Easy Matcha Macarons Recipe

Here’s a detailed matcha macarons recipe to make absolutely delicious macarons. What do you need for this matcha macarons recipe, you ask. It’s not too difficult, just read on to find the exact ingredients you need to make the perfect matcha macarons!

Matcha Macarons are so popular that they’re labelled as ‘Matcharons’, where you have a Matcha Macaron Marathon.

Did that sound as delightful to you as it did to me? Let’s jump right in and make some matcha macarons. 

Before you begin, here’s one thing I recommend that you have: an oven thermometer and a kitchen scale. This is a recipe for two dozen matcha macarons.

Related: Best Japanese Matcha Brands for Green Tea and Baking

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Best Matcha Macarons Recipe

Ingredients for Matcha green tea macarons:

For the shell:

• 3 Egg whites at room temperature
• 50 g of Granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp Cream of Tartar or 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 195 g Powdered sugar
• 95 g Almond flour
• 2 tbsp Matcha powder (our hero product)

For the  white chocolate ganache filling:

• 200 grams of chopped white chocolate
• 60 grams of heavy cream

For the vanilla buttercream filling:

• 4 tbsp of softened butter
• ¼ tsp of vanilla paste
• 2 tsp of whole milk
• ½ cup of powdered sugar

Now that we have everything we need, let’s get started with the process. Typically the prep time takes about an hour and the baking takes 30 minutes.

Step-by-step Instructions to make Matcha Macarons

How to make the Matcha macaron shell:

1. We’ll work with the dry ingredients first. Take a sieve and sift these ingredients: powdered sugar, matcha powder and almond meal in the predetermined quantities. When combined together in a bowl, put aside.
   
2. The second part is about making the meringue for the macaron. Put your egg whites in a large bowl and whisk them with your hands till you get a soft peak and they start to have tiny bubbles. At this stage, add your lemon juice or cream of tartar and add one-third of the granulated sugar. Keep whisking and adding the rest of the sugar in small quantities. When the meringue starts to make stiff peaks on your whisking it’s time to stop. The best way to know if your egg whites are stiff enough is by inverting the bowl in hand. If it doesn’t fall or drip, it is done. Be wary of over whisking.
   
3. Once again, sift the dry mixture we had made in step 1 into the bowl of meringue. Use a spatula and gently fold the mixture into the meringue. Be careful not to over mix and deflate the meringue. If you don’t know what it should look like, imagine the consistency of molten lava and draw an 8 in the mixture with the spatula.
   
4. Put the whole mixture into a piping bag and twist the end.
   
5. On a baking tray, put on a baking sheet, on which you put on a silicone sheet, preferably with macron diameters already drawn on it. On the sheet, start to make circular discs with the mix that are one inch wide in diameter.
   
6. After you’re done piping, make sure to lift the tray and pat it down gently onto the kitchen slab two to three times to get rid of the air bubbles. Now, let them rest outside at room temperature for about 40 minutes. This process is done to let the macarons form a layer of skin on them so that when you touch them, no batter comes squirting out.
   
7. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and make sure it’s that with an oven thermometer.
   
8. After you’re sure that a layer of skin has formed on the macrons and the oven is preheated, put the tray in the centre rack of the oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Once they are baked, they should easily separate from the mat. If it’s still sticking it means it still needs a little bit of baking. So, you can put it in the oven for another two minutes.
   
9. Before assembling the macarons, let the shells cool for about 30 minutes.

White chocolate ganache filling for the matcha macarons:

Where you’d put a chocolate ganache in any macaron, a white chocolate filling in the matcha macarons is better in my opinion because it adds a certain sweetness to the slightly bitter tea-infused shells. It’s quite exotic.

1. You’ll need a saucepan and a bowl that’s big enough to sit on the saucepan unattended. The method we’ll be using is a double boiler system.
   
2. Fill the saucepan three fourths with water and bring it to a boil. On the saucepan, place the large bowl and pour the heavy cream into it. As the cream starts to steam and form bubbles, add the chopped or grated white chocolate.
   
3. Wait for it to melt and fuse together and aid the process by occasionally blending with a spatula.
   
4. Once it’s done, let it cool down and pour it into a piping bag and make coin-sized pipes on the macaron disc and fuse them together.

Vanilla buttercream filling for the matcha green tea macarons:

Technically, you’re just combining the four ingredients together to make the buttercream but there are a few things to take note of when you do that.

• Use butter that is unsalted and is at room temperature.
• If you can’t find vanilla paste, you can add a vanilla bean. One teaspoon of vanilla paste equals one vanilla bean.
• Full fat whole milk is the best for the buttercream to add fluff and softness.

1. Whisk the butter and the milk together and add it to the bowl of powdered sugar and fold it till it’s equally consistent. 

2. Then add your vanilla paste and remix. 

3. Put it into a piping bag and pipe little circles on one of the macaron shells and press them together.

Red bean paste filling for yummy matcha macarons:

If you’re looking to have the matcha macarons as an authentic Japanese-flavoured delicacy, you must choose the red bean (adzuki)  paste for the filling.

You can usually find this in an Asian grocery store. If not, you can find it on Amazon. I’m linking my favorite red bean paste from Amazon for you.

Honestly, green tea flavoured macarons sound like something I’d never buy or make, but matcha has an alluring sweetness to it with a rich aroma filled with complex flavours.

How to store the macarons?

If you’re not going to be eating them or selling them right away, I’d recommend storing the filling and the macaron shells separately.

If stored together, there is a possibility that the insides of the macaron will become mushy and lose its essence.

The macaron shells can be left outside in an airtight box, but the filling must be stored in the fridge.

Why should you have a thermometer if you’re making macarons?

Earlier I mentioned an oven thermometer as a must-have in your kitchen. The reason being, even the slightest dip here and there can completely ruin your macaron. You see, a macaron is a delicacy. And it’s delicate.

You might think, isn’t there already a temperature regulator on the oven to monitor the temperature? Sometimes, even at a set temperature, the overs have the tendency to fall and rise the temperature in order to regulate and prevent overheating.

We don’t want that and need to prevent that at all costs because macarons are almost dainty culinary delights that can be susceptible to even a 5-degree difference. 

You learn all these tips and tricks from a lot of experimentation. But knowing what temperature you achieved the perfect matcha macarons at can help you recreate your perfect meringues the next time when you’re feeling like showing off at a high-tea.

What is Matcha?

After reading this, if you’re wondering what matcha is or what the hype is, I have an answer for you. Matcha is a Japanese speciality that is basically powdered tea. But this tea is special in its own way. The tea leaves are left in the shade for many weeks before they are treated specially. The process of the treatment involves removing every single stem and deveining every single leaf.

The leaves are ground to really fine powder, something with the fineness of what sifts through a sieve. These grounds (if you can call it that) have an excellent colour of vibrant green that I can’t get enough of.

Matcha is quite popular now, it can be seen used in many culinary affairs, such as a latte, crepe, and even cookies! Believe me when I say that these matcha macarons are worth dying for! They have an earthy profile that stands in contrast with the astringent flavour of the tea. Put it with sweet white chocolate and you have decadence in your mouth.

Where can you buy matcha powder that can be used for baking?

Matcha can usually easily be found in Asian stores. Finding it in Japan should not be an issue at all. It was typically used for a tea ceremony in Japan, but now people drink it regularly because of its flavours and because it is also easily available in any grocery store in Japan.

Check price in Amazon

If you don’t have an Asian grocery store in your town, you can always find it online. Matcha Kari is my favorite Matcha powder brand to make Matcha macarons or or other Matcha-based baked goods!

If you’re confused about whether you’re buying the right matcha, don’t be. The packaging of the matcha will tell you whether the tea is meant for ceremonial purposes or a culinary purpose. 

Also Read:

1. Best Japanese Green Tea
2. Difference between Japanese and Western Diet
3. Best Japanese Kitchen Goods