Gluten-Free French Macarons
By the Gluten Free Recipes team ·
Authentic French macarons made with almond flour and Italian meringue — characteristically light, with smooth domed shells, ruffled "feet," and a chewy interior. They are naturally gluten-free since almond flour is the base. Expect this to take two hours and several attempts — macarons are a genuine technical challenge.
At a glance: This hard desserts recipe yields 20 servings in about 1h 30m (60 min prep, 30 min cook). It uses 9 ingredients — including almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites — and walks through 10 steps. Updated . Browse more desserts recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.
Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free French Macarons: When preparing this desserts recipe, use dedicated baking equipment for macarons if your kitchen is shared with wheat. Almond flour can pick up airborne gluten. In a shared kitchen, avoid porous materials — wooden spoons, wooden cutting boards, and scratched non-stick pans can harbor gluten proteins even after washing. Prefer glass, metal, or silicone tools.
Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free French Macarons: Macarons are naturally gluten-free — their structure comes entirely from almond flour, egg whites, and sugar. No GF flour substitution is needed. Verify chocolate used in the ganache is certified GF (most dark chocolate is, but check for malt grain extract).
Ingredients
- 200 g almond flour
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 75 g egg whites
- 75 g egg whites
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 50 ml water
- gel food colouring
- 120 g dark chocolate
- 80 ml heavy cream
Instructions
- 1
Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together twice. Discard any pieces that don't pass through. Set aside.
- 2
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until syrup reaches 244°F / 118°C (use a candy thermometer).
- 3
While the syrup cooks, beat the second 75g of egg whites in a stand mixer to soft peaks.
- 4
With the mixer running, carefully pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a thin stream. Beat on high until the meringue is glossy, stiff, and the bowl feels just slightly warm to the touch (Italian meringue).
- 5
Fold the first 75g of egg whites into the almond flour mixture to make a paste.
- 6
Fold the meringue into the almond paste in three additions using a wide spatula. Macaronage is complete when the batter flows like lava and a ribbon dropped from the spatula disappears back into the mass within 10 seconds.
- 7
Pipe 1.5-inch rounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Tap the sheet firmly on the counter three times to burst air bubbles. Let shells rest at room temperature for 30–60 minutes until a dry skin forms (they should not stick to your finger).
- 8
Bake at 300°F / 150°C for 13–15 minutes. Shells should have developed visible "feet" and lift cleanly off the parchment. Cool completely.
- 9
Make ganache: heat cream to a simmer, pour over chopped chocolate, stir until smooth. Cool until thick enough to pipe.
- 10
Pipe a small mound of ganache onto one shell, sandwich with a matching shell. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving — the shells need time to hydrate and become chewy.
Nutrition (per serving)
Tips & Notes
- Humidity is the enemy of macarons. Avoid baking on rainy days.
- Age your egg whites by separating them 24 hours ahead and leaving them uncovered in the fridge.
- Under-macaronaged batter produces hollow shells; over-mixed batter produces flat ones.
- The "feet" indicate proper oven temperature — if missing, increase by 5°F.
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