Dairy Free Macarons With Lemon Cream Filling

Dessert
Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free

By Rommel Reyes
No Comments
10:05 pm

These gluten- and dairy free macarons have a crisp exterior, chewy interior, and a burst of lemon flavor, making them a perfect dessert or afternoon tea snack.

About our affiliate links and nutrition information.

Jump to Recipe

There’s something undeniably irresistible about these delicate, naturally gluten free and tangy lemon cream-filled dairy free macarons.

With its tempting crisp exterior, chewy interior, and a burst of citrus flavor, it’s a combination of taste and texture to die for.

Components of lemon dairy free macarons

Making French macarons requires precision and attention to detail to succeed. The macaron shells and the filling are carefully prepared to achieve the final result. That means all ingredients must be measured to the last gram.

While we associate macarons with the French, macarons made with the Italian meringue method are better.

Why? The cooked Italian meringue is more stable and shinier than the French version. Its extra shine and firmness produce smooth and flawless macaron shells.

Three components of the lemon dairy free macarons recipe:

Macaron shells are made from a batter that combines an equal amount of almond flour and powdered sugar. In French, it’s called Tant Pour Tant.
Italian meringue is the most stable and smooth meringue because of the cooked sugar.
Lemon Cream Filling is a lemon cream cooked without dairy and eggs.

Fail-Free Tips For Making Macarons

Make the filling in advance – prepping the filling ahead of time is necessary to speed up the macaron assembly. However, some chocolate ganache filling may be too hard to pipe if it sits in the fridge for many hours.
Use a scale. Accurate measurement of the ingredients is the utmost priority when making macarons. Weighing by weight is more precise than weighing by volume. I can’t stress that enough.
Use a food processor. Pulse the almond flour and icing sugar through a food processor before sifting. It helps smooth out the surface of macaron shells.
Age the egg whites. Separate the egg whites and store them in the fridge for a few days before making the macaron shells. Aged egg white protein is loose and thus creates more volume when whipped, resulting in an excellent Italian meringue.

Never use liquid food coloring. One thing you want to avoid adding to your macaron is more liquid, which makes the batter very wet. The best food coloring for macarons is powdered food color. Natural powder food coloring is common and there are plenty to choose from.
Boil sugar with water at the right temperature. Cooking the sugar with a small amount of water prevents the sugar from crystallizing. Ensure the boiling sugar syrup temperature is around 118-120°C (244-248°F) before adding it to the partially whipped egg white.
Do not over-whip the Italian meringue. Stop whipping the meringue as soon as it’s glossy and stiff. A slightly warm Italian meringue makes a shiny-smooth macaron shell.
Refrain from undermixing or overmixing the batter. Undermixed macaron batter makes the shell thick (burger bun shell) and not shiny. The overmixed batter is runny and produces a thin shell. Find the balance in between.
Dry the shells well before baking. Macaron shells crack or deform because the skin hasn’t developed well before baking. The shells are dry enough to slide your fingers through without destroying them before baking.
Use a silicon mat. Macaron batter spreads evenly on a silicon mat compared to parchment paper, so macaron shells baked on silicon mats look more uniform.
Age the macaron before serving. You can’t eat the macarons on the same day. Storing (aging) them in the fridge for 24-28 hours allows the shells to absorb the filling that makes the macaron chewy in the middle but slightly crunchy outside.

How long do dairy free macarons last

Macarons last for up to seven days if stored properly in the fridge. It’s important to note that their texture and flavor get better over time. Macarons are not supposed to be eaten on the same day. They need a maturation period of 24 hours in the fridge before consuming them.

Macarons can be frozen for up to 6 weeks to extend shelf life. Thaw them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving. Proper thawing allows the shells to absorb the moisture from freezing.

Ingredients List And their Substitutes

Aged egg whites – if you don’t have the time to age the egg whites, use the packaged liquid egg whites.
Dairy free butter— Naturli vegan block is by far the best vegan butter, but Miyokos is equally good.
Yellow food color – choose a natural food color brand like Hobbyland.
Almond flour – extra-fine blanched almond flour is always better for macarons.

Substitution Table

Original Ingredients	Substitute With
Blue Diamond Almond Flour	any blanched almond flour
Naturli Vegan Block Butter	Miyokos Vegan Butter or Earth Balance Vegan Butter
Hobbyland Yellow food color	Color Kitchen Nature Food Color
Aged egg white	365 liquid egg whites

Step By Step Process

Cooking Lemon Cream Filling

Mix the rice flour, agar-agar, and sugar in a saucepan. Add the water, zest, and lemon juice, then cook on a medium heat while continuously stirring until thick. Remove from heat.
Let the lemon cream cool to about 50°C (122°F). Blend in the cold vegan butter until smooth.
Transfer to a container, cover with cling film, then store in the fridge for a few hours until set and firm enough for piping.

Making Italian Meringue

In a small saucepan, boil water and sugar until it reaches 118-120°C (244-248°F).
In a stand mixer, whisk the whites until slightly foamy. Adjust the speed to low, and pour in the hot sugar in a steady stream. Adjust the speed to high and continue whipping for 4-6 minutes. While the meringue is whipping, start working on the macaron batter.
The Italian meringue is ready when it’s stiff, shiny, and a bit warm.

Tant Pour Tant Paste – Macaron Batter

Pulse almond flour and icing sugar as fine as possible in a food processor, then sift through a fine sieve.
Mix the almond flour mixture with the egg white with a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it forms a paste.
Add 1/3 of meringue to the almond paste, then whip at medium speed until fully incorporated.
Fold the remaining Italian meringue in two batches until it reaches the “ribbon stage.”
Do not over- or undermix. Overmixed batter spreads quickly when piped, while undermixed batter is too thick and barely spreads out after piping. Find the right consistency in between.

Baking the Macaron shells

With piping tip no.10, pipe the batter about 4 cm (1.5 in) in diameter on a tray lined with silpat or silicon mat. Tap the tray a few times to flatten the batter, then poke bubbles on the surface with a toothpick.
Dry the macaron shells for 30-60 minutes, depending on the humidity of your kitchen. Do not bake the shells if they’re still wet.
When the shells are dry enough, bake at 150°C (302°F) for 16–18 minutes, depending on the size.
Cool down before taking them off the silicone mat or baking paper.

Assembling the Macarons

Pair the macaron shells according to size, then arrange the pairs alternately on a tray, one facing up and the other facing down.
Fill a piping bag with the cold lemon cream, then pipe a blob of the filling into the center of the shell. Place the other macaron shell on top, then press lightly to spread out the lemon cream filling.
Before serving, store the filled macarons in a tightly sealed food storage container lined with parchment paper in the fridge overnight or at least 24 hours.