Filled with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting, these stunning red velvet macarons are made to impress! Learn how to achieve that perfect deep red color and texture!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love red velvet macarons:
- Is this macaron recipe for you?
- Key Ingredients Note:
- How to make red velvet macarons:
- 1. Sift the dry ingredients
- 2. Make the meringue
- 3. Mix the macaron batter (aka Macaronage)
- 4. Pipe and bake the macaron shells
- 5. Make cream cheese filling
- 6. Fill the macaron shells
- 7. Mature the macarons
- The Secret to Vibrant Red Color:
- How to store macarons:
- Red Velvet Macarons Recipe
Why you’ll love red velvet macarons:
Red velvet macarons are, hands down, one of my absolute favorite macaron flavors, right after pistachio macarons and lemon macs.
Not only does it have the most gorgeous color, but the flavor is so, so good!
The sweet n’ tangy cream cheese filling, crisp and pleasantly chewy shells with slight hint of cocoa and vanilla. I couldn’t ask for anything better!
Is this macaron recipe for you?
Now, if you’re new to making macarons and you’re determined to get the “perfect” look, this may not be the best recipe to start your macaron journey.
I highly recommend starting with my plain macarons for beginners. It has all the nitty-gritty details, explanation of techniques for success and video tutorial.
This red velvet macaron recipe is slightly advanced because of added cocoa powder and significant amount of food coloring.
Check out my entire MACARON ARCHIVE full of helpful resources for beginner macaron bakers!
Key Ingredients Note:
Measure the macaron ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. This intentional step leaves no wiggle room for error, maximizing your success!
- Egg whites – Quality egg whites lead to stable meringue, which is the foundation of perfect macarons. Choose fresh eggs, carefully separate the whites and yolk, and weigh the amount precisely. I’ve also had success with carton egg whites. Be sure to check the labels and avoid the ones that’s says “not for meringue”.
- Almond flour – Choose super-fine almond flour to with light beige color and fluffy texture. Avoid oily, yellow and/or coarse almond flour. This almond flour is my go-to.
- Powdered sugar – I don’t recommend making your own powder sugar, because commercial powdered sugar has cornstarch in it. And it helps with texture of the cookies.
- Granulated sugar – It’s important to use fine granulated sugar for meringue, as it dissolves quicker. You can also use caster sugar, aka baker’s sugar.
- Cocoa powder adds a hint of chocolate flavor and deepens the red color of the macarons. You can use either natural or Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder.
- 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!
- Red gel food coloring is absolutely necessary to achieve that vibrant red color.
How to make red velvet macarons:
We’re making French meringue macarons, which is my go-to method and it’s the easiest method of all.
1. Sift the dry ingredients
Sift almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder 3 times. This’s important, because not only are we mixing the ingredients, but we’re also aerating them for fluffier cookies.
TIME-SAVING TIP: If you have a stand mixer, sift the dry ingredients while the meringue is whipping.
2. Make the meringue
French meringue is the easiest, because we simply whisk egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks. Now, while it seems super easy, there’re a few things to keep in mind.
Combine egg whites, granulated sugar, salt and cream of tartar, if using, in a large bowl. And beat the mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Add red food coloring and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. You want to see a nice defined ridges as pictured below.
meringue tip
Slow and consistent speed is key to achieving the sturdiest meringue when it comes to French method. The exact time depends on each mixer. Don’t rush this process. It can take up to 40 minutes to reach stiff peaks!
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. Mix the macaron batter (aka Macaronage)
Add dry ingredients into the meringue and fold the batter until it reaches the perfect consistency, which means the batter is thick, yet runny enough to slowly flow off the spatula into a ribbon.
how to check the batter consistency
1. Scoop some batter on your spatula and then drop the batter into a ribbon into the bowl.
2. Slightly tilt the bowl and count to 10.
3. If the edges of the ribbon melt back into the batter in 10 seconds, the batter is ready!
4. Pipe and bake the macaron shells
Transfer the batter into a piping bag, fitted with a round tip. (I use Wilton 12 tip.) Pipe the shells on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Rest the macarons for 15 minutes. And bake one baking sheet at a time for about 18 minutes at 300°F.
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. Make cream cheese filling
Make cream cheese filling while the macaron shells are cooling. I use my simple frosting recipe as it works perfectly for macarons as well.
6. Fill the macaron shells
Remove the macaron shells from the baking surface once they are completely cooled. Then pair them by size and fill them with cream cheese frosting.
7. Mature the macarons
I know, you want to dive right in. But these macarons are best when served after maturing them for at least 8 hours in the fridge after filling.
During this process, filling seeps into the shells, softening and flavoring the macarons perfectly.
how long to mature the macarons
Typically, macarons are matured for at least 24 hours, but since cream cheese frosting is wetter filling, 8 hours is sufficient for maturing.
The Secret to Vibrant Red Color:
Red food coloring alone yields lighter, pinkish red macaron shells no matter how much coloring you add.
The secret to achieving intense red macarons is using the combination of cocoa powder and red food coloring.
choose the right food coloring
Only use gel food coloring for macarons, as liquid food coloring may throw the wet to dry ingredients ratio off.
How to store macarons:
- Plain macaron shells can be store in a dry, airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Assembled macarons should be refrigerated in a dry, airtight container for up to 3 days. Or freeze them for up to 1 month. If there’s any moisture in the container, it will transfer to the macarons and make them soggy.
- Remove the macarons from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Macarons are best at room temperature!
- Don’t store these delicate cookies in bags. They are more likely to crack or break this way.
macaron storage container
These clamshell plastic container is not airtight. You can store macarons in this container, but place it in a freezer bag before refrigerating or freezing.
Macaron 101: A Comprehensive Guide
Master the art of French macarons and create your signature flavors!
Red Velvet Macarons
Ingredients
For macaron shells:
- 100 g super fine almond flour Note 1
- 65 g powdered sugar Note 2
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder Note 3
- 70 g egg whites at room temperature Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar Note 5
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 75 g fine granulated sugar Note 6
- 1 teaspoons red gel food coloring Note 7
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For cream cheese filling:
- ¼ cup (55 g) cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
To make 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 dry ingredients, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder twice. Note: If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don't have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.
- To make 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 stage, add red gel food coloring and vanilla extract.
- 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 batter, sift almond flour mixture into the meringue. 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, 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 step. 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.)
- To pipe macaron shells, transfer the batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip. (I used this Wilton 12 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 2: Download my free macaron template. 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 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. (TIP: It’s always better to slightly over-bake macarons than under-bake them!)
- Cool macarons complete and then remove the shells from the parchment paper. (TIP: Don't remove the shells while warm, you may risk breaking the shells, or the bottom might get stuck to the baking surface.)
To make the filling:
- While macarons bake, prepare the cream cheese filling. In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat until well combined.
- Transfer the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip. (I used Wilton 10 piping tip.)
To assemble:
- 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 8 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
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on June 27, 2016.
I’m desperate to try this recipe but want to cover all bases first. When it says oven temp 150C, I have fan assisted oven so would I need to reduce the cooking temp?
Hi, Charlie. Sorry for delayed response. I bake my macarons on conventional (top and bottom) setting. If you want to bake on convection, I’d reduce the temp by 15°.
These were so yummy! This was only my third time making macarons and after watching your video and thoroughly reading the directions, and weighing my ingredients, it came out almost perfect! Thanks for a great recipe and teaching
So happy for your macaron success, Allison. Thank you for your feedback!
My macarons shell don’t haves leg and it not puffed up it just stay the same
What could I do?
Hi, Prae. If you haven’t already, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide here.
thanks
one of my favorite recipes!
Thank you, Madi!!
These came out great! I made them for Christmas dinner dessert and they were a hit . . . the only thing is that I feel that they didn’t rise as well. They definitely had little feet but not as uniform as I would have liked. Any tips?
Hi, Davina. So happy your macarons were a hit!! Thank you for your feedback. Do you have oven thermometer to monitor the temperature. It may due to a little low oven temp.
Hi Shinee, unfortunately I don’t have an oven thermometer. But that may have been it. I’m sure I’ll be making another batch soon so I’ll try making the oven a little hotter. Thanks so much!
Ok, let us know if that makes a difference for you, Davina.
I made these and the taste great but the top are wrinkled. Why is that ?
Hi, Anissa. Wrinkled shells are typically an indication of excess moisture. Did you use gel or liquid food coloring?
I leveled my ingredients and did everything right but when I was mixing my batter it was grainy and it never came off the spatula in ribbons? What did I do wrong?
Hi, Grace. Bummer! Thank you for reaching out to troubleshoot. What do you mean when you say “leveled the ingredients”? Did you use a scale or measuring cups? If you used measure cups, it’s quite possible to measure more dry ingredients. And macarons are especially finicky for even smallest difference. I know you said you were careful, but I highly recommend a scale. Second, what kind of cocoa powder (brand) did you use? Cocoa powders tend to complicate everything, because they do tend to make the batter too thick.
I used measuring cups and I just meant that I measured correctly with the measuring cups and was careful about that the brand of cocoa powder was the great value one (the Walmart brand)
Thanks for clarifying, Grace. I haven’t tried Great Value cocoa powder, I usually use Hershey’s one. It works pretty good. My suggestion is to weigh the ingredients on a scale and use Hershey’s cocoa powder.
Hi. Yes i did! I used gel also. Maybe I just used too much?
It’s definitely a possibility.
Of all the times I have made this recipe, I have never had smooth batter, mostly because of the almond flour not being as fine as wheat flour. The end result macaron still looked pretty good after it set for 30 minutes and tastes perfect after baking.
If the batter is too thick, it will not fall off the spatula right. I keep folding until it gets to the right consistency to slowly fall off the spatula in a ribbon. Fold it twice, then check it. Repeat until it gets to the correct consistency.
This recipe was pretty bad. I didn’t do anything wrong, I followed the recipe exactly. Yet they didn’t have feet, and they tasted awful as well. 😔 wouldn’t recommend but the frosting was good.
Hi, Allie. Thank you for your feedback! Bummer, your macarons didn’t turn out. As you may know, macarons are quite finicky and a lot of things may affect the final result. I know my recipe is good, because SO many others have successfully made beautiful red velvet macarons, as seen here. If you’d like, we can troubleshoot what may have gone wrong.
Hi Shinnie…. I’m on a Keto diet and I’m missing so much the macarons. I saw your recipe and I can do it, except for the sugar. Do you think I can use Swerve or Allulose or any other sweetener that can work instead of sugar?…
I would love to know!!!! You could make me so happy!!!!
Hi, Carolina. Unfortunately, I have no experience with any sugar alternatives, and I have no idea how macarons would turn out with them.
Hey I saw this and I was going to say that you can use monk fruit, it is a alternative for sugar, I haven’t tried it with macaroons but it’s definitely worth a shot!
Unfortunately I don’t think monkfruit sugar will work. I also wanted something lower glycemic but been there, done that, they were way too runny. The person who taught me how to make macarons said you have to stick to cane sugar and powdered sugar for the right texture.
By the way, I’ve tried to make this recipe twice now, the first time the macs were too puffy, I suspected my dry ingredients including the cocoa powder may have been too much, so I measured more carefully but the second batch is still looking too puffy and not smoothing out to that smooth macaron too. I banged the tray on the counter to remove air bubbles, which helped a bit but they’re still not the right consistency. Thoughts?
So I had this problem too, I found out you have to get the egg whites at room temperature first and then whip them, also, you have to bang them 1-3 times and then pop the rest of the bubbles with a toothpick
Thank you for sharing the info on monkfruit sugar, Jeneil!
As for your issue with puffy macarons, I think it might be due to under-mixing the macaron batter. I’d fold the batter a few more times next time.
Hi Mackenzie and Shinee, I wasn’t sure how to respond to your responses, so I’m responding to myself here! Thanks for your suggestions and feedback. Mackenzie, the eggs were aged on the countertop for over a day, and Shinee, I folded the batter until it was lava/ribbonlike. I think the problem is that I tried to increase ratios to match the macaron recipe I made before, with slightly less than 1 cup almond flour, 1 tablespoon cocoa, and 2 cups powdered sugar. It’s getting down to the wire because I want these done by Christmas, so I will follow the recipe here to the T next time.
Oh I didn’t realize you made an adjustment. Increasing the powdered sugar amount twice the amount could definitely alter the result. Let me know how they turn out if you try my recipe, Jeneil. Good luck!
Shinee, my 13 year old granddaughter and I had so much fun making these. (When we went to California 2 years ago she spent her own money to buy macarons at a French bakery). We tried to follow the directions perfectly, but we had trouble with the drying and cooking times. I waited an hour for them to dry, but they were still slightly tacky. We cooked them 20 minutes and checked but couldn’t remove one from the parchment. 2 minutes more, and same problem. Two minutes more and we took them out of the oven even though they still stuck. After cooling I removed them from the paper with a spatula. They looked beautiful, but were overly crunchy on the outside. They all still got filled and eaten. 😊. However, since my granddaughter is staying 2 weeks, we intend to try again. Suggestions?