Matcha macarons filled with red bean paste are a twist on traditional macaron flavors. I’m sharing the best matcha powder to use plus tips for making the cookies.
Ever since making my successful chocolate macarons batch, I’ve been making macarons like crazy. I love how you can make different flavors and fillings. The only challenge is when you change the ingredients to create different flavors sometimes the macarons don’t turn out right.
Luckily, I don’t mind doing lots of recipe testing and I was happy when I finally got a batch of green tea macarons to turn out. They aren’t perfect, but they’re pretty close.
Macarons Made with Green Tea Powder
Anytime you bake with matcha powder, it can be difficult to get a great green color. It all depends on the matcha powder you use and some kinds are not as good as others. For these matcha macarons, I used Maeda-En*. The ceremonial grade is a little pricey, but it is really good to use in baking.
The powder is a much darker, vibrant green. The taste is also much stronger in my baked goods. One of the problems I’ve been having with other matcha powders is that once they bake, they turn yellowish-green or start to brown. With this powder, while the green got lighter after it baked, my macarons stayed green.
Filling
The other thing I love about macarons is that you can do all kinds of fillings to complement the shells. For these, I made things easy and used ready-made red bean paste (azuki), which you can buy at Asian grocery stores. Red bean paste is often matched with matcha (especially in mochi), so the combination makes sense.
You can also make matcha ice cream sandwiches by sandwiching the cookies with an ice cream flavor that goes with green tea. Or, try chocolate ganache or a buttercream frosting.
Macarons aren’t a quick and easy thing to make – they mostly take patience. It’s important to use aged eggs and once you pipe the shells they need to sit out at room temperature to harden before baking.
I also recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. This ensures you get the precise amount of flour and eggs – too much or too little can cause your macarons not to turn out right.
So, be sure to plan ahead and allow time for all of the steps.
Ingredients
- Blanched almond flour
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Matcha powder
- Egg whites – they need to sit out at room temperature for 24-48 hours before using them
- Granulated sugar
- Store-bought red bean paste for the filling
How to Make Them
Mix the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and matcha powder in a bowl. In a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they are foamy.
Once the whites are foamy, slowly add the granulated sugar while whipping continuously. The mixture will turn smooth and shiny when it’s ready. It should hold stiff peaks at this point.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites. Go slow so you don’t deflate the mixture. You want a lot of air so your macarons have the right light texture. When you’ve folded it all in the mixture should create ribbons on the surface when you lift your spatula.
Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip.
Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet creating 1 to 1 ½” rounds. Try to make them even in size so your finished macaron tops and bottoms are the same size. They should be spaced two inches apart on the sheet.
Leave them to sit for an hour at room temperature. This will help create a crispy hard shell once they are baked.
Bake the macarons for eight to ten minutes ate 300°F. Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool. Once the macarons are cooled, remove them from the pan.
Once they are completely cooled, pipe the red bean paste on half of the macarons. Top each with a top that is the same size to create a sandwich cookie.
They will keep well at room temperature for several days in an airtight container. Or you can freeze them, too.
I was happy with how these turned out. I love the flavor of the matcha with the red bean paste – it’s a fun twist on a traditional macaron.
More Recipes to Try
*Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Matcha Macarons with Red Bean Paste Filling
Ingredients
For the macarons:
- 110 gm blanched almond flour I used JK Gourmet Almond Flour
- 200 gm minus 1 1/2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp matcha powder
- 100 gm egg whites from about 3 eggs, aged at room temperature for 24-48 hours
- 50 gm granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add the confectioners' sugar, almond flour and matcha powder to the bowl and process until blended. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until a smooth, shiny meringue with stiff peaks forms. Add the ground almond mixture to the bowl with the meringue and quickly but gently fold together using a wide rubber spatula until no streaks remain. You want to achieve a thick batter that ribbons or flows from the spatula when lifted.
- Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain wide round tip. Pipe into small rounds on the prepared baking sheets (each round should be about 1-1½ inches in diameter), spaced about 2 inches apart. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on size. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before moving the cookies.
- Once the cookies are totally cooled, match them up by size. Pipe with red bean paste. Sandwich together with the remaining cookie, pushing the filling to the edges. Store in an airtight container. Macarons can be stored in the freezer.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Do these macaroons freeze well?
yes!
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Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!
Wow! What an unusual flavour combination 🙂
Just came across your blog and thought I’d pop by to say “hi”… Keep up the blogging! 🙂
You know what’s funny, I had seen matcha macarons on one of the blogs I read regularly and I couldn’t remember whose it was. I actually thought it was yours and was searching your site last night when writing this post. Your lavendar ones are gorgeous!
Thanks! It does seem to have a very spring green look! I’ve seen people achieve very dark green macarons; I guess it all depends on the matcha powder being used.
I literally JUST made these too! I use maeda-en too, I like it a lot. Yours though, look MUCH better than mine haha but thankfully mine still tasted delicious!
What a pretty green! I love the color.