Lemon macarons are my absolute favorite. This method and recipe explain how to level up the lemon flavor at every step without compromising the beauty of your macarons.
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My Secret
If you see a recipe for lemon macarons that doesn't call for lemon zest in the meringue mixture, run the other way (just kidding). You can add zest to buttercream or lemon curd all you like, but the road leading to the ultimate lemon macaron includes miles of bright, beautifully tart lemon zest.
The Method
Infusing the filling and the shells with lemon is the only way to achieve French macarons with a lemon flavor throughout. You can certainly do this artificially with expensive lemon extract, but I prefer the Real McCoy. My favorite technique—which blasts your macarons with big lemon flavor and keeps the shells ultra-smooth—is adding a bit of lemon zest to the dry ingredients.
- If you don't have a food processor, simply whisk the grated lemon peel with your dry ingredients for a minute or two, then sift.
- With a food processor, grind your dry ingredients with the grated lemon peel for ten to twenty seconds. Then, sift the dry ingredients before folding them into your beaten egg whites.
The oils from the peel—the literal lemon essence—will transfer to the almond flour and sugar. Sifting the lemon peel out will prevent too much oil from messing with those frilly feet and smooth shells.
The Best Acid
If you are new to whipping meringue or baking macarons at home, you'll notice almost all recipes suggest adding cream of tartar to the egg whites.
Cream of tartar, also known as tartaric acid, can help stabilize the whipped whites. But guess what? Lemon juice acts the same way—and I like it better. Too much cream of tartar can create too thick a meringue, and if your batter doesn't settle enough on the pan, you can end up with hollow shells.
When whipping egg whites, add the lemon juice after a few minutes of beating to stabilize your meringue. If you're worried your whites need extra insurance, you can still pinch a little cream of tartar, too.
The Filling
For an easy lemon filling, add a couple of lemon's worth of grated rind to an easy American buttercream and perhaps a splash of lemon liqueur, like Limoncello. Or, to fill the macarons with luscious lemon curd, whip one up (recipe below) and, after it cools, add a little limoncello. Notice the trend here? If you enjoy an aperitif, a Limoncello macaron filling is the ticket. If you prefer to leave the booze out, loads of lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice into curd or buttercream are just as lovely.
📖 Recipe
Marvelous Lemon Macarons
These macarons are infused with lemon at every turn! If you want to fill them with lemon curd and buttercream, use this classic, custard-like French buttercream recipe.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16-20 macarons 1x
Ingredients
Macaron shells
- 180 grams of confectioner's sugar
- 108 grams of almond flour or blanched almonds
- 90 grams of fresh egg whites (absolutely no yolk)
- 45 grams of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- zest of one large lemon
- yellow food coloring, plant-based recommended
Lemon Curd
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
- zest of one lemon (at least a tablespoon)
- 6 egg yolks (about 3 ounces)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons limoncello
Instructions
For the lemon curd
- Combine half of the butter, half of the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Combine egg yolks with the remaining half of the sugar in a heat-proof bowl.
- When the lemon juice mixture boils, slowly drizzle it into the egg yolks while whisking continuously (this is called tempering).
- Return the mixture to the pot and continue cooking on medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils. Once large bubbles break the surface, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter.
- Strain the curd into a clean bowl through a mesh sieve to remove any curdled egg yolks. If using limoncello, add it now. Press plastic wrap on top, and chill.
- Keep curd refrigerated, but serve at room temperature.
For the macaron shells
- In a large bowl, whisk lemon zest with almond flour and powdered sugar for a minute or so to release lemon flavor. Sift to remove large pieces of almond and lemon zest. If using whole or slivered almonds, grind them with powdered sugar until the mixture resembles sand. Stop to scrape the bottom of the bowl at least once. Add lemon zest, and pulse four or five times. Sift dry ingredients after grinding to remove lemon zest.
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Combine the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or use a mixing bowl and a hand mixer. Whip on high speed to a stiff meringue (resembles shaving cream, smooth and glossy with stiff peaks that only slightly curve over). Add the lemon juice, and whip on high speed for 30 seconds more to incorporate. Add food coloring now and whip to incorporate, if using.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir vigorously for a moment to combine. Then, fold the batter by scraping around the sides of the bowl and up from the bottom and over the top. Fold until it ribbons off the spatula and becomes smooth, shiny, and flowing. Transfer to a piping bag (or large plastic bag) fitted with a small round pastry tip.
- Pipe the batter into circles onto baking mats or parchment paper. If your piped shells could use a little settling out, lightly tap the pans on the counter.
- Let the piped batter rest on the counter for about 15 minutes. The shells will turn from shiny and sticky to smooth and dull. You should be able to gently brush your finger over the top of the shells without causing an indentation.
- Bake at 300° F for 14 to 18 minutes, until the tops are hard, and do not pull away from the bottoms when very gently lifted. Rotate the pans halfway through baking, after 8 or 10 minutes.
- Cool completely before removing from the baking mat or parchment.
- Once the curd is cool, pipe or spoon a small amount in the middle of half the macaron shells, then top with another gently. Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving for a more intense flavor. Time spent together allows the lemony goodness of both elements bloom.
Notes
For Lemon French Buttercream
If you'd like to fill your lemon macarons with buttercream instead of curd - or even both! - use this French vanilla buttercream recipe, and whisk in two lemons worth of zest and a couple of tablespoons of Limoncello if you dare!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sweets, Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Filled French Macaron
- Calories: 116
- Sugar: 12.7 g
- Sodium: 10.2 mg
- Fat: 3.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.1 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35.8 mg
Keywords: lemon macaron recipe, macaron troubleshooting, limoncello, lemon dessert recipes, french macarons, french pastries, french desserts
Tippycat
It mentions using half of the butter in step 1 of the lemon curd, but I don’t see which step the rest of it is supposed to be added?
Chef Christina
Hi there< You add the remaining half of the butter when the curd comes off the pan, it's mentioned in Step 4. But if you left it out by no means will the curd suffer. It just makes it a bit silkier and thicker. 🙂
Heidi Brown
Oh my gosh...my macarons actually look FRENCH! I wish I had found you 2000 macarons ago.
I have a question. Your vanilla mac recipe has a significantly higher percentage of almond flour than the rest of your recipes. Is this correct? THANK YOU!!! Heidi
Chef Christina
Heidi, I'm so pleased to read this, you are so very welcome! And you are correct, the ratio of almond flour is higher in my vanilla bean macarons. It adds a little more almond flavor with a denser crumb (and less chance of hollows). But you can certainly use the ratio from any of my other recipes with vanilla beans for a more traditional French texture. Don't hesitate with any more questions, and thanks for reading!
Nate
Easily the best macarons ever!!
Alli
For the first recipe how many does it make? Thank you!
edibletimes
I usually get between 20-30 finished macarons. It all depends on how large you pipe your circles. My numbers also account for the ones that I toss (eat) because they don't match up or didn't rise with good "feet". Happy baking, thanks for coming by!
Hanna
Can you just use vanilla extract?
edibletimes
Absolutely. I just love the vanilla bean paste and extra flavor, but any real vanilla extract will get you there. Happy baking!