These lavender macarons are delicate, pretty, and totally doable at home. My French macaron recipe uses culinary lavender for a gentle floral note and a simple vanilla buttercream so the flavor stays clean and elegant. I grind the lavender extra fine and keep the color a soft whisper of purple so they look as dreamy as they taste.

Once you get the feel for macaronage (French term for the process of folding the almond flour into your meringue), you will be whipping out bakery-style macarons on repeat. I love that they are a make-ahead treat that actually gets better after a rest in the fridge, and they are a naturally gluten-free dessert everyone can enjoy. Perfect for tea time, showers, or a little just because gift from your kitchen.

Lavender macarons with pretty feet stacked on a white marble counter

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Why You’ll Love These Lavender Macarons

Great for gifting: They pack beautifully and feel special for showers, birthdays, or tea time.
Lightly floral flavor: Culinary lavender adds a gentle, elegant vibe without tasting like soap. Nobody wants that!
Naturally gluten-free: Almond flour keeps the shells tender and friendly to gluten-free guests.
Bakery look at home: Smooth tops, pretty feet, and glossy shells once you nail the quick technique.
Make-ahead magic: Macarons taste best after a 12 to 24 hour rest in the fridge, so you can prep ahead.
Customizable filling: Keep it classic with vanilla buttercream or switch it up with lemon or white chocolate.

Close-up of smooth lavender macaron shells with a soft chew

Gather Your Ingredients

For the Lavender Macaron Shells

Almond Flour – Is the primary ingredient for the macarons.
Powdered Sugar – Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to this recipe.
Lavender Buds – Adds a delicious lavender essence. You can't have Lavender Macarons without lavender, can you?
Egg Whites – This is what makes the macaron cookies light and fluffy.
Cream Of Tartar – Helps stabilize the egg whites so your macaron shells aren't runny.
Granulated Sugar – Works with the egg whites to create the signature stiff peaks that make this recipe a success.
Purple Gel Food Coloring – Gel food coloring gives the most intense color without making the stiff peaks runny.

For the Vanilla Buttercream Filling

Butter – For the body of the filling
Powdered Sugar – Makes for a perfectly sweet filling
Honey – Adds some natural sweetness while complimenting the flavors of the lavender.
Heavy Whipping Cream – Makes the filling creamy and rich.

Stack of sandwiched vanilla buttercream between two lavender macaron shells

How To Make Them Step by Step

Prep the dry mix: Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together until extra fine. Discard coarse bits so your shells bake smooth.
Whip the meringue: Beat egg whites to soft peaks, then slowly rain in granulated sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form (see image below of what the stiff peaks should resemble). Beat in vanilla and a tiny dot of gel color if using.
Macaronage time: Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. Stop when the batter flows in a slow ribbon and you can draw a figure 8 that melts back into itself within about 10 seconds.
Pipe and rest: Pipe 1.25 to 1.5 inch rounds on silicone mats or parchment. Tap the tray to pop bubbles and use a toothpick for any stubborn ones. Rest until the tops look matte and no longer sticky to the touch.
Bake to feet: Bake until the shells rise with pretty feet and the tops do not wobble when gently nudged. Cool completely before filling.
Fill and mature: Sandwich with vanilla buttercream. Chill in an airtight container 12 to 24 hours so the centers soften and the flavor blooms. Bring to room temp before serving for the best texture.

stiffed peaks egg whites for making macarons

David's Macaron Tips

Weigh everything: Grams keep macarons consistent every time.
Sift twice: Fewer lumps equals smoother shells.
Do the ribbon test: The batter should flow slowly, not runny. Take a scoop of the batter, then let it fall into the bowl. It should slowly cascade down, as if it were a thick ribbon.
Watch the rest: Humidity affects rest time. Matte and dry to the touch is your green light.
Use an oven thermometer: Macarons are sensitive, actual oven temps love to fib.

Make it Your Own

Tea party twist: Sandwich a tiny dot of lemon curd in the center with a ring of buttercream wrapped around it for a filling.
Lavender lemon: Add fine lemon zest to the shells and lemon juice to the buttercream.
Honey vanilla: Drizzle a little honey into the buttercream to play up the lavender.
White chocolate ganache: Rich and silky if you want a firmer set filling.
Color play: A whisper of violet, or keep them natural and let the speckles shine.

lavender macarons on a granite plate and fresh lavender

Storage and Freezing Tips

Fridge: Airtight up to 4 days. Best after day 1 once they mature.
Freeze shells: Unfilled shells freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge, then fill.
Freeze assembled: You can, but high-moisture fillings can soften shells a bit.

More Cookie Recipes To Enjoy Making

Lavender Macarons

Delicate lavender macarons with vanilla buttercream. Bakery style look, step-by-step tips, naturally gluten-free. Make-ahead friendly and giftable.

David Murphy

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 14

Additional Time 40

Total Time 1 9

Serving Size

Ingredients

For Shells

70 grams almond flour Sifted
63 grams powdered sugar
3 teaspoons food grade dried lavender buds
55 grams egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
55 grams granulated sugar
Purple GEL food color optional

For Filling:

1 stick butter- softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Add sifted almond flour, powdered sugar, and lavender buds into a food processor and pulse for about 1 minute. Set aside for now.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add egg whites and cream of tarter and whisk until bubbly. GRADUALLY add in the granulated sugar and mix until soft peaks form. Add in purple food color and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form. The meringue should stick straight up when you remove the whisk.
Sift half of the almond mixture into the meringue and fold by going around the bowl and straight through the center of the meringue. Continue folding until there are no dry spots remaining.
Sift in the remaining almond mixture and fold until you get a “lava-like” consistency. You should be able to pick up your spatula and draw a figure 8 with the batter without it breaking off. The batter should also disappear back into the bulk after about 15-20 seconds.
Prepare a piping bag with a large round tip. Use a large mug or glass to hold the piping bag while you fill with the macaron batter.
Add a silicon mat or parchment paper to a baking sheet. Pipe about 1 ½” circles (I recommend using a template, you can easily find one on google images) of batter then tap the baking sheet against the counter to remove and air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles that come to the surface. TIP: If there are little “nipples” that stay on the top of the shells, wet your finger and gently press those into the shell to smooth the top.
Allow the shells to set for 20-30 minutes or until a “skin” forms on the outside. You should be able to touch the top of the shells without batter coming off on your finger.
Bake at 300 degrees. F for 14-15 minutes or until you can touch the top of the shell and it does not move around on the “feet”.
Remove form the oven and allow to cool COMPLETELY before trying to remove them from the pan.
While they are cooling, prepare the honey buttercream by adding the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream until nice and smooth. Add in honey and mix until well combined.
Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time and fully incorporate. Last, add in heavy whipping cream and slowly increase speed to high and whip for 2-3 minutes until you get a whipped consistency. Add to a piping bag with a large round piping tip.
Flip over half of the shells and pipe a small amount of buttercream on each shell and top with the remaining shells.
Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to “mature” this will give you the best results. Bring the macarons to room temperature and serve!

Notes

Parchment Paper or Silpat Mats to prevent these delicate cookies from sticking.

Heatproof Bowl you’ll need this to make the perfect meringue.

Two Large Sheet Pans to bake the

macarons on.

Piping Bags help make perfectly shaped and sized Lavender Macarons.

Small Sauce Pan to heat your batter to the perfect temperature.

Stand Mixer This isn’t essential but you’ll be thankful you have it because whipping your meringue can be quite the workout by hand.

Rubber Spatula helps you scrape the sides of the bowl to get every last delicious bit out.

Fine Mesh Sieve You’ll want to keep any big clumps or pieces of almond flour out for the perfect macaron texture.

Lavender Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream

Why You’ll Love These Lavender Macarons