These Pistachio Macarons with Pistachio Filling have delicate green macaron shells and are filled with a homemade pistachio paste filling. This pistachio macaron recipe is made using the Italian meringue method, which utilizes a hot sugar syrup to get glossy peaks in the meringue for the shells. These green macarons are perfect for St. Patrick's Day, but also delicious any time of year.
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When I first started youthsweets, macaron recipes were my bread and butter. Specifically, fruity macarons. But now it's time to venture into other (nuttier) flavors, like my beloved pistachio. I used the Italian method for these, because it consistently produces “no hollow shells” for me, but you can absolutely use the French method here as well. I would say I use the Italian method 80 percent of the time, and French the rest. French can be faster and make for shinier shells, but I find them less dependable. The pistachio paste/butter recipe is adapted from Serious Eats. It utilizes raw blanched pistachios, which is KEY for an ultra sweet natural pistachio flavor.
If you prefer the French method, I recommend my banana macarons. They're filled with a banana white chocolate ganache that is truly to die for. If you don't love pistachio, but still want a green macaron, try my caramel apple macarons or pear macarons. They would be equally festive for St. Patrick's Day.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The filling uses real pistachios and blanching them makes the natural sweet pistachio flavor really shine.
- The shells become perfectly chewy after a night in the fridge to meld with the filling.
- The almond flour in the shells perfectly compliments pistachio since they are in the same flavor family.
- The filling is completely naturally colored. You can even omit the color in the shells for a macaron without any food coloring at all.
- These can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- Almond flour, made from ground almonds, is the base of the macaron shells. Blue Diamond Almonds Almond Flour is my favorite for macarons because it is finely-textured and not too oily.
- Powdered sugar, also called icing sugar, sweetens the shells and the pistachio filling.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the sugar syrup that is added to the meringue.
- Egg whites provide structure to the macaron batter. Half are whipped into a stable meringue and half are used to make a paste with the almond flour and powdered sugar. Leftover egg yolks can be used to make pastry cream.
- Kosher salt balances the overall flavor profile and helps the egg whites whip up into a stable meringue. If using table salt, be sure to reduce the amount by half.
- Raw blanched pistachios are vital to achieving a natural sweet pistachio flavor. I use these raw pistachios and blanch them using instructions from Serious Eats.
- Olive oil loosens the homemade pistachio butter filling and provides a subtle flavor. You can also use pistachio oil or any other neutral oil. If using olive oil, use extra virgin or another light variety that is best for drizzling and baking.
- Orange blossom water (optional) is another flavor, like almond, that compliments pistachio so well that it helps boost the natural pistachio flavor. You can omit this or swap for almond extract.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize these pistachio macarons with pistachio filling to your liking:
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- Pistachio buttercream filling — instead of the pistachio butter, make a traditional American buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream and add a few drops of my favorite pistachio flavor.
- White chocolate ganache — I typically use white chocolate ganache as the base for my macaron fillings, aside from this one. But, you could absolutely make the ganache from this recipe and add ¼ cup of the pistachio butter or a few drops of pistachio flavoring in lieu of the blackberry sauce, to make a pistachio ganache.
- Pistachio macaron shells — replace 40g of the almond flour with pistachio flour, if you prefer the shells to have pistachio in them as well.
- French macarons — use my banana macaron recipe for the shells if you prefer the French method.
- No artificial coloring — omit the food coloring completely for a natural-looking macaron.
- Garnish — drizzle melted chocolate (white, milk or dark) over the finished macarons and sprinkle ground pistachios on top.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make pistachio macarons with pistachio filling
Step 1: Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Fit a piping bag (pastry bag) with a plain round tip. Combine the powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Pour into a large bowl through a fine mesh sieve, discarding any large bits. In a small bowl, place 55g egg whites and a few drops of green gel food coloring. Beat together until well combined. Pour these whites over the dry ingredients and mix until it is like a thick paste, taking care to scrape the bottom of the bowl and the sides of the bowl during mixing.
Step 2: Place the other 55g egg whites and kosher salt the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Set aside until you prepare the sugar syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the 150g granulated sugar with the 2 ½ tablespoon water and place on medium heat. When it reaches 230°F start whipping the egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks. When the syrup reaches 244°F, remove from heat and pour into the whipping egg whites while mixing continuously, in a small, slow stream. Continue beating on high speed until the bowl has cooled slightly, and glossy stiff peaks have formed. Add about ½ cup of the meringue to the almond mixture. Mix it in to thin out the almond mixture and make it easier to stir. Then add the rest of the meringue over the almond mixture, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold in until combined and smooth. Work the batter until it flows in very thick ribbons when the spatula is lifted. It is done when it passes the figure 8 check. Do not overmix. Transfer the mixture to the piping bag. Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced one-inch apart. Bang the baking sheet a few times firmly on your countertop to flatten the macarons and remove air bubbles. Remaining air bubbles can be popped with a wet toothpick or metal cake tester. Let the macarons dry at room temperature 30-40 minutes, or until skins have formed and they are dry to the touch. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Bake for 20-24 minutes. Macarons are done when their tops no longer wiggle on their feet. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the baking sheet.
Step 3: Add the blanched and peeled pistachios to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until they form a smooth, but slightly oily, clump. This can take 5-10 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, salt and orange blossom water. Blend until combined. While the processor is running, drizzle in the oil and blend until completely smooth. Season to taste for additional salt. Add water as needed. Start with less and add more as you see fit. I like mine to be the consistency of peanut butter. Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip.
Step 4: Cool shells completely before filling. Pair off similar size shells. Pipe filling on one shell then sandwich the two similar size shells together. Store the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Chill overnight in the container and then let come to room temperature before serving.
Hot tips
- Age your egg whites for best results. Measure out the egg whites 24 hours ahead of time. Cover them with plastic wrap and poke a few tiny holes in it with a toothpick. Use these aged egg whites like normal in the recipe. Aging them allows for the proteins to relax, which helps the stability of the meringue.
- If you can't find raw pistachios in the grocery store, order them online. None of my local stores carry them raw.
- Blanching the pistachios is a VERY important step that you should not skip. The flavor difference is night and day between a pistachio with and without the skin on.
Recipe FAQs
Store the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Chill overnight in the container and then let come to room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze macarons in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Blanching the pistachios is a VERY important step that you should not skip. The flavor difference is night and day between a pistachio with and without the skin on.
As long as you are able to blanch them, I would say yes. I have never tried using roasted pistachios for this, so if you do, let me know how it goes!
Watch this video for a how-to on piping macaron batter.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Pistachio Macarons with Pistachio Filling recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Pistachio macarons with pistachio filling
Equipment
Ingredients
Macaron shells
- 150 g almond flour (1 ½ cup)
- 150 g powdered sugar (1 ¼ cup)
- 110 g egg whites divided
- Green gel food coloring
- 1 pinch kosher salt use half the amount if table salt
Sugar syrup
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ cup)
- 2 ½ tablespoon water (38ml)
Pistachio paste
- 2 cups pistachios raw, blanched and peeled (do not skip blanching and peeling it is very important) (255g, 9 oz)
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar (280g, 10 oz)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon orange blossom water
- ⅓ cup neutral oil I used olive oil, pistachio oil is ideal (55g, 2oz)
- ¼ cup water (55g, 2 oz) as needed
Instructions
Do ahead
- The night before: Age your egg whites. Place them in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic. Refrigerate at least 24 hours or until ready to use. Alternatively cover with a loose lid.
- Before you start: Wipe all bowls, baking mats and utensils with vinegar to remove any oils that could deflate your meringue.
- Prepare two large piping bags with plain round tips, one for the macaron batter and the other for the ganache filling.
Make the macaron shells
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Fit a piping bag with a plain round tip.
- Combine powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Sift into a large bowl, discarding any large bits.
- In a small bowl, place 55g egg whites and a few drops of green gel food coloring. Beat together until well combined. Pour the whites over the dry ingredients and mix until it is like a thick paste.
- Place the other 55g egg whites and salt the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Set aside until you prepare the sugar syrup.
- In a small saucepan, combine the 150g sugar with the 2 ½ tablespoon water and place on medium heat. When it reaches 230°F start whipping the egg whites. When the syrup reaches 244°F, remove from heat and pour into the whipped egg whites while mixing continuously, in a small, slow stream. Continue beating until the bowl has cooled slightly, and glossy stiff peaks have formed.
- Add about ½ cup of the meringue to the almond mixture. Mix it in to thin out the almond mixture and make it easier to stir. Then add the rest of the meringue over the almond mixture, and using a silicone spatula, gently fold in until combined and smooth. Work the batter until it flows in very thick ribbons when the spatula is lifted. It is done when it passes the figure 8 check. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the mixture to the piping bag. Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch circles, evenly spaced one-inch apart.
- Bang the baking sheet a few times firmly on your countertop to flatten the macarons and remove air bubbles. Remaining air bubbles can be popped with a wet toothpick or metal cake tester.
- Let the macarons dry at room temperature 30-40 minutes, or until skins have formed and they are dry to the touch. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes. Macarons are done when their tops no longer wiggle on their feet. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the baking sheet.
Make the pistachio paste
- Add the blanched and peeled pistachios to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until they form a smooth but slightly oily clump. This can take 5-10 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, salt and orange blossom water. Blend until combined. While the processor is running, drizzle in the oil and blend until completely smooth. Season to taste for additional salt.
- Add water as needed. Start with less and add more as you see fit. I like mine to be the consistency of peanut butter.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip.
Fill the macarons
- Cool shells completely before filling. If the pistachio filling got too hard while it sat, you can heat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and/or add a bit of water to loosen it up to a good piping consistency.
- Pair off similar size shells. Pipe filling on one shell then sandwich the two similar size shells together.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 02/17/2025.
Perfect natural pistachio flavor in the filling! Full disclosure, I am the author of the recipe.