Want to try your hand at making your own vegan macarons? Here are 10 vegan macaron recipes to make using aquafaba that taste as good as they look.
Not to be confused with macaroons, macarons are sweet cream-filled meringue cookies that have been a French classic since 1533.
Typically made with almond flour, sugar and egg whites, they can be made vegan by swapping the eggs for aquafaba.
These brightly coloured confections are filled with a range of sweet fillings to suit every palate. Whether you prefer the combination of sugary meringue contrasted with a fruity centre, or a rich chocolate cream, there is a flavour of vegan macaron for everyone.
What is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid found in a tin of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans). This surprising ingredient is a great vegan egg replacement for baking and can even be used to make vegan meringues. This is because the combination of proteins and soluble plant solids in aquafaba make it great at binding and emulsifying.
In fact, it is such a great egg replacement that you can now buy ready-to-use liquid aquafaba in major UK supermarkets.
How to make vegan macarons
Sceptics may say that it’s impossible to make a vegan macaron, so we’ve rounded up 11 amazing vegan macaron recipes to show you how to make them.
Aquafaba is used in all of these recipes to create the meringue aspect of the macaron, in addition to vegan-friendly ingredients such as almond flour, icing sugar and cream of tartar.
While we’ve learnt from countless episodes of Bake Off that it’s all too easy to overwhip egg whites, the opposite is true of aquafaba.
Chickpea brine takes a long period of whipping to achieve stiff peaks, therefore it is very difficult to overwhip them.
Make sure to keep going until you get those elusive peaks, as under-whipping will cause several issues, from cracked macarons to feet that explode and spread out in the oven.
Lastly, macarons are very tricky customers, whether they’re vegan or not, so you need to make sure you follow the recipes exactly and don’t guess measurements or cooking times. Now let’s get baking!
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1. Vegan Candy Floss Macarons
These pretty pastel candy floss macarons would be perfect for a bridal shower or a girly birthday party.
With their subtle candy floss flavour, these macarons will forever change your party catering game.
2. Classic Vegan Macarons
These classic vegan macarons are simply filled with cashew-based vanilla buttercream and tinted with a pink food gel. If you just want to have a go at making vegan macarons, this is the recipe for you!
3. Creme Bruleé Vegan Macarons
It’s time to level up our vegan macarons. Say hello to these delicious crème brûlée macarons, with a crisp and chewy macaron shell, a vanilla cream filling and a core of caramel sauce, topped with Brulee golden sugar. Pure indulgence!
4. Strawberry Vegan Macarons
We may not have Wimbledon this year, but these strawberries and cream inspired macarons are perfect for a summer picnic or garden party.
Filled with vegan strawberry buttercream and strawberry jam, they are pretty as a picture and perfectly sweet!
5. White Chocolate Candy Cane Vegan Macarons
It might only be the start of summer, but we’ve already got Christmas in mind, and these candy cane macarons would make the perfect festive amuse-bouche.
These macarons are a peppermint shell with a white chocolate filling, rolled in peppermint flavoured candy canes with a drizzle of more white chocolate. If there’s any left by Christmas Eve, we’re sure Santa would love one!
6. Raspberry Rose Vegan Macarons
These pretty in pink vegan macarons are flavoured with organic rose extract and adorned with dried rose petals for an elegant look. They’re slightly floral, fruity and creamy – everything you want in a good Macaron!
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7. Vegan Biscoff Macarons (the French Method)
Who doesn’t love Biscoff? It’s a vegan essential, and obviously, it had to feature in our macaron round-up! This Biscoff-infused recipe uses the French method, which is the best way to make vegan macarons.
Moreover, the sweet treats are filled with a decadent dollop of Biscoff spread and crumbled biscuits, to ensure you’ll experience the ultimate indulgence.
8. Mint Chocolate Chip Vegan Macarons
The controversial combo of mint and chocolate is here in macaron form, and we’re so here for it! The vegan macaron shells are flavoured with mint extract and filled with a mint chocolate chip buttercream and a surprise mint chocolate ganache centre. What’s not to love?
9. Gingerbread Men Vegan Macarons
These super-cute gingerbread men macarons will give you all the festive feels, and make the perfect dessert centrepiece at your Christmas party. As they have a delicately spiced gingerbread buttercream centre and adorable white royal icing faces, these cuties are definitely one to try!
10. Italian Meringue Macaons – The Ispahan Vegan Macaron Recipe
If you’re unfamiliar with it, the Ispahan is a world-renowned macaron created by the one and only Pierre Herme. They are comprised of a rose macaron shell, rose cream and lychee pieces in the middle, finished off with a kumbaya circle of raspberries around the edge.
This recipe veganises it with aquafaba-based Italian meringue macarons, vegan white chocolate and vegan cream. Make all your pastry-chef dreams come true and try it today!
Wondering what else to make using aquafaba? Here is a tasty selection of vegan aquafaba recipes.
