Ann Reardon

Nut Free Macaron Recipe | substitute almond flour

substitue almond meal macaron

This is a golden macaron. It is special because it contains no nuts. That’s right not a hint of almond meal or any other ground nuts or seeds. Many people have nut allergies and some just can not get hold of almond meal so they asked ‘ Can I substitute almond meal for wheat flour?‘ To which I would answer, ‘Almond meal is high in fat and protein and low in carbs, wheat flour is high in complex carbs, low fat and low protein so the substitution would not work’. But that got me thinking what else could we use.

I have read other recipes that use ground pumpkin seeds. I don’t grind my own almonds, I buy them as almond meal or flour so the thought of buying seeds and grinding them seemed like too much hard work. If you want to try that method, swap in equal quantities for the almond meal.

At first the only other things I could think of that were high protein and fat were also full of water, like egg yolks, which wouldn’t help. Then white chocolate came to mind – high fat, high protein and high sugar. Perhaps if I reduced the sugar in the recipe I could get the nutritional composition of the white chocolate to match the almond meal and it will work – may be!

A couple of trial runs and adjusting ingredient quantities and we have nut free macarons. Now let me warn you they look and taste great but they are not perfect they are a little hollow. If you are after perfect macarons then almond meal is the best way to go.

Nut Free Macaron Ingredients

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

Nut Free Macarons Directions

Whisk together your egg whites and sugar until stiff, add colour if desired and whisk through. Egg whites should be stiff enough that you can turn your bowl upside down and it will not spill out of the bowl.
Gently fold in your icing sugar and white chocolate. Once it is just combined continue to fold some more until some mixture 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. See the video for a visual example of what you are looking for.

Pour the mixture into a piping bag or ziploc bag with the corner cut off and pipe circles onto non-stick baking paper.
Bake at 150C (302 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 20 minutes. I like to bake on the top shelf for 15 and then move down for the last 5 – 10 as needed. Leave to cool on the paper and then carefully peel off.
Pair similarly sized macrons and fill with ganache. The recipe should make about 20 macarons.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

150g (5.29 ounces) dark chocolate chopped
50g (1.76 ounces) or 31/2 tablespoons cream (35% fat)

Place chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Wait approximately 3 minutes for the chocolate to melt and then stir until smooth. Place in a ziplock bag in the fridge until firm enough to pipe – it thickens as it cools.

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My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

335 Comments View Comments

  1. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann,
    Towards the end of the video, you painted the macarons with Lustre Dust and it appeared to be mixed with something (presumably to help make it stick to the macaron).
    What was it you were using? Or what do you suggest.
    I wanted to give my macaroons a sparkle effect and was thinking of sprinkling them with the shimmer dust prior to baking. Do you think this would work?
    Thanks

    • Hi Kerri, I would add any shimmer afterwards for best effect. In the video, Ann has not mixed the lustre dust with anything.

  2. Can I use dark chocolate? or does it really need white chocolate?

    • Hi Anonymous, white chocolate works best. If you use dark chcolate, firstly the colour will be impacted but secondly the results may change as there is a different balance in fat and protien in the mix. You will need to experiment.

  3. Rating: 4

    If i were to ground the white chocolate myself since there is no ground white chocolate in the grocery stores by my place, can i grind any white chocolate bar or do i need to use the white chocolate bar meant for baking? Also do i really need to freeze the chocolate bar before grinding and what’s the minimum time i can leave the chocolate bars in the freezer for before grinding them?

    • Hi Christina, You will need to grate white chocolate. Use white chocolate that contains cocoa butter. How long you will need to leave it in the freezer will depend on your freezer. The chocolate bar need to be fully frozen and hard.

  4. Rating: 4

    So I made these, and it was a disaster, but it was completely my fault, my scale was iffy and I was just not properly prepared. I’m wondering, should I weigh the chocolate before or after it is grated, and does it need to be super fine like flour, or can it be a little larger like when you zest fruit. Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely want to try it again!

    • Hi Ashley, weighing at either time would be fine. I suggest a final check that you have enough for work. Withe chocolate, it needs to look like a very, fine zest or a flour.

  5. Rating: 5

    This nut free recipe is fantastic. Hopefully more flavors of nut free recipes can be published. Thank you

    • Thanks Deborah!

  6. I made macarons using the recipe provided.. i followed the same steps as you did.. whisked egg whites for about 7 mins,sifted and then folded as per your video instruction.. everything went perfect until I baked my macarons(150 C) when i took the macarons out of the oven after 20 mins, all those small macarons joined and made a big macaron(it actually spreaded).. after it cooled down,we tasted it..although it was good, the base was completely burnt.. I know that something went wrong.. i would like to know that so that i could make my macarons better next time.. Thank You..

    • Hi Ross, It is difficult to know what when wrong without seeing what you did. Generally macarons spread but if spaced well, they shouldn’t run together. Assuming they were well spaced, it suggests something went awry with your mix.

      • Oh yeah..maybe i need to keep some more.distance between each macarons..Thank you for replying… Lots of love..<3 <3

  7. can i use coco powder

  8. Hi Ann! I would love to know that would it make any difference if I use cold eggs? Does the egg should be room temp? Thank You

    • Hi Ross, Ann tests this in one of her baking hack videos. It makes very little difference at all.

      • Oh yes! I have watched that video before. Anyways thanks for replying me.. 🙂

      • I am very sorry to disturb you again.. But is there any cup measurement for white chocolate? Would help me a lot so that I can use the same cup for rest of the ingredients.. Thank You soo much! Lots of love <3 <3

        • Hi Ross, 240g white chcolate would roughly convert to 1 and a third cups.

  9. What would happen if instead of grating the chocolate I melted it? Could this be easier or would it just be a disaster?

  10. Hi I’ve tried this three different times and they tasted great but have no feet. Any suggestions?? Could it be the type of chocolate? I would really like to see those feet form! Thank you!!

    • Rating: 5

      I am not able to subscribe to because I do not have a google account because I am 11 so I still watch your videos but I just cant like them sorry

      • No worries Ana. Thanks for watching!

    • Hi Brandy, No foot often means your oven temperature is a little too low. Try increasing the temperature just ten degrees and see if you get a better result.

  11. Any thought about using something like some powdered banana chips to add in stabilizing this and help reduce the air pocket?

  12. How can I grate the white chocolate?

    • Hi Connie, You can use a hand grater or freeze the chocolate till quite hard and then use the grater attachment on the food processor in short bursts.

  13. I was very excited for this recipe. I had the same results as many in that once I added the choc mixture and folded, it went flat.
    I noticed someone else asking if the icing sugar is 1/2 cup (or 1 cup as recipe states.)
    Thanks for any help…

  14. Can I use milk chocolate instead of white chocolate?

    • Hi Anna, This recipe is designed for use with white chocolate.

  15. Hi Ann! Do we have to add the white chocolate to the macroons? Is it crucial in the binding process?

    • Hi Fatyima, The chcolate is an essential part of nut-free macarons.

  16. If you want to double the recipe and only have seven eggs could you use seven instead of eight??

    • Hi Beonca, You could try it but macarons are a delicate balance of fat and protein, so if there is not enough egg white you may find the results are not as good as you hoped.

  17. Ours went flat when folding in the chocolate and icing sugar… is this normal? We have proceeded with oven placement and will shortly advise on output…. we are not hopeful. Any recommendations for future reference greatly received.

    Flat mac (Age 11)

  18. Dear,,cane i make macaroons without almond flour and how to subsitude almond flour

  19. I illegally won the superbowl

  20. I’m coming for you

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