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3 Creative Ways to Make Macarons Without Almond Flour

3 Creative Ways to Make Macarons Without Almond Flour

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Nuts are a hot topic in today’s cooking environment. Not only are schools becoming more cautious about nuts (some even ban all nut and peanut products), but more and more people are being diagnosed with a nut allergy, even as adults!

So what’s a person with a nut allergy to do when a delicious confectionery treat’s main ingredient is almond flour? Well, I’m glad you asked!

Nut-free macarons!

Yep, you heard me. Nut-free macarons. The same melt-in-your-mouth, sugary goodness without all those troublesome nuts.

Now, you naysayers are probably already up in arms about a nut-free macaron. I mean, is it really a macaron if it doesn’t have the staple ingredient?

YES! Y’know the saying, “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it must be a duck”?

Quack. Quack. Waddle.

These three macaron recipes fit the tasty bill on this one. You don’t need those pesky allergens to make this yummy, sweet treat. Get that mouth salivating and those taste buds ready.

So what do you need to make macarons without almond flour?

*Quick note – as pointed out in the comments below, almonds and peanuts are not in the same family. Almonds are considered a tree nut, while peanuts are a legume. An allergy to one doesn’t necessarily mean an allergy to the other. We’ll keep both out of the recipes below.

Below you will find three different recipes for peanut and tree nut free macarons. One uses sunflower seeds, one uses pumpkin seeds, and one even uses white chocolate.

Don’t have an oven to bake your macarons? Check out my article showing you how to make them without one!

1 – Sunflower Seed Macarons

Sunflower Seeds

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 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 best to refrigerate overnight and then let them come back to room temperature before eating.

Recipe by Sister DIY – Easy French Macaron (nut-free) Recipe

2 – Pumpkin Seed Nut Free Macarons

Pumpkin Seeds

In case you were concerned, pumpkin seed allergies are rare. They are not in families closely related to tree nuts, and do not usually produce life-threatening reactions.

As always, take care when consuming them if you are not completely sure you are not allergic.

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.

Recipe by Honest Cooking – Macarons: Not as Nutty as You Thought

3 – White Chocolate Nut Free Macarons

White Chocolate

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 should make about 20 macarons.

Recipe by How to Cook That – Nut Free Macaron Recipe

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Alicia Montgomery

Saturday 20th of February 2021

Hi there! I've been wanting to make macarons for a long time now, but I share my baking with family and I have an uncle who is highly allergic to almonds. I do have a question about the sunflower and pumpkin seed substitutes... do you shell them before processing them, or leave the shells on? It didn't say that I could find. I was a bit concerned, since I know sunflower seeds at least are pretty oily, and I wondered if they would turn into paste.

Jess

Tuesday 28th of April 2020

Is the malt powder, malted milks powder?

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Thursday 30th of April 2020

Hi, Jess!

The malt powder is not the same as malted milk powder. It’s barley malt powder. I hope that helps!

Eleanor

Saturday 25th of April 2020

Thank you for sharing this information with us we’re in quarantine right now and not everyone has almond flour

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Monday 27th of April 2020

Hi, Eleanor!!

I’m so glad I could help! We’re in quarantine too, so I understand the feeling. Good luck with your macarons!

rowelsa

Wednesday 22nd of April 2020

honestly idk what y'all are on but I can attest that the white chocolate one certainly doesn't work. idk about the seed ones so imma not comment on those. but the white choc. lmao what a joke and waste of resources. my suggestion is to try to find a way to not let the chocolate stick to itself, somehow incorporate it to the egg mix (I failed this step no matter what I tried, maybe you need a colder working space? I was at room temperature) without a food processor bc the food processor makes it too runny to cook and take shape. it was just so annoying. thanks it didn't work.

Kat

Sunday 5th of April 2020

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! It’s awful- for as many times I’ve been to France/Europe, I’ve never been able to try a macaron because of my deadly nut allergies. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing everyone else enjoy the sweet ambrosia you’re forbidden from tasting... A lot of people don’t understand or respect nut allergies, so I’m VERY grateful to have a culinary ally like you! On a scale of 1 to 10, my almond allergies are around an 8 (hazelnuts are a 1, cashews and pistachios are a 10), and it’s just so hard to avoid them. Thank you SO SO SO much for sharing your recipes!

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Wednesday 8th of April 2020

Hi, Kat!!

I’m so glad I could help!! I can’t wait for you to try them! They’re delicious. No more missing out for you :)