Green Tea French Macarons

Name: Green Tea French Macarons
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 102 grams egg whites; 71 grams cane sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 198 grams powdered sugar; 113 grams almond flour; 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder; 85 grams salted butter ((softened)); 170 grams powdered sugar ((sifted)); 1 bag green tea ((caffeinated or decaf)); 1 to 2 teaspoons milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Naturally colored green, thanks to the matcha, these Green Tea French Macarons are an amazing cookie to bake for tea time, or anytime! Learn how to make French macarons with no artificial colors!

If you love French macarons, try my Strawberry French Macarons Without Food Coloring, Chocolate Malt French Macarons, or Chocolate French Macarons!

green tea french macarons on a white marble counter with a glass of mik.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Green Tea French Macarons
Ready In: 1 hour 30 minutes
Makes: 30 sandwich cookies
Main Ingredients: egg whites, almond flour, matcha, powdered sugar
Flavor Profile: matcha and creamy vanilla
Dietary Info: gluten free, no seed oils
Difficulty: Hard
Why You’ll Love It: crisp shell, tender interior, and subtle earthy tea flavor wrapped in a pretty green bite

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Naturally Gluten Free: I love French macarons because they are naturally gluten free. That makes these a great option to make if you have friends with a gluten allergy and you want everyone to enjoy something delicious.
Delicate & Sweet: The best part about French macarons are their delicate texture and sweet flavor. They are the perfect amount of delicate, airy, light, and not too sweet.
Naturally Colorful: I use matcha powder in this recipe to make these French macarons naturally green.

Jump to:

A Quick Look At The Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
What are French macarons?
Ingredients
Baker’s Tips for Green Tea French Macarons
How to Make Green Tea French Macarons
Trouble Shooting
Recipe FAQ’s
Ways to Enjoy Green Tea French Macarons
More Naturally Colorful Cookies
Green Tea French Macarons
The Bake Shop

What are French macarons?

French macarons are a meringue based cookie that originated in France. They are small, petite, and delicate cookies made up of egg whites and sugar. French macarons are naturally gluten free because they are made using almond flour.

They are usually filled with buttercream, ganache, or jams. And most of the time they are colored for beautiful pastel or bright little cookies. I always make sure to use organic dyes without artificial colors in my French macarons!

green tea french macarons on a baking sheet.

Today I'm going to show you how to make French macarons. Green Tea French Macarons are one of my favorites, because I love baking with tea. If you do too, then check out my Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies and Vegan Lemon Chamomile Tea Cake too!

I use Suncore Foods Organic Matcha Powder to give these macarons a signature pastel green hue. That means this recipe for Green Tea French Macarons is free of artificial dyes, yet they are still a beautiful pastel green color. Then, I make a green tea filling by adding green tea to my vanilla buttercream recipe along with milk.

I use a piping tip to fill these macarons, but if you don’t have one, you definitely do not need one! I use the Ateco tip #864. This is a star tip, and if you have another star tip then any kind will work! The decorative tip just gives these Green Tea French Macarons a little extra cuteness.

Ingredients

Egg Whites: You'll need large egg whites, I always recommend weighing these for the best results.
Matcha Powder: I'm using Suncore Foods Organic Premium Midori Jade Matcha Supercolor Powder, but you can also just use matcha powder, they are the same!
Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter for the filling. Just be sure to use a high quality butter you like.
Green Tea: You'll need an organic green tea bag for the filling.
Milk: I use organic whole milk for the filling, you can also use water if you prefer.

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker's Tips for Green Tea French Macarons

Use a scale! While I always say to use a scale for everything, it's especially important for French macarons as this cookie is so temperamental.
I use matcha in these for color and for flavor. But, if you don't have it you can leave it out as you'll still get green tea flavor in the filling.
I use Ateco tip #864 for the filling, but if you don't have that you can skip it and use no tip. This is purely decorative.
Make sure to enjoy or share macarons the day they are made. These cookies do not last more than one day.
High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes or until the macs look dry and the shells look shiny.

How to Make Green Tea French Macarons

Step 1

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk, starting on low to avoid splattering, and slowly in creasing the speed to high, until stiff peaks form.

Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together into the bowl of meringue and add the matcha powder. Turn the mixer on low for 10 to 15 rotations until the dry ingredients start to blend into the meringue. Pulse the mixer on medium/high 4 to 5 times to incorporate the batter.

Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer, and gently stir the batter with a spatula just until there are no pockets of egg whites or dry bits of almond flour. Don’t overstir. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with Ateco tip #804.

Step 3

Pipe the macaron batter onto the prepared cookie sheets (30 should fit on each cookie sheet).

Step 4

Holding a cookie sheet firmly in both hands, and making sure the parchment paper doesn’t slide around, bang the cookie sheet on the counter a few times. Rotate the cookie sheet and bang it a few more times. Repeat with the other cookie sheet. This will smooth out the batter and will help form the macarons’ famous “feet.”

Step 5

Let rest for 45 minutes, or until the rounds of batter have formed shells. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 6

Bake for 10 minutes or until the macs look dry and the shells look shiny. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.

Step 7

To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, contents of the green tea bag, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag with Ateco tip #864.

Step 8

Turn over every other macaron and pair them together. Pipe a dollop of filling onto each turned over macaron and sandwich together.

green tea french macarons on a baking sheet on a marble counter.

Trouble Shooting

What is a French macaron shell?

After you pipe the batter, the macarons have to rest until a shell forms. All recipes will say this, but what is a shell? When you pipe the batter it is sticky, and after you bang the macarons and let them rest, a shell will form. This means that the batter is no longer sticky to the touch, but dry and smooth feeling. So, that's what you are looking for when it says to let them rest until a shell forms.

What if my shell isn’t forming?

If you are having a difficult time with the shell, it could be your climate or weather – and nothing that you did! French macarons are very temperamental, and when it is humid out they are the worst cookie to bake. So, if it is snowing or raining then do not make French macarons as they will have a very difficult time with the shell forming because of this very reason! French macarons are best in dry climates, so weather with moisture can just make them worse. So, keep that in mind when deciding what day you are going to bake French macarons!

If it is not raining or snowing and your shell isn’t forming after an hour, just be patient. It can take a little bit longer for the shell to form. If it’s been almost 2 hours and your shell hasn’t formed, then bake your French macarons anyways as it shouldn’t take that long. It could be your mixing, stirring, or banging that prevented the shell from forming. And take it as a learning experience for the next time that you make these cookies.

French macarons take time to learn from your mistakes and get the feel of making them. No one gets it first try, and even seasoned macaron bakers (such as myself) even have days where we just don’t know what happened! That’s part of what makes these cookies so fun to make because it’s a challenge every time and when you get them right, there is nothing better!

If your feet splooge out (for lack of a better word) and they are very flat and don't sit under the cookie then a couple things could have happened. You could have baked them too soon. If you don't allow them to rest properly, this can hinder the feet from forming correctly. So be sure they have rested until a shell has formed. Or you could have stirred the batter too much. And in this case, even if you did let them rest properly, the batter would have been too runny to form the feet.

Recipe FAQ's

Are French macarons gluten free?

Yes, French macarons are naturally gluten free as there is no flour in the recipe. Instead, French macarons are made with almond flour. This makes French macarons naturally gluten free.

Can French macarons be refrigerated?

No, I would not recommend refrigerating French macarons. While I know some people do this, I do not recommend refrigerating your French macarons. They are best kept out in the open for the day they are baked. They have a very short shelf life as the meringue will change consistency the longer it sits out. Unfortunately, the fridge does not change this from happening and it can even make it worse.

Can French macarons be frozen?

No, I would not recommend freezing French macarons. While I know people do this, and you may even see them in the frozen section at the grocery store, I do not recommend this! Freezing usually preserves most things, most, being the key word. Freezing can preserve it from going bad, but freezing can also alter the texture of certain things. And French macarons are one of them. It is best to eat French macarons the day they are made.

How long do French macarons last?

French macarons taste the best when eaten right away, the same day they are baked. While they are cookies, and the ingredients won’t go bad within a few days. However, the texture is what changes! The texture is what makes French macarons so special. And the longer they sit out, that texture can change to completely crunchy or to soft and gooey. Neither of which are ideal. French macaorns are best when eaten the day they are baked. This gives you the immediate crunch with that chewy texture that makes them so special. So, gift French macarons to friends and family if you can’t eat them all!

Ways to Enjoy Green Tea French Macarons

We made French macarons at my bake shop, and they were always very popular. These small little cookies are such a delicate and delicious indulgence! Just be sure to enjoy these the day they are made for the best texture!

Enjoy with Coconut Hot Chocolate or Caramel Hot Cocoa, these were popular pairings at my bake shop!
Indulge in a Iced Blueberry Latte for an afternoon treat.
Add these onto a dessert table for a party, they pair so well with chocolate and fruity desserts like Lemon Olive Oil Snack Cake With Lemon Frosting, Chocolate Cupcakes Without a Mixer, or Espresso Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies.

green tea french macarons on a marble counter.

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