Pistachio Macarons made without almond flour for big pistachio flavor. Pistachio buttercream is the perfect filling for these special macarons.

It’s true, French Macarons can be made without almonds. Ground pistachios make beautiful macarons. Just a dab of food coloring will make lovely green shells that advertise the special pistachio flavor.

Ingredient Notes

Egg Whites – Use fresh egg whites that have been aged overnight in the refrigerator. Do not use pasteurized egg whites unless the carton specifically states they can be used for meringue.
Cream of Tarter – Acidifies the batter. Acidic foods don’t brown as well as less acidic foods. The added acidity prevents over-browning of the macarons shells.

Pistachios – Take the place of ground almonds in this recipe.
Green food coloring – Optional, but we do eat with our eyes and a pale green color reinforces the pistachio flavor.

How to make Pistachio Macarons

See the recipe card for detailed instructions and measurements.

three photos showing how to prepare pistachios to make french macarons without almonds

Use raw, unsalted pistachios.
Grind to a fine powder.
Add the sugar and cinnamon and continue to grind.

three photos showing how to grind and sift pistachios for macarons.

Grind the pistachios and sugar to a fine powder.
Strain through a fine sieve.
Larger pieces that won’t sift will be ground again.

three photos showing how to grind pistachios and sugar to a flour to make french macarons

Grind the larger bits of pistachio again.
Grind and sieve 3 times until there’s less than a tablespoon of unground pistachio leftover.
The final mixture should look like fine flour.

showing how to whip and dye egg whites to make french macarons

Whip the egg whites to medium peak. Add food coloring, if desired.
Whip to full peak.

showing how to fold pistachio flour into egg whites to make macarons

Fold the pistachio flour into the meringue.
Fold until the batter flows, but still leaves a ribbon on the surface.

Pipe the batter onto a sheet of parchment paper over the template. Set them aside to dry.
Pair up the baked cookies by size and pipe the pistachio buttercream onto half the shells.

Storage

Pistachio Macarons can be held at room temperate for 2-3 days.
They can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.
You can freeze macarons for several weeks after they’re assembled, making them the perfect make-ahead dessert or gift.

If you love French Macarons (and I know you do) here are some other lovely flavors to try:

Pistachios are a great baking ingredient, here are a few more ways to use them:

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

Print Recipe

4.34 from 3 reviews

Pistachio Macarons

By: Eileen Gray

Pistachio Macarons made with 100% pistachios and no almond flour are really something special. The ingredients for this recipe are given by weight for the most accurate measurement.

Prep Time1

Bake Time13

Drying Time30

Total Time1 43

24 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

Macaron Base Mix

6 oz raw pistachios
2 oz granulated sugar
8 oz confectioner’s sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Macaron Shells

3 large egg whites (aged (see note))
1 ½ oz confectioner’s sugar
12 oz Macaron Base Mix
⅛ teaspoon table salt
a few drops of green food coloring

Macaron Buttercream Filling

4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
Remaining Macaron Base Mix
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
a few drops of green food coloring (optional)

Instructions

To Make The Base Mix

Pulse 6 oz raw pistachios a few times until they are roughly ground. Add 2 oz granulated sugar and8 oz confectioner’s sugar. Process until you have a finely ground flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Don't over process or you'll make a paste.
Move the mixture to a sieve and sift with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. If you end up with a lot of large bits left, process them again and sift again. Continue grinding and sifting until you have less than a tablespoon of unground nuts. Whisk the ingredients after sifting to be sure they are well combined
Divide the base, setting aside 12 oz (336g) for the macaron shells and the remaining for the buttercream filling.

To Make the Macaron Shells

Preheat the oven to 300 °F. Use a biscuit cutter or glass to draw twenty-four 2" circles on a 1/2 sheet of parchment paper. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and put the paper with the circles underneath the parchment on one of the pans.
Whip 3 large egg whites with ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter to soft peak. With the mixer running add the 1 ½ oz confectioner’s sugar and ⅛ teaspoon table salt and whip to full peak. Add the food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until you have a color that you like. Gently fold the pistachio mixture into the whites in two batches. Continue folding until it becomes soft and shiny, but not thin and runny. When you lift the batter with the spatula and let it drizzle back into the bowl it should leave a trail on the surface that slowly fades.
Scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (or cut the tip of a disposable bag). Pipe discs of batter until until they’re 1/4" from the edges of the circles you’ve drawn. Set the pan aside to allow the cookies to dry for about 30 minutes.
Touch the top of a cookie to make sure it’s dry to the touch, it can be a bit tacky but shouldn’t stick to your finger
Bake for 7-8 minutes. For even baking turn the trays so the back side is at the front and rotate the trays between racks. Bake for another 5-6 minutes until the shells are dry and the centers are still soft.
To check if the shells are baked I like to gently shimmy the top of the shell. If it jiggles separately from the "foot" the inside is still too soft. If it feels soft but is attached to the foot it’s done. Be careful handling the shells, it’s easy to crack the surface

To Make the Buttercream Filling

Combine4 oz unsalted butter butter with the remaining base mix, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon dark rum and optional green color. Whip on medium-high speed until the buttercream lightens in color and becomes aerated.
Scoop the buttercream into a clean pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or cut the tip of a disposable bag
Pair up the cooled shells by size. Flip over half the shells and pipe a dollop of buttercream. Sandwich the cookies gently, handling the cookies by the edges and not the tops.
The finished cookies should be refrigerated in a covered container for 1 day before serving. The cookies can also be frozen for several weeks. Bring them back to room temperature before serving.

Equipment

My Book

Food Processor

Decorating Icing Tips

Parchment Sheets

Half Sheet Pans

KA Stand Mixer

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Video

Notes

Separate the egg whites at least a day and up to 3 days before baking. Store the whites in a bowl in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature before mixing the batter.

Aging the whites allows the protein in the whites to relax so they’ll whip up better.

To check if the shells are baked gently shimmy the top of the shell. If it jiggles separately from the “foot” the inside is still too soft. If it feels soft but is attached to the foot it’s done.

Nutrition

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!

Ginny

Friday 9th of April 2021

It has never occurred to me to use leftover macaron batter in a buttercream, but why not? Do you have a 'best guess' as to the amount of batter you might have used? I'm pretty good at scooping up and using everything in my bowl, so I don't usually have much leftover.

Eileen Gray

I don't use the leftover batter, I use some of what I call the "macaron base" in the buttercream. That's the ground pistachios and sugar. If you read through the recipe you'll see that I split the ground pistachio mixture and use 12oz in the macaron shells and the rest in the filling.