Lemon French Macarons with Lemon Curd
If you love lemon in all its forms, these macarons are for you. A light buttercream ring keeps the lemon curd in place while letting its tart, zesty flavor shine, making each bite perfectly balanced and delightfully creamy.
The lemon curd filling is where these macarons really shine. Tart and bright, it contrasts beautifully with the soft, crisp shells. The buttercream dam keeps the curd neatly in place while adding a touch of richness, giving each bite a balanced combination of tangy and creamy that’s amazingly addictive.
To get perfect shells, focus on the macaronage until the batter flows slowly off the spatula, settling back into itself like thick ribbons. This ensures a smooth top and helps the feet form properly. Once baked, the macarons should be puffed, matte-looking, and just sturdy enough to hold the curd without squishing.
Make it brunch
For a quick and easy brunch, try my Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Pecans, along with my Whipped Feta Dip and Manchego and Shallot Scones. An easy Spring brunch menu!
Ready to make them? Don’t worry-these macarons are easier to make than they look. Check out my Basic French Macarons for Beginners post for all the tips and tricks for making the perfect macaron.
Ingredients
Just a few, high-quality ingredients are needed for macarons.
- Almond flour Make sure it’s finely sifted for those smooth shells.
- Powdered sugar Adds sweetness and helps create the smooth shells macarons are known for.
- Egg whites From fresh eggs, no liquid egg whites here. I like to separate my egg whites ahead of time. It makes the whole process flow smoother if you do this. Plus, it gives the egg white proteins a chance to relax, helping to form a stronger meringue. 24 hours ahead is great, but I also will do it the morning I am making the macarons.
- Granulated sugar Sugar helps the egg whites whip into a beautiful meringue.
- Cream of tartar Helps with the stability of the meringue.
- Yellow food coloring Gel or powder only.
- Lemon filling Lemon curd and lemon buttercream frosting.
Candace’s Tip: Be sure to only use glass or metal bowls to whip egg whites in. Plastic harbors fat residue which will prevent your egg whites from whipping into stiff peaks.
Let’s make lemon macarons
Step 1- Making the macaron shells
Macarons are intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of them, they become easier and easier to make. At the core, you’re just whipping egg whites into stiff peaks (the meringue), then mixing the meringue with sifted almond flour and powdered sugar to form the macaron batter, known as macaronage.
- The batter should be the consistency of honey
- Use the ‘figure eight’ test to check readiness before piping
Pro Tip: Do not use liquid egg whites or meringue powder. Liquid egg whites are pasteurized, which is not ideal for making meringue. Meringue powder is not strong enough to form and hold stiff peaks.
Step 2- Pipe and dry the shells
Once it’s ready, pipe the batter onto two baking sheets lined with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- I love silicone mats with printed circles- they’re reusable and help ensure even sizing and spacing.
- Let the macarons rest until a skin forms before baking.
Pro Tip: Macarons struggle to dry properly in humid weather. Use a fan or dehumidifier to speed up the process if needed, though you don’t want the fan blowing directly onto the shells.
Step 3- Bake the macarons
Bake at 300°F for 14 minutes (adjust as needed for your oven). The shells should feel dry to the touch and not be wiggly. Let them cool for 10 minutes at least before attempting to remove them from the pans or the tops may separate.
Step 4- Fill the macarons
Once the shells are cooled, it’s time to fill and decorate.
Filling and decorating the macarons
The filling is lemon curd surrounded by a buttercream dam to help prevent the curd from squishing out the sides. You can buy lemon curd, or you can make it from scratch using my homemade lemon curd recipe. For the buttercream, you can add a bit of lemon juice or extract to it, or leave it plain, depending on the level of lemon flavor you want. I love adding more lemon flavor to the buttercream for that extra lemony goodness.
*Optional lemon drizzle- mix 1 cup of powdered sugar together with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together until smooth. Use a spoon or a small squeeze bottle with a tiny tip to drizzle over macarons.
Do you have anything better to do than make macarons?
FAQs
For maximum flavor and freshness, store macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Layer them with parchment paper. Do not use wax paper as it will stick to the macarons. You don’t want to stack them too high as they are a delicate cookie.
To freeze the shells, first lay them in a single layer on a large baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Line the container with parchment paper, and put parchment paper on each layer of macarons. Freeze them for up to one month. Thaw the macarons in the fridge overnight and decorate as normal.
To freeze filled macarons, follow the same instructions. Not all filled macarons freeze well, due to the type of filling they have. Buttercream and ganache would freeze well. Fillings like jams or curds would not hold up well after being thawed out, so it is recommended not to freeze those types.
There are a couple of reasons your macarons could be cracking. If you don’t give them a long enough resting period, they could crack. Remember, they need to be dry on top. Depending on your climate, this could take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour. If you don’t whip the meringue to stiff peaks, it will be weak thus making the macaron shells weak and more prone to cracking. You could also have an oven temperature that is too high. You may want to invest in an oven thermometer to be sure your oven is set to the right temperature.
The most common macaron mistakes usually come down to mixing and timing. Overmixing or undermixing the batter affects how the shells rise, while skipping the resting step, or not letting the shells develop the proper skin, can lead to cracked tops and missing feet. Using almond meal instead of finely ground almond flour, baking at the wrong temperature, or forgetting to tap out air bubbles can also prevent smooth, full shells. Mastering macaronage and giving the shells enough time to form a skin are key to getting that classic texture and structure.
More macaron recipes to try
- Raspberry Rose French Macarons
- Raspberry Vanilla Bean French Macarons
- Blueberry Lavender French Macarons
If you made these, I’d love to know how they turned out. I’d also love it if you left me a star rating and a review.
Lemon French Macarons
Ingredients
- 105 grams egg whites
- 75 grams granulated or castor sugar
- 130 grams almond flour, finely ground
- 130 grams powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Filling
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
- 5 tablespoons lemon curd
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside. Set up the piping bag to pipe the shells. Add a Wilton 12 tip to a piping bag, add this to a large cup, folding the tip up before adding it in, fold the top down around the cup.
- Weigh out the almond flour (130 grams) and the powdered sugar (130 grams). Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together in a large glass or metal bowl.
- Separate the egg whites (105 grams) into a separate small glass bowl. I like to pass the egg yolk back and forth between the cracked shell while the egg whites slip out into the bowl. It seems difficult at first, but the whites should separate pretty easily from the yolk.* I do separate my egg whites either the day before or the morning of when I am going to make the macarons. This gives them some time to rest, which can contribute to a stronger meringue. That said, I have done it with less lead time and still had macarons that turned out fine. It is beneficial to complete this step ahead of time.
- Add the egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer, but it can be tough on your hands and arms. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are foamy and no longer liquid. The whisk should leave track marks in the foam. Turn the speed down and add the granulated sugar (75 grams) in three batches, waiting a few seconds in between each addition.
- Once you've added in all of the sugar, turn the speed up to medium-high, which is between 4 and 5 on my KitchenAid stand mixer. You'll see the egg whites begin to build in volume and turn a glossy white color. The whisk will also start to leave track marks in the whites and it will look thick. After a few minutes, you can stop the mixer and check for stiff peaks. If the meringue runs off the whisk, it's not ready. Keep going for another few minutes and then check for stiff peaks. If it's almost ready at this point, I'll turn the mixer up a little bit higher and let it run for 30 seconds before checking again. When the meringue is done, it will form a stiff peak when you pull the whisk out. It may have a slight curve to it, but it should not flop over. If it does, continue mixing the meringue in 30-second bursts at the higher speed and checking for stiff peaks.
- Using a rubber spatula, add the meringue to the flour/sugar mixture in three batches. It won't mix together completely until you have added all of the meringue. Add three drops of violet gel food coloring to the batter. Continue mixing until there are no dry ingredients. We are essentially deflating the meringue and making a cohesive batter. Once the dry ingredients are completely mixed in, use a circular motion with the spatula against the side of the bowl to continue mixing the batter. Do a few circles around the bowl, then bring the spatula through the batter. Do this process a few times, then check for the 'honey-like' stage. The batter should flow off the spatula like honey without breaking. You should be able to draw a figure eight with the batter that will sink into itself in 10 seconds when done. You don't want to overmix the batter, so check for doneness after every few passes.
- Once the macaronage is done, add it to the piping bag. Take the cup over to the lined baking sheets. Take the bag out and, holding the top closed just above the batter, squeeze the batter down gently so it just starts coming out. Hold it a bit sideways until you get over the baking sheets. Holding the bag upright, pipe the shells onto the baking sheets. If you are using the silicone mats with the stencils, you can aim for the dot in the middle of the circle. Count to 4 while piping, then move on to the next circle. Continue this process until you have filled the sheet pans or run out of batter. If you don't have the preprinted circles, just start from the top, going across before moving down. Leave about 2 inches in between each piped circle to allow it to spread out.
- Now that all the shells are piped, it's on to removing the air bubbles. Bang the trays firmly on your countertop a few times. This helps to dislodge the air bubbles in the shells. I also like to go through with a toothpick and pop any remaining air bubbles I find.
- Let the shells rest so they form their skin. This should take from 30-40 minutes. In humid weather, this can take longer. If the weather is really dry, it could take less time. When the skin is formed, you'll be able to touch the tops of the macarons without getting any batter on your finger. Preheat the oven to 300 F about halfway into the shells resting.
- Now that the shells have formed their skin, it's time to bake them. Bake the sheets individually in the oven on the middle rack at 300 F for 14 minutes. The tops will be matte and they will not jiggle on their feet when they are done. Remove them from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before removing them to a baking rack.* I like to add a sheet pan on the rack above the macarons. This helps to prevent browning of the macarons, which is especially helpful with lighter colors.
- When the shells are cooled, it's time to fill them. Match the shells by size. Flip one over of each pair. Using a piping bag fitted with the Wilton 12 tip, pipe the lemon buttercream around the perimeter of the shell that's flipped over. You're creating a dam for the curd so it will stay in the center and not squeeze out too much. You don't want the dam to be flat, or it will allow the filling to leak out.
- Spoon a small amount of lemon curd, about 1/4 teaspoon, into the center of the dam you have piped on each shell. Use less if the shells are smaller. You don't want to go over the dam as this will allow the filling to squeeze out. It will take practice to get it right, but you can eat the mistakes so everybody wins!
- Let the filled macarons rest in the fridge for 24-48 hours before serving. This 'maturing' step allows the shells to soften slightly and develop their signature chewy texture.
Lemon Buttercream
- I like to use the paddle attachment on the stand mixer to make buttercream. Add softened butter to a mixing bowl, either for a stand mixer or hand mixer, depending on what you have. Beat the butter until it is smooth, roughly two minutes. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed. If you are using a hand mixer, you may have to start with less sugar so you don't get powdered sugar everywhere. The other benefit of the stand mixer is that the bowl has high walls, which helps to keep things more contained.
- The mixture will still look dry once you've added the powdered sugar. While the mixer is running, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You will see everything start to come together. It will look almost too wet. Add in the 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and blend completely. The frosting should look thicker now. Give it a taste. It should have a bright, lemony taste. I prefer to use real lemon juice when making lemon frosting. I think it has a better flavor than lemon extract.
Notes
- Beat egg whites just until stiff peaks form, then stop.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. Once it flows like honey and passes the figure eight test, stop mixing.
- Use only glass or metal bowls for the meringue. Plastic bowls can hold onto fat residue, which disrupts the creation of meringue.
- Store macarons in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week for maximum freshness.
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