These pumpkin macarons are the perfect fall baking project! They're made with vibrant orange shells and filled with a pumpkin Swiss meringue buttercream that tastes like creamy pumpkin pie filling. With photos to guide you through each step and my six essential macaron rules, you’ll learn how to achieve smooth shells, even feet, crisp exteriors, and soft, chewy centers.
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Why you'll love these pumpkin macarons
- Swiss Method: The macaron shells are made with a base of sturdy Swiss meringue, giving you a reliable base to work with.
- Delicate, Chewy Shells: These vibrant orange vanilla bean shells have crisp exteriors and soft, chewy centers - everything you want in a macaron! Their almond and vanilla flavors pair beautifully with the warmly spiced pumpkin filling.
- Pumpkin Pie Buttercream: Made with pure pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, this silky Swiss meringue buttercream tastes like the creamy pumpkin pie filling we crave every fall.
For more macaron recipes, try my Vanilla Bean Macarons, Double Chocolate Macarons, Chai Macarons, and Apple Butter Macarons.
Ingredient Notes
- White Vinegar: To ensure that your meringue remains stable, clean and wipe down all appliances with white vinegar.
- 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!
- Egg Whites: You'll need about 3 egg whites for the shells. Don't worry about bringing them to room temperature because you'll just heat them up over a double boiler to make a swiss meringue! You'll also need 2 more egg whites for the buttercream.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar is going to be added to the egg whites when making the swiss meringue for both the shells and the buttercream. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so whisk frequently and watch carefully!
- Vanilla Bean Paste:I love adding vanilla bean paste to get those beautiful specks throughout the shells and the buttercream. You can also swap it for an equal amount of vanilla extract.
- Unsalted Butter: You'll need 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature, but on the cooler side.
- Pumpkin Puree: You'll need to start with about 200g of pumpkin puree, then reduce it in a saucepan, which will leave you with about 150g.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Add a little pumpkin pie spice to really amp up the pumpkin flavor in the buttercream.
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 pumpkin macaron recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Sift the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice.
Make the meringue
Heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl and whisk until the meringue reaches soft peaks. Add the vanilla bean paste and food coloring, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue
Start the macaronage by folding in â…“ of the dry ingredients carefully until mostly combined. Fold in the remainder of the dry ingredients until combined, then begin spreading the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly until you can draw several figure eights without the batter breaking.
Pipe the macaron batter
Pipe the batter at a perpendicular angle to fill in the circles, rest for 30-40 minutes, then bake for 12-14 minutes.
Make the pumpkin buttercream
Make the swiss meringue base and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, then let the mixture cool on low speed. Add cubed butter to the meringue one piece at a time, beating slowly until the mixture comes together fully. Once the buttercream has mostly come together, change the whisk attachment to the paddle and keep mixing on low speed until homogenous and smooth. Add the reduced pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla bean paste, and mix until fully combined.
Pair the macaron shells and fill with buttercream
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small star piping tip. Pair the macaron shells up and pipe the frosting onto the bottom shell, then place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together.
My 6 Essential Macaron Rules:
- 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.
- 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.
- SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice to get those smooth macaron shells!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 will hinder the egg whites from whipping 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 serving the next day.Â
Recipe FAQs
The swiss meringue method is my preferred method for making macarons, as it is the simplest and most stable meringue, in my opinion. The egg whites and sugar are combined in one bowl and heated over a double boiler with simmering water until it reaches 120 degrees F. Slightly heating the egg whites stabilizes the meringue, which will increase your chances of achieving the correct consistency of macaron batter.
The key is to make sure the batter is mixed properly and the meringue is deflated enough. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, deflate the macaron batter by spreading it against the sides of the bowl. This will help prevent the shells from baking up hollow.
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!
Macarons require a low temperature for baking. I recommend baking them at 300 degrees F for about 12-14 minutes.
Macarons will last 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.
Baking in Grams
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.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other macaron recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Macarons
Ingredients
For the Macaron Shells:
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 120 g almond flour
- 105 g egg whites, about 3
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 10 drops orange food gel coloring, optional
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 150 g reduced pumpkin puree, start with 200g canned pumpkin puree
- 72 g egg whites, about 2
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 170 g unsalted butter, room temp but on the cooler side
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 5 drops orange food gel coloring, optional
Instructions
For the Macaron Shells:
- Place macaron baking mats on two baking sheets and add parchment on top of each. Alternatively make your own template - see notes.
- In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice.
- 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.
- Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the meringue reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add the vanilla paste and food coloring. Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form.
- Start the macaronage by folding in â…“ 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. Do this a few times until it is mostly combined.
- 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. I find that this mixing method helps prevent the shells from baking up hollow. 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.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round piping tip (I used Ateco 802).
- With the macaron baking mat placed under the parchment paper on the baking sheet, pipe at a perpendicular angle to fill in the smaller circles. Carefully remove the baking mat and tap the baking sheet on the 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 batter comes away when you touch them.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the macarons for about 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool completely before peeling them off the parchment paper.
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Reduce the pumpkin puree by adding 200g of pumpkin to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Weigh out 150g in a small bowl. Set aside to cool.
- In a double boiler, heat the egg whites and sugar, whisking frequently until it reaches 160 degrees F.
- Transfer the egg white mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and wait until the meringue cools down below 85 degrees F.
- Cut the butter into cubes and add to the meringue one piece at a time, allowing each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is added, it may look curdled, but keep beating for a few more minutes and it will come together.
- Once the buttercream has mostly come together, change the whisk attachment to the paddle and keep mixing on low speed until homogenous and smooth.Â
- Add the reduced pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla bean paste, and food coloring, mixing until fully combined. If your buttercream splits from the butter being too cold, microwave the whole bowl in 15 second increments, mixing in between, until it comes back together.
For Assembly:
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used Ateco 864).
- Pair the macaron shells up and pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell, then place the paired shell on top, pressing down slightly to ensure they stick together.Â
Notes
- How to make your own macaron template: Prepare a macaron template by using a large piping tip or small round cookie cutter of about 1 ½″ in size to trace circles about 2 inches a apart on one sheet of parchment paper. You will place this under another piece of parchment paper when ready to pipe the macaron shells.
- Make the macarons ahead of time: The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then serve the next day.Â
- Freeze the macarons to peel them off: 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.Â
- Wait until the meringue is cool before adding butter: For the buttercream – DO NOT add the butter to the swiss meringue until it has cooled down to below 85 degrees F. I have made the mistake of adding it too soon, and the meringue ended up melting the butter and turned the whole thing into a soupy mess. If your meringue has reached stiff peaks before it is cool enough, turn the mixer down to low speed and keep it there until it reaches the right temperature. Â
- Macarons get even better with time! Macarons will last for a few days 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.
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