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How to Keep Macarons Fresh (5 Reliable Storage Methods)

How to Keep Macarons Fresh (5 Reliable Storage Methods)

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Macarons are my absolute favorite go-to when I want to bake something that’s elegant and pretty. They’re petite and colorful…and I can fill them with all of my favorite fillings. They’re perfect to serve guests, take to a celebration, or share with my family whenever we’re in the mood for a light dessert.

Once you’ve put all that work into creating an amazing-looking and great-tasting macaron, you’ll want to store them and keep them fresh for as long as possible. If not stored correctly, macarons get soggy and break apart easily.

Here are a few of my tricks and tips for keeping macarons fresh and tasty as well as how to store them overnight.

The Chic and Delicate Macaron: Why Macarons Demand Special Care

Close Up of a Macaron in a Hand

Let’s take a moment to define what the macaron is all about and why this delicate confection needs a bit of extra care when it comes to storing and keeping it fresh.

With their origin in France, macarons are thin meringue cookies that are baked so they’re slightly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

Typically made with finely ground almonds (there are alternatives), sugar, and egg whites, two of these meringues are sandwiched together with a sweet filling such as chocolate ganache, flavored buttercream, or sweet jam.

Together, these ingredients make for a delicious French pastry that almost melts in your mouth. I dare you to eat just one of these scrumptious treats!

Due to their delicate nature and precise baking requirements, macarons demand special care during preparation, baking, and storage. 

The intricate combination of almond flour, egg whites, and sugar in macaron shells makes them vulnerable to external factors like humidity and temperature fluctuations. 

If stored like your run-of-the-mill cookies, they’ll lose their unique texture and flavor—qualities they’re best known for!

How to Store Macarons Overnight? – Bake, Fill, and Store!

Macaron on a Baking Sheet

After pulling your macarons out of the oven (unless you bake them without one), leave them on the pan to cool down completely. If you take them off the pan immediately after baking they can easily start to crack and fall apart.

Taking macarons off the pan to cool can also result in a cookie that’s too soft

Macarons need to be light and crispy on the outside. Letting them cool on the pan brings out this crisp outside texture.

The best way to store your macarons is when they’ve been filled. However, letting them cool and rest before filling will help to prevent breakage. 

Once completely cool, fill the macarons with your favorite fillings.

1. Use an Airtight Container

Use an airtight container that’s clean and dry for storing macarons. This is important because any amount of moisture in the container is going to transfer to your macarons—and that’s precisely what you want to avoid. 

Place a layer of parchment paper into the container, folding neatly up the sides if you’re using a shallow container. Carefully set each macaron onto the parchment paper in a single layer. I try to store them without touching them so there’s no chance of them sticking together.

Put the lid on tightly, ensuring that no air can get into the container. Air will quickly make your macarons soggy.

I store the container on my kitchen counter—macarons never last for very long in my house! 

They’ll last for up to 24 hours at room temperature. If you’ve been baking in warm temperatures, place the container into a cool, dark cupboard.

This will keep both heat and sun off the container, so it doesn’t warm up the macarons inside.

2. Store in Macaron Boxes

Macarons in a Macaron Box

Yes, macaron boxes exist. I didn’t know they did either until I looked up ways to store macarons!

Macaron boxes are specifically created to hold macarons. They’re an excellent way to store these delicate treats and keep them fresh longer. Plus, they work brilliantly for when you need to transport them to a party or other event.

Macaron boxes are strong and sturdy, with sizes usually fitting anywhere from 2 to 12 macarons. These boxes double as gift boxes—after all, macarons make a great gift for any number of occasions such as baby showers and birthdays!

You can purchase macaron boxes at specialty baking and kitchen stores as well as online.

3. Store in the Fridge

If you’re not going to be eating all your macarons in one day, the fridge is a good place to store them. In the fridge, they stay fresh for up to three days. Macarons that are stored in the fridge for longer than three days will start to get soft and crumbly.

For best results, place your macarons on the center shelf of the fridge. The temperature often fluctuates on the bottom of the fridge or on a top shelf. I also avoid placing macarons on the door of the fridge where the temperature is always fluctuating from the opening and closing of the door.

Remove macarons from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving. To bring out their great flavor, macarons should be eaten at room temperature.

4. Freeze Your Macarons

Macarons in Storage Containers

If you need to keep macarons fresh and tasty past three days, you’ll need to freeze them. 

When kept in the freezer, macarons will keep well for about 3 to 4 months without losing any of their texture or flavor.

Before freezing, you’ll need to make sure you’ve packed your macarons carefully and securely to prevent freezer burn. I place my macarons on their side in an airtight plastic container lined with two to three layers of parchment paper.

Before sealing the lid, I add another two layers of parchment paper on top, with an additional layer of aluminum foil to fit into the container.

The goal here is to have your macarons snugly nestled in the container so they freeze without being exposed to dry air in the freezer. The delicate texture of macarons means that they can be easily freezer-burned.

When you’re ready to serve freezer-stored macarons, let them defrost fully for about 30 minutes before eating.

If you only need a few macarons, take out what you need then securely wrap the remainder again and return the rest in the freezer.

5. Freeze Unfilled Macarons

Another way to keep macarons fresh is to freeze the meringues without filling them. They’ll stay fresh in your freezer for 3 to 4 months. Pull out of the freezer and defrost for 30 to 45 minutes before assembling with your choice of fillings.

Storing unfilled meringues isn’t just a good way to keep macarons fresh, it’s also a great way to always have macarons on hand or when you need to prepare a large number of these delicacies ahead of time for a special event.

How Not to Store Macarons

Macarons in a Fridge

There are some ways that you should NOT store macarons. I’ve tried these methods to store and keep my macarons fresh—without any luck at all!

  • Don’t be tempted to put these delicious gems into a plastic bag. Plastic bags retain moisture, causing macarons to get soft and mushy. Storing in a plastic bag is also a sure way to break the soft and crispy shells of macarons. If at all possible, avoid putting macarons into bags.
  • If you’re going to layer macarons when storing them, use parchment paper and not wax paper. Macarons will stick to wax paper, pulling apart when you try to remove them.
  • Never store macarons in the fridge without putting them into an airtight container. It may be tempting to just put a few on a plate and eat them in a few hours. The delicate texture of the macarons quickly absorbs the smells of other foods in the fridge, ruining their flavor.

My Favorite Macaron Fillings

I hope my tips and techniques for keeping macarons fresh have inspired you to make your own! 

And remember, it’s not just the filling that you can vary in macarons—you can add different flavor combinations to the meringue, as well!

Here are a few of my favorite macaron flavor combinations.

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Joey

Monday 2nd of August 2021

Hello! Just wanted to check why did my macarons kept condensing so much?

I store them in an airtight container right after my macarons completely cool down and pop them into the freezer until one day before my event to filled them up.

No matter how I try to store them it always comes out condensing so badly…

Gianna

Thursday 7th of January 2021

Hi Nicole! I used your recipe for my first time ever making macaroons and they came out BEAUTIFUL and so delicious!!! Thank you so so much

Nicole

Saturday 19th of October 2019

Hello, I started doing macarons and Im somewhat ok now doing the shell how ever once i filled and followed all direction to store either ref or freezer once it comes out a few minutes will make it so moist and soggy. Im wondering if its my filling? just using butterilk or creamcheese with butter and powdered sugar. Can you recommend a filling that will hold on the macarons texture in room temp or macarons being in the ref . then serve for an event Im planning. Thankyou so much

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Tuesday 22nd of October 2019

Hi, Nicole!

Mushy macarons are not great macarons! Just a couple questions to try to get to the bottom of this. How are you storing them, and how are you defrosting them? It sounds like their getting a bit of condensation on them.

Ellen

Thursday 29th of August 2019

Hi Sarah,

I need to make about 50-100 macarons for an event and was wondering what you would recommend as the best idea for storage? I plan to make them all on Friday and they will be eaten during the event on Saturday. There will not be any left overs. What would you recommend as the best storage idea for a 12-16 hour period between baking and eating? Thank you!

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Friday 30th of August 2019

Hi, Ellen!

I would probably refrigerate them if I were in your shoes. You could leave them out, but they have to be consumed within 24 hours, and you’ll run the risk of time being too short on that. If you refrigerate them, they’re good for 3 days. Good luck with your event!

Katie

Monday 19th of August 2019

Hi! I have my first large order of macarons this weekend. I was wondering if I make the shells how can i store them i filled for just one day? My gut tells me room temp in an air tight container but I have no idea if that’s right.

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Wednesday 21st of August 2019

Hi, Katie!

If you’re looking at filling them, you are definitely right on the airtight container, but I would aim for the refrigerator or the freezer over room temperature. You’ll have about a day to eat them if you store them at room temp. If you refrigerate them, that’ll go up to around 3 days. Much longer if you freeze them. Good luck with your order!!