Macarons can be filled with buttercream frosting, cream cheese icing, jam, jelly’s, salted caramel sauce, and chocolate ganache.
Depending on what you’re filling your macarons with, there are a couple different techniques you can use to fill macarons with.
If your filling has more of a liquid consistency, you’ll be piping in the center of the macaron.
Whereas, if you’re piping with a thick macaron filling like buttercream, you’ll pipe the outer ring, and then work your way to the center.
If you’re using 2 macaron fillings, learn how to fill them using the instructions below.
Before you begin filling your macarons, you need to match up your macaron shells to make sure they are the same size.
Macarons will look much more professional if you match up your shells to make them uniform in size.
Place them in a line so you can easily pipe your macaron filling, and then put on the top shell.
Tools for Filling Macarons
- piping bag
- round tip (1/4″ or 1/2″) or decorative star tip
- filling (jam, buttercream, ganache, etc.)
How to Fill Macarons with Buttercream
Buttercream is a thick filling for macarons.
You can use a decorative star tip for a textured look to the macaron filling, or a round tip for a smooth look to the filling.
- Fit a piping bag with a 1/4″ or 1/2″ round tip.
- Place your macaron filling into the piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag and expel the air.
- Pipe your macaron filling beginning on the outside ring of the macaron, then continue piping the buttercream inside the outer ring until you reach the center.
- Lift up the piping bag when the buttercream has covered the macaron from the outside to the inside.
- Place a matching macaron shell on top of macaron filling.
How to Fill Macarons with 2 Fillings
Macarons with 2 fillings typically have a center filling that is has more of a liquid consistency. The buttercream will hold this liquid center filling so it doesn’t leak out of the macaron.
- Fit a piping bag with a 1/4″ or 1/2″ round tip.
- For the outside ring of macaron filling (buttercream), place the macaron filling into the piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag and expel the air.
- Pipe your macaron filling on the outside ring of the macaron shell, leaving the center without any filling.
- You can use a spoon to gently place the center filling into the middle of the piped outside macaron filling.
- Place a matching macaron shell on top of macaron filling.
Macarons with 2 fillings
- Raspberry Macarons: Raspberry buttercream and raspberry jam
- Strawberry Macarons: Cream cheese frosting with strawberry jam
- Blackberry Lemon Lavender Macarons: Blackberry buttercream with lemon curd
How to Fill Macarons with Salted Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Ganache
Salted caramel sauce and chocolate ganache have a bit more of a liquid consistency to them.
These fillings need to be piped in the center of the macaron to prevent the filling from going over the edge of the macarons.
- Fit a piping bag with a 1/4″ round tip. Caramel sauce is a bit runny, therefore you want a smaller tip to be able to control how much filling you’re putting onto the macaron shell.
- Place your caramel sauce filling into the piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag and expel the air.
- Pipe your caramel filling in the center of the macaron. Only put a small spoonful amount onto the center of the shell. You should still have the outer portion macaron shell exposed with no filling.
- Gently place a matching macaron shell on top of macaron filling and squish the salted caramel sauce to the edges of the macaron shell. Filling the macaron shells this way will make sure that it doesn’t overfill and spill over the sides of the macaron shells.
