4: Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
STEP 5: Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
STEP 6: Let the macarons rest for an hour. There needs to be a dry layer on the top. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger.
STEP 7: Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F). This is the temperature that I have found works well for my oven, but you may need to play around with the temperature.
STEP 8: Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes, and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total.
STEP 9: Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. They should peel off the mat easily.
STEP 10: When the macarons are cooled peel them off of the mat and match each shell to another that is the same size.
Strawberry American Buttercream
STEP 1: Place the freeze-dried strawberries in the food processor. Pulse until finely ground.
STEP 1: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is very soft and creamy.
STEP 2: Add the freeze-dried strawberries and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
STEP 3: Add the rest of the powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
STEP 4: If the buttercream is too thick add the heavy cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
How to assemble Strawberry Macarons:
STEP 1: Transfer the American buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
STEP 2: Pipe your desired amount of frosting on the inside of one macaron shell. Place another macaron shell on top.
Step 3: Repeat with remaining macarons.
Can I make macarons ahead of time?
For sure! I make macarons ahead of time pretty often and they always still taste amazing. If I am making macarons more than a day before I want to serve them I freeze them. They will freeze well for about two weeks. Just pull them out of the freezer about an hour before you are ready to serve them and they will thaw out perfectly.
More macaron recipes
- Crème Brûlée Macarons– These french macarons are filled with vanilla bean buttercream and topped with crunchy burnt sugar.
- Almond Joy Macarons– Classic macaron shells filled with a rich chocolate ganache and rolled in coconut and almonds.
- Boston Cream Pie Macarons- A vanilla macaron shell filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with rich chocolate.
- Red Velvet Macarons- A red velvet macaron shell filled with a cream cheese filling.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click a link and buy something.
Like this post? Visit my Recipe page to see more like it!
Recipe
Strawberry Macarons
Ingredients
For Shells:
- 1 ⅔ cup (200 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (110 grams) almond flour
- 3 large (100 grams) egg whites
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- red or pink food coloring optional
For Buttercream:
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
Instructions
For Shells:
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat (my favorite baking sheet for macarons and favorite silicone mats for macarons). I highly recommend a silicone mat of some kind, but if you don’t have one then you can also use parchment paper.
- In a food processor add the powdered sugar and almond flour and pulse until fully combined and rid of lumps. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can just sift the ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. You can use a stand mixer for this, but I prefer a hand mixer for a batch this small. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. If you add the sugar too fast you will deflate the meringue. Beat until stiff peaks form. This is when you pull the beater out and the meringue stands up with a slight curve. It should not fall or jiggle too much if you move the beater. If you want to add food coloring, do it now, but add it sparingly or you will make the meringue too liquidy.
- Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. A good way to test if the batter is ready is to place a very small amount in your piping bag and pipe it onto your mat. If the batter is stiff and does not spread at all, then it is not ready. If the batter immediately runs out, then you have over folded. The batter should spread slightly and the tops should even out (there shouldn’t be any little tips sticking out), but it should not spread out too much.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip (this is my favorite for macarons). Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
- Let the macarons rest for an hour. There needs to be a dry layer on the top. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger. If it is really humid outside this process will likely take longer.
- Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F). This is the temperature that I have found works well for my oven, but you may need to play around with the temperature.
- Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total. The macarons should not have any color to them, and they should peel off of the mat easily.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Peel each macaron shell off of the mat and match each shell to another that is the same size.
For Buttercream:
- Place the freeze-dried strawberries in the food processor. Pulse until finely ground.
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is very soft and creamy. The butter needs to be really soft or your buttercream won’t be as fluffy as it should be.
- Add the freeze-dried strawberries and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
- If the buttercream is too thick add the heavy cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
For Assembly:
- Transfer the American buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
- Pipe your desired amount of frosting on the inside of one macaron shell. Place the matching shell on top.
- Repeat with remaining macaron shells.
rachel says
how would you recommend storing these and how long do these last in a container?
Ellie Haley says
Room Temperature: Macarons can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. I wouldn't recommend this, though, because they can become stale quickly.
Refrigerator: If stored correctly in an airtight container they will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer: Macarons freeze and thaw extremely well and can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to two months.
Elke Clifford says
They didn't work out for me but I think that was my fault not the recipe's
Ellie Haley says
That's such a bummer! Macarons are so fickle. I hope you have better luck next time!
tiny tina says
I loved it and would recommend it. I added pureed strawberries to the meringue and they tasted amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Ellie Haley says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
lila says
perf recipe love it so much !! however my shells cracked in the oven what did i do wrong ??
Ellie Haley says
This usually means that the batter was under-mixed, so there was too much air in the batter and it cracked through the shells to get out.
Kaitlyn keefer says
I recently started making macarons and have tried different recipes but yours are hands down the best! They are so easy to follow and you got the measurements down. I tell everyone to use your recipes if they’re looking to make macarons! Also they are delicious 😍 thank you!
Ellie Haley says
My heart!! Thank you so much for the kind words and support!
April says
This was my first time making macarons. They were a success and my neighbors loved them! Since then, I have made these 2 more times and it’s really a no-fail recipe. Everyone loves strawberries!
Anonymous says
Could you include freeze-dried strawberries for the shells too? And if so how much do you recommend, like 1/4 cup?
Ellie Haley says
I have never tried this, so I can't recommend, but I would probably start with 1/4 cup or so
Kath says
Hello my shells are runny what do I do?
Ellie Haley says
My guess would be that you over mixed the batter
Skylar says
My group and I had to me them for our 7th grade class and they were amazing,thank you so. much
Anonymous says
They did not puff up tho so idk what we did wrong.
Anahi says
Loves the microns the taste amazing
Ralph @ Bakell says
Such a beautiful cookie for Spring! Could I use strawberry preserves for this recipe?
Ellie Haley says
Absolutely! The macarons won’t be quite as sturdy with a preserve filling, but it will be delicious!
Katherine Mena says
Thank you for Such an easy And delish rEcipe to make the macaroons, i hosted a baby shower For a baby girl and made the stRawberry pink Macaroons, They were a hit!! 💗 loved how easy it was.
Carrie says
this is one of three of your macaron recipes that I have made so far. I love that the buttercream doesn't use any extracts. I did try to put some of the freeze dried strawberry on the top of the macarons and it burned, so I won't make that mistake again. Love these and will definitely make again (without my own spin!)
Ellie Haley says
Freeze dried fruits don’t do too well on top of macs in the oven, but that’s such a good idea! You could drizzle some white chocolate on top and then sprinkle with freeze dried strawberries after baking!
Sarah says
I had never made macarons bUt my husband and i love them. We dEcided to make this recipE together and were so SurprIsed how easy it was to follow and our macarons turned out so well!! Thank you!
Ellie Haley says
So glad y’all enjoyed them!!
Olesya says
SUCH an easy recipe to follow. so simple and so yummy!