3 Ingenious Methods for Making Macarons Without Almond Flour

In today’s culinary world, nuts are a trendy issue. Not only are schools growing more careful about nuts (some even prohibiting all nut and peanut products), but an increasing number of individuals are being diagnosed with a nut allergy!

So, what should a person with a nut allergy do when the major component in a wonderful sweet delight is almond flour? So I’m pleased you asked!

Macaron without nuts!

Indeed, you heard correctly. Macaron without nuts. The same melt-in-your-mouth, delicious delight, but without the bothersome nuts.

You skeptics are probably already upset about a nut-free macaron. I mean, is it really a macaron if it lacks the essential ingredient?

YES! You know the phrase, if it walks and speaks like a duck, it must be a duck?

Quack. Quack. Waddle.

This recipe’s three macaron recipes are all delicious. This tasty, sweet delicacy does not need any of those pesky allergies. Prepare your tongue and taste buds by salivating.

So, what ingredients are required to create macarons without almond flour?

*As mentioned in the comments below, almonds and peanuts do not belong to the same family. Almonds are classified as a tree nut, but peanuts are classified as a legume. An allergy to one does not always imply an allergy to the other. Therefore leave them out of the recipes below.

Three distinct recipes for peanut and tree nut free macarons are included below. One recipe calls for sunflower seeds, another for pumpkin seeds, and still another for white chocolate.

Do you lack an oven in which to bake your macarons? Check out my post for instructions on how to make them without one!

1 – Sunflower Seed Macarons

Easy French Nut-Free Macarons

~Ingredients~

• 2/3 cup of raw sunflower seeds [71 grams]
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar [117 grams]
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar [53 grams]
• Jam or other filling

~Instructions~

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place sunflower seeds in a food processor (see my recommendations) along with confectioners’ sugar.
3. Process until combined, about 1 minute.
4. Pass seed/sugar mixture through a sieve.
5. Transfer bits that did not go through the sieve back to the food processor; sift again, pressing down on clumps.
6. Repeat until less than 2 tablespoons of solids are left.
7. Whisk egg whites and granulated sugar by hand to combine first.
8. Then whip on medium speed and increase the speed every 3 minutes until stiff peaks form.
   *This should take between 6-10 minutes.*
9. If you are adding color, add it now and then whip on high for 30 seconds.
10. Add dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula.
11. Repeat just until batter flows like lava.
12. Pipe small circles onto parchment paper or on a macaron sheet.
    *Tap sheets firmly against counter 2 or 3 times to release air bubbles.*
13. Bake until risen and just set, 10-12 minutes.
14. Let cool.
15. Pipe or spread filling on flat sides of half of cookies; top with remaining half.
16. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

~Recipe Notes~

It is preferable to chill them overnight and then return them to room temperature before serving.

Homemade Simple French Macaron (Nut-Free) Recipe by Sister

2 – Pumpkin Seed Nut Free Macarons

Pumpkin seed allergies are uncommon, in case you were wondering. They are not linked to tree nuts and do not often cause life-threatening responses.

Always use caution while ingesting them if you are not certain you are not allergic to them.

Malted Pumpkin Seed Macarons with Malted Vanilla Buttercream

~Ingredients~

• 4 ounces (115g) toasted pumpkin seeds
• 8 ounces (230g) powdered sugar
• ¾-ounce (21g) malt powder
• ¼-ounce (7 g) cocoa powder
• 5 ounces egg whites (144g)
• 2½ ounces (72g) sugar
• The scrapings of 1 vanilla bean
• ½ tsp (2g) salt

**Filling**

• 8 ounces (230g) of your favorite vanilla buttercream
• 1-ounce (28g) barley malt syrup

~Instructions~

1. Preheat the oven to 300° F (148° C).
2. Fit a large pastry bag with a plain tip, set aside.
3. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside as well.
   *If your oven has a strong bottom level heating element, consider double panning.*
4. In the bowl of a food processor, grind the pumpkin seeds, powdered sugar, malt powder and cocoa for one minute.
5. Sift this mixture, reserving whatever bits do not pass through.
6. Repeat processing and sifting until all of the mixture passes through a sieve, then set aside.
7. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar, vanilla bean and salt. Turn the mixer to medium and whip for 3 minutes. Don’t have a stand mixer? In a previous article I wrote, you can find out if you really need one.
8. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip another 3 minutes.
9. Increase the speed to high for another 3 minutes.
10. Whip for a final minute on the highest speed.
    *At the end of this minute, you should have an exceedingly stiff, dry Meringue.*
11. Now, dump in the dry ingredients all at once and fold them in with a rubber spatula
    *mix until a cake batter-esque consistency is achieved.*
12. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
13. After piping the macarons, rap the sheet pan firmly against the counter two or three times.
14. Bake for about 18 minutes or until you can cleanly peel the macarons away from the parchment paper.
    *This may take longer than 18 minutes depending on your oven.*
15. Cool thoroughly before removing them from the parchment.
16. Whip the buttercream and barley malt syrup together and use as a filling for the cookies; sandwiching
    *Approximately ½-Tablespoon buttercream between every cookie pair.*
17. Store the macarons (see my recommended storage methods), refrigerated, overnight before consuming.

Honest Cooking Macarons: Not as Nuts as You Expected

3 – White Chocolate Nut Free Macarons

Golden Macaron

~Ingredients~

• 4 egg whites [140g (4.94 ounces)]
• 1/3 cup caster sugar [72g (2.54 ounces)]
• 8.47 ounces white chocolate, finely grated [240g]
• 1 cup icing sugar, sifted [120g (4.23 ounces)]

~Instructions~

1. Whisk your egg whites and sugar together until firm, add color if desired & whisk thoroughly.
   *Egg whites should be stiff enough that you can turn your bowl upside down and it will not spill out of the bowl.*
2. Gently fold in your white chocolate and icing sugar.
3. Once it is just combined, continue to fold while some more mixture is dropped into the bowl very slowly & melds down into the rest of the mixture.
   *You do not want a runny mixture or your macarons will be flat.*
4. Pour the mixture into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off and pipe circles onto non-stick baking paper. Piping with a Ziploc bag is just one one the ways I cover in this article about piping without needing a tip.
5. Bake at 150°C (302 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 20 minutes.
6. Leave to cool on the paper and then carefully peel off.
7. Pair similarly sized macrons and fill them with ganache.

The recipe yields around 20 macarons.

Nut Free Macaron Recipe from How to Cook That