Pistachio Macarons

Bite into one of these pistachio macarons to experience the magic of a chewy shell contrasted with a creamy pistachio French buttercream. Follow my step by step photos and instructions to make your own bakery-worthy macarons!

This post is sponsored by Baker's Secret. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Sloane's Table possible! 

Made with my tried and true base macaron shell recipe, these pistachio macarons are nearly foolproof! Emphasis on nearly since macarons can have a mind of their own sometimes😉! These delicate cookies are made with a Swiss meringue method, which simplifies the recipe and takes away some of the variables that make macarons so finicky. This method results in a super stable meringue, making the macaronage process more forgiving. The Swiss method, along with my 6 essential macarons rules, will ensure your macs come out perfectly every single time!

For more macaron recipes, try Coffee Macarons, Chai Macarons, Salted Caramel Macarons, and Birthday Cake Macarons.

Why you'll love these Pistachio Macarons

• Smooth Pistachio Flavor: These macarons have a smooth pistachio flavor similar to pistachio gelato, which personally makes my heart sing. If you love pistachio gelato as much as I do, then you'll LOVE these macs.
• Swiss Method: The macaron shells are made with a base of sturdy swiss meringue, making them nearly foolproof!
• Creamy French Buttercream: French buttercream is made with a base of egg yolks, making it almost custard-like. AND this recipe calls for 3 egg yolks, so you can use the yolks from the whites used for the macaron shells! So no sad egg yolks sitting around in your fridge🙂.

Ingredient Notes

• Powdered Sugar: You'll need powdered sugar for the macaron shells.
• Almond Flour: Be sure to use extra fine almond flour to get those super smooth shells!
• Eggs: You'll need about 3 egg whites for the macaron shells, and 3 egg yolks for the French buttercream. No extra yolks lying around in your fridge!
• Granulated Sugar: This is going to be added into the egg whites when making the swiss meringue. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so watch carefully! 
• Pistachio Paste: It is a little pricey, but store-bought pistachio paste is the most heavenly thing you'll ever eat! I purchased mine from Eataly, but I know this pistachio paste will work perfectly. Always check the ingredients on the jar to make sure that it has at least 35% pistachios!
• Green Food Gel: Add one drop of green food gel to both the meringue and the buttercream to give them a light shade of green. 
• Unsalted Butter: For the buttercream, use unsalted room temperature butter.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this pistachio macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Sift the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift the almond flour and powdered sugar, twice. 

STEP 2: Place egg whites & sugar over double boiler. Next, heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved or until the temperature is about 120 degrees F.

STEP 3: Whip the meringue to stiff peaks. Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the mixture reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add the green gel food coloring and vanilla extract. Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. 

STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the meringue. Start the macaronage by folding in ⅓ of the dry ingredients. Mix carefully with a silicone spatula by scraping around the sides of the bowl, then through the middle of the batter. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, begin spreading the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. Continue scraping around the sides of the bowl and through the middle. The mixture is ready when you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.

STEP 5: Pipe the macaron batter. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802). Place your macaron template under another piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and pipe perpendicular to fill in each circle.

STEP 6: Release air bubbles, rest, then bake. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the on counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. It also helps to bang on the bottom of the baking sheet with your hand. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are dry and no longer sticky to the touch. Bake the macarons for about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool completely before peeling them off of the parchment paper. 

STEP 7: Make the pistachio buttercream. Place the egg yolks and 12g of sugar in a medium bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until thick and foamy (about 3 minutes). In a small saucepan, place the remaining 50g of granulated sugar and water over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Increase the stove to medium heat and bring to a boil, or until it reaches 240 degrees F.

While the egg yolks are still whisking on medium speed, slowly drizzle the sugar syrup into the bowl. Continue mixing until the mixture has cooled down to room temperature.

STEP 8: Make the pistachio buttercream. Add the butter to the mixture a few cubes at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more. Lastly, add the pistachio paste, vanilla, and green food gel. Continue mixing on low speed until the buttercream is completely smooth.

STEP 9: Pair up the shells. Pair up each macaron shell with a matching one of equal size.

STEP 10: Assemble. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I used Ateco 803). Pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell, then place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

6 Essential Macaron Rules

1. Wipe down all bowls and appliances with white vinegar. This will ensure that everything is spotlessly clean and nothing will hinder the stability of the meringue. 
2. Beat the meringue until STIFF peaks form. The best way to test this is to turn the bowl upside down to make sure that the meringue is stable enough and does not move at all. 
3. SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice to get those smooth macaron shells!
4. Mix the batter with a silicone spatula by circling around and straight through the middle. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, deflate the macaron batter by spreading it against the sides of the bowl. This will ensure that the shells do not come out hollow.
5. Test the consistency of the batter frequently by drawing a figure eight with the silicone spatula. You should be able to draw a figure eight a few times in a row without the batter breaking. This is how you know the batter is ready to be piped onto a baking sheet. 
6. Allow the macarons to rest long enough before going into the oven. I would recommend 30-40 minutes of rest time before baking. As they rest, a skin forms on the surface, which is what forces the macarons to bake upwards and grow feet!

Expert Baking Tips

• Wipe down appliances with vinegar. Before making the macaron shells, wipe all appliances down with white vinegar to ensure they're clean and nothing with hinder the egg whites from wiping up.
• Freeze the shells after baking. If you have trouble peeling the macarons off of the parchment once they have cooled, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they should come off easily. 
• Chill the macarons. The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then assemble the next day. 

Storage Tips

Macarons will last for a few days stored in an airtight container at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge. I prefer to store them in the fridge not only so they will last longer, but also because I find that they taste even better cold.

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x