These sunny yellow Lemon Macarons are sure to brighten your day! They are filled with lemon buttercream and lemon curd for double the lemony goodness!
Table of Contents
These Lemon Curd Macarons are so bright!
I don't know about you but every year towards the end of winter I start craving all thing lemony. Lemon bars, fresh squeezed lemonade, lemon meringue pie - it all just sounds amazing.
So when I found myself with half a batch of leftover lemon curd the other day and some extra egg whites on hand, I decided to whip up a batch of these lemon macarons! You can always use store-bought lemon curd, but homemade is so much better.
The macaron shells and the lemon curd filling recipes are both easy to make, even if you’ve never made a macaron before. They take a little time, but if you’re looking for a simple recipe to make french macarons for beginners, this one is a good choice!
Making macarons can be intimidating, especially if you are an inexperienced baker, but with this recipe, a stand mixer, and a little optimism, it’s honestly not that bad. I was able to successfully get "feet" (the ruffly edge at the bottom of each macaron shell) on my very first try when I made macarons and that's my goal for anyone who tries this recipe as well!
If you love all things lemon, you will also love our Double Lemon Glazed Cookies, Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake, and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Coconut Syrup.
What you’ll need for Lemon Macarons
- Finely ground almond flour
- Powdered sugar
- Egg whites
- Granulated sugar
- Yellow food coloring (affiliate link)
- ½ batch of lemon curd
- Salted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon zest
- Fresh lemon juice
How to make Lemon Macarons
- Sifting. Macarons are made with almond flour, not regular all-purpose flour, and it really needs to be sifted with the powdered sugar in the recipe to both lighten the mixture and make sure they are evenly combined. I recommend sifting twice, just to be sure everything is incorporated well.
- Beat the egg whites. If you have the time, I suggest using aged egg whites instead of just room temperature egg whites. To age the egg whites, separate the whites and yolks, then put the whites in the fridge overnight. The next day, let them sit out on the counter for 1-2 hours before making the macarons. It's not completely necessary and sometimes I just don't have time and skip the overnight aging process, but I always let the egg whites sit out for 1-2 hours so they really are room temperature at the very least.
- In a large, clean bowl, beat aged egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy, about 1 minute. I always use my KitchenAid with a whisk attachment for this part of things, but you could do it with a hand mixer instead.
- While the mixer is running, gradually add in the granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking for 20 seconds or so after each addition, until all of the sugar has been added. Add the food coloring (affiliate link) and continue to whisk on medium to medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Don't overbeat the egg whites (which is why I don't recommend upping your speed any higher than medium-high) but definitely whisk until the egg whites hold their shape when you lift the beaters out.
- Fold in the almond flour mixture. Add the almond flour mixture and start folding with a sturdy spatula. You will know you have mixed it enough when a thick ribbon of batter flows off your spatula when you hold it up over the bowl. The batter should melt in on itself after about 10 seconds and you should be able to make a figure-eight shape with the batter a couple of times before the batter has all run off the spatula.
- If it falls off in blobs, you haven't mixed long enough.
- If it falls off in a stream and immediately melts in on itself like honey or shampoo, there's a chance you went too far and overmixed it.
Hopefully these images will help you see how the batter changes as you mix it.
- Pipe the macaron shells. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Some people like to trace 1 ½" circles on the backside of the parchment paper as a guide for piping, and you can even buy special macaron silpat mats for this purpose. It's important not to pipe these directly onto your baking sheets or they will stick.
- Transfer the macaron batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Or just put it in a large heavy-duty ziploc bag and cut off one corner. Pipe 1 ½" circles a couple inches apart on the paper or mat. Then rap the baking sheet on the counter a few times to help remove any air bubbles in the shells. You can poke air bubbles that form on top with a toothpick if you need to.
- Let the macarons dry for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. The shells will get tacky on top and you should be able to tap them with your finger without your finger sticking.
- Preheat oven and bake. Let the oven preheat for a good 20 minutes at 300 degrees F, then bake one tray of macaron shells at a time for 16-18 minutes. Let the macaron shells cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to remove them from the baking mats or parchment paper.
- Make the lemon buttercream to hold in the lemon curd. Piping a border of buttercream around the edge both helps to hold the lemon curd in so it doesn't all squish out when you assemble the macarons.
- While the macaron shells are baking, beat the butter until creamy and smooth in a large bowl using an electric or stand mixer. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice, then beat again until light and fluffy.
- Spoon the lemon buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a small-ish round tip (or again just cut off one corner or a ziploc bag), then pipe a border around the bottom side of half of the shells. Fill with ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon curd, then sandwich another shell on top to complete the macaron.
Lemon Macaron Recipe tips
How do you know if a macaron is done?
When your macaron is finished baking, it should have “feet” at the bottom- These are the bubbly-looking bottoms. When you touch the top of the macaron it should be stable and not slide around in any way. If your cookie slides around to the touch, it isn’t finished baking. Add another 2 minutes and then check again, repeating as needed.
How to serve this Lemon French Macarons Recipe
Once done, you will have these beautiful bright and delicious macarons to enjoy. Now I wont judge if you want to save them all for yourself and eat them right away. But your friends and family may want to try some of these sunny yellow lemon macarons. It will brighten their day! Make sure to serve these at room temperature and to keep them fresh, serve the same day.
Lemon Curd Macaron storage
To keep your little happy maroons fresh, you will want to store in an airtight container. These lemon macarons are best consumed as soon as possible because the lemon curd can release moisture.
Is it better to freeze or refrigerate macarons?
That depends. Macarons can be a little finicky to make so to save yourself some stress and anxiety, you can make them in advance and freeze or store in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Macarons actually freeze really well (with a ganache or buttercream filling) and can be frozen fully assembled or you can also just freeze the shells and store for one to two months. Same with refrigeration, shells can stay fresh 4-6 days after made and fully assembled macarons usually stay fresh 2-4 days after made. In fact, it is recommended to refrigerate most macarons for 24 hours before serving to let the flavors mature together.
Can you freeze lemon curd macarons?
Macarons filled with lemon curd don't freeze as well because they get too wet when they defrost. But you can make the shells and wait to fill them, or just fill them entirely with lemon buttercream, which does freeze well.
Is it better to freeze macarons filled or unfilled?
That depends! Some macarons it’s ok to fill and then freeze. Macarons filled with lemon curd don't freeze as well because they get too wet when they defrost. But you can make the shells and freeze and wait to fill them, or just fill them entirely with a lemon buttercream, which does freeze well.
Lemon Macaron Recipe FAQs
Macarons are notorious for being finicky little things because it takes some precision. But don’t be scared! I give very detailed instructions throughout the whole process so you have nothing to worry about. My advice would be to read through the instructions before starting to familiarize yourself with the process. They may seem hard but they really are quite easy and the process is really quite fun.You can achieve perfect little macarons by reading through the instructions and following step by step. If it so happens they don’t turn out the way you wanted, try again! Don’t give up!
Technically they shouldn’t be crispy or chewy. They have a wonderful texture that starts with a slight crunch in the shell and a soft center. Sometimes the texture can be described as chewy but it should really be quite soft. The macaron is rich yet light and moist and should not be too sticky or chewy. You should be able to eat a few without feeling too heavy.
The shells of a macaron can be made three days in advance and stored in the fridge. If stored in the freezer (shells and fully assembled with filling) you can freeze for one month for best flavor and freshness. But they do freeze pretty well in an airtight container and can still stay pretty fresh up to three months in the freezer. If fully assembled, macarons can be stored for three days in the fridge though some say they can stay good for up to 7 weeks! They do have a pretty good shelf life. The only exception are macarons with a jam filling or a lemon curd. The moisture in the filling can make the macaron soggy if sitting too long. They are best to be consumed within 1-2 days.
These two words are so similar making it very tricky to distinguish between the two! But in fact they are quite different. A macaroon is a drop cookie made with shredded coconut. They look like little matterhorns. Which makes them a popular treat at Disneyland, the matterhorn macaroon.
You do not want the batter to sit out too long because you don’t want it drying out or deflating (you don’t want the egg whites deflating). Generally, the batter can sit out for 30 minutes to an hour.
More Spring Dessert Recipes
- Homemade Danish
- Puff Pastry Churro Sticks
- Passion Fruit Lemon Loaf Cake
- No Bake Sour Cream Lemon Pie
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Lemon Curd Macarons
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- Yellow food coloring (affiliate link)
Filling
- ½ batch of [Lemon Curd]
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, as needed
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Sift almond flour and powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Repeat one more time to make sure the ingredients are uniformly combined, discarding any larger pieces that don't go through the mesh sieve. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute, then slowly add the granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon every 20 seconds or so. Add the yellow food coloring (affiliate link) and increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the sifted almond mixture into the egg whites using a spatula until the batter becomes the consistency of lava and drizzles off a spatula in a thick ribbon.
- Transfer the macaron batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or a ziploc bag with one corner cut off. Pipe the macaron batter in 1 ½-inch circles onto the silpat mat or parchment paper lined baking sheets. Rap the baking sheet against the counter a few times to release air bubbles.
- Let the macarons sit for 30-60 minutes until the top is dry enough to touch. It may take even longer if the day is humid.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Bake one sheet of macaron shells at a time for 16-18 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to remove the macaron shells from the pan.
- Meanwhile, make the lemon buttercream by beating the butter in a medium bowl until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix again until smooth and light.
- To fill the macaron shells, transfer the lemon buttercream to a bag fitted with a small round tip or a ziploc bag with one corner cut off. Pipe a border of buttercream around the edges of half of the macaron shells. Fill with ½ teaspoon of lemon curd, then top with another macaron shell.
Notes
- You can buy jars of lemon curd at the store near the jellies and jams, although I think homemade lemon curd is so much better. Just be sure to make it in advance so it has time to cool completely before assembling your macarons.
I totally recommend this! I’m a teenager and it’s my 3rd try making macarons and they came out so good. And I love that it’s not in grams (although for most recipes it’s recommended). I love it. And lemon is my favorite flavor😋.
When does the curd go into the frosting?
The lemon curd doesn't get mixed into the frosting. You actually pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the macaron to hold in the lemon curd, which gets spooned into the center of each macaron.
Hi!
I love all of your macaron recipes. I am curious about a couple of things.
1) some of your recipes use weights and I noticed the lemon one doesn’t. This was the only macaron recipe that didn’t work for me out of your recipes. Curious if you have the recipe with weights?
2) do you have a plain macaron recipe?
☺️
How many macaroons does it make??
About 24-36 depending on how large you make them.
How far in advance should I fill and assemble? Thank you!!!
With these macarons I think they are best filled and assembled the same day they are served because of the wetter lemon curd. If you are just using lemon buttercream, you could fill them a week or more in advance and store in the fridge.
How much is half a batch of lemon curd?
It's about 3/4 cup of lemon curd.