Vegan Mint Macarons

Macarons are often seen as one of the hardest recipes to make at home — and vegan macarons? Even harder! Thankfully, we laid out some instructions to make sure you get the minty macarons of your dreams in this recipe. We replace the egg whites with aquafaba and add in the refreshing taste of mint to satisfy anyone’s macaron craving. Don’t let the recipe scare you — once you make a few batches of these vegan mint macarons, you’ll be able to perfect your own and impress everyone around you.

(For shells)

Large can of Aquafaba

7 oz almond flour

7 oz confectioners’ sugar

1 cup white vegan sugar

¼ cup water

A drop of green food coloring

A few drops of organic mint extract

(For filling)

1 cup room temperature vegan butter

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons non-dairy milk

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Macaron Shells

1. To prepare the Aquafaba, bring it to a simmer until it reduces to 5 oz. Once reduced, it should be the consistency of egg whites. Measure out 5 oz and let it sit until it reaches room temperature. (Alternatively, you can make the Aquafaba overnight, and take it out of the fridge before you prepare to macarons).
2. Sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar into a bowl to make sure there are no lumps. Whisk it around to ensure it’s blended and then set aside.
3. Take ⅓ cup of the Aquafaba and put it into your stand mixer to whisk. Do not turn it on yet.  
4. Pour the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar mix into the remaining Aquafaba. Mix it thoroughly until it is even and paste-like. Set this aside.
5. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water.
6. Just before the sugar water mixture boils, turn the stand mixer on high.
7. When the sugar and water in the saucepan reaches 242F, pour it carefully into the stand mixer. Continue mixing on high for about 8 minutes, or until the mixing bowl is cool. It should be fluffy and glossy.
8. Now, pour the almond mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, as well as with the food coloring and mint extract. Fold it into the batter. Make sure you mix it evenly. It should eventually flow slowly and smoothly off your spatula.
9. Line trays with silpat or parchment paper (If using parchment, make sure the paper is lying flat).
10. Put half of the batter into a pastry bag with a ½ inch tip.
11. Squeeze the mixture onto the trays in small rounds (about 1.5–2 inches). Leave room between each one as they may spread when cooking.
12. Finish until you have used up all of the batter.
13. Knock the trays against the top of the counter hard, but carefully, to remove any air bubbles.
14. Now, leave them to dry for about an hour or so. The tops should be just dry to the touch and not sticky against your finger. To fight any humidity, let a small fan on low blow across them.
15. Preheat the oven to 225F. To make sure this is the right temperature for your oven, you can try only baking a few at first. Place the trays in, one at a time, on the middle rack, and cook them for 25–30 mins. Check after 20 minutes to make sure they aren’t burning.
16. When the macarons are done, they should have a smooth, dry top and be firm. Let them cool before moving them off the tray.
17. Once they are completely cool, pair the shells by size.
18. Using a piping bag, squeeze the buttercream onto one side of the shell and place the other one on top. When pressing together, remember to be gentle!
19. Once all the macarons are filled, place them in the refrigerator overnight.

Macaron Buttercream Filling

1. All ingredients should be room temperature, so take these out when you begin to make the macarons.
2. As the macarons shells are drying, place butter, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and 1 ½ cup of the sugar into a large bowl. Mix together until it comes to a cream consistency.
3. Add the rest of the sugar and mix until it comes to a frosting consistency.
4. Place it into a piping bag to fill macarons.