Pistachio Macarons
Here is my recipe for Pistachio Macarons. They are easier to make than you think, they taste like they came from a French bakery and will impress all your friends and family!
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This recipe for Pistachio Macarons was adapted from my regular macaron recipe HERE. I was pretty pleased with how these turned out and the flavor from the freshly ground pistachios is amazing! I’ve seen some recipes that use pistachio flavoring. I didn’t find it necessary at all, but if you have it, you could always add it.
Remember, everyone’s oven is different. Your pan is different. The climate is different where you are so you may have to adjust as needed. Oh, one more thing…SIFTING is your friend, don’t skip it!
Pistachio Macarons
Ingredients
Pistachio Macaron Batter
- 1 cup powdered confectioners sugar
- ½ cup almond flour (store-bought or make your own, see notes)
- ¼ cup pistachio flour (see notes)
- 2 large egg whites, room temp
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup superfine sugar (see notes)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- green gel food coloring
Pistachio Buttercream Filling
- ½ stick unsalted butter, room temp
- 2¼ cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 3 tbsp pistachio paste (see notes)
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Instructions
Pistachio Macarons
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- SIFT together the almond flour, pistachio flour and powdered sugar in a bowl and set aside. Discard any lumps in the sifter, do not force through (tip: your almond flour and pistachio flour should be as dry as possible, you may need to spread out on a baking sheet and allow it to dry for 1-2 hours).
- Put room temperature egg whites in a mixer and whisk from slow to medium speed until foamy.
- Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk until you have soft peaks.
- Add your food coloring and vanilla and continue to mix until the color is mixed in. Continue to whisk until you have stiff peaks.
- SIFT the flour and sugar mixer into the egg whites and discard any lumps.
- Fold just until everything is combined. I use a silicone spatula that works very well. Press batter into the sides of the bowl to get out some of the air to avoid hollow macarons. The mixture will be sticky and should have a lava-like consistency, meaning when you pour it onto its self it sinks back into the batter with no lines after about a minute.
- Put the batter in a pastry bag or macaron dispenser like this one on Amazon. Try to get all the air out of the bag before you start and then pipe with the bag straight up, you'll figure out what works best for you. I don't use a stencil which is why my macarons are not all the exact same size, but they are pretty close. Of course, you can use a stencil if you would like to.
- Tap the pan on the countertop, you might see bubbles come up and that's what you want. You can also carefully poke bubbles with a toothpick before allowing the skin to develop. Let the pans sit for 30 minutes and do not touch or tap anymore or you will get cracks. Make sure the macaron shells are dry before baking or your macarons won’t have nice feet. You can test by touching the top lightly, nothing should come off on your finger and the should feel "dry".
- Bake for 10 minutes, one pan at a time and rotate once after the first 5 minutes. Let them rest on the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. Once cooled, make your favorite filling, place filling around the edge of one half of a cookie and place the second half gently on top. Be careful not to push too hard or you will smash your beautiful creation. Enjoy!
Pistachio Buttercream
- Place butter in mixer and beat on medium speed until creamy.
- Add 1½ cups of powdered sugar and the pistachio paste and continue to beat.
- Add milk and vanilla and keep beating.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar until you like what you see and taste.
- Add filling to a pastry bag with a round tip and squeeze a circle around the edge of macaron leaving a little edge so when you put the top on it spread to the edge but not over. I also leave the middle of the circle empty because the filling spreads when you put the top on.
Notes
- You can make your own almond flour and pistachio “flour” in a coffee/spice grinder or small food processor. If you do this, be carfeul not to overmix and make almond or pistachio paste. If you grind with the powdered confectioners sugar it will help keep it dry.
- Superfine sugar is made the same way. Add to coffee/spice grinder or small food processor and grind until you get the consiitancy you want, it’s almost like powdered confectioners sugar.
- Pistachio paste is made the same way as the pistachio flour above. Just keep pulsing in the grinder until you get a paste consistency instead of flour. That’s it!
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
If you love this recipe for Pistachio Macarons, check out some of my other recipes below including basic macarons:
- Easy Macaron Recipe for Beginners
- Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs
- Instant Pot Lavender Cheesecake
- Fresh Mango Galette
- Lavender Sourdough Discard Scones with Lemon Glaze
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