Classic pistachio macarons filled with Ladurée pistachio cream filling. Simply the best! Step-by-step photos and video tutorial included.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this pistachio macaron recipe:
- Key Ingredient Notes
- How to make pistachio macarons:
- 1. Sift dry ingredients
- 2. Make french meringue
- 3. Make macaron batter (macaronage)
- 4. Pipe macaron shells
- 5. REST AND BAKE
- 6. Make Laduree’s pistachio creme filling
- 7. ASSEMBLE THE MACARONS
- 7. MATURE THE MACARONS
- Macaron Storing Tips:
- Video Tutorial
- Pistachio Macarons Recipe
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItA few years ago, my husband and I went to Paris. It was a dream of mine for many years.
And I was ecstatic when we walked into the famous Ladurée shop on Champs-Ellyses. Long lines didn’t bother me at all, I was in awe of their beautiful desserts and treats. One of my most favorite flavors of Ladurée macarons was pistachio macarons. Pure heaven!
As soon as we came back home, I went straight to my Laduree Macarons book and searched for their pistachio macaron recipe. And I found it on page 40!!!
Why you’ll love this pistachio macaron recipe:
These pistachio macs are pistachio lovers’ dream!!
- You’ll get unmistakable pistachio flavor in every bite!
- Silky smooth and delicate pistachio cream filling is a dream!
- As always, super detailed and easy to follow directions to walk you through the entire process.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour – Use super fine almond flour to ensure smooth tops. Weigh the dry ingredients before sifting.
- Pistachio flour – It’s easy to make pistachio flour at home! I have a whole tutorial on how to make homemade pistachio flour. In a nutshell, blanch raw pistachios and remove the brown skin. Then light roast them and pulse in a food processor.
- Powdered sugar – I highly recommend using a store-bought powdered sugar over homemade one, because commercial powdered sugar has cornstarch in it. And it helps with texture of the cookies.
- Granulated sugar – Superfine sugar or caster sugar works best for making a stable meringue, as it dissolves quicker.
- Cream of tartar is optional and can be omitted. However, it helps to stabilize egg whites and create sturdier meringue. It’s just an extra insurance!
- Pistachio paste – No need to purchase expensive pistachio paste, especially since there’re so many hit-or-miss brands. Here’s my video tutorial on how to make homemade pistachio paste. But if you’re shopping for one, pay attention for ingredient list. I like to use pure pistachio paste with no added sugars.
How to make pistachio macarons:
Making pistachio macaron shells is the same process as basic macarons.
1. Sift dry ingredients
- Sift almond flour, pistachio flour and powdered sugar three times.
2. Make french meringue
- Combine egg whites, granulated sugar, salt and cream of tartar, if using, in a large bowl.
- Beat the egg whites on a consistent medium speed until soft peaks form. (On KitchenAid stand mixer, I beat the meringue on speed 4.)
- Add green gel food coloring.
- Continue whipping the meringue on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
Visual Cues: Your meringue should be super thick and ball up inside the whisk. When you lift the whisk, the meringue should hold a pointy end and have sharp ribs.
2023 UPDATE: In the last year, I’ve changed my French meringue technique to combining the egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar from the start instead of adding sugar slowly into lightly whipped egg whites. I found this meringue method works better for macarons.
3. Make macaron batter (macaronage)
- Add sifted dry ingredients into the meringue and fold the batter until lava-like consistency. Watch my real-time Macaronage video for better visual cues.
4. Pipe macaron shells
- Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag with a round tip. And line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheets.
- Pipe the batter into 1.5-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets.
- Tap the baking sheet from the bottom a few times to smooth out the shells and pop any air bubbles trapped in the shells. If needed, use a toothpick to pop stubborn bubbles.
WATCH MY PIPING TECHNIQUE VIDEO
Free Macaron Template
I made a perfect template for you. Subscribe to my e-mail list and download this custom macaron template for FREE. (This template is perfect for my recipe and super easy to use!)
5. REST AND BAKE
- Preheat the oven to 300°F for at least 30 minutes. Check the accuracy of oven temperature with an oven thermometer for best result.
- Rest macaron shells before baking for 15 minutes.
- Bake, one baking sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes. I don’t use convection settings for baking macarons. My oven is set to heat from top and bottom.
how to check if macarons are done
Touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move. It’s always better to slightly over-bake macarons than under-bake them!
6. Make Laduree’s pistachio creme filling
I have a separate post on pistachio cream filling recipe with step by step photos, lots of tips for success and troubleshooting common issues.
If you prefer to make a simple pistachio filling, you may also make my easy pistachio buttercream recipe.
7. ASSEMBLE THE MACARONS
- Remove the macaron shells from the baking surface once they are cooled completely. If the shells are stuck to the baking surface, the shells are either underbaked, or you need to let them cool completely.
- Pair the shells by size and arrange them on a baking sheet, or wire rack, placing one shell bottom side up.
- Pipe a dollop of filling on the bottom shells, place the top shell over the filling, and press lightly so the filling spreads to the edges.
7. MATURE THE MACARONS
- Place the filled macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably for 24 hours. This process is called maturing, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
- Bring the macarons to room temperature (about 30 minutes on the counter) before serving.
Check out the visual Macaron Troubleshooting Guide for tips and tricks to fix or prevent common macaron issues!
Macaron Storing Tips:
Unfilled macaron shells:
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Filled macarons:
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, depending on the filling.
- Freeze the assembled macarons in an airtight container for up to 1 month. To thaw, place the frozen macarons in the fridge and let them thaw slowly for at least 1 hour.
Macaron 101: A Comprehensive Guide
Master the art of French macarons and create your signature flavors!
Hope you’ll enjoy your very own pistachio macarons soon. And if you make this recipe, please leave a review below. Thank you!!!
Video Tutorial
Pistachio Macarons
We made these pistachio macarons with homemade pistachio flour and pistachio paste. Keep in mind, pistachio cream filling is naturally softer filling, but carefully follow the directions to achieve perfectly creamy and thick filling.
Ingredients
For Pistachio Macaron Shells:
- 60 g fine almond flour Note 1
- 40 g fine pistachio flour Note 2
- 65 g powdered sugar Note 3
- 70 g egg whites at room temperature
- 75 g fine granulated sugar Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar Note 5
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon green gel food coloring I used Wilton Kelly green
For Laduree Pistachio Creme Filling:
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 egg yolks
- 55 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 20 g pure pistachio paste Note 6
Instructions
To make pistachio macaron shells:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheet, or silicone mat.
- To prepare the dry ingredients, sift together almond flour, pistachio flour and powdered sugar twice. (TIP: If you have up to 1 tablespoon of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don't have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.)
- To make the meringue, in a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, combine egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt and beat the mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form. (I set it to speed 4 on my KitchenAid stand mixer. It takes 30-40 minutes to whip the meringue, but it's well worth it for nice and full shells.)
- When the meringue reaches soft peaks, add a drop of green gel food coloring. (I used Wilton Leaf Green or Americolor Green.)
- Continue beating the egg whites on the same medium low speed until hard peaks form. Visual cues: Meringue should ball up inside the whisk, and when you lift the whisk, the meringue should hold a pointy end and have sharp ribs.
- To make the batter, sift the dry ingredients again into the meringue. And using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until fully incorporated. Then continue to fold the batter until it’s runny enough to draw a figure eight.
- To test the batter, take a small amount of batter and drop it into the bowl. If the small peaks dissolve into the batter on its own in about 10 seconds, the batter is ready. If not, fold couple more times and test again. Be careful not to over-fold the batter. (TIP: Making french macarons is all about the technique. This is one of the most crucial steps. Let me try to describe the folding motion as best as I can: run the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. If you’re beginner macaron-baker, I suggest to count every fold. It takes roughly about 50 folds to reach the proper consistency. After 50 folds, start testing the batter, and continue testing after every couple folds. Watch my real-time macaronage video.)
- To pipe macaron shells, transfer the macaron batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip. (I used this Wilton 2A tip.)
- Hold the pastry bag at straight 90° angle and pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. (TIP: I made a perfect macaron template for you. Simply pipe the batter to fill inner circle.)
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter (or using your hand) a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles. This step ensures smooth tops.
- Let the macarons rest on the counter for 15 minutes before baking.
- To bake, working one baking sheet at a time, place one tray with macarons on the middle rack. (TIP: To prevent browning, place an empty baking sheet on top rack to shield the heat.) Bake for about 15-18 minutes. It’ll take longer for larger macarons.
- To test for doneness, touch one macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move. (TIP: It’s always better to slightly over-bake macarons than under-bake them!)
- Cool the macarons completely on the baking mats before peeling them off.
To make Laduree pistachio creme filling:
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring it constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Then continue to cook until the syrup reaches 250°F (120°C), about 5 minutes.
- Simultaneously, start beating egg yolks in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment until it's doubled in size and becomes pale in color, about 2 minutes.
- While the mixer is running on low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg yolks. Pour the syrup into the side of the bowl, instead of the whisk, so that it doesn't splatter.
- Increase the speed to medium high, and beat the mixture until it cools down to 104°F (40°C). The mixture will become smooth and white.
- Stir in butter, pistachio paste and food coloring, if desired. Continue to beat the cream until nice and smooth. Then transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag with round tip.
To assemble macarons:
- Pair the macaron shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack. Line them up so that bottom shells are upside down.
- Pipe a dollop of filling on bottom shells. Place the top shell over the filling and press lightly so the filling spreads till the edges.
- Store the filled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 24 hours to mature, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
- To serve, bring the macarons out about 30 minutes prior to serving.
Tips & Notes
Note 1: It’s best to use super fine almond flour to ensure smooth tops. Weigh the ingredients before sifting.
Note 2: I use homemade pistachio flour. To make pistachio flour, place about 80g of pistachios in a food processor and pulse until fine. Once the pistachios are broken into small pieces, sift through a sieve to remove fine pistachio flour. Then place the chunkier pieces back into the food processor and pulse again.
Note 3: I don’t recommend making your own powdered sugar, because commercial powdered sugar has cornstarch in it. And it helps with texture of the cookies.
Note 4: It’s important to use fine granulated sugar for meringue, as it dissolves quicker. You can also use caster sugar, aka baker’s sugar.
Note 5: Cream of tartar is optional and can be omitted. However, it helps to stabilize egg whites and create sturdier meringue. It’s just an extra insurance!
Note 6: Here’s full tutorial on how to make homemade pistachio paste.
GOT MACARON TROUBLE? Check out my macaron troubleshooting guide.
STORING INSTRUCTIONS:
Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons after maturing them in the fridge for 24 hours. The filled macarons can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons after maturing them in the fridge for 24 hours. The filled macarons can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Servings: 1 macaron
Calories: 103kcal
Carbohydrates: 12g
Protein: 2g
Fat: 6g
Sugar: 11g
Sodium: 7mg
Did you make this?Share a comment or a review below!
This recipe was originally published on March 6th, 2015
Quick question – I want to make a bigger batch of the filling but was wondering if I should keep it in the fridge or on the counter? I find that some fillings become too soft to pipe if kept at room temp, but keeping it in the fridge and letting it come to room temp messes up the smooth texture after it softens again…
Hi, Jessie. I’d refrigerate it. And bring it out about 30min before using and make sure to beat it for a few second to bring back the smooth texture.
For the filling, I’m not sure if you meant egg whites or egg yolks… I used yolks and it turned out completely runny and did not hold together even after cooling in the fridge.
Hi, Jack. The recipe is written correctly and the filling is made with egg yolks. Since your filling is still running after refrigerating, it’s most likely your sugar syrup didn’t reach 245°F, which is crucial for proper setting. You may check out this post on the pistachio cream filling with troubleshooting guide or watch the video that’s included in this post.
Just made these and they are absolutely delicious! I was apprehensive at first at the idea of having to make a sugar syrup due to the fact that I had never made any before, but everything turned out great. I’m so glad that I found this recipe for pistachio macarons because I had almost given up on ever making any. All the other recipes that I had found in the past used white chocolate, which I found overpowered everything else and made it so that I couldn’t even taste the pistachio. Will definitely make these again!
I’m so glad to hear you tried the recipe despite the hesitation and loved it! Yay!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!
Hi Shinee, I have tried to make these pistachios macarons for the last few days and every time they come out lopsided. I’ve tried lowering my oven temp, turning my baking sheets upside down, making sure I’m piping at a 90° Angle. I have also used quality parchment paper and my silicone mats. I have made your basic macarons and was able to make them perfectly but for some reason I can’t get this one to work. Do you have any ideas on what I could be doing wrong?
Hi, Kristin. That’s interesting!! Sometimes, macarons come out lopsided when the silicone mat needs a good wipe down with vinegar. But since you also tried new parchment paper, that’s probably not an issue. How long are you resting the macarons? And do you use any fan nearby when drying?
I finally got them to work! The main difference was I used my mom‘s oven and set it to exactly 300°. They came out perfectly and were nice and full. I think I may need a new oven lol. To answer your questions I would let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes. I haven’t used a fan since my macarons seem to form a skin quickly.
Oh interesting. So glad it worked!! The reason I asked about the rest time is sometimes when you rest the macarons for too long, it could cause lopsided macarons. Or if a fan blew onto from one side too much could cause that as well.
Hi Shinee, i have made this macaron recipe along with your raspberry and lemon ones before…however for the raspberry and lemon ones, I realized that they were discoloring and growing…I believe it was becuase they have fruity ingredients in them that could brown from the heat. i simply used your basic macaron recipe with food coloring instead (along with the lemon and raspberry fillings). now….the same thing is happing with this recipe…my pistachio macarons are losing their color and becoming beige/brown. what can i do?
***not discoloring and growing** (discoloring and browning)
Hmm, how interesting. Are you using any food coloring when you make the flavored shells? There shouldn’t be any difference in how much they brown based on added ingredients.
I’m looking for a pistachio filling for mini tartlets…do you reckon this would work? & can you freeze it? thanks 🙂
Hi, CJ. I think you could, but the only way to know for sure is to try. The buttercream freezes well.
Hi! I tried your recipe and the shells turned out great. I struggled the most with the pistachio filling. When I poured in the boiled syrup into the whisking-eggs, it did not turn “smooth and white.” Can I ask to include pictures on the filling part or a youtube video link? Thank you!
Hi, Jacqueline. Thank you for your feedback!! I’m planning on filming a video for these pistachio macarons, it’s been highly requested. I’m expecting to share the video in early June. Stay tuned!
Delicious even though it only yielded 20 shells. the filling was runny and the
top a little brown. Can you help me, they were really good and I would like them to be perfect.
Hi, Carol. This filling is a little advanced, and I’m planning on filming a video to show and explain the process better. For browning, you could place an empty baking sheet on the top rack to prevent some of the heat from the top.
By far the best macaron I’ve made structure wise. I appreciate you giving a tutorial on proper merengue consistency. Unknowingly I have been just short of the stiff peak stage but now I know! And these were the first macarons I’ve made that didn’t hollow.
Also, can the base of the filling be used for other flavors?
Hi, Kacie! So happy you loved the recipe!! Thank you for your feedback. And yes, you can use the filling recipe for other flavors as well.
I’ve tried several and this ones shell recipe has been by far the best outcome, melts in your mouth with flavor!
Awesome!!! So happy you loved the recipe, Lili!!